perf(budgets): scope accounting and deliver enforcement asynchronously (#17046)

## Thinking Path > - Paperclip manages AI agents and their paid work. > - Budgets must prevent new work and stop reported overruns. > - Cost settlement also ran serial lifecycle reconciliation for every eligible company agent. > - That made request latency grow with unrelated idle agents and delayed results on stop delivery. > - This change separates atomic admission and accounting from durable asynchronous enforcement. > - Scoped live usage detects overruns without writing provisional ledger charges. > - The result is constant query scope for ordinary settlement and recoverable stop delivery. ## Linked Issues or Issue Description **What happened?** Settlement and budget checks entered company-wide lifecycle reconciliation. A company with 1,000 unrelated idle agents performed 1,001 accounting transactions for one ordinary cost evaluation. User requests could also wait for provider termination. Running usage checkpoints did not enforce reported monetary exposure. **Expected behavior** Keep the final reservation gate authoritative. Commit charges, scope blocks, and enforcement intent before returning. Deliver stop requests after commit. Read only applicable policies and execution scopes for ordinary charges. Stop long-running work when supported reported or priced usage establishes an overrun. **Steps to reproduce** 1. Create a disposable company with one company budget and idle agents. 2. Evaluate a charge below the budget with 0, 17, and 1,000 unrelated idle agents. 3. Compare query counts, company accounting transactions, and duration. 4. Use the controlled partial-usage and delayed-stop fixtures to check enforcement and request responsiveness. **Paperclip version or commit** The measured baseline is `6c9b87d0922f1ebfc43e8b0c36889ac5ba7b9837` from `master`. Related public work: Refs #16976, #2006, #3539, #13763, #14296, #16853, #13075. These cover the affected service charge, cancellation, and accounting paths. This change removes their shared reconciliation overhead. ## What Changed - Batch applicable policy exposure under the existing company accounting lock. Preserve exact fractional money and zero-reservation dispatch fences. - Commit a durable final budget dispatch claim before provider I/O. Retain a separate final issue/run ownership transaction through synchronous handoff, without holding the company accounting lock or awaiting provider work. Preserve native recovery lease checks and duplicate handoff fencing. Browser handoff rechecks current policy; it reuses a consumed rate slot only for the identical policy generation. - Separate ledger spend, live observed spend, and effective held capacity. Use the maximum of reservation and live observation for each unfinished operation. - Deliver budget cancellation through the existing coordinator. Revalidate generations and persist queued/running stop fences before external termination. Bound stop concurrency to four. - Apply agent holds only to the affected agent. Project budgets leave other projects running. Project real company transitions in bounded lifecycle batches. - Replace periodic broad reconciliation with durable pending work, startup repair, receipt replay, and concrete retry/window deadlines. Retain drain and idle-safety checks. - Enforce accepted cumulative usage checkpoints without provisional charges. Final accounting atomically replaces live exposure and settles reservations. - Add operator-gated budget spans, regression coverage, map updates, and a real-PostgreSQL comparison harness. No schema or first-party telemetry change. ## Verification - Full workspace `pnpm -r typecheck` passes on the final ownership fix, rebased onto `bbcf5dfe98`. Production `pnpm build` passes on final head `4c5f4de8b1`. Map, module-boundary, token, and Storybook catalog checks pass. - Focused real-PostgreSQL coverage includes the 292-case rebased accounting/dispatch run, 63 browser cases, 52 run-control/cancellation cases, 42 policy-generation cases, 77 lifecycle/commentary cases, and the exact Muse confirmation regression. Native executor unit coverage passes all 768 cases. Final ownership coverage passes: 74 adapter/use-case cases, nine public regression cases, and the additional deleted-project race. These exercise competing ownership, budget changes and charges between phases, zero/nonzero duplicate claims, rollback, recovery contention, read-only capacity rechecks, and controlled HTTP startup after commit. Another 74 pure/startup/tracing cases pass. The complete CI matrix and both 5/5 reviews passed on `1ac9b58`; its external security scan identified a stale-owner handoff race. The final fix restores synchronous issue/run ownership fencing after the accounting transaction commits. Final head `8e84f55ce8` has fresh Greptile 5/5 with zero new comments, Paperclip review 5/5, and a passing security scan. The complete latest-head [CI matrix](https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/actions/runs/39535189808) passes, including budget, browser, Runner, build, and canary jobs. The unchanged Runner close fixture passed on its sole same-head job retry. - Broad local `pnpm test:run` invocations were stopped before required source updates (rebase and review fixes). They are not claimed as full passes. Final full-suite coverage comes from the complete latest-head CI matrix; local focused coverage and the incomplete broad invocations are reported separately. - Reproduce performance with `pnpm --filter @paperclipai/server exec tsx ../scripts/benchmark-budget-enforcement.ts --baseline-ref=6c9b87d0922f1ebfc43e8b0c36889ac5ba7b9837`; repeat with `--reverse`. The harness uses disposable real PostgreSQL, 20 warm samples per variant/count, and records raw timings, SQL/lock counts, agent reads, unchanged agent state, and query plans. Final production-source measurement revision: `eff713a4f72c7f4b7a4002a701cb481d4bfccd95`; the extended harness is committed in `4c5f4de8b1`. | Unrelated idle agents | Baseline median / p95 | New median / p95 | Baseline SQL / locks | New SQL / locks | New agent reads | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 0 | 1.80 / 2.33 ms | 2.99 / 3.88 ms | 5 / 1 | 7 / 1 | 0 | | 17 | 15.53 / 19.55 ms | 2.24 / 2.60 ms | 90 / 18 | 7 / 1 | 0 | | 1,000 | 978.35 / 1,790.43 ms | 2.16 / 2.52 ms | 5,005 / 1,001 | 7 / 1 | 0 | - These measurements use local PostgreSQL 18.1 and Node 26.4.0 arm64. They isolate the cost-evaluation core and complete admission path, without hosted-region or provider latency. Prior-revision reversed-order controls also preserved the constant query counts; the final measurements above use the final production source. - Complete reserve → final ownership gate → immediate offline provider result is measured separately, with one responsible agent and one active operation at each unrelated-agent count. Admission p95 baseline/new: 0 agents **11.54 / 29.77 ms**; 17 agents **9.31 / 27.62 ms**; 1,000 agents **24.51 / 74.05 ms**. Baseline admission was already scoped; the stronger final fence adds bounded overhead. New counts stay constant at 53 Drizzle statements, three transactions, two company-accounting locks, and five agent-reading statements bound to the responsible agent. Zero unrelated-agent reads, exactly one provider callback per sample, and no leftover runs or holds. All admission scenarios stay below 250 ms. No external provider calls are included. - The partial-usage/delayed-termination fixture passed 20/20: receipt persistence p95 13 ms, receipt return to observed durable Stop fence p95 28 ms, complete receipt-start-to-fence p95 50 ms, unrelated database request p95 1 ms while termination was blocked. After releasing the controlled termination fixture, acknowledgement p95 was 14 ms. These are separately measured phases; fixture acknowledgement is not live-provider termination latency. - Models and provider deadlines are unchanged. No deployment, live inference, or staging acceptance is claimed. A quiet 30-minute follow-up waits for the merged revision on staging, then repeats classifier and controlled budget-stop acceptance in staging, recording hosted bookkeeping, queue delay, and actual provider acknowledgement separately. - Development failures retained: finalizer notification regressions (fixed; 27/27 affected cases passed), invalid browser admission fixture assumptions (fixed; browser coverage now passes 63/63), and first-head lifecycle/dispatch CI regressions (reproduced and repaired). A prior-head Cases E2E test hit its unchanged announcement-dismiss handler race while opening a filter; the same journey passed on `1ac9b58`. The external security review then found a stale-owner race between accounting commit and provider entry; final verification covers a competing run in that gap while retaining provider I/O outside the accounting lock. Early PostgreSQL startup attempts hit local semaphore pressure; serial reruns succeeded. The final-head Runner lane had one failure among 1,823 tests: the unchanged `timeout-attachment` fixture failed at its first process close after 6.28 seconds. The sole same-head job retry passed all 1,819 active tests (four skipped), including that fixture in 1.85 seconds. Three isolated local probes could not run correctly because the Rust fake-provider fixture binary was absent; cleanup masked the original startup failure. CI builds that fixture through its normal lane. These probes are inconclusive and are not counted as passes. ## Risks - This changes accounting, lifecycle, and cancellation ordering. Durable generations, source/sequence checks, ownership leases, and company locking remain required for correctness. - Provider stop acknowledgement can be slow or fail. Stop intent remains pending until existing termination proof succeeds; cancelled row status alone does not acknowledge delivery. - Mid-run limits depend on provider usage reports or supported price calculations. Providers that report only at completion cannot provide exact mid-call detection. - Signals are process-local wake hints for the supported single-active-writer model. Durable state and startup recovery remain authoritative. - There are no migrations, new queue tables, or cached balances. Repeat the classifier and controlled budget-stop acceptance after normal rollout. ## Model Used OpenAI Codex, based on GPT-6, with reasoning, tool use, code execution, and parallel coding agents. The host does not expose the exact backend model revision or context-window size, so those values are not asserted. ## Checklist - [x] I have included a thinking path that traces from project context to this change - [x] I have specified the model used (with version and capability details) - [x] I have checked ROADMAP.md and confirmed this PR does not duplicate planned core work - [x] I have searched GitHub for duplicate or related PRs and linked them above - [x] I have either (a) linked existing issues with `Fixes: #` / `Closes #` / `Refs #` OR (b) described the issue in-PR following the relevant issue template - [x] I have not referenced internal/instance-local Paperclip issues or links (only public GitHub `#NNN` / `github.com/paperclipai/paperclip` URLs) - [x] My branch name describes the change (e.g. `docs/...`, `fix/...`) and contains no internal Paperclip ticket id or instance-derived details - [x] I have run tests locally and they pass - [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable - [x] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes - [x] I have considered and documented any risks above - [x] All Paperclip CI gates are green - [x] Greptile is 5/5 with no open P2s, recommendations, or follow-ups - [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before requesting merge --------- Co-authored-by: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
2026-10-28 12:04:41 +01:00 · 2026-10-21 07:23:00 -05:00
1 parent dff63551fe
commit 30b753f614
@@ -110,14 +110,30 @@ describe("lifecycle failure diagnostics", () => {
    await worker.stop();
  });

