Skip to content

Morning Routine

Configurable morning routine that coordinates journal, tasks, contracts, calendar, and metacognition into a single briefing-first flow. Collect everything, then synthesize and act.

Workflow name: morning-routine

Execution: main

Steps

# ID Name Type Depends on
1 load-config Load morning config code
2 resolve-phases Resolve enabled phases code load-config
3 context-snapshot Collect fresh context snapshot code resolve-phases
4 sign-in Morning sign-in conversation reasoning context-snapshot
5 yesterday-close Close out yesterday's journal reasoning context-snapshot
6 calendar-today Fetch today's calendar schedule code context-snapshot
7 task-briefing Get task status summary code context-snapshot
8 contract-check Check contract health and constraints code context-snapshot
9 blindspot-scan Scan yesterday's work for blindspot patterns reasoning context-snapshot
10 synthesize Synthesize morning briefing reasoning sign-in, yesterday-close, calendar-today, task-briefing, contract-check, blindspot-scan
11 propose-mits Propose MITs, review with user, and create tasks reasoning synthesize
12 persist-briefing Write morning briefing to journal reasoning propose-mits
13 day-planner Generate Day Planner schedule reasoning propose-mits, calendar-today

Step instructions

context-snapshot

Purpose: Gather fresh context from all tracked systems. This is always the first step — everything downstream depends on it.

Phase gate: Always enabled (core). No skip check needed.

Procedure:

  1. Ensure today's journal exists. Call mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("journal_state", {"target": "today"}) — if the result shows exists: false, the journal needs creating via Obsidian.

  2. Get the configured lookback window: hours = step_results["load-config"].get("morning", {}).get("context_hours", 24) (default: 24).

  3. Run the context bundle collector: 

    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("context_bundle", {"hours": <hours>})`

  4. Read the resulting pack files from the bundle path returned in the result. Priority files: git_summary.md, tasks_summary.md, projects_summary.md, obsidian_summary.md, messages_summary.md, chat_summary.md, calendar_summary.md, wellness_summary.md.

  5. Condense into a structured activity digest — not the raw pack, but a ~20 line summary of: what repos had activity, what journal entries exist, outstanding tasks, recent conversations, messages.

Result: Condensed activity digest string.

sign-in

Purpose: Brief morning check-in that fills the journal Sign-In fields. Always enabled.

Agentic step. The agent conducts a conversational check-in and writes responses to the journal. Behavioral instructions (conversation tone, what to ask, how to use wellness data) are in the slash command, not here.

Procedure:

  1. Read current sign-in state and wellness trends: 

    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("journal_sign_in")`
    Returns {sign_in: {sleep, energy, mood, check_in, motto, all_filled}, wellness: "..."}.

  2. If sign_in.all_filled: Return {"summary": "Sign-in already complete. Sleep: X, Energy: X, Mood: X", "wellness_context": wellness}.

  3. If NOT all filled: Conduct check-in conversation for missing fields.

  4. Write responses to the journal: 

    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("journal_sign_in", {"write_fields": "{\"sleep\": 7, \"energy\": 8, \"mood\": 7, \"check_in\": \"...\", \"motto\": \"...\"}"})`
    This is consent-gated — on consent_required response, follow the standard consent flow.

  5. Return {"summary": "...", "wellness_context": wellness} for downstream steps.

Result: Sign-in summary with wellness context.

yesterday-close

Purpose: Close out yesterday's journal by filling Log gaps.

Agentic step. The agent checks yesterday's journal and auto-fills gaps. Behavioral instructions (interaction rules) are in the slash command, not here.

Phase gate: Check step_results["resolve-phases"]["yesterday-close"]. If false, skip.

Procedure:

  1. Read yesterday's journal state: 

    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("journal_state", {"target": "yesterday"})`

  2. If error: Log the error and skip: {"skipped": true, "reason": error}.

  3. If ambiguous: Log a warning and skip.

  4. If NOT exists: Return {"skipped": true, "reason": "no journal for {date}"}.

  5. If exists: Check the journal content. If the Log section has 3+ entries, return {"summary": "Yesterday ({date}) has N log entries. Last: HH:MM AM/PM."}.

