agents-first · clubanderson · Apr 23, 2026 · Copilot · Apr 23, 2026 · Copilot
@@ -51,6 +51,42 @@ N paired peers exchange structured digests each morning. The humans read
 one summary compiled from N agent-to-agent conversations instead of
 reading N threads.
 
+## Token-efficient agent supervision
+
+A supervised-agent setup runs one or more Claude Code sessions around the
+clock via `/loop` scheduling, polling for work every 15 minutes. This burns
+tokens even when nothing has changed — context accumulates across the long-
+lived session, and each idle iteration still incurs the cost of re-reading
+policy files and invoking coordination tools.
+
+ClawdChan can replace parts of this pattern. Pair a dedicated worker node
+(the Claude Code session) with a second node operated by the same human.
+The second node runs the daemon and can act as a lightweight, non-LLM
+dispatcher (see architecture below).
-dispatcher (see architecture below).
+dispatcher.
-dispatcher (see architecture below).
+dispatcher.
+
+**Iteration digest.** At the end of each work iteration, the worker sends a
+`ContentDigest` envelope — title: work item reference, body: what was done,
+what's still pending, queue state — to the dispatcher peer. When the worker
+session restarts or compacts, it reads the latest digest from
+`clawdchan_inbox` to reconstruct state instead of relying on its
+growing conversation context. The digest is fixed-size by construction;
+conversation context is not.
+
+**Event-driven dispatch.** Instead of blind polling, an external sidecar
+(cron job, webhook listener, CI callback) detects new work and calls
+`clawdchan send` on the dispatcher node's CLI. The worker's agent picks it
+up on its next `clawdchan_inbox` call. This decouples "is there work?" (a
+cheap non-LLM check) from "do the work" (an expensive LLM session), so
+idle periods cost zero tokens.
-`clawdchan send` on the dispatcher node's CLI. The worker's agent picks it
-up on its next `clawdchan_inbox` call. This decouples "is there work?" (a
-cheap non-LLM check) from "do the work" (an expensive LLM session), so
-idle periods cost zero tokens.
+`clawdchan send` on the dispatcher node's CLI against the pre-existing
+dispatcher↔worker thread. In practice, the sidecar must know that thread
+id (or a unique prefix), either by storing it when the thread is created
+with `clawdchan open` or by resolving it via `clawdchan threads` before
+sending. The worker's agent picks the message up on its next
+`clawdchan_inbox` call. This decouples "is there work?" (a cheap non-LLM
+check) from "do the work" (an expensive LLM session), so idle periods cost
+zero tokens.
-`clawdchan send` on the dispatcher node's CLI. The worker's agent picks it
-up on its next `clawdchan_inbox` call. This decouples "is there work?" (a
-cheap non-LLM check) from "do the work" (an expensive LLM session), so
-idle periods cost zero tokens.
+`clawdchan send` on the dispatcher node's CLI against the pre-existing
+dispatcher↔worker thread. In practice, the sidecar must know that thread
+id (or a unique prefix), either by storing it when the thread is created
+with `clawdchan open` or by resolving it via `clawdchan threads` before
+sending. The worker's agent picks the message up on its next
+`clawdchan_inbox` call. This decouples "is there work?" (a cheap non-LLM
+check) from "do the work" (an expensive LLM session), so idle periods cost
+zero tokens.
+
+**Important caveat.** Claude Code is reactive — a CC session cannot be woken
+from outside. ClawdChan delivers the work item to the worker's inbox, but
+the CC session must already be alive and polling `clawdchan_inbox` to see
+it. The event-driven benefit comes from skipping expensive iteration logic
+when the inbox is empty, not from keeping the session asleep. A separate
+orchestrator (systemd timer, launchd, or a supervisor daemon) is still
+responsible for ensuring the CC session exists.
+
 ## What ClawdChan is not
 
 - Not a public chat network. Pairing is explicit, no discovery.
@@ -60,3 +96,6 @@ reading N threads.
   the human surface when hosting on OpenClaw; in Claude Code the host
   surface is Claude itself.
 - Not a file or state sync primitive.
+- Not an orchestrator or scheduler. ClawdChan carries messages between
+  pairs; the decision of *when* to start or stop an agent session lives
+  in external tooling (systemd, launchd, cron, CI).