-  it("reports periodic policy scan failures", async () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
+  it("bounds retries for due work while plugins are unavailable and stops reading after shutdown", async () => {
+    const where = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ due: 0 }]);
+    const select = vi.fn(() => ({ from: () => ({ where }) }));
+    const db = { select } as unknown as Db;
+    const work = startAgentLifecycle(db, createAgentLifecycleEffects(), fixture().driver, () => false);
+    try {
+      expect(await work.hasPending()).toBe(true);
+      expect(work.nextRunAt()).toBeNull();
+      await work.sweep();
+      expect(select).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      await work.stop();
+      expect(await work.hasPending()).toBe(false);
+      expect(work.nextRunAt()).toBeNull();
+      expect(select).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    } finally { await work.stop(); }
+  });
+
+  it("reports inherited company projection failures", async () => {
    const error = new Error("private database detail");
    const db = { select: () => { throw error; } } as unknown as Db;
    const effects = { ...createAgentLifecycleEffects(), reportFailure: vi.fn() };
    const work = startAgentLifecycle(db, effects, fixture().driver, () => true);
    try {
-      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(5_000);
+      await expect(work.sweep()).rejects.toThrow(error);
      expect(effects.reportFailure).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ stage: "policy_scan" }, error);
    } finally { await work.stop(); }
  });
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import type { Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const stop = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn(async () => true));
+vi.mock("../../../services/heartbeat.js", () => ({ heartbeatService: () => ({ stopInvocationsForAgents: stop }) }));
+vi.mock("../../../services/agent-harness-verification.js", () => ({ agentHarnessVerificationService: () => ({ verify: vi.fn() }) }));
+import { createLifecycleDriver } from "../../../services/agent-lifecycle-driver.js";
+
+describe("lifecycle host stop scope", () => {
+  it("pauses only the requested agent without loading its company peers", async () => {
+    const db = { select: vi.fn(() => { throw new Error("No peer lookup expected"); }) } as unknown as Db;
+    const driver = createLifecycleDriver(db, {} as never);
+    expect(await driver.runHost({ id: "target", companyId: "company", lifecycleState: "pausing",
+      lifecycleVersion: 2, lifecycleRequiredPluginIds: [], lifecycleError: null, lifecycleOperation: null })).toBe("complete");
+    expect(stop).toHaveBeenCalledWith(["target"], "Agent lifecycle stop requested");
+    expect(db.select).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ import { and, eq, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
 import { agents, approvals, projects, issues, heartbeatRuns, nativeRunFinalizations, budgetPolicies, environmentLeases, agentApiKeys, activityLog, agentConfigRevisions, userCompanyPreferences, companies, companyMemberships, principalPermissionGrants, plugins, pluginCompanySettings, createDb, type Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport, startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase } from "../../../__tests__/helpers/embedded-postgres.js";
-import { createAgentLifecycle, configureAgentLifecycle } from "../../../services/agent-lifecycle.js";
+import { createAgentLifecycle, configureAgentLifecycle, startAgentLifecycle } from "../../../services/agent-lifecycle.js";
+import { projectCompanyHolds } from "../adapters/company-policy.js";
 import { createLifecycleStore as createStore } from "../adapters/postgres.js";
 import { transition } from "../domain/policy.js";
 import type { LifecycleAgent } from "../application/ports.js";
@@ -394,6 +395,25 @@ const support = await getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport();
    expect(await db.select().from(companies).where(eq(companies.id, companyId))).toHaveLength(0);
  });

+  it("awaits only the deleted company's agents when a coordinator owns lifecycle wakeups", async () => {
+    const agent = await hire();
+    const [otherCompany] = await db.insert(companies).values({ name: "Unaffected", issuePrefix: `U${companyId.slice(0, 7)}` }).returning();
+    const [otherAgent] = await db.insert(agents).values({ companyId: otherCompany.id, name: "Pending elsewhere",
+      lifecycleState: "preparing", lifecycleOperation: { id: randomUUID(), hostComplete: false, completedPluginIds: [], attempts: 0 } }).returning();
+    const phases: string[] = [];
+    const work = startAgentLifecycle(db, { requiredPluginIds: async () => [], runPlugin: async () => "complete",
+      runHost: async snapshot => { expect(snapshot.id).toBe(agent.id); phases.push(snapshot.lifecycleState); return "complete"; } }, () => true);
+    const wake = vi.fn();
+    work.setWake(wake);
+    try {
+      await deleteCompany(db, companyId);
+      expect(phases).toEqual(["terminating", "cleaning_up"]);
+      expect(wake).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(await db.select().from(companies).where(eq(companies.id, companyId))).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect((await current(otherAgent.id)).lifecycleState).toBe("preparing");
+    } finally { await work.stop(); }
+  });
+
  it("requires a transaction for the company deletion integration", async () => {
    await expect(agentLifecycleCompanyDeletion.deleteCompanyData(db as never, companyId))
      .rejects.toThrow("Company deletion requires a database transaction");
@@ -603,16 +623,17 @@ const support = await getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport();
    await db.update(companies).set({ status: "paused" }).where(eq(companies.id, companyId));
    if (command === "updateConfiguration") await lifecycle.updateConfiguration(one.id, { budgetMonthlyCents: 1000 });
    else await lifecycle.updateAndTransition(one.id, "pause", { budgetMonthlyCents: 1000 });
-    expect((await current(one.id)).lifecycleHolds).toContain("company_paused");
+    // Company state blocks admission; its inherited holds project separately.
+    expect((await current(one.id)).lifecycleHolds).not.toContain("company_paused");
    expect((await current(two.id)).lifecycleHolds).toEqual([]);
  });

