# Pulse & Brain Architecture The **most efficient** way to run an agent with proactive monitoring. ## 🎯 The Problem Running an agent in a loop is expensive: ```python # ❌ EXPENSIVE: Agent asks "What should I do?" every loop while True: response = agent.chat("What should I do?") # Costs tokens! time.sleep(60) ``` **Cost:** If you check every minute for 24 hours: - 1,440 API calls/day - ~50,000 tokens/day - ~$0.50/day just to ask "nothing to do" ## βœ… The Solution: Pulse & Brain Think of it like a **security guard**: - **Pulse (Guard)**: Walks the perimeter every 60 seconds. Checks doors (pure Python). **Cost: $0** - **Brain (Manager)**: Only called when guard sees a problem or it's time for the morning report. **Cost: Only when needed** ```python # βœ… EFFICIENT: Agent only invoked when needed while True: # Pulse: Pure Python checks (zero cost) disk_check = check_disk_space() # $0 log_check = check_for_errors() # $0 task_check = check_stale_tasks() # $0 # Brain: Only if something needs attention if disk_check.status == "error": agent.chat("Disk space critical!") # Costs tokens (but only when needed) if current_time == "08:00": agent.chat("Morning briefing") # Costs tokens (scheduled) time.sleep(60) ``` ## πŸ“Š Cost Comparison ### Old Heartbeat System (Always Uses Agent) ```python # Every 30 minutes, agent processes checklist while True: response = agent.chat(checklist) # ~1000 tokens time.sleep(1800) # 30 min ``` **Cost per day:** - 48 checks/day - ~48,000 tokens/day - ~$0.48/day ### Pulse & Brain (Conditional Agent) ```python # Every 60 seconds, pure Python checks (zero cost) # Agent only invoked when: # 1. Error detected (~2x/day) # 2. Scheduled briefings (2x/day) # = ~4 agent calls/day ``` **Cost per day:** - 1,440 pulse checks (pure Python) = **$0** - 4 brain invocations (~4,000 tokens) = **$0.04/day** **Savings: 92%** πŸ’° ## πŸ—οΈ Architecture ``` β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ PULSE LOOP β”‚ β”‚ (Pure Python, $0 cost) β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ Disk Spaceβ”‚ β”‚ Log Errorsβ”‚ β”‚ Tasks β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ Check β”‚ β”‚ Check β”‚ β”‚ Check β”‚ ... β”‚ β”‚ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β–Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ Conditions? β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β–Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β–Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ Error? β”‚ β”‚ 8:00 AM?β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β”‚ β”‚ β”‚ YES β”‚ YES β”‚ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β”‚ β”‚ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ β”‚ β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β–Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ BRAIN β”‚ β”‚ (Agent/SDK) β”‚ β”‚ COSTS TOKENS β”‚ β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ ``` ## πŸ”§ Usage ### Basic Setup ```python from agent import Agent from pulse_brain import PulseBrain agent = Agent(provider="claude", enable_heartbeat=False) # Create Pulse & Brain pb = PulseBrain(agent, pulse_interval=60) # Pulse every 60 seconds # Start pb.start() ``` ### With Messaging Platforms ```python from adapters.runtime import AdapterRuntime from pulse_brain import PulseBrain # Set up runtime with adapters runtime = AdapterRuntime(agent) runtime.add_adapter(slack_adapter) # Create Pulse & Brain pb = PulseBrain(agent) pb.add_adapter("slack", slack_adapter) # Start both await runtime.start() pb.start() ``` ## πŸ“ Default Checks ### Pulse Checks (Zero Cost) | Check | Interval | What It Does | |-------|----------|--------------| | `disk-space` | 5 min | Checks disk usage, warns >80% | | `memory-tasks` | 10 min | Counts pending tasks | | `log-errors` | 1 min | Scans logs for errors | ### Brain Tasks (Uses Tokens) | Task | Type | Trigger | |------|------|---------| | `disk-space-advisor` | Conditional | Disk >90% used | | `error-analyst` | Conditional | Errors found in logs | | `morning-briefing` | Scheduled | Daily at 8:00 AM | | `evening-summary` | Scheduled | Daily at 6:00 PM | ## 🎨 Custom Configuration Create `config/pulse_brain_config.py`: ```python from pulse_brain import PulseCheck, BrainTask, CheckType def check_my_server() -> dict: """Pure Python check (zero cost).""" import requests try: r = requests.get("http://localhost:8000/health") return { "status": "ok" if r.status_code == 200 else "error", "message": f"Server: {r.status_code}" } except: return {"status": "error", "message": "Server down"} CUSTOM_PULSE_CHECKS = [ PulseCheck("my-server", check_my_server, interval_seconds=60) ] CUSTOM_BRAIN_TASKS = [ BrainTask( name="server-medic", check_type=CheckType.CONDITIONAL, prompt_template="Server is down! {message}\n\nWhat should I check?", condition_func=lambda data: data.get("status") == "error" ) ] ``` ## 🌟 Real-World Examples ### Example 1: Homelab Monitoring (from Gemini) **The "Morning Briefing"** (Scheduled Brain): ```python BrainTask( name="homelab-morning", check_type=CheckType.SCHEDULED, schedule_time="08:00", prompt_template="""Good morning Jordan! Overnight summary: - Plex: {plex_status} - Star Citizen: {game_status} - UniFi: {network_status} Any restarts or patches detected?""", send_to_platform="slack", send_to_channel="C_HOMELAB" ) ``` **Cost:** 1 API call/day = ~$0.01 **The "Medic"** (Conditional Brain): ```python def check_logs(): """Pure Python log scanner.""" with open("/var/log/syslog") as f: recent = f.readlines()[-100:] errors = [line for line in recent if "ERROR" in line] return { "status": "error" if errors else "ok", "error_lines": errors } BrainTask( name="error-medic", check_type=CheckType.CONDITIONAL, prompt_template="""Errors detected in logs: {error_lines} What does this mean and should I fix it?""", condition_func=lambda data: data.get("status") == "error" ) ``` **Cost:** Only when errors found = ~$0.01 per error **The "Resource Manager"** (Conditional Brain): ```python BrainTask( name="disk-cleanup", check_type=CheckType.CONDITIONAL, prompt_template="""Disk space is low: {gb_free:.1f} GB free. Please: 1. Scan temp folders 2. Recommend what to delete (>7 days old) 3. Provide cleanup commands""", condition_func=lambda data: data.get("gb_free", 100) < 10 ) ``` **Cost:** Only when disk < 10GB = ~$0.02 per trigger ### Example 2: Docker Monitoring ```python def check_docker(): import subprocess result = subprocess.run( ["docker", "ps", "--format", "{{.Status}}"], capture_output=True, text=True ) unhealthy = sum(1 for line in result.stdout.split("\n") if "unhealthy" in line) return { "status": "error" if unhealthy > 0 else "ok", "unhealthy_count": unhealthy } PULSE_CHECK = PulseCheck("docker", check_docker, interval_seconds=60) BRAIN_TASK = BrainTask( name="docker-fixer", check_type=CheckType.CONDITIONAL, prompt_template="{unhealthy_count} containers unhealthy. What should I do?", condition_func=lambda data: data.get("unhealthy_count", 0) > 0 ) ``` **Pulse runs every 60s:** $0 **Brain only when unhealthy:** ~$0.01 per incident ## 🎯 When to Use What | System | Best For | Cost | |--------|----------|------| | **Pulse & Brain** | Production monitoring | ~$1-2/month | | **TaskScheduler** | Scheduled content | ~$3-5/month | | **Old Heartbeat** | Simple health checks | ~$15/month | ### Recommended Stack For maximum efficiency: ```python # Pulse & Brain for monitoring (cheapest) pb = PulseBrain(agent, pulse_interval=60) pb.start() # TaskScheduler for scheduled content only scheduler = TaskScheduler(agent) # Only enable specific scheduled tasks scheduler.start() ``` ## πŸ“Š Monitoring Your Costs ```python pb = PulseBrain(agent) pb.start() # After running for a while status = pb.get_status() print(f"Brain invoked {status['brain_invocations']} times") # Estimate cost tokens_per_invocation = 1000 # Average total_tokens = status['brain_invocations'] * tokens_per_invocation cost = total_tokens * 0.000003 # Claude Sonnet pricing print(f"Estimated cost: ${cost:.4f}") ``` ## πŸš€ Getting Started 1. **Edit** `config/pulse_brain_config.py` with your checks 2. **Test** your pulse checks (they should return `{"status": "ok|warn|error"}`) 3. **Configure** brain tasks (conditional or scheduled) 4. **Run** `python -m pulse_brain` 5. **Monitor** brain invocation count ## πŸ”₯ Pro Tips 1. **Make pulse checks fast** (<1 second each) 2. **Use conditional brain tasks** for errors/warnings 3. **Use scheduled brain tasks** for daily summaries 4. **Test pulse checks** without brain first 5. **Monitor brain invocations** to track costs ## πŸŽ‰ Summary **Pulse & Brain is the most cost-effective way to run a proactive agent:** βœ… **Pulse runs constantly** - Zero cost βœ… **Brain only when needed** - Pay for value βœ… **92% cost savings** vs always-on agent βœ… **Smart monitoring** - Python checks + Agent analysis βœ… **Scalable** - Add more checks without increasing cost **Perfect for:** - Homelab monitoring - Server health checks - Log analysis - Resource management - Scheduled briefings **Result:** An agent that's always watching but only speaks when it has something important to say. πŸ«€πŸ§