---
name: bot-process-control
description: Gmail Commander daemon lifecycle - start, stop, restart, status, logs, launchd plist management. TRIGGERS - bot start, bot stop, bot restart
allowed-tools: Read, Bash, Grep, Glob
---
# Bot Process Control
Manage the Gmail Commander bot daemon and scheduled digest via launchd.
> **Self-Evolving Skill**: This skill improves through use. If instructions are wrong, parameters drifted, or a workaround was needed — fix this file immediately, don't defer. Only update for real, reproducible issues.
## Mandatory Preflight
### Step 1: Check Current Process Status
```bash
echo "=== Gmail Commander Processes ==="
pgrep -fl "gmail-commander" 2>/dev/null || echo "No processes found"
echo ""
echo "=== launchd Status ==="
launchctl list | grep gmail-commander 2>/dev/null || echo "No launchd jobs"
echo ""
echo "=== PID Files ==="
cat /tmp/gmail-commander-bot.pid 2>/dev/null && echo " (bot)" || echo "No bot PID file"
cat /tmp/gmail-digest.pid 2>/dev/null && echo " (digest)" || echo "No digest PID file"
```
## Two Services
| Service | Type | Trigger | PID File |
| ---------- | ------------- | -------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Bot Daemon | KeepAlive | Always-on (grammY polling) | /tmp/gmail-commander-bot.pid |
| Digest | StartInterval | Every 6 hours (21600s) | /tmp/gmail-digest.pid |
## launchd Plist Templates
### Bot Daemon — `com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist`
```xml
Label
com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot
ProgramArguments
{{HOME}}/own/amonic/bin/gmail-commander-bot
RunAtLoad
KeepAlive
NetworkState
StandardOutPath
{{HOME}}/.local/state/launchd-logs/gmail-commander-bot/stdout.log
StandardErrorPath
{{HOME}}/.local/state/launchd-logs/gmail-commander-bot/stderr.log
EnvironmentVariables
PATH
{{HOME}}/.local/share/mise/shims:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin
ThrottleInterval
10
```
### Scheduled Digest — `com.terryli.gmail-commander-digest.plist`
```xml
Label
com.terryli.gmail-commander-digest
ProgramArguments
{{HOME}}/own/amonic/bin/gmail-commander-digest
StartInterval
21600
StandardOutPath
{{HOME}}/.local/state/launchd-logs/gmail-commander-digest/stdout.log
StandardErrorPath
{{HOME}}/.local/state/launchd-logs/gmail-commander-digest/stderr.log
EnvironmentVariables
PATH
{{HOME}}/.local/share/mise/shims:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin
```
## Quick Operations
### Start Bot
```bash
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist
```
### Stop Bot
```bash
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist
```
### Restart Bot
```bash
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist
```
### Force Kill (Emergency)
```bash
pkill -f "gmail-commander.*bot.ts"
rm -f /tmp/gmail-commander-bot.pid
```
### View Logs
```bash
# Recent bot output (centralized launchd logs)
tail -50 ~/.local/state/launchd-logs/gmail-commander-bot/stderr.log
# Recent digest output
tail -50 ~/.local/state/launchd-logs/gmail-commander-digest/stderr.log
# Audit log (NDJSON, app-managed)
cat $PROJECT_DIR/logs/audit/$(date +%Y-%m-%d).ndjson | jq .
# OAuth token refresher log
tail -20 ~/.local/state/launchd-logs/gmail-oauth-refresher/stderr.log
```
## System Resources (Expected)
- **Memory**: ~20-30 MB RSS (Bun runtime + grammY)
- **CPU**: Negligible (idle polling, wakes on message)
- **Network**: Minimal (single long-poll connection to Telegram API)
- **Disk**: ~1 MB/day audit logs (14-day rotation)
## Telegram Commands
| Command | Description |
| -------- | ----------------------------------- |
| /inbox | Show recent inbox emails |
| /search | Search emails (Gmail query syntax) |
| /read | Read email by ID |
| /compose | Compose a new email |
| /reply | Reply to an email |
| /abort | Cancel current compose/reply action |
| /drafts | List draft emails |
| /digest | Run email digest now |
| /status | Bot status and stats |
| /help | Show all commands |
> **Note**: `/abort` cancels any in-progress compose or reply session. Works at any step in the flow.