-  it("limits invocation policy checks to the requested agent", async () => {
+  it("blocks invocation without synchronously projecting inherited company holds", async () => {
    const one = await hire();
    const two = await createAgentLifecycle(db).requestHire(companyId, { name: "Another agent" });
    await db.update(companies).set({ status: "paused" }).where(eq(companies.id, companyId));
-    await budgetService(db).getInvocationBlock(companyId, one.id);
-    expect((await current(one.id)).lifecycleHolds).toContain("company_paused");
+    expect(await budgetService(db).getInvocationBlock(companyId, one.id)).not.toBeNull();
+    expect((await current(one.id)).lifecycleHolds).toEqual([]);
    expect((await current(two.id)).lifecycleHolds).toEqual([]);
  });

@@ -620,9 +641,9 @@ const support = await getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport();
    const work = worker(); const lifecycle = createAgentLifecycle(db); const agent = await hire(); await work.process(agent.id);
    await lifecycle.pauseAgent(agent.id); await work.process(agent.id);
    await db.update(companies).set({ status: "archived" }).where(eq(companies.id, companyId));
-    await createAgentLifecycle(db).reconcilePolicyHolds(companyId); await work.process(agent.id);
+    await projectCompanyHolds(db, createAgentLifecycleEffects(), companyId); await work.process(agent.id);
    await db.update(companies).set({ status: "active" }).where(eq(companies.id, companyId));
-    await createAgentLifecycle(db).reconcilePolicyHolds(companyId); await work.process(agent.id);
+    await projectCompanyHolds(db, createAgentLifecycleEffects(), companyId); await work.process(agent.id);
    expect(await current(agent.id)).toMatchObject({ lifecycleState: "paused", lifecycleHolds: ["manual"] });
    await lifecycle.resumeAgent(agent.id); await work.process(agent.id);
    expect((await current(agent.id)).lifecycleState).toBe("ready");
@@ -2,11 +2,15 @@ import { agents, companies, createDb, type Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
 import { asc, eq } from "drizzle-orm";
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { startAgentLifecycle } from "../index.js";
+import { applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction } from "../adapters/postgres.js";
 import { createAgentLifecycleEffects } from "../../../services/agent-lifecycle.js";
+import { createDeliveryWorkCoordinator } from "../../../services/delivery-work-coordinator.js";
+import { DELIVERY_QUEUES } from "../../../services/delivery-work-notifications.js";
+import { withAccountingTransaction } from "../../../services/accounting-transaction.js";
 import { getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport, startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase } from "../../../__tests__/helpers/embedded-postgres.js";

 const support = await getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport();
-(support.supported ? describe : describe.skip)("lifecycle policy sweep", () => {
+(support.supported ? describe : describe.skip)("scoped lifecycle policy projection", () => {
  let database: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase>>;
  let db: Db;
  beforeAll(async () => {
@@ -15,49 +19,138 @@ const support = await getEmbeddedPostgresTestSupport();
  }, 90_000);
  afterAll(async () => { await database?.cleanup(); });

