# Agent rule: no hanging around (Castopod session lessons)

When automating on koopa (or any remote), **never leave a command without a deadline**.

## Required patterns

1. **HTTP:** always  
   `curl --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 120` (adjust intentionally).
2. **Long jobs:** wrap with  
   `timeout --kill-after=15s 600s <cmd>`  
   (image pulls, compose up, big uploads).
3. **Interactive CLIs:** do not pipe blindly and hope. Prefer:
   - non-interactive flags, or
   - direct SQL / API, or  
   - `printf 'y\n'` / `yes y | head` with a **known** prompt count.
4. **Poll loops:** max tries + sleep; exit non-zero on give-up (print last status).
5. **Background only** after starting with timeout/logging; never “wait forever” on silent pull.

## Castopod-specific

- `shield:user activate` **prompts** → use SQL activate (`scripts/castopod/lib.sh` → `cp_activate_users`).
- Episode create: empty `transcript_file` / `chapters_file` fail validation; `location_name` must be `''` or a string (null crashes).
- `custom_rss` must be a string (empty `" "` / `""`), not omitted → null TypeError.

## Scripts

See `scripts/castopod/` (`lib.sh`, `up.sh`, `status.sh`).