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name: install-watchdog description: Installs egregore watchdog daemon via launchd or systemd for autonomous relaunching. Use when setting up egregore on a new machine. Do not use on CI/CD runners. alwaysApply: false category: setup tools: [] model_hint: standard

Install Watchdog

Overview

Installs a persistent daemon that monitors the egregore process and relaunches it when needed. The daemon uses the OS-native scheduler (launchd on macOS, systemd on Linux) to run a watchdog script every 5 minutes.

The watchdog script checks:

• Whether an egregore session is already running.
• Whether the budget is in cooldown.
• Whether there are active work items in the manifest.

If all conditions are met, it launches a new egregore session.

When To Use

• After initializing an egregore project (egregore init) when you want autonomous relaunching.
• When setting up egregore on a new machine.

When NOT To Use

• On CI/CD runners (use the orchestrator directly).
• When you want manual control over session launches.

Installation Steps

1. Detect the operating system

OS=$(uname -s)

2. Run the appropriate installer

macOS (launchd):

bash plugins/egregore/scripts/install_launchd.sh

This script creates a plist at ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.egregore.watchdog.plist that runs the watchdog script every 300 seconds (5 minutes).

Linux (systemd):

bash plugins/egregore/scripts/install_systemd.sh

This script creates a systemd timer and service unit at ~/.config/systemd/user/ that fires every 5 minutes.

3. Verify installation

macOS:

launchctl list | grep egregore

Expected output: a line containing com.egregore.watchdog with a PID or - status.

Linux:

systemctl --user status egregore-watchdog.timer

Expected output: active (waiting) status.

4. Confirm to the user

Report the installation result, the schedule interval, and the log file location:

• macOS: ~/.egregore/watchdog.log
• Linux: journalctl --user -u egregore-watchdog

Uninstall Command

To remove the watchdog, run:

Skill(egregore:uninstall-watchdog)

Or invoke the uninstall skill directly via the command /egregore:uninstall-watchdog.

Troubleshooting

• Permission denied on plist: ensure the script runs as the current user, not root.
• systemd user session not available: run loginctl enable-linger $USER to enable user services without an active login session.
• Watchdog not firing: check the log output and verify the scheduler is loaded (launchctl list or systemctl --user list-timers).

Exit Criteria

• On macOS: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.egregore.watchdog.plist exists after the install script completes
• On Linux: ~/.config/systemd/user/egregore-watchdog.timer exists after the install script completes
• Verification command confirms daemon is loaded: launchctl list | grep egregore returns a line (macOS), or systemctl --user status egregore-watchdog.timer shows active (waiting) (Linux)
• Schedule interval (300 seconds / 5 minutes) and log file path reported to the user after installation
• If permission denied occurs, the error is reported with the remediation step (run as current user, not root)