Hold auto-replies to the business-hours window.

Queued replies that come due overnight stay in SQLite until the window
opens, matching new-thread gating. Also add .gitleaks.toml so the global
pre-commit hook can run.

README.md

@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ never originate new warmup threads — they only receive and reply.
    messages/day total, steps up by `HEARTH_RAMP_STEP_PER_DAY`/day to a hard
    `HEARTH_DAILY_CAP_MAX`, only during `HEARTH_BUSINESS_HOURS_START`–`_END`
    (optionally weekdays only), spread with jitter rather than bursted.
+   Auto-replies honor the same window: a reply that comes due overnight
+   stays queued and goes out once the window opens.
 4. **Kill switch + dry run** — `HEARTH_ENABLED=false` stops everything
    immediately; `--dry-run` logs every intended action without sending or
    modifying any mailbox.
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ Run the test suite (includes the allow-list guardrail tests):
 | `hearth/store.py` | SQLite: daily counters, ramp start date, message/thread history, reply queue |
 | `hearth/composer.py` | Message content (template bank, optional Ollama/Open WebUI variety) |
 | `hearth/mailer.py` | SMTP send, with its own allow-list re-check |
-| `hearth/watcher.py` | IMAP poll for `full_duplex` mailboxes: detect pool mail, queue delayed replies, un-spam |
+| `hearth/watcher.py` | IMAP poll for `full_duplex` mailboxes: detect pool mail, queue delayed replies (sent only in business hours), un-spam |
 | `hearth/scheduler.py` | Ramp-curve + business-hours + cap logic for starting new threads |
 | `hearth/main.py` | CLI entrypoint (`--loop`, `--once`, `--dry-run`, `--healthcheck`) |
 

hearth/scheduler.py

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Decides *whether* to start a new warmup thread this cycle, respecting the
 ramp curve, daily cap, and business-hours window. Reply timing/sending is
-handled separately in watcher.send_due_replies (already delay-randomized).
+handled separately in watcher.send_due_replies (delay-randomized, and gated
+on the same business-hours window via in_business_hours/now_local below).
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ def daily_cap(store: Store) -> int:
     return max(1, int(round(min(cap, settings.daily_cap_max))))
 
 
-def _now() -> datetime:
+def now_local() -> datetime:
     try:
         return datetime.now(ZoneInfo(settings.timezone))
     except Exception:
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ def maybe_start_new_thread(config: Config, store: Store) -> bool:
         log.debug("HEARTH_ENABLED=false — skipping send cycle")
         return False
 
-    now = _now()
+    now = now_local()
     if not in_business_hours(now):
         return False
 

hearth/watcher.py

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ from email.utils import parseaddr
 from hearth import mailer
 from hearth.composer import compose_reply
 from hearth.config import Config
+from hearth.scheduler import in_business_hours, now_local
 from hearth.settings import settings
 from hearth.store import Store
 
@@ -173,6 +174,12 @@ def poll_all(config: Config, store: Store) -> None:
 
 
 def send_due_replies(config: Config, store: Store) -> int:
+    # Replies wait for the same business-hours window as new threads: a due
+    # reply stays queued (due_replies keeps returning it) until the window
+    # opens, so nothing is lost — just deferred to a human-plausible hour.
+    if not in_business_hours(now_local()):
+        return 0
+
     sent = 0
     for row in store.due_replies():
         mailbox = config.get(row["mailbox_key"])

tests/test_watcher_hours.py

@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+import textwrap
+from datetime import datetime
+from unittest import mock
+
+import pytest
+
+from hearth import watcher
+from hearth.config import load_config
+from hearth.settings import settings
+
+YAML = textwrap.dedent(
+    """
+    participants:
+      ilia:
+        tier: full_duplex
+        email: ilia@levkine.ca
+        imap_host: mail.example.com
+        smtp_host: mail.example.com
+        username: ilia@levkine.ca
+        password_env: TEST_PASSWORD_ILIA
+      friend:
+        tier: send_only
+        email: friend@example.com
+    """
+)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def config(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setenv("TEST_PASSWORD_ILIA", "x")
+    path = tmp_path / "hearth.yml"
+    path.write_text(YAML, encoding="utf-8")
+    return load_config(path)
+
+
+def _due_reply_row():
+    return {
+        "mailbox_key": "ilia",
+        "sender_key": "friend",
+        "subject": "hi",
+        "message_id_header": "<m1>",
+        "references_header": "<m1>",
+        "thread_id": "t1",
+    }
+
+
+def _store_with_due_reply():
+    store = mock.Mock()
+    store.due_replies.return_value = [_due_reply_row()]
+    return store
+
+
+def test_replies_held_outside_business_hours(config, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "business_hours_start", 8)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "business_hours_end", 20)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "active_weekdays_only", False)
+    # 3 AM on a Wednesday — outside the window.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(watcher, "now_local", lambda: datetime(2026, 7, 15, 3, 0))
+
+    store = _store_with_due_reply()
+    send = mock.Mock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(watcher.mailer, "send", send)
+
+    assert watcher.send_due_replies(config, store) == 0
+    send.assert_not_called()
+    store.clear_queued_reply.assert_not_called()
+
+
+def test_replies_sent_inside_business_hours(config, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "business_hours_start", 8)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "business_hours_end", 20)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "active_weekdays_only", False)
+    # 10 AM on a Wednesday — inside the window.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(watcher, "now_local", lambda: datetime(2026, 7, 15, 10, 0))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(watcher, "compose_reply", lambda *a: ("subj", "body"))
+
+    store = _store_with_due_reply()
+    send = mock.Mock(return_value=mock.Mock(message_id="<r1>", dry_run=False))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(watcher.mailer, "send", send)
+
+    assert watcher.send_due_replies(config, store) == 1
+    send.assert_called_once()
+    store.clear_queued_reply.assert_called_once_with("<m1>")
+
+
+def test_replies_held_on_weekend_when_weekdays_only(config, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "business_hours_start", 8)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "business_hours_end", 20)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "active_weekdays_only", True)
+    # Saturday noon — inside hours but weekends disabled.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(watcher, "now_local", lambda: datetime(2026, 7, 18, 12, 0))
+
+    store = _store_with_due_reply()
+    send = mock.Mock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(watcher.mailer, "send", send)
+
+    assert watcher.send_due_replies(config, store) == 0
+    send.assert_not_called()