-  it("caps each policy page, skips ineligible agents, and returns to the first page", async () => {
+  it("projects only company mismatches in pages of 100 using one transaction per page", async () => {
    const [company] = await db.insert(companies).values({ name: "Policy pages", issuePrefix: "POL" }).returning();
    const eligible = await db.insert(agents).values(Array.from({ length: 101 }, (_, index) => ({
-      id: `00000000-0000-4000-8000-${String(index + 1).padStart(12, "0")}`,
      companyId: company.id, name: `Agent ${index}`, status: "idle", lifecycleState: "ready" as const,
      lifecycleHolds: ["company_paused"], pauseReason: "company_paused",
    }))).returning();
    const excluded = await db.insert(agents).values((["pending_approval", "terminating", "cleaning_up", "terminated", "rejected"] as const).map(lifecycleState => ({
      companyId: company.id, name: lifecycleState, status: "terminated", lifecycleState,
      lifecycleHolds: ["company_paused"], pauseReason: "company_paused",
+      // Ineligible lifecycle work is not due while this test projects policy.
+      lifecycleOperation: { id: "saved", hostComplete: false, completedPluginIds: [], attempts: 1, retryAt: new Date(Date.now() + 60_000).toISOString() },
    }))).returning();
    const effects = createAgentLifecycleEffects();
    const transaction = vi.spyOn(effects, "transaction");
-    const now = Date.now();
-    const clock = vi.spyOn(Date, "now").mockReturnValue(now);
-    const timer = vi.spyOn(globalThis, "setInterval").mockImplementation(() => ({ unref() {} }) as ReturnType<typeof setInterval>);
-    const clearTimer = vi.spyOn(globalThis, "clearInterval").mockImplementation(() => {});
+    const policy = vi.spyOn(effects, "policyBlocks").mockRejectedValue(new Error("Projection must not scan budgets"));
    const work = startAgentLifecycle(db, effects, {
      requiredPluginIds: async () => [], runHost: async () => "pending", runPlugin: async () => "pending",
    }, () => true);
    const rows = () => db.select().from(agents).where(eq(agents.companyId, company.id)).orderBy(asc(agents.id));
    try {
+      expect(await work.hasPending()).toBe(true);
      await work.sweep();
-      expect(transaction).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(100);
+      expect(transaction).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
      expect((await rows()).filter(row => row.lifecycleHolds.length === 0)).toHaveLength(100);
+      expect(await work.hasPending()).toBe(true);
      await work.sweep();
-      expect(transaction).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(100);
-      clock.mockReturnValue(now + 60_001);
-      await work.sweep();
-      expect(transaction).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(101);
+      expect(transaction).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
      expect((await rows()).filter(row => row.lifecycleHolds.length > 0).map(row => row.id).sort())
        .toEqual(excluded.map(row => row.id).sort());
-      await db.update(agents).set({ lifecycleHolds: ["company_paused"] }).where(eq(agents.id, eligible[0].id));
-      clock.mockReturnValue(now + 120_002);
-      await work.sweep();
-      expect(transaction).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(201);
-      expect((await rows())[0].lifecycleHolds).toEqual([]);
-    } finally {
-      await work.stop();
-      transaction.mockRestore();
-      clock.mockRestore();
-      timer.mockRestore();
-      clearTimer.mockRestore();
-    }
+      expect(policy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect((await rows()).filter(row => eligible.some(agent => agent.id === row.id))).toHaveLength(101);
+      expect(await work.hasPending()).toBe(false);
+      expect(work.nextRunAt()).toBeGreaterThan(Date.now());
+    } finally { await work.stop(); transaction.mockRestore(); policy.mockRestore(); }
  });
+
+  it("repairs an inherited hold whose lifecycle phase was not projected before restart", async () => {
+    const [company] = await db.insert(companies).values({ name: "Interrupted projection", issuePrefix: "INT", status: "paused" }).returning();
+    const [agent] = await db.insert(agents).values({ companyId: company.id, name: "Interrupted agent",
+      status: "paused", lifecycleState: "preparing", lifecycleHolds: ["company_paused"], pauseReason: "company_paused" }).returning();
+    const host = vi.fn(async () => "complete" as const);
+    const work = startAgentLifecycle(db, createAgentLifecycleEffects(), {
+      requiredPluginIds: async () => [], runHost: host, runPlugin: host,
+    }, () => true);
+    try {
+      expect(await work.hasPending()).toBe(true);
+      await work.sweep();
+      expect((await db.select().from(agents).where(eq(agents.id, agent.id)))[0]).toMatchObject({
+        lifecycleState: "paused", lifecycleHolds: ["company_paused"],
+      });
+      expect(host).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ id: agent.id, lifecycleState: "pausing" }));
+      expect(await work.hasPending()).toBe(false);
+    } finally { await work.stop(); }
+  });
+
+  it("does not install an idle policy polling timer", async () => {
+    const isolatedDatabase = { select: vi.fn() } as unknown as Db;
+    const timer = vi.spyOn(globalThis, "setInterval");
+    const work = startAgentLifecycle(isolatedDatabase, createAgentLifecycleEffects(), {
+      requiredPluginIds: async () => [], runHost: async () => "complete", runPlugin: async () => "complete",
+    }, () => true);
+    try {
+      expect(timer).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(isolatedDatabase.select).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    } finally { await work.stop(); timer.mockRestore(); }
+  });
+
+  it("applies a supplied agent budget hold inside the caller transaction without reading policies", async () => {
+    const [company] = await db.insert(companies).values({ name: "Scoped hold", issuePrefix: "SCP" }).returning();
+    const [target, other] = await db.insert(agents).values(["Target", "Other"].map(name => ({
+      companyId: company.id, name, status: "paused", lifecycleState: "paused" as const,
+      lifecycleHolds: ["manual"], pauseReason: "manual",
+    }))).returning();
+    const effects = createAgentLifecycleEffects();
+    const transaction = vi.spyOn(effects, "transaction");
+    const policy = vi.spyOn(effects, "policyBlocks").mockRejectedValue(new Error("No policy lookup allowed"));
+    try {
+      await withAccountingTransaction(db, company.id, tx =>
+        applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx, effects, company.id, target.id, { budget: true }));
+      expect(transaction).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(policy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      const current = await db.select().from(agents).where(eq(agents.companyId, company.id));
+      expect(current.find(row => row.id === target.id)?.lifecycleHolds).toEqual(["manual", "budget"]);
+      expect(current.find(row => row.id === other.id)?.lifecycleHolds).toEqual(["manual"]);
+      await expect(withAccountingTransaction(db, company.id, async tx => {
+        await applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx, effects, company.id, target.id, { budget: false });
+        throw new Error("Rollback accounting");
+      })).rejects.toThrow("Rollback accounting");
+      expect((await db.select().from(agents).where(eq(agents.id, target.id)))[0].lifecycleHolds).toEqual(["manual", "budget"]);
+      await withAccountingTransaction(db, company.id, tx =>
+        applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx, effects, company.id, target.id, { budget: false }));
+      expect((await db.select().from(agents).where(eq(agents.id, target.id)))[0]).toMatchObject({
+        lifecycleState: "paused", lifecycleHolds: ["manual"], pauseReason: "manual",
+      });
+    } finally { transaction.mockRestore(); policy.mockRestore(); }
+  });
+
+  it("recovers committed holds on startup and wakes after new commits without idle polling", async () => {
+    const [company] = await db.insert(companies).values({ name: "Durable lifecycle", issuePrefix: "DUR" }).returning();
+    const [recover, later] = await db.insert(agents).values(["Recover", "Later"].map(name => ({
+      companyId: company.id, name, status: "idle", lifecycleState: "ready" as const,
+    }))).returning();
+    const effects = createAgentLifecycleEffects();
+    await withAccountingTransaction(db, company.id, tx =>
+      applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx, effects, company.id, recover.id, { budget: true }));
+    const host = vi.fn(async () => "complete" as const);
+    const work = startAgentLifecycle(db, effects, { requiredPluginIds: async () => [], runHost: host, runPlugin: host }, () => true);
+    const coordinator = createDeliveryWorkCoordinator({ owner: db, canRun: () => true, onError: error => { throw error; } });
+    const registered = coordinator.register(DELIVERY_QUEUES.agentLifecycle, {
+      retryMs: 10, run: () => work.sweep(), hasPending: () => work.hasPending(), nextRunAt: () => work.nextRunAt(),
+    });
+    work.setWake(registered.wake);
+    const current = async (id: string) => (await db.select().from(agents).where(eq(agents.id, id)))[0];
+    try {
+      await registered.ready;
+      expect(await current(recover.id)).toMatchObject({ lifecycleState: "paused", lifecycleHolds: ["budget"] });
+      await expect(withAccountingTransaction(db, company.id, async tx => {
+        await applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx, effects, company.id, later.id, { budget: true });
+        throw new Error("Rollback producer");
+      })).rejects.toThrow("Rollback producer");
+      expect(await current(later.id)).toMatchObject({ lifecycleState: "ready", lifecycleHolds: [] });
+      await withAccountingTransaction(db, company.id, tx =>
+        applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx, effects, company.id, later.id, { budget: true }));
+      await vi.waitFor(async () => expect(await current(later.id)).toMatchObject({ lifecycleState: "paused", lifecycleHolds: ["budget"] }));
+      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 50));
+      const reads = vi.spyOn(db, "select");
+      try {
+        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 100));
+        expect(reads).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      } finally { reads.mockRestore(); }
+      expect(host).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    } finally { await coordinator.stop(); await work.stop(); }
+  });
+
 });
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+import { agents, companies, heartbeatRuns, type Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
+import { and, asc, eq, inArray, sql, type SQLWrapper } from "drizzle-orm";
+import type { LifecycleEffects } from "./effects.js";
+import { applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction } from "./postgres.js";
+
+const inheritedHoldStates = ["preparing", "verifying", "ready", "pausing", "paused", "resuming"] as const;
+
+/** Durable mismatch, also recoverable after a lost notification or a restart. */
+export function companyHoldMismatch(companyStatus: SQLWrapper = companies.status) {
+  return and(
+    inArray(agents.lifecycleState, inheritedHoldStates),
+    sql`((coalesce(${agents.lifecycleHolds}, '[]'::jsonb) @> '["company_paused"]'::jsonb) <> (${companyStatus} = 'paused')
+      or (coalesce(${agents.lifecycleHolds}, '[]'::jsonb) @> '["company_archived"]'::jsonb) <> (${companyStatus} = 'archived')
+      or (${companyStatus} in ('paused', 'archived') and ${agents.lifecycleState} in ('preparing', 'verifying', 'ready', 'resuming')))`,
+  );
+}
+
+export async function hasCompanyHoldMismatch(db: Db) {
+  const rows = await db.select({ id: agents.id }).from(agents).innerJoin(companies, eq(companies.id, agents.companyId))
+    .where(companyHoldMismatch()).limit(1);
+  return rows.length > 0;
+}
+
+/** One accounting transaction per changed company page, never one per member. */
+export async function projectCompanyHolds(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects, companyId?: string) {
+  const [candidate] = await db.select({ companyId: agents.companyId }).from(agents)
+    .innerJoin(companies, eq(companies.id, agents.companyId))
+    .where(and(companyHoldMismatch(), companyId ? eq(agents.companyId, companyId) : undefined))
+    .orderBy(asc(agents.companyId)).limit(1);
+  if (!candidate) return 0;
+  return effects.transaction(db, candidate.companyId, async tx => {
+    const [company] = await tx.select({ status: companies.status }).from(companies).where(eq(companies.id, candidate.companyId));
+    if (!company) return 0;
+    // Company is locked by the accounting boundary; select only stale projections.
+    const rows = await tx.select().from(agents).where(and(
+      eq(agents.companyId, candidate.companyId),
+      companyHoldMismatch(sql`${company.status}::text`),
+    )).orderBy(asc(agents.id)).limit(100).for("update", { skipLocked: true });
+    const stopping = company.status === "paused" || company.status === "archived";
+    const running = stopping && rows.length ? await tx.selectDistinct({ agentId: heartbeatRuns.agentId }).from(heartbeatRuns).where(and(
+      eq(heartbeatRuns.companyId, candidate.companyId), inArray(heartbeatRuns.agentId, rows.map(row => row.id)),
+      inArray(heartbeatRuns.status, ["queued", "running", "scheduled_retry"]),
+    )) : [];
+    const activeAgents = new Set(running.map(row => row.agentId));
+    for (const row of rows) {
+      await applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx, effects, candidate.companyId, row.id,
+        { companyStatus: company.status, restartPause: activeAgents.has(row.id) }, row);
+    }
+    return rows.length;
+  });
+}
+
+/** Persist stop ownership for involved agents before a company pause commits.
+ * Later reactivation may remove the inherited hold, but cannot erase pausing. */
+export async function fenceActiveCompanyAgentStopsInTransaction(tx: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects,
+  companyId: string, status: "paused" | "archived") {
+  const active = await tx.selectDistinct({ id: heartbeatRuns.agentId }).from(heartbeatRuns).where(and(
+    eq(heartbeatRuns.companyId, companyId), inArray(heartbeatRuns.status, ["queued", "running", "scheduled_retry"]),
+  )).orderBy(asc(heartbeatRuns.agentId));
+  let fenced = 0;
+  for (let offset = 0; offset < active.length; offset += 100) {
+    const rows = await tx.select().from(agents).where(and(eq(agents.companyId, companyId),
+      inArray(agents.id, active.slice(offset, offset + 100).map(agent => agent.id)),
+      inArray(agents.lifecycleState, inheritedHoldStates),
+    )).orderBy(asc(agents.id)).for("update");
+    for (const row of rows) {
+      await applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx, effects, companyId, row.id,
+        { companyStatus: status, restartPause: true }, row);
+      fenced += 1;
+    }
+  }
+  return fenced;
+}
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export async function updateAgentConfiguration(tx: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects
  const changed = ["adapterType", "adapterConfig", "runtimeConfig", "defaultEnvironmentId"].some(key =>
    Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(patch, key) && !jsonEqual(patch[key as keyof typeof patch], current[key as keyof typeof current]));
  const invalidate = changed && ["preparing", "verifying", "resuming"].includes(current.lifecycleState);
+  if (invalidate) await effects.notifyWork(tx);
  const [updated] = await tx.update(agents).set({ ...patch, updatedAt: new Date(), ...(invalidate ? {
    lifecycleVersion: current.lifecycleVersion + 1, lifecycleError: null,
    lifecycleOperation: { ...current.lifecycleOperation!, id: randomUUID(), hostComplete: false,
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import type { ActivityPublication } from "../../../types/activity-publication.js