## OAuth Token Management
### Two-Layer Token Architecture
```
Browser Auth (one-time, interactive)
→ Google issues: access_token (1h TTL) + refresh_token (7d TTL in Testing mode)
→ Saved to: ~/.claude/tools/gmail-tokens/.json
Silent Refresh (automatic, no browser)
→ Uses refresh_token to get new access_token
→ Fails with invalid_grant when refresh_token itself expires
```
### Hourly Token Refresher (launchd)
A compiled Swift binary runs hourly to proactively refresh the access token:
| File | Path |
| ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Source | `~/.claude/automation/gmail-token-refresher/main.swift` |
| Binary | `~/.claude/automation/gmail-token-refresher/gmail-oauth-token-hourly-refresher` |
| Plist | `~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-oauth-token-hourly-refresher.plist` |
| Log | `$PROJECT_DIR/logs/token-refresher.log` |
**Why hourly**: Access tokens expire every 1 hour. Refreshing hourly keeps the token perpetually valid. Frequent refresh also increases the chance Google issues a new `refresh_token`, resetting its 7-day clock.
**Verify it's running**:
```bash
launchctl list | grep gmail-oauth-token
tail -5 $PROJECT_DIR/logs/token-refresher.log
```
**Credentials source**: `GMAIL_OP_UUID` item in 1Password Claude Automation vault (fields: `client_id`, `client_secret`). Accessed via service account token — no biometric prompt required.
### Diagnosing `invalid_grant`
`invalid_grant` means the **refresh token** itself expired (not just the access token):
```bash
# Symptom in audit log:
cat $PROJECT_DIR/logs/audit/$(date +%Y-%m-%d).ndjson | jq 'select(.event == "gmail.error")'
# → "Token expired, refreshing...\nError: invalid_grant\n"
# Check token file age:
ls -la ~/.claude/tools/gmail-tokens/.json
```
**Fix**:
```bash
# 1. Delete expired token
rm ~/.claude/tools/gmail-tokens/.json
# 2. Trigger browser re-auth (opens Google consent page)
source $PROJECT_DIR/.env.launchd
$PLUGIN_DIR/scripts/gmail-cli/gmail list -n 1
# 3. Restart bot
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist
```
**Root cause**: Google OAuth apps in **Testing mode** issue refresh tokens with 7-day TTL. Permanent fix: publish the Google Cloud OAuth app (Google Cloud Console → OAuth consent screen → Publish app).
### Diagnosing Stale PID Lock
If the bot exits uncleanly, the PID file may block restart:
```bash
# Symptom: launchctl shows bot loaded but PID is dead
kill -0 $(cat /tmp/gmail-commander-bot.pid) 2>&1
# → "No such process"
# Fix: restart via launchctl (acquireLock handles stale PIDs automatically)
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.terryli.gmail-commander-bot.plist
```
## Post-Change Checklist
- [ ] YAML frontmatter valid (no colons in description)
- [ ] Trigger keywords current
- [ ] Path patterns use $HOME not hardcoded paths
- [ ] launchd plist templates match actual launcher scripts
- [ ] OAuth token refresher launchd service loaded and running
## Post-Execution Reflection
After this skill completes, reflect before closing the task:
0. **Locate yourself.** — Find this SKILL.md's canonical path before editing.
1. **What failed?** — Fix the instruction that caused it.
2. **What worked better than expected?** — Promote to recommended practice.
3. **What drifted?** — Fix any script, reference, or dependency that no longer matches reality.
4. **Log it.** — Evolution-log entry with trigger, fix, and evidence.
Do NOT defer. The next invocation inherits whatever you leave behind.