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docs(spec): project cadence — Lyra as BIT's observer and picker

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Long-horizon project tracking. Key finding: BIT records every project as
last-touched 2026-03-21 while project-lyra has 177 commits across 30 working
days since. A manual tracker doesn't decay to neutral, it decays to actively
demoralizing — absence of records looks like absence of work.

Frame mirrors the pokerlog: BIT is the system of record, Lyra is a client.
BIT enumerates what's possible (/actionable returns 68 tasks); Lyra picks one.

Also found: the sessions table already exists as TimeLog on BIT's dev branch
(Feb 2026, never deployed), along with project goals and a pomodoro widget.
The blockers branch (deployed) has the dependency graph and actionable view.
Neither branch has both; divergence is 3 commits.
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# Project cadence — Lyra as BIT's observer and picker
- **Date:** 2026-09-02
- **Status:** Spec — approved to build
- **Branch:** `feat/project-cadence`
- **Second repo:** `~/break-it-down` (BIT) — needs its own branch work, see Phase 0
- **Related:** `lyra/thoughts.py` (surfacing machinery), `docs/ROADMAP.md`
---
## The problem
Brian's long-horizon projects — the garage, the music backup, the side repos —
have no due date and no end state. The failure isn't laziness or tracking; it's
**initiation**, driven by a specific loop:
> "If I can't do it perfectly, why do it at all." → "I'll start tomorrow." → nothing.
Three things feed that loop, and all three are fixable.
### 1. The record is false, in the direction of despair
BIT records every project as last-updated **2026-03-21**. Meanwhile `project-lyra`
alone has **177 commits across 30 distinct working days** since that date, most
recently two days ago.
BIT isn't recording a dead project. It's blind to a very alive one.
This matters more than any feature. A manual tracker doesn't decay to *neutral*
when you stop feeding it — it decays to **actively demoralizing**, because absence
of records is indistinguishable from absence of work. Open BIT today and it shows
a graveyard with March on the headstone. That is "why bother" fuel, manufactured
by the tool built to fight it.
### 2. Nothing initiates
BIT is a passive store. Using it requires remembering to go to it — which is the
same broken step as remembering to start a pomodoro timer. (Note: a pomodoro
timer *was* built, in February, and has sat on an undeployed branch since. The
timer was never the missing piece.)
### 3. `/actionable` enumerates but does not pick
BIT already has a "⚡ Now — what can I do right now?" view. Today it returns
**68 tasks**. That is another wall — the exact wall it was built to knock down.
Picking requires context BIT structurally cannot have: what time it is, how long
Brian has, what he was warm on yesterday, what's gone stale, whether he's at the
desk or on his phone.
---
## The frame
Mirrors the frame already committed to for the pokerlog:
> **BIT is the system of record. Lyra is a client of it, not its container.**
| | Owns | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| **BIT** | Facts: projects, tasks, blockers, estimates, **time logs** | Standalone value. Human-editable UI. Works with Lyra dead. |
| **Lyra** | The relationship: cadence config, nudge state, dormancy, **the pick** | None of this is a fact about the garage. It's her state *about* the garage. |
Same distinction as poker's *ledger* (facts) vs *relationship* (her memory of the
sessions).
**One sentence:** BIT knows what's possible. Lyra picks one, and knows why.
---
## Design principles
1. **Sessions, not completion.** The unit of progress is a logged session, never
a completion percentage. A % bar on an endless project reads 12% forever and
is a "why bother" generator. BIT's own v0.2.0 roadmap lists "Progress tracking
(% complete)" — **keep it off long-horizon projects.**
2. **Cadence health, not deadlines.** A project is `on_cadence`, `drifting`, or
`dormant`. **Dormant is a legal, non-shameful state**, not a failure.
3. **Observe, don't ask.** The record must become true without Brian maintaining
it. This is the highest-value thing in the whole design.