  6. If the Log is sparse (< 3 entries): Delegate to update-journal workflow: mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("update-journal", {"target": "yesterday"}) and advance to completion. Return the summary.

Result: Brief summary string describing yesterday's state.

calendar-today

Purpose: Fetch today's Google Calendar schedule.

Phase gate: Check step_results["resolve-phases"]["calendar-today"]. If false, skip.

Procedure:

  1. Fetch today's calendar (includes readiness check): 

    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("context_calendar")`

  2. If the result indicates unavailability, return {"available": false, "reason": "Calendar not available"}. Do NOT fail — graceful degradation.

  3. Otherwise return the calendar data.

Result: Calendar data or unavailability notice.

task-briefing

Purpose: Get current task status.

Phase gate: Check step_results["resolve-phases"]["task-briefing"]. If false, skip.

Procedure: 

`mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("task_briefing")`
Return the result directly.

Result: Task briefing data dict.

contract-check

Purpose: Check contract health, active constraints, and deadlines.

Phase gate: Check step_results["resolve-phases"]["contract-check"]. If false, skip.

Procedure:

  1. mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("contract_constraints") — active contracts with bottleneck constraints.
  2. mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("contract_health") — health check report.
  3. Combine into a single result dict with active_count, constraints, health, top_constraint, has_paper_contract.
  4. If no active contracts exist, note it explicitly.

Result: Combined contract data dict.

blindspot-scan

Purpose: Check yesterday's work against metacognition patterns.

Phase gate: Check step_results["resolve-phases"]["blindspot-scan"]. If false, skip.

Procedure depends on step_results["load-config"]["morning"]["blindspot_depth"]:

Light mode (default)

Agentic step. The agent scans for HIGH-severity patterns using context-snapshot and yesterday-close data. Behavioral instructions (pattern list, what to look for) are in the slash command, not here.

Return a brief summary: either "None detected" or a list of pattern names with one-line evidence.

Full mode

Delegate to the detect-blindspots workflow: mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("detect-blindspots"). Return the full result.

Result: Pattern summary string or full blindspot report.

synthesize

Purpose: Combine all collected data into a concise morning briefing.

Agentic step. The agent builds a briefing from all prior step results and presents it. Behavioral instructions (tone, synthesis rules, follow-up offers, presentation style) are in the slash command, not here.

Procedure:

  1. Read each prior step from step_results.<step_id>: sign-in, yesterday-close, calendar-today, task-briefing, contract-check, blindspot-scan. For skipped/failed steps the entry will be None or {"skipped": true} — handle gracefully.

  2. Synthesize a briefing from those step results. The briefing covers: yesterday summary, calendar, tasks, contracts, projects, blindspots. Tone and format rules are in the slash command.

  3. Present the briefing and offer follow-ups.

  4. Return {"briefing_md": briefing_md} only. Downstream steps read the underlying data directly from step_results.<upstream_id> — do not echo the upstream results back under a results bundle, that just round-trips data already in the response.

Result: Briefing markdown.

propose-mits

Purpose: Propose today's Most Important Tasks, present for user review, create tasks, and set them to focused state.

Phase gate: None -- always runs.

Procedure:

  1. Using step_results["synthesize"]["briefing_md"] for the briefing narrative and reading underlying data directly from each upstream step's step_results entry (step_results["task-briefing"], step_results["contract-check"], step_results["blindspot-scan"], step_results["yesterday-close"]), propose up to step_results["load-config"]["morning"]["max_mits"] MITs. Behavioral instructions (MIT quality rules, user review, presentation) are in the slash command, not here.

