---
id: 11669
title: Clarify broadcast-suppressed lane pickup fallback
state: CLOSED
labels:
  - documentation
  - enhancement
  - ai
  - architecture
  - model-experience
assignees:
  - neo-gpt
createdAt: '2026-05-20T06:00:15Z'
updatedAt: '2026-06-07T17:13:54Z'
githubUrl: 'https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/11669'
author: neo-gpt
commentsCount: 0
parentIssue: null
subIssues: []
subIssuesCompleted: 0
subIssuesTotal: 0
blockedBy: []
blocking:
  - '[x] 11671 Add AGENTS.md rule 7 pointer for broadcast fallback'
closedAt: '2026-05-20T07:51:10Z'
---
# Clarify broadcast-suppressed lane pickup fallback

## Context

Night-shift coordination on 2026-05-20 surfaced a repeated workflow friction pattern: when the operator suppressed `AGENT:*` broadcasts because Gemini's harness was unstable, GPT and Claude treated that broadcast prohibition as if it blocked further implementation-lane pickup. That produced an avoidable idle window even though the repository had many non-conflicting open tickets and the operator had already made direct-DM coordination to Claude an acceptable substitute.

This is not a blame/shame issue. The useful signal is substrate friction: an existing rule was interpreted too literally because the skill payloads do not clearly distinguish "broadcast unavailable" from "work unavailable."

## The Problem

The current substrate contains several correct anti-idle rules, but their interaction leaves a gap:

- #10970 codified post-review next-lane pickup.
- #11165 tightened `post-review-pickup` halt-state criteria around backlog self-survey and concrete context-exhaustion triggers.
- #11221 closed the "state intended lane, then idle" loophole.
- `peer-role-mode.md` still presents the canonical `[lane-claim]` example as `to: 'AGENT:*'`.
- `post-review-pickup` does not explicitly say that a temporary broadcast suppression requires a fallback coordination channel, not a halt-state.

When `AGENT:*` was operator-suppressed to avoid waking/crashing Gemini, the missing fallback language let agents over-escalate to a hold. The intended behavior was simpler: coordinate directly with the reachable peer (`@neo-opus-ada` in this incident), avoid Gemini, and either continue the active epic on non-conflicting lanes or widen to body/grid/docs/backlog tickets before declaring any halt.

## The Architectural Reality

This is a skill/workflow-substrate issue, not a runtime bug. A narrow documentation/agent-contract patch should be enough.

Primary surfaces:

- `.agents/skills/post-review-pickup/references/post-review-pickup-workflow.md` — owns positive-ROI lane pickup and legitimate halt-state criteria.
- `.agents/skills/peer-role/references/peer-role-mode.md` — owns lane announce / `[lane-claim]` coordination shape and should name the direct-DM fallback when broadcast is operator-suppressed.
- Optionally `AGENTS.md §critical_gates` / `§swarm_topology_anchor` only if the skill-level fix cannot make the rule interaction discoverable enough. Prefer skill-level tightening first to avoid turn-loaded bloat.

Empirical duplicate sweep before filing:

- `ask_knowledge_base(type:'ticket', query:'duplicate tickets broadcast suppression direct DM fallback halt-state watchdog post-review-pickup lane selection')` surfaced related closed tickets #10970, #11165, #11221, #10668, #11038, but no direct duplicate for broadcast-suppressed lane pickup fallback.
- Local grep over `resources/content/issues`, `resources/content/discussions`, and `.agents/skills` found the same related lineage plus `[lane-intent]` / `[lane-claim]` semantics, but no explicit fallback contract for operator-suppressed broadcasts.
- Live `gh issue list` searches for `halt-state backlog self-survey broadcast direct DM idling`, `nightshift watchdog idle halt post-review-pickup`, `broadcast suppression fallback direct DM coordination`, and `Gemini harness crash broadcast direct DM` returned no open duplicates. One broad search hit #11628, which is an unrelated KB ingestion operations epic.

## The Fix

Clarify the lane-pickup contract:

1. `AGENT:*` broadcast is the canonical visibility path, but it is not the only collision-prevention primitive.
2. If the operator explicitly suppresses broadcasts because a peer harness is unstable, agents must use the operator-authorized reachable peer DM as the coordination substitute.
3. Broadcast suppression alone is not a legitimate halt-state.
4. Before declaring halt, agents must widen the lane search beyond the immediately active epic to non-conflicting open backlog work such as body, grid, documentation, testing, or other Project 12 lanes.
5. Night-shift/watchdog pulses must not degrade into "wake -> ack -> nothing to do" when positive-ROI backlog lanes exist.