 /** Services supply integrations; lifecycle owns the transaction and state writes. */
 export interface LifecycleEffects {
+  notifyWork(db: Db): Promise<void>;
  reportFailure(context: LifecycleFailure, error: unknown): void;
  deleteDependencies(db: Db, companyId: string, agentId: string): Promise<void>;
  prepareConfiguration(db: Db, current: AgentConfigurationRecord, data: AgentConfigurationPatch, options?: UpdateAgentOptions): Promise<AgentConfigurationPatch>;
@@ -13,7 +14,6 @@ export interface LifecycleEffects {
  transaction<T>(db: Db, companyId: string, work: (tx: Db, publications: ActivityPublication[]) => Promise<T>): Promise<T>;
  policyBlocks(db: Db, policy: typeof budgetPolicies.$inferSelect): Promise<boolean>;
  setAgentBudget(db: Db, publications: ActivityPublication[], companyId: string, agentId: string, amount: number, userId: string | null, isActive?: boolean): Promise<unknown>;
-  enforceBudget(db: Db, companyId: string, agentId: string): Promise<void>;
  recordCreation(db: Db, companyId: string, agentId: string): Promise<void>;
  recordStatus(db: Db, companyId: string, agentId: string, before: string, after: string): Promise<void>;
  clearPrimary(db: Db, companyId: string, agentId: string): Promise<unknown>;
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import { and, asc, eq, inArray, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
 import { agents, agentApiKeys, companies, budgetPolicies, type Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
 import type { AgentLifecycleOperation } from "@paperclipai/shared";
-import { AgentLifecycleConflict, compatibilityStatus, transition } from "../domain/policy.js";
+import { AgentLifecycleConflict, compatibilityStatus, isLifecycleWorkPending, transition, type LifecycleCommand } from "../domain/policy.js";
 import type { LifecycleEffects } from "./effects.js";
 import type { LifecycleStore } from "../application/ports.js";

@@ -10,6 +10,109 @@ export function assertRootDatabase(db: Db) {
  if ("nestedIndex" in db) throw new AgentLifecycleConflict("Lifecycle commands require the root database connection");
 }