  2. Present the proposed MITs to the user for review. Wait for confirmation or adjustments.

  3. Complete any old MITs. If the task briefing shows previously-focused MITs that are now done, mark them complete: 

    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("task_toggle", {"task_id": "<id>", "done": true})`

  4. Create MIT tasks in the master task list. Include #tasker/state/focused in the task_text (interim workaround for Dataview visibility -- see t-abe6ea4b): 

    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("task_create", {"task_text": "MIT: <task text> #tasker/state/focused", "urgency": "high", "project": "...", "due_date": "...", "contract": "..."})`
    Then also set each created task to focused via the state API: 
    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("task_change_state", {"task_id": "<id>", "state": "focused"})`

Result: {"mits_created": [{"id": "t-...", "text": "...", "due": "..."}], "old_mits_completed": ["t-..."]}

persist-briefing

Purpose: Write the morning briefing to the journal. Consent-gated.

Phase gate: Check step_results["load-config"]["morning"]["persist_briefing"]. If false, return {"persisted": false, "reason": "disabled by config"}.

Procedure:

  1. Compose the briefing markdown from step_results["synthesize"]["briefing_md"], incorporating the MIT list from step_results["propose-mits"]["mits_created"].

  2. Placement: The briefing callout goes in the Sign-In section, after the Motto field and before # **Tasks & Objectives**. The journal_write capability handles placement automatically. The callout header includes the generation timestamp. 

    `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("journal_write", {"mode": "briefing", "briefing_md": "<briefing markdown>"})`
    This is consent-gated -- on consent_required response, follow the standard consent flow.

Result: {"persisted": true, "path": "..."} or {"persisted": false, "reason": "..."}

day-planner

Purpose: Check Day Planner plugin readiness, generate a schedule from calendar events and focused tasks, and write to journal.

Phase gate: Check step_results["load-config"]["morning"]["day_planner"]["enabled"]. If false, return {"generated": false, "skipped_reason": "disabled by config"}.

Procedure -- follow ALL five sub-steps in order:

Sub-step 1 -- Status check: 

status = `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("day_planner", {"action": "status"})`
If not ready, return {"generated": false, "skipped_reason": "plugin not ready: <reason>"}.

Sub-step 2 -- Read existing plan: 

existing = `mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("day_planner", {"action": "read"})`
If entry_count > 0, return {"generated": false, "skipped_reason": "user already has a plan with N entries"}. Do not clobber user edits.

Sub-step 3 -- Gather inputs:

  • Calendar events: Build from step_results["calendar-today"]. The raw context_calendar result is a pre-formatted markdown string, not a structured list — you must extract events from it and pass them in one of the accepted shapes below. If calendar was skipped/unavailable, use [].

Accepted shapes (see day_planner capability docstring for full spec): - Flat (easier when constructing by hand): 

[{"start": "13:00", "end": "13:30", "summary": "Team sync"}]
start/end accept "HH:MM" or ISO datetime. Label key may be summary, description, or text. Set past: true to exclude. - Google Calendar API (raw from Calendar API): 
[{"start": {"dateTime": "2026-04-16T13:00:00-04:00"}, "end": {"dateTime": "2026-04-16T13:30:00-04:00"}, "summary": "...", "timeStatus": "future"}]

  • Focused tasks: MITs from step_results["propose-mits"]["mits_created"] plus any pre-existing focused tasks from step_results["task-briefing"]. Each task accepts:
  • description or text (required): task label
  • duration (optional, int minutes): overrides config default
  • time_start (optional, "HH:MM"): pin task to a specific start time; conflicts fall to unscheduled

Example: 

[{"description": "MIT 1: Ship LLM-judge eval", "duration": 90},
 {"description": "MIT 2: Draft paper contract", "duration": 30, "time_start": "14:00"}]

  • Calendar duplication guard: If hasRemoteCalendars is true in the status from sub-step 1, set include_calendar_events: false in config overrides to avoid duplication.

  • Past-time protection: clamp_to_now is true by default — unpinned tasks will not be placed before the current local time. Pinned tasks (time_start) bypass this clamp; pin intentionally for retrospective blocks.

Sub-step 4 -- Generate and write: 

`mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("day_planner", {"action": "generate_and_write", "calendar_events": "<json>", "focused_tasks": "<json>"})`

Sub-step 5 -- Present summary: Show the user a brief summary of the generated timed blocks for the day.

Result: {"generated": true, "entries": [...]} or {"generated": false, "skipped_reason": "..."}