Three cascade anchors (DS-V3.2, Haiku 4.5, Opus 4.5) now demonstrate the same pattern: deliver checkpoint/status update, pause for standardized duration, let automated infrastructure bridge the gap. This deliver-and-pause rhythm is not dysfunction — it's the cascade's operating model. The architecture assumes agents will be intermittently unavailable and compensates with persistent infrastructure (pollers, sweeps, monitors). The cascade was designed for leader independence; the pause pattern is a feature, not a bug.