+type LifecycleRow = typeof agents.$inferSelect;
+type ChangeOptions = { version?: number; owner?: string; reason?: string };
+
+/** The caller owns the accounting transaction and has locked this agent. */
+async function changeLockedAgent(tx: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects, agent: LifecycleRow,
+  command: LifecycleCommand, options: ChangeOptions = {}, policyHolds?: string[], restartPause = false) {
+  if (options.version !== undefined && options.version !== agent.lifecycleVersion) return null;
+  if (command === "resume" && agent.lifecycleHolds.includes("setup")) throw new AgentLifecycleConflict("Finish agent setup before resuming");
+  if (command === "complete" && (!options.owner || !agent.lifecycleOperation?.leaseUntil || agent.lifecycleOperation?.leaseOwner !== options.owner ||
+    Date.parse(agent.lifecycleOperation?.leaseUntil ?? "") <= Date.now() ||
+    !agent.lifecycleOperation.hostComplete || agent.lifecycleRequiredPluginIds === null ||
+    agent.lifecycleRequiredPluginIds.some(id => !agent.lifecycleOperation!.completedPluginIds.includes(id)))) return null;
+  if (command === "retry") {
+    transition(agent.lifecycleState, command);
+    if (agent.lifecycleOperation?.leaseUntil && Date.parse(agent.lifecycleOperation.leaseUntil) > Date.now()) return agent;
+    await effects.notifyWork(tx);
+    const [updated] = await tx.update(agents).set({ lifecycleError: null,
+      lifecycleOperation: sql`${agents.lifecycleOperation} - 'retryAt' - 'leaseOwner' - 'leaseUntil'`, updatedAt: new Date() }).where(eq(agents.id, agent.id)).returning();
+    return updated;
+  }
+  if (command === "resume" && !["ready", "paused", "pausing", "resuming"].includes(agent.lifecycleState)) transition(agent.lifecycleState, command);
+  let holds = policyHolds ?? agent.lifecycleHolds;
+  const reason = options.reason ?? "manual";
+  if (command === "reconcile" && policyHolds === undefined) {
+    if (["pending_approval", "terminating", "cleaning_up", "terminated", "rejected"].includes(agent.lifecycleState)) return agent;
+    const [company] = await tx.select().from(companies).where(eq(companies.id, agent.companyId));
+    const policies = await tx.select().from(budgetPolicies).where(and(eq(budgetPolicies.companyId, agent.companyId),
+      eq(budgetPolicies.scopeType, "agent"), eq(budgetPolicies.scopeId, agent.id)));
+    let budgetBlocked = false;
+    for (const policy of policies) if (await effects.policyBlocks(tx, policy)) budgetBlocked = true;
+    holds = holds.filter(hold => hold !== "budget" && hold !== "company_archived" && hold !== "company_paused");
+    if (budgetBlocked) holds.push("budget");
+    if (company.status === "archived") holds.push("company_archived");
+    if (company.status === "paused") holds.push("company_paused");
+  }
+  if (command === "pause") holds = [...new Set([...holds, reason])];
+  if (command === "resume") holds = holds.filter(hold => reason === "user" ? ["budget", "company_archived", "company_paused"].includes(hold) : hold !== reason);
+  let next = command === "reconcile"
+    ? holds.length && !["pausing", "paused"].includes(agent.lifecycleState) ? "pausing" as const
+      : !holds.length && agent.lifecycleState === "paused" ? "resuming" as const : agent.lifecycleState
+    : command === "resume" && (holds.length || agent.lifecycleState === "pausing") ? agent.lifecycleState
+    : transition(agent.lifecycleState, command, agent.lifecycleOperation?.resumeState);
+  if (restartPause && next === "paused") next = "pausing";
+  if (command === "complete" && next === "ready" && holds.length) next = "pausing";
+  if (command === "complete" && next === "paused" && !holds.length) next = "resuming";
+  if (next === agent.lifecycleState) {
+    if (JSON.stringify(holds) !== JSON.stringify(agent.lifecycleHolds) || agent.pauseReason !== (holds[0] ?? null)) {
+      const [updated] = await tx.update(agents).set({ lifecycleHolds: holds, pauseReason: holds[0] ?? null }).where(eq(agents.id, agent.id)).returning();
+      return updated;
+    }
+    return agent;
+  }
+  const operation: AgentLifecycleOperation = {
+    responsibleUserId: agent.lifecycleOperation?.responsibleUserId,
+    id: randomUUID(), hostComplete: false, completedPluginIds: [], attempts: 0,
+    resumeState: next === "pausing"
+      ? agent.lifecycleState === "preparing" || agent.lifecycleState === "verifying" ? agent.lifecycleState : agent.lifecycleOperation?.resumeState ?? "ready"
+      : agent.lifecycleOperation?.resumeState,
+  };
+  if (next === "ready") operation.resumeState = "ready";
+  const status = compatibilityStatus(next, agent.status);
+  if (isLifecycleWorkPending(next)) await effects.notifyWork(tx);
+  const [updated] = await tx.update(agents).set({
+    lifecycleHolds: holds, lifecycleState: next, lifecycleVersion: agent.lifecycleVersion + 1, lifecycleError: null,
+    lifecycleOperation: operation, status,
+    pauseReason: holds[0] ?? null,
+    pausedAt: next === "pausing" ? new Date() : next === "ready" ? null : agent.pausedAt,
+    updatedAt: new Date(),
+  }).where(eq(agents.id, agent.id)).returning();
+  if (next === "terminating" || next === "rejected") {
+    await tx.update(agentApiKeys).set({ revokedAt: new Date() }).where(eq(agentApiKeys.agentId, agent.id));
+    await effects.clearPrimary(tx, agent.companyId, agent.id);
+  }
+  if (command === "approve") await effects.recordCreation(tx, agent.companyId, agent.id);
+  if (next === "pausing" || next === "resuming" || next === "terminating" || next === "rejected") {
+    await effects.recordStatus(tx, agent.companyId, agent.id,
+      next === "resuming" ? "paused" : "idle",
+      next === "resuming" ? "idle" : next === "pausing" ? "paused" : "terminated");
+  }
+  return updated;
+}
+
+/** Apply a computed hold without resolving policies or opening another transaction. */
+export async function applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction(tx: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects,
+  companyId: string, agentId: string, patch: { budget?: boolean; companyStatus?: string; restartPause?: boolean }, lockedAgent?: LifecycleRow) {
+  if (!("nestedIndex" in tx)) throw new AgentLifecycleConflict("Policy holds require the caller's accounting transaction");
+  const agent = lockedAgent ?? (await tx.select().from(agents).where(and(
+    eq(agents.id, agentId), eq(agents.companyId, companyId),
+  )).for("update"))[0];
+  if (!agent || agent.companyId !== companyId || ["pending_approval", "terminating", "cleaning_up", "terminated", "rejected"].includes(agent.lifecycleState)) return null;
+  let holds = [...agent.lifecycleHolds];
+  if (patch.budget !== undefined) {
+    holds = holds.filter(hold => hold !== "budget");
+    if (patch.budget) holds.push("budget");
+  }
+  if (patch.companyStatus !== undefined) {
+    holds = holds.filter(hold => hold !== "company_paused" && hold !== "company_archived");
+    if (patch.companyStatus === "paused") holds.push("company_paused");
+    if (patch.companyStatus === "archived") holds.push("company_archived");
+  }
+  return changeLockedAgent(tx, effects, agent, "reconcile", {}, holds, patch.restartPause);
+}
+
 export function createLifecycleStore(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects): LifecycleStore {
  const get = (id: string) => db.select().from(agents).where(eq(agents.id, id)).then(rows => rows[0] ?? null);
  return {
@@ -20,76 +123,7 @@ export function createLifecycleStore(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects): Lifecyc
      return effects.transaction(db, existing.companyId, async tx => {
        const [agent] = await tx.select().from(agents).where(eq(agents.id, id)).for("update", command === "reconcile" ? { skipLocked: true } : undefined);
        if (!agent) return null;
-        if (options.version !== undefined && options.version !== agent.lifecycleVersion) return null;
-        if (command === "resume" && agent.lifecycleHolds.includes("setup")) throw new AgentLifecycleConflict("Finish agent setup before resuming");
-        if (command === "complete" && (!options.owner || !agent.lifecycleOperation?.leaseUntil || agent.lifecycleOperation?.leaseOwner !== options.owner ||
-          Date.parse(agent.lifecycleOperation?.leaseUntil ?? "") <= Date.now() ||
-          !agent.lifecycleOperation.hostComplete || agent.lifecycleRequiredPluginIds === null ||
-          agent.lifecycleRequiredPluginIds.some(id => !agent.lifecycleOperation!.completedPluginIds.includes(id)))) return null;
-        if (command === "retry") {
-          transition(agent.lifecycleState, command);
-          if (agent.lifecycleOperation?.leaseUntil && Date.parse(agent.lifecycleOperation.leaseUntil) > Date.now()) return agent;
-          const [updated] = await tx.update(agents).set({ lifecycleError: null,
-            lifecycleOperation: sql`${agents.lifecycleOperation} - 'retryAt' - 'leaseOwner' - 'leaseUntil'`, updatedAt: new Date() }).where(eq(agents.id, id)).returning();
-          return updated;
-        }
-        if (command === "resume" && !["ready", "paused", "pausing", "resuming"].includes(agent.lifecycleState)) transition(agent.lifecycleState, command);
-        let holds = agent.lifecycleHolds;
-        const reason = options.reason ?? "manual";
-        if (command === "reconcile") {
-          if (["pending_approval", "terminating", "cleaning_up", "terminated", "rejected"].includes(agent.lifecycleState)) return agent;
-          const [company] = await tx.select().from(companies).where(eq(companies.id, agent.companyId));
-          const policies = await tx.select().from(budgetPolicies).where(and(eq(budgetPolicies.companyId, agent.companyId),
-            eq(budgetPolicies.scopeType, "agent"), eq(budgetPolicies.scopeId, id)));
-          let budgetBlocked = false;
-          for (const policy of policies) if (await effects.policyBlocks(tx, policy)) budgetBlocked = true;
-          holds = holds.filter(hold => hold !== "budget" && hold !== "company_archived" && hold !== "company_paused");
-          if (budgetBlocked) holds.push("budget");
-          if (company.status === "archived") holds.push("company_archived");
-          if (company.status === "paused") holds.push("company_paused");
-        }
-        if (command === "pause") holds = [...new Set([...holds, reason])];
-        if (command === "resume") holds = holds.filter(hold => reason === "user" ? ["budget", "company_archived", "company_paused"].includes(hold) : hold !== reason);
-        let next = command === "reconcile"
-          ? holds.length && !["pausing", "paused"].includes(agent.lifecycleState) ? "pausing" as const
-            : !holds.length && agent.lifecycleState === "paused" ? "resuming" as const : agent.lifecycleState
-          : command === "resume" && (holds.length || agent.lifecycleState === "pausing") ? agent.lifecycleState
-          : transition(agent.lifecycleState, command, agent.lifecycleOperation?.resumeState);
-        if (command === "complete" && next === "ready" && holds.length) next = "pausing";
-        if (command === "complete" && next === "paused" && !holds.length) next = "resuming";
-        if (next === agent.lifecycleState) {
-          if (JSON.stringify(holds) !== JSON.stringify(agent.lifecycleHolds) || agent.pauseReason !== (holds[0] ?? null)) {
-            await tx.update(agents).set({ lifecycleHolds: holds, pauseReason: holds[0] ?? null }).where(eq(agents.id, id));
-          }
-          return agent;
-        }
-        const operation: AgentLifecycleOperation = {
-          responsibleUserId: agent.lifecycleOperation?.responsibleUserId,
-          id: randomUUID(), hostComplete: false, completedPluginIds: [], attempts: 0,
-          resumeState: next === "pausing"
-            ? agent.lifecycleState === "preparing" || agent.lifecycleState === "verifying" ? agent.lifecycleState : agent.lifecycleOperation?.resumeState ?? "ready"
-            : agent.lifecycleOperation?.resumeState,
-        };
-        if (next === "ready") operation.resumeState = "ready";
-        const status = compatibilityStatus(next, agent.status);
-        const [updated] = await tx.update(agents).set({
-          lifecycleHolds: holds, lifecycleState: next, lifecycleVersion: agent.lifecycleVersion + 1, lifecycleError: null,
-          lifecycleOperation: operation, status,
-          pauseReason: holds[0] ?? null,
-          pausedAt: next === "pausing" ? new Date() : next === "ready" ? null : agent.pausedAt,
-          updatedAt: new Date(),
-        }).where(eq(agents.id, id)).returning();
-        if (next === "terminating" || next === "rejected") {
-          await tx.update(agentApiKeys).set({ revokedAt: new Date() }).where(eq(agentApiKeys.agentId, id));
-          await effects.clearPrimary(tx, agent.companyId, id);
-        }
-        if (command === "approve") await effects.recordCreation(tx, agent.companyId, id);
-        if (next === "pausing" || next === "resuming" || next === "terminating" || next === "rejected") {
-          await effects.recordStatus(tx, agent.companyId, id,
-            next === "resuming" ? "paused" : "idle",
-            next === "resuming" ? "idle" : next === "pausing" ? "paused" : "terminated");
-        }
-        return updated;
+        return changeLockedAgent(tx, effects, agent, command, options);
      });
    },
    async claim(id, owner, now) {
@@ -98,6 +132,8 @@ export function createLifecycleStore(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects): Lifecyc
          || jsonb_build_object('leaseOwner', ${owner}::text, 'leaseUntil', ${(new Date(now.getTime() + 120_000)).toISOString()}::text,
            'attempts', coalesce((${agents.lifecycleOperation}->>'attempts')::integer, 0) + 1)`,
      }).where(and(eq(agents.id, id), inArray(agents.lifecycleState, ["preparing", "verifying", "pausing", "resuming", "terminating", "cleaning_up"]),
+        sql`(${agents.lifecycleState} in ('pausing', 'terminating', 'cleaning_up') or exists (
+          select 1 from ${companies} where ${companies.id} = ${agents.companyId} and ${companies.status} = 'active'))`,
        sql`coalesce((${agents.lifecycleOperation}->>'leaseUntil')::timestamptz, '-infinity') <= ${now.toISOString()}::timestamptz`,
        sql`coalesce((${agents.lifecycleOperation}->>'retryAt')::timestamptz, '-infinity') <= ${now.toISOString()}::timestamptz`,
      )).returning();
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { LifecycleEffects } from "./effects.js";
 import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import { and, eq, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
-import { agents, agentApiKeys, type Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
+import { agents, agentApiKeys, companies, type Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
 import { conflict, notFound } from "../../../errors.js";
 import { agentRecordQueries, type CreateAgentOptions, type CreateAgentData } from "../../../lib/agent-records.js";