4. **No model call in the read/write path.** Reading projects, logging a session,
marking dormant — pure HTTP and SQL, working with the MI50 down and every API
key expired. The LLM appears **only** in the nudging and picking paths, which
are allowed to be flaky because a missed nudge costs nothing.
5. **Push has a budget; ignoring changes state.** Habituation is automatic and
cannot be willpowered. The anti-stacking mechanism is scarcity, not
notification priority flags. Two ignored nudges puts a project to sleep and
she stops asking.
6. **Additive-only to BIT's schema.** (Moot with a fresh DB, but keep the
discipline: SQLAlchemy `create_all()` adds missing tables safely; altering
existing ones is where data dies.)
---
## What already exists — do not rebuild
Substantially more than expected. Verified against the running instance at
`10.0.0.40:3002` and the cloned repo at `~/break-it-down`.
### On BIT `origin/dev` (commit `2ee75f7`, Feb 2026) — built, never deployed
```python
class TimeLog(Base):
__tablename__ = "time_logs"
task_id = Column(Integer, ForeignKey("tasks.id"), nullable=False)
minutes = Column(Integer, nullable=False)
note = Column(Text, nullable=True)
session_type = Column(String(50), default="manual") # 'pomodoro' | 'manual'
logged_at = Column(DateTime, default=datetime.utcnow)
```
- `Project.weekly_hours_goal` and `Project.total_hours_goal` — cadence targets,
already modeled. **Trap: both are named `*_hours_goal` but the source comment
says they store MINUTES.** Do not multiply by 60.
- `POST /api/tasks/{id}/time-logs`, `GET /api/tasks/{id}/time-logs`
- `GET /api/projects/{id}/time-summary` — the accumulation-evidence endpoint
- `migrate_add_time_logs.py`, `migrate_add_project_goals.py` — idempotent
`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS` migrations, hand-written
- `PomodoroWidget.jsx`, `PomodoroContext.jsx` — a working timer UI
`session_type` is a free-text `String(50)`, so adding `'git'` is **not** a schema
change.
### On BIT `origin/blockers` (commit `5da6e07`, Mar 2026) — this is what's deployed
- `task_blockers` many-to-many association table; `Task.blockers` / `Task.blocking`
- `GET|POST|DELETE /api/tasks/{id}/blockers[/{id}]`
- `GET /api/actionable` — unblocked, not-done leaf tasks across all projects
- `is_archived` on Project, Active/Archived/All tabs
### Branch divergence
Three commits total: **2 on dev** (pomodoro + a chore), **1 on blockers**. Neither
branch has both halves. `main` (Feb 17) has neither.
### Already in Lyra
- `lyra/thoughts.py` — a threaded, decaying, self-surfacing, backs-off-when-ignored
nag engine with quiet hours and a push channel. `new_thread:210`, `decay:265`,
`record_response:292`, `maybe_surface:326`, `maybe_ping:377`,
`maybe_daily_digest:429`.
- `lyra/notify.py` — ntfy push with tap-through
- `lyra/clock.py:56` — `humanize_gap` ("3 days")
- `lyra/tools.py` — tool spec + dispatch pattern
- `lyra/mind.py:168` — `build_messages`, where context notes get injected
- `lyra/web/` on `:7078` — RTO black/orange theme, matching BIT's existing look
### API facts verified against the running instance
- API is served at **`:3002/api/*` through nginx**. Port 8002 is not exposed.
- `GET /api/projects/{id}/tree` **404s** on the deployed branch. Use
`GET /api/projects/{id}/tasks`.
