From e8fb5c6324dbf6a98ebcf4d9af8d32e825939214 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Leonard <leonard@hermes.local>
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2026 06:22:07 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?feat:=20add=20email=20triage=20wakeAgent=20gate?=
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+# Email Triage — wakeAgent Gate Pattern
+
+A condition-based poller that checks for new actionable email, fires the LLM only when there's unprocessed high-priority mail, and stays silent (zero cost) on empty ticks.
+
+## Design
+
+```
+┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│  cron: every 15m                                            │
+│  no_agent=true                                              │
+│  script: check-unread-email.sh                              │
+├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
+│  Script output (stdout):                                    │
+│   • "" (empty)         → no agent, no delivery ── $0.00     │
+│   • "3 unread priority" → gate opens → agent processes      │
+└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+```
+
+## Implementation
+
+### 1. Script (`scripts/check-unread-email.sh`)
+
+```bash
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Silent poller: outputs nothing unless there are actionable unread emails
+# Called by cron with no_agent=true — zero token cost on empty ticks
+#
+# Gate logic:
+#   stdout empty = no new email → silent delivery (nothing sent)
+#   stdout non-empty = has mail → cron passes it to agent context
+
+source ~/.hermes/profiles/leonard/.env
+
+COUNT=$(himalaya envelope list -f INBOX -a 2>/dev/null | grep -c "UNSEEN" || echo 0)
+
+if [ "$COUNT" -eq 0 ]; then
+  exit 0  # silent — no output, no delivery
+fi
+
+# Gate opened: output structured context for the agent to process
+echo "UNREAD_EMAIL=$COUNT"
+echo "TIMESTAMP=$(date -Iseconds)"
+echo "---"
+himalaya envelope list -f INBOX -a 2>/dev/null | head -20
+```
+
+### 2. Cron Job (Hermes cron)
+
+```bash
+hermes cron create \
+  -s "email-monitor" \
+  --schedule "every 15m" \
+  --script ~/.hermes/profiles/leonard/scripts/check-unread-email.sh \
+  --no-agent \
+  "If the script reports unread emails, summarize the top 3 most important ones with sender, subject, and a one-line action recommendation. Flag anything urgent or time-sensitive. If nothing actionable, deliver nothing."
+```
+
+### 3. Wake Gate Principle
+
+The gate stays **closed** (no agent invoked) 95%+ of ticks. The script:
+- Uses no LLM resources (pure shell)
+- Outputs nothing on empty scans → **silent delivery** (free)
+- Only when email is found does the agent context fire
+
+## Key Configuration
+
+| Setting | Value | Reason |
+|---------|-------|--------|
+| `schedule` | `every 15m` | Fast enough for triage, sparse enough to stay cheap |
+| `no_agent` | `true` | Script-only polling — zero token cost per tick |
+| `deliver` | `origin` | Returns to the same chat where created |
+| Script exit | `0` with empty stdout | Silent — no notification sent |
+
+## Variants
+
+- **Compliance monitor**: Same pattern, replace email check with regulatory RSS/API poll
+- **Opportunity scanner**: Script scrapes X/HN, gates on fresh high-signal mentions
+- **System health**: Script checks disk/GPU/memory thresholds, gates only on warnings
+- **Skills curator**: Script checks skill freshness, gates on skills approaching staleness
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