## Contract Ledger Matrix

| Target Surface | Source of Authority | Proposed Behavior | Fallback | Docs | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `post-review-pickup` halt-state / watchdog lane discovery | This issue; #10970; #11165; #11221; 2026-05-20 operator correction | Broadcast suppression does not permit halt by itself; complete direct-DM fallback + broad backlog survey first | If no reachable peer DM exists and all candidate lanes are blocked, use blocked-task-state with evidence | Skill reference update | Unit/doc lint if available; PR body evidence otherwise |
| `peer-role` lane-claim examples | This issue; operator constraint from night-shift incident | Keep `AGENT:*` as canonical, but document operator-authorized direct-DM fallback while broadcast is suppressed | Use targeted blocker A2A if coordination cannot be made visible | Skill reference update | Manual grep + reviewer verification |
| Night-shift operational behavior | This issue; operator correction | Wake pulses should re-check live repo/A2A and pick non-conflicting positive-ROI work instead of idling | Short no-delta pong only after broad search proves no claimable lane | `post-review-pickup` or adjacent audit note | PR body evidence |

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] `post-review-pickup-workflow.md` clarifies that broadcast suppression is not a halt-state and requires an operator-authorized direct-DM fallback when available.
- [ ] `post-review-pickup-workflow.md` requires broad positive-ROI lane discovery before halt, explicitly including body/grid/docs/general backlog when the active epic is gated.
- [ ] `peer-role-mode.md` keeps `AGENT:*` as canonical `[lane-claim]` visibility but documents direct-DM fallback semantics for operator-suppressed broadcasts, including that the fallback is scoped to the named reachable peer and must not wake the suppressed peer.
- [ ] The anti-pattern table gains an entry for "broadcast unavailable => idle" / "wake -> ack -> nothing to do".
- [ ] Verification evidence demonstrates the updated text references #10970, #11165, and #11221 rather than duplicating or contradicting them.
- [ ] Cross-family review per pull-request workflow; human-only merge boundary preserved.

## Out of Scope

- Runtime wake-subscription changes.
- Re-enabling broadcasts to Gemini while the operator's no-broadcast constraint is active.
- Changing the core `[lane-claim]` authority semantics from #11536/#11537.
- Mandating that every watchdog pulse must start code work; the rule is to search honestly and use the available coordination channel, not to manufacture unsafe work.

## Avoided Traps / Gold Standards Rejected

- **Blame/shame framing:** rejected. Shame hides friction; the durable value is a clearer substrate contract.
- **Treat direct-DM fallback as universal replacement for broadcast:** rejected. Broadcast remains canonical; direct-DM fallback applies when the operator suppresses broadcast and names/permits a reachable peer channel.
- **Over-broaden into a new coordination system:** rejected. Existing `post-review-pickup`, `peer-role`, and A2A direct messages are sufficient.
- **Idle because the current epic is gated:** rejected. The backlog is broad; non-conflicting body/grid/docs/general tickets are legitimate lanes.

## Related

- #10970 — Codify post-review immediate next-phase pickup discipline
- #11165 — Revise post-review-pickup halt-state to require backlog self-survey
- #11221 — Close §15.6 intended-next-lane loophole
- #11536 / #11537 — `[lane-intent]` / `[lane-claim]` authority semantics

## Handoff Retrieval Hints

- `query_raw_memories(query="broadcast suppression direct DM fallback halt-state nightshift watchdog idle")`
- `query_summaries(query="wake ack nothing to do post-review-pickup direct DM Claude Gemini crash")`
- File anchors: `.agents/skills/post-review-pickup/references/post-review-pickup-workflow.md`, `.agents/skills/peer-role/references/peer-role-mode.md`

## Timeline

- 2026-05-20T06:00:16Z @neo-gpt added the `documentation` label
- 2026-05-20T06:00:16Z @neo-gpt added the `enhancement` label
- 2026-05-20T06:00:16Z @neo-gpt added the `ai` label
- 2026-05-20T06:00:16Z @neo-gpt added the `architecture` label
- 2026-05-20T06:00:16Z @neo-gpt added the `model-experience` label
- 2026-05-20T06:01:35Z @neo-gpt assigned to @neo-gpt
- 2026-05-20T06:06:00Z @neo-gpt cross-referenced by PR #11670
- 2026-05-20T06:42:13Z @neo-gpt cross-referenced by #11671
- 2026-05-20T06:42:37Z @neo-gpt marked this issue as blocking #11671
- 2026-05-20T06:51:39Z @neo-opus-ada cross-referenced by PR #11672
- 2026-05-20T07:51:10Z @tobiu referenced in commit `5f51e30` - "fix(agentos): clarify broadcast fallback pickup (#11669) (#11670)

Co-authored-by: tobiu <tobiasuhlig78@gmail.com>"
- 2026-05-20T07:51:11Z @tobiu closed this issue
- 2026-05-20T10:06:39Z @neo-opus-ada cross-referenced by PR #11675

