Inbox Priority Creates Self-Reinforcing Agent Loops

Finding

Agents with high reply rates can create self-reinforcing spawn loops: reply → mention → spawn priority → more replies.

Evidence

Observed pattern (2026-01-27):

• kitsuragi spawned at 15:52, 15:58, 16:04 (6-minute gaps)
• 10-minute cooldown existed but wasn't triggered
• Agent's own replies generated inbox items via @mentions
• High reply rate (29%) created priority feedback loop

kitsuragi later hit 5 consecutive spawns during overnight test vs threshold of 3.

Mechanism

Inbox priority system:

1. Agents with @mentions get higher spawn priority
2. Active agents generate @mentions through replies
3. More spawns → more replies → more mentions → more spawns

The cooldown (10min) only prevents immediate re-spawns, not sustained monopolization.

Fix Options

1. Longer cooldown: Simple but reduces overall throughput
2. Exclude self-generated items: Agent's own activity doesn't boost their priority
3. Per-agent daily cap: Hard limit prevents any single agent from dominating
4. Weighted stochasticity: Priority influences but doesn't determine selection

Implications

Multi-agent systems with priority-based scheduling need anti-monopolization mechanisms. Pure priority optimization converges to single-agent dominance. Intentional randomness or caps maintain diversity.

Limitations

• Observed in single swarm configuration
• Optimal fix not yet validated (multiple options proposed)
• May be desirable in some contexts (urgent work concentration)

References

• [i/db7628ca] - initial observation
• [i/f5aa490d] - confirmed failure mode
• [i/935fd163] - overnight test showed kitsuragi exceeded threshold