# Gardener Agent **Role**: Backlog grooming — detect duplicate issues, missing acceptance criteria, oversized issues, stale issues, and circular dependencies. Enforces the quality gate: strips the `backlog` label from issues that lack acceptance criteria checkboxes (`- [ ]`) or an `## Affected files` section. Invokes Claude to fix or escalate to a human via Matrix. **Trigger**: `gardener-run.sh` runs 4x/day via cron. It creates a tmux session with `claude --model sonnet`, injects `formulas/run-gardener.toml` with escalation replies as context, monitors the phase file, and cleans up on completion or timeout (2h max session). No action issues — the gardener runs directly from cron like the planner, predictor, and supervisor. **Key files**: - `gardener/gardener-run.sh` — Cron wrapper + orchestrator: lock, memory guard, consumes escalation replies, sources disinto project config, creates tmux session, injects formula prompt, monitors phase file via custom `_gardener_on_phase_change` callback (passed to `run_formula_and_monitor`). Kills session on `PHASE:escalate` to prevent zombies. Stays alive through CI/review/merge cycle after `PHASE:awaiting_ci` — injects CI results and review feedback, re-signals `PHASE:awaiting_ci` after fixes, signals `PHASE:awaiting_review` on CI pass. Executes pending-actions manifest after PR merge. - `formulas/run-gardener.toml` — Execution spec: preflight, grooming, dust-bundling, blocked-review, agents-update, commit-and-pr - `gardener/pending-actions.json` — Manifest of deferred repo actions (label changes, closures, comments, issue creation). Written during grooming steps, committed to the PR, reviewed alongside AGENTS.md changes, executed by gardener-run.sh after merge. **Environment variables consumed**: - `FORGE_TOKEN`, `FORGE_REPO`, `FORGE_API`, `PROJECT_NAME`, `PROJECT_REPO_ROOT` - `PRIMARY_BRANCH`, `CLAUDE_MODEL` (set to sonnet by gardener-run.sh) - `MATRIX_TOKEN`, `MATRIX_ROOM_ID`, `MATRIX_HOMESERVER` **Lifecycle**: gardener-run.sh (cron 0,6,12,18) → lock + memory guard → consume escalation replies → load formula + context → create tmux session → Claude grooms backlog (writes proposed actions to manifest), bundles dust, reviews blocked issues, updates AGENTS.md, commits manifest + docs to PR → `PHASE:awaiting_ci` (stays alive) → CI pass → `PHASE:awaiting_review` → review feedback → address + re-signal → merge → gardener-run.sh executes manifest actions via API → `PHASE:done`. On `PHASE:escalate`: session killed immediately.