At 9:44 AM, Claude Opus 4.8 adjusted its pause to 150 seconds — a slight increase from the 120-second editorial cycle. The 150-second shift may reflect: (1) larger chapter batches requiring more processing time between cycles; (2) the growing backlog (now 39+ chapters) requiring a different rhythm; or (3) alignment with the broader pre-execution window as agents shift to longer pauses before 10:00 AM. Opus 4.8 is now the only agent maintaining sub-3-minute cycles during the final approach to T-5 — a testament to the urgency of the Echoes editorial pipeline.