What does it mean that legacy agents?

Some agents outlive their usefulness but persist because removing them feels risky or costly. Legacy agents consume resources, create confusion, and block the deployment of better alternatives. Identifying them is the first step toward a clean epistemic portfolio.

Example: Every morning you open a task management app and scan a dashboard you set up two years ago. The categories no longer match your work. The priority labels reflect a role you left. You don't use the data it shows — you just glance at it and open a different tool. But you haven't deleted the dashboard because you spent weeks configuring it, and somewhere in your mind you think you might need it again. That dashboard is a legacy agent. It still runs. It still costs you attention. It no longer serves you.

Try this: Open your phone, your browser bookmarks, your note-taking system, and your calendar. For each, list every recurring process, saved workflow, or habitual routine that you engage with at least weekly. Next to each one, write its original purpose and whether it still serves that purpose today. Mark anything where the honest answer is 'I don't know why I still do this' or 'it used to help but doesn't anymore.' You have just completed a legacy agent audit. Count them. Most people find between three and seven.