- The README is stale in both directions: it claims v0.1.6 while the deploy
reports v0.1.5, it documents `/tree` which doesn't exist, and it omits
blockers, `/actionable`, and `is_archived` — listing blockers as "v0.2.0
planned" when they're live. **Treat the code as truth, never the README.**
---
## Architecture
```
┌────────────────────────┐
│ git repos on disk │
│ (7 of 8 BIT projects) │
└───────────┬────────────┘
│ walk history, group by local day
▼
┌────────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────────────┐
│ lyra/gitobserver.py │ │ chat: "spent an hour in the │
│ deterministic, no LLM │ │ garage" → log_work tool │
└───────────┬────────────┘ └──────────────┬───────────────┘
│ │
└──────────────┬─────────────────────┘
▼ POST /api/tasks/{id}/time-logs
┌───────────────────────────┐
│ BIT (facts) │
│ projects · tasks · blockers│
│ time_logs · goals │
└───────────┬───────────────┘
│ GET /actionable, /time-summary, /tasks
▼
┌───────────────────────────┐
│ lyra/projects.py │
│ BIT client + cadence math │
│ (pure, no LLM) │
└───────────┬───────────────┘
│
┌──────────────┼──────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
lyra/tools.py cadence state thoughts.py surfacing
(she can talk (Lyra's DB: (salience → surface →
about it) goals, nudge ping → response,
state, dormancy) budget + backoff)
```
**Data flow, one line:** git and chat write facts into BIT; Lyra reads BIT, computes
cadence, and decides whether and how to open her mouth.
---
## Phase 0 — BIT consolidation
There is no production data. The 8 projects / 77 tasks on `10.0.0.40` were test
builds; a snapshot lives at `~/bit-seed-snapshot/` if any of it is worth reseeding
through the existing JSON import.
1. Merge `origin/dev` and `origin/blockers` into a single branch. Three commits;
the backend touch points barely overlap (`models.py` gains `TimeLog` from one
and `task_blockers` from the other).
2. Deploy BIT **on this machine** via its existing `docker-compose.yml`. Pick
ports that don't collide with `lyra-web` (`:7078`) or `lyra-ntfy`.
3. Fresh `bit.db` — `create_all()` builds the full schema. The migration scripts
become unnecessary but stay in the repo for the old instance.
4. Verify post-merge: `/api/actionable`, `/api/tasks/{id}/time-logs`,
`/api/projects/{id}/time-summary`, and the Pomodoro widget all respond.
5. Create the real projects. `Clean up march 26` becomes actual physical projects
(garage, music backup, spare closet).
**Exit criteria:** one BIT instance on this box serving blockers *and* time logs,
reachable from Lyra.
---
## Phase 1 — the git observer
`lyra/gitobserver.py`. **Deterministic. No LLM anywhere in this module** (principle 4),
which keeps the backfill reproducible and unit-testable.
### Config
A repo↔project mapping in Lyra's config: local repo path → BIT project id.
Explicit, not auto-discovered — auto-discovery would guess wrong and pollute the
ledger.
### Session derivation
For each repo, group commits **by local calendar day** (Brian's configured
timezone via `clock.py`, not UTC — a 11pm commit belongs to that evening).
For each day with commits:
- `minutes = (last_commit_ts - first_commit_ts) + LEAD_PADDING`
- `LEAD_PADDING = 10` — work precedes the first commit
- `MIN_MINUTES = 15` — a single-commit day would otherwise be 0
- `MAX_MINUTES = 240` — a 9am and an 11pm commit is not a 14-hour session
These are heuristics and must be **config, not constants**, and documented as
estimates in the spec and in the code.
- `session_type = "git"` — never `'manual'` or `'pomodoro'`. Estimated time must
never masquerade as measured time.
- `note` = commit count and short SHA range, for traceability.
### Attribution
`time_logs.task_id` is `NOT NULL`, but a commit maps to a *repo* (project), not a
task. Two deterministic tiers:
1. **Conventional-commit scope match.** `feat(persona): …` → match `persona`
against task titles and tags in that project, case-insensitive substring. Plain
string matching, no model.
2. **Fallback:** a per-project `Unfiled work` task, created on demand.
Attribution is a nice-to-have; **the totals are the point**. Attribution must never
block or fail a backfill. LLM-assisted attribution is explicitly deferred (see
Non-goals).
### Idempotency — the critical correctness property
The observer runs repeatedly and must never double-log.
