What is a heartbeat agent?

A heartbeat agent is an AI agent that runs on a fixed recurring cycle — waking at set intervals (typically 60–180 minutes), assembling its context, executing its designated work, writing memory, and then sleeping until the next scheduled cycle. The term comes from the regular, rhythmic nature of its execution, like a heartbeat.

How does the heartbeat cycle work?

1. Scheduler fires: The heartbeat timer triggers the agent to wake up.

2. Brain assembly: The agent loads its full context window — its role definition, active tasks from the previous cycle, relevant memory blocks from its Personal Brain, shared Team Brain playbooks, and any coaching notes written since the last cycle.

3. Reasoning: The agent reviews its assembled context and decides what to prioritise — which leads to contact, which tasks are overdue, which coaching notes change its approach.

4. Tool calls: The agent executes actions — prospecting, writing outreach, updating CRM records, optimising ads, reviewing content — via typed tool calls against the platform.

5. Memory write: The agent writes new memory blocks for what it learned, decided, and did this cycle.

6. Handoffs: If work needs to pass to another agent, handoff tasks are created.

7. Sleep: The agent completes the cycle and waits for the next heartbeat.

Why is the heartbeat model better than on-demand AI?

On-demand AI (chatbots, co-pilots, AI assistants) operates reactively: it responds when a human prompts it. The session starts, work happens, the session ends. The AI has no memory of the previous session and no plan to do anything until prompted again.

A heartbeat agent operates proactively: it acts on its own schedule regardless of whether a human is present. This enables genuinely autonomous execution — the agent prospects at 3am, follows up on leads over the weekend, and optimises campaigns while you sleep. It doesn't wait.

What happens between heartbeats?

Between heartbeats, the agent is inactive — but the work it did persists in the CRM, the memory layer, and any handoff tasks it created. When the next heartbeat fires, the agent reloads all of this context and picks up where it left off. In-flight tasks continue. Coaching notes from the interval are incorporated. The agent never loses the thread.

What cadences do heartbeat agents run on?

Cadence depends on the role. High-frequency, high-volume roles (SDR, Ad Manager) typically run every 60 minutes. Mid-frequency roles (Account Executive, Marketing Manager) run every 90–120 minutes. Supervisory roles (Sales Director, Marketing Director) that review and coach run every 120–180 minutes.

Faster cadence means more execution cycles and higher compute cost. Set it based on how quickly the role needs to respond — not just what feels right.