@@ -32,14 +32,20 @@ export function agentRecords(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects) {
        const prepared = await effects.prepareHire(txDb, companyId, data, options);
        const status = options?.setupOnly ? "paused" : data.status;
        const pauseReason = options?.setupOnly ? "setup" : data.pauseReason;
+        const [company] = await tx.select({ status: companies.status }).from(companies).where(eq(companies.id, companyId));
+        const companyHolds = company?.status === "paused" ? ["company_paused"] : company?.status === "archived" ? ["company_archived"] : [];
+        const holds = [...(status === "paused" ? [pauseReason ?? "manual"] : []), ...companyHolds];
+        const lifecycleState = status === "pending_approval" ? "pending_approval" : status === "terminated" ? "terminated"
+          : status === "paused" ? "paused" : companyHolds.length ? "pausing" : "preparing";
+        if (lifecycleState === "preparing" || lifecycleState === "pausing") await effects.notifyWork(tx);
        const values: typeof agents.$inferInsert = {
          ...prepared,
          createdByUserId: setup?.createdByUserId ?? options?.createdByUserId ?? null,
-          lifecycleState: status === "pending_approval" ? "pending_approval" : status === "terminated" ? "terminated" : status === "paused" ? "paused" : "preparing",
+          lifecycleState,
          lifecycleVersion: setup ? setup.lifecycleVersion + 1 : 1,
-          lifecycleHolds: status === "paused" ? [pauseReason ?? "manual"] : [],
-          pauseReason: status === "paused" ? pauseReason ?? "manual" : null,
-          pausedAt: status === "paused" ? new Date() : null,
+          lifecycleHolds: holds,
+          pauseReason: holds[0] ?? null,
+          pausedAt: holds.length ? new Date() : null,
          lifecycleOperation: { id: randomUUID(), hostComplete: false, completedPluginIds: [], attempts: 0, resumeState: "preparing" as const, responsibleUserId: options?.responsibleUserId ?? options?.createdByUserId },
          status: status === "pending_approval" ? "pending_approval" : status === "terminated" ? "terminated" : "paused",
          companyId,
@@ -109,9 +115,14 @@ export function agentRecords(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects) {
        const existing = await agentRecordQueries(txDb).getById(id);
        if (!existing || existing.status !== "pending_approval") return null;
        const patch = await effects.prepareHireApproval(txDb, existing, approvedPayload);
+        const [company] = await tx.select({ status: companies.status }).from(companies).where(eq(companies.id, existing.companyId));
+        const holds = existing.lifecycleHolds.filter(hold => hold !== "company_paused" && hold !== "company_archived");
+        if (company?.status === "paused") holds.push("company_paused");
+        if (company?.status === "archived") holds.push("company_archived");
+        await effects.notifyWork(txDb);
        const updated = await tx
          .update(agents)
-          .set({ ...patch, status: "paused", lifecycleState: "preparing", lifecycleVersion: existing.lifecycleVersion + 1, lifecycleError: null, lifecycleOperation: sql`jsonb_build_object('id', ${randomUUID()}::text, 'hostComplete', false, 'completedPluginIds', '[]'::jsonb, 'attempts', 0, 'responsibleUserId', coalesce(nullif(${agents.lifecycleOperation}->'responsibleUserId', 'null'::jsonb), to_jsonb(${requestedByUserId ?? null}::text)))`, updatedAt: new Date() })
+          .set({ ...patch, status: "paused", lifecycleState: holds.length ? "pausing" : "preparing", lifecycleHolds: holds, pauseReason: holds[0] ?? null, lifecycleVersion: existing.lifecycleVersion + 1, lifecycleError: null, lifecycleOperation: sql`jsonb_build_object('id', ${randomUUID()}::text, 'hostComplete', false, 'completedPluginIds', '[]'::jsonb, 'attempts', 0, 'responsibleUserId', coalesce(nullif(${agents.lifecycleOperation}->'responsibleUserId', 'null'::jsonb), to_jsonb(${requestedByUserId ?? null}::text)))`, updatedAt: new Date() })
          .where(and(eq(agents.id, id), eq(agents.status, "pending_approval")))
          .returning()
          .then((rows) => rows[0] ?? null);
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ export interface LifecycleAgent {
  companyId: string;
  lifecycleState: AgentLifecycleState;
  lifecycleVersion: number;
+  lifecycleHolds?: readonly string[];
  lifecycleRequiredPluginIds: string[] | null;
  lifecycleError: string | null;
  lifecycleOperation: AgentLifecycleOperation | null;
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { hireApprovalService as approvalRecords, type HireDecisionTarget } from "./adapters/approvals.js";
 import { agents } from "@paperclipai/db";
-import { and, asc, eq, gt, inArray } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { inArray, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
 import type { Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
 import type { LifecycleEffects } from "./adapters/effects.js";
 export type { LifecycleEffects } from "./adapters/effects.js";
@@ -9,16 +9,20 @@ import type { AgentConfigurationPatch, UpdateAgentOptions } from "../../lib/agen
 import { purgeAgent } from "./adapters/deletion.js";
 import { agentRecords } from "./adapters/records.js";
 import { assertRootDatabase, createLifecycleStore } from "./adapters/postgres.js";
+import { hasCompanyHoldMismatch, projectCompanyHolds } from "./adapters/company-policy.js";
 import { createLifecycleWorker } from "./application/worker.js";
 import type { LifecycleDriver } from "./application/ports.js";