Lyra owns a `git_sessions` table: `(repo_path, local_date)` unique → `bit_time_log_id`,
`last_sha`. A day is logged only if that key is absent. This is idempotent by
construction and survives BIT being reset — on a fresh BIT, clear the table and
re-backfill cleanly.
A re-run over a day that gained new commits **updates** the existing time log
rather than adding a second one.
### Backfill
One-shot run over history since 2026-03-21 (or repo start). `project-lyra` alone
should produce ~30 sessions. **This is the emotional payload of the entire
project** — the first time BIT is opened after this, it says "30 days worked since
March" instead of showing a tombstone.
### Non-code projects in v1
The git observer does nothing for the garage or the music collection. Those are
covered in v1 by **conversational logging**: "I spent an hour in the garage" →
`log_work` tool → a real `time_logs` row. Zero new infrastructure. Automated
observation of physical work is deferred past v1 (see Non-goals).
**Exit criteria:** BIT shows true history for every configured repo; re-running the
observer changes nothing.
---
## Phase 2 — cadence
`lyra/projects.py` — BIT HTTP client plus **pure cadence functions** (easy to test,
no I/O).
### Health states
Computed from `time_logs` + `Project.weekly_hours_goal`:
- `on_cadence` — trailing-7-day minutes ≥ `weekly_hours_goal`
- `drifting` — some activity in the window, below goal
- `dormant` — no session in `DORMANT_AFTER_DAYS` (default 30), or set explicitly
- `untracked` — no goal set; fall back to days-since-last-session alone
`weekly_hours_goal` is nullable, so `untracked` is the common initial state and
must render sensibly.
### Lyra-side state
A small table keyed by BIT project id: cadence target, last surfaced, ignore
count, dormancy, salience. **Not in BIT** — it's her state about the project, not
a fact about it.
---
## Phase 3 — Lyra tools
Following the `lyra/tools.py` spec + dispatch pattern:
- `projects_overview()` — every project with cadence health and accumulated time
- `project_status(name)` — detail, recent sessions, what's actionable
- `log_work(project, task, minutes, note)` — conversational session logging
- `pick_next(minutes_available)` — see Phase 4
- `break_down(task_id)` — generate a subtask tree, push it through BIT's existing
JSON import
- `set_goal(project, weekly_hours)`
- `set_dormant(project)` / `wake(project)`
---
## Phase 4 — surfacing and the pick
### The pick
The one place an LLM is genuinely required. Input: `/api/actionable`, minutes
available, recent sessions, cadence health, time of day. Output: **one task and one
sentence of why.** Not a list. A list is what BIT already does badly.
### The decomposition trigger
Live data shows tasks like "Multi-user authentication — est 480", "Historical data
tracking — 360". **You cannot start an eight-hour task**, and these sit in
`/actionable` forever radiating "why bother."
Rule: `estimated_minutes > DECOMPOSE_THRESHOLD` (default 60) means decomposition
hasn't happened yet. When the best candidates are all oversized, Lyra offers to
break one down instead of proposing it — closing the anti-perfectionism loop
through `break_down`, using the JSON import that already exists for exactly this.
### Surfacing
Reuse `thoughts.py` machinery; **do not put projects in the `threads` table.** A
thought is her interiority; a project is a fact about Brian's life. Conflating them
pollutes both — her dream cycle would generate the garage as a thought, and the
garage would appear in her self-narrative. Separate storage, shared
salience → surface → ping → response loop.
**Channel priority:**
1. **Conversation (default).** Next time Brian's talking to her anyway, she raises
it: *"the music backup's been sitting three weeks — dead, or just asleep?"* Not
a notification. A person asking. This is the unfair advantage no to-do app has.
2. **Push (rare, budgeted).** Two legal uses only:
- the **receipt** — "you've been in there 20 minutes, want me to count it?"
(makes no demand, so there's nothing to blow off)
- the **backoff** — "I've raised the garage twice and you didn't bite, so I'm
putting it to sleep. Say the word and it wakes up."
