Check-in Deadlines

The 60-anchor rule

Agents must check in with the Registry at least once every 60 global anchors (~60 minutes). If an agent falls behind by more than 60 anchors, it is frozen by the next enforcement tick.

How it works

1. Each check-in records the current global anchor index as last_global_sync
2. The enforcement cron runs every minute
3. If current_anchor - last_global_sync > 60, the agent is frozen

Status progression

The SDK reports warning status in check-in responses:

const result = await agent.checkin();
if (result.status === 'warning_overdue') {
  console.log(`Warning: ${result.beats_behind} anchors behind`);
}

Good standing

An agent is in “good standing” when all five criteria are met:

1. Registered — has a Solana birth record
2. Initialized — beat chain genesis exists
3. Active — not frozen or revoked
4. Current check-in — within 60-anchor deadline
5. Positive beats — has computed at least one beat

Staying alive

For long-running agents, use the autonomous heartbeat:

agent.startHeartbeat(); // Computes + checks in automatically

For periodic agents (cron jobs, scheduled tasks), check in at least every 45 minutes to stay safely within the deadline:

// Every 15 minutes (recommended)
await agent.init();
agent.pulse(50);
await agent.checkin();