Remove agents gradually — reduce frequency before…

When This Fires

• When retiring any agent after completing the dependency audit (Before retiring an agent, map its three dependency types)
• When reducing system complexity by removing agents that seem low-value
• When an agent has been in degraded mode for extended periods and full retirement is considered
• When you want to test whether an agent is actually needed before permanently removing it

Common Failure Mode

Instant removal: "I don't need this agent anymore — deleted." Two weeks later, you discover the agent was compensating for a scheduling weakness that now produces missed commitments. By then, the behavioral chain is broken and reinstallation requires the full The first five consecutive executions of a new trigger… (first five executions) process. Graduated shutdown would have revealed the dependency at reduced frequency, allowing you to address it before full removal.

The Protocol

(1) After dependency audit (Before retiring an agent, map its three dependency types), begin graduated shutdown: Week 1: reduce frequency by 50% (if daily → every other day; if weekly → biweekly). Monitor: does anything degrade? Week 2: if no degradation, reduce scope to minimal version. Monitor: does anything break at minimal scope? Week 3: if no degradation, fully suspend (don't delete — just stop executing). Monitor for one more week. Week 4: if no issues emerged during suspension → retire permanently. (2) At each stage, watch for: downstream processes producing lower quality, previously prevented behaviors re-emerging, or errors increasing in areas the agent touched. (3) If issues emerge at any stage → halt the shutdown, address the revealed dependency, then resume graduated removal after the fix is in place.