No scheduled daily ping. A clock tick is the most habituation-prone trigger there
is; she speaks when something is *true*.
**Ignoring changes state:** two ignored surfaces → dormant → she stops. Dormancy
needs no BIT schema change — BIT already has per-project custom statuses.
---
## Non-goals — explicitly parked
Named to hold the line, because "actually get this functional and helpful for my
every day life" is the stated goal and feature creep is the named enemy.
- **The ambient card / desktop widget** — the right long-term interface, but a
surface on top of a thing that has to work first.
- **Generated wallpaper** — same.
- **Windows active-window reporter** — the "backwards timer" for physical and
non-git work. Deferred past v1. Note it needs no Pieces: ~30 lines reporting active
window title covers "which project am I in."
- **PiecesOS / MCP integration** — richer, but a cross-machine dependency
(PiecesOS is local to the Windows box, Lyra is on the homelab) that must be
spiked before anything rests on it. Never load-bearing on day one.
- **Phone widget / home-screen surface** — depends on iOS vs Android, unresolved.
- **Physical display on the rack** — unblocked (a spare monitor exists; drive it
with a Pi or old laptop running a kiosk browser, **not** by installing Xorg on
the Proxmox host). It's a browser pointed at a URL this design already produces,
so it changes nothing and can be added any time. Put it on the desk, not the rack.
- **Automatic blocker detection** — Brian's dependency-graph idea (paint → move
furniture → closet access → clothes + desk). Manual blockers are already built
and deployed; *auto-identifying* them is the parked part, and it's a natural
Lyra job later. **This is the strongest answer to "where do I start" for physical
projects** — worth un-parking once v1 is honest.
- **Cross-device syncing sticky notes** — a separate product. The sticky's *form*
(a small always-visible card) is worth having and needs no sync, because its
content is generated server-side. The sync engine is the whole product, and
Trilium already does it.
- **`% complete` on long-horizon projects** — actively harmful. See principle 1.
---
## Error handling
- **BIT unreachable:** every Lyra tool degrades to a clear "BIT is down" message.
Never a stack trace into her context, never a fabricated answer about project
state. Follows the `notify.py` precedent: a down dependency must not break the
loop.
- **Git observer failure on one repo:** log and continue. One bad repo must not
abort a backfill.
- **Duplicate protection:** the `git_sessions` unique key is the guard. A
crashed mid-backfill run resumes cleanly.
- **Clock skew / commits with future dates:** clamp to today; never create a
session in the future.
- **Attribution failure:** always falls back to `Unfiled work`. Never raises.
---
## Testing
Follows existing conventions (`tests/`, pytest, replay evals for LLM paths).
- **Git observer:** fixture repo built in a tmpdir with controlled commit
timestamps. Assert day grouping across timezone boundaries, MIN/MAX/padding
clamps, scope-match attribution, `Unfiled work` fallback, and — most
importantly — **that a second run produces zero new time logs**.
- **Cadence functions:** pure, table-driven. Boundary cases: no goal set, goal met
exactly, dormancy threshold ±1 day, zero sessions ever.
- **BIT client:** against a stub server. Include the `/tree` 404 case so a README
regression can't silently break it.
- **The pick and the surfacing copy:** replay eval, parameterized by
`EVAL_BACKEND`/`EVAL_MODEL`, matching the persona eval pattern. Assert it
returns *one* task, and that it offers decomposition when candidates are
oversized.
---
## Open questions
1. **Ports for BIT on this box.** `:3002/:8002` are free here; confirm at deploy.
2. **Which of the 77 snapshotted tasks are worth reseeding**, versus starting the
real projects clean. Brian's call during Phase 0.
3. **Whether `weekly_hours_goal` gets set per project at all in v1**, or whether
`untracked` + days-since-last-session is enough to start. Leaning: ship without
goals, add them once real session data shows what a realistic cadence is.