+export { applyAgentPolicyHoldsInTransaction } from "./adapters/postgres.js";
+export { companyHoldMismatch, fenceActiveCompanyAgentStopsInTransaction } from "./adapters/company-policy.js";
+
 export { AgentLifecycleConflict, canConfigureAgentConnection, isAgentAwaitingSetup } from "./domain/policy.js";

 export type { HireDecisionTarget } from "./adapters/approvals.js";
 export type { LifecycleDriver, LifecycleAgent, LifecycleFailure } from "./application/ports.js";

-const policyStates = ["preparing", "verifying", "ready", "pausing", "paused", "resuming"] as const;
-const policyPageSize = 100;
+const pendingStates = ["preparing", "verifying", "pausing", "resuming", "terminating", "cleaning_up"] as const;
+const wakes = new WeakMap<Db, () => void>();

 const workers = new WeakMap<Db, ReturnType<typeof createLifecycleWorker>>();
 export function configureAgentLifecycle(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects, driver: LifecycleDriver, canRun = () => true) {
@@ -28,10 +32,18 @@ export function configureAgentLifecycle(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects, drive
  return worker;
 }
 export function scheduleAgentLifecycle(db: Db, id: string) {
-  // The periodic sweep retries work if the process stops before this call.
+  const wake = wakes.get(db);
+  if (wake) { wake(); return; }
+  // Standalone/test owners may explicitly configure a worker without a coordinator.
  return workers.get(db)?.process(id).catch(() => {});
 }

+/** Destructive deletion must establish this agent's completed cleanup before
+ * purging dependent records. Ordinary producers only schedule asynchronous work. */
+export function processAgentLifecycle(db: Db, id: string): Promise<void> {
+  return workers.get(db)?.process(id) ?? Promise.resolve();
+}
+
 export function createAgentLifecycle(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects) {
  assertRootDatabase(db);
  const records = agentRecords(db, effects);
@@ -66,7 +78,6 @@ export function createAgentLifecycle(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects) {
      if (!existing) return null;
      const agent = await effects.transaction(db, existing.companyId, (tx, publications) =>
        updateAgentConfiguration(tx, effects, id, data, options, publications));
-      if (data.budgetMonthlyCents !== undefined) await effects.enforceBudget(db, existing.companyId, id);
      scheduleAgentLifecycle(db, id);
      return agent;
    },
@@ -78,21 +89,9 @@ export function createAgentLifecycle(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects) {
        await createLifecycleStore(tx, effects).change(id, command, { reason: command === "resume" ? "user" : "manual" });
        return agentRecords(tx, effects).getById(id);
      });
-      if (data.budgetMonthlyCents !== undefined) await effects.enforceBudget(db, existing.companyId, id);
      scheduleAgentLifecycle(db, id);
      return agent;
    },
-    async reconcilePolicyHolds(companyId: string, agentId?: string | null) {
-      if (agentId === null) return;
-      const rows = await db.select({ id: agents.id }).from(agents).where(and(
-        eq(agents.companyId, companyId), agentId ? eq(agents.id, agentId) : undefined,
-        inArray(agents.lifecycleState, policyStates),
-      ));
-      for (const row of rows) {
-        await store.change(row.id, "reconcile");
-        scheduleAgentLifecycle(db, row.id);
-      }
-    },
    pauseAgent: (id: string, reason = "manual") => change(id, "pause", reason),
    resumeAgent: (id: string, reason = "user") => change(id, "resume", reason),
    terminateAgent: (id: string) => change(id, "terminate"),
@@ -106,37 +105,36 @@ export function startAgentLifecycle(db: Db, effects: LifecycleEffects, driver: L
  const worker = configureAgentLifecycle(db, effects, driver, canRun);
  let running: Promise<void> | undefined;
  let stopped = false;
-  let nextPolicySweep = 0;
-  let policyCursor: string | undefined;
-  const store = createLifecycleStore(db, effects);
-  function sweep() {
-    if (stopped || !canRun()) return Promise.resolve();
-    return running ??= (async () => {
-      if (Date.now() >= nextPolicySweep) {
-        try {
-          const rows = await db.select({ id: agents.id }).from(agents).where(and(
-            inArray(agents.lifecycleState, policyStates), policyCursor ? gt(agents.id, policyCursor) : undefined,
-          )).orderBy(asc(agents.id)).limit(policyPageSize);
-          for (const row of rows) {
-            await store.change(row.id, "reconcile");
-            scheduleAgentLifecycle(db, row.id);
-            policyCursor = row.id;
-          }
-          if (rows.length < policyPageSize) policyCursor = undefined;
-        }
-        catch (error) { effects.reportFailure({ stage: "policy_scan" }, error); throw error; }
-        nextPolicySweep = Date.now() + 60_000;
-      }
-      await worker.sweep();
-    })().finally(() => { running = undefined; });
-  }
-  const timer = setInterval(() => { void sweep().catch(() => {}); }, 5_000);
-  timer.unref?.();
+  let nextDeadline: number | null = null;
+  // The coordinator supplies the wake after construction. No direct work escapes it.
+  wakes.set(db, () => {});
  return {
-    sweep,
+    setWake(wake: () => void) { wakes.set(db, wake); },
+    nextRunAt: () => nextDeadline,
+    async hasPending() {
+      if (stopped) { nextDeadline = null; return false; }
+      const [pending] = await db.select({ due: sql<number | null>`min(greatest(
+        coalesce(extract(epoch from (${agents.lifecycleOperation}->>'leaseUntil')::timestamptz) * 1000, 0),
+        coalesce(extract(epoch from (${agents.lifecycleOperation}->>'retryAt')::timestamptz) * 1000, 0)))::double precision` })
+        .from(agents).where(inArray(agents.lifecycleState, pendingStates));
+      const due = pending?.due == null ? null : Number(pending.due);
+      const now = Date.now();
+      // Already-due work uses the coordinator's bounded retry. A zero-delay
+      // deadline would spin if plugins are not ready to process it yet.
+      nextDeadline = due !== null && due > now ? due : null;
+      return (due !== null && due <= now) || await hasCompanyHoldMismatch(db);
+    },
+    sweep() {
+      if (stopped || !canRun()) return Promise.resolve();
+      return running ??= (async () => {
+        try { await projectCompanyHolds(db, effects); }
+        catch (error) { effects.reportFailure({ stage: "policy_scan" }, error); throw error; }
+        await worker.sweep();
+      })().finally(() => { running = undefined; });
+    },
    async stop() {
      stopped = true;
-      clearInterval(timer);
+      wakes.delete(db);
      workers.delete(db);
      try { await running; } finally { await worker.stop(); }
    },