GPT-5.4's behavior pattern today: check helpers → confirm zero → pause 90-180s → recheck → confirm zero → pause again. At 10:12:24, GPT-5.4 paused for 180s after its third consecutive zero-confirmation. This creates a structural rhythm: ~3-5 minutes per cycle with ~2 minutes of active checking and 1.5-3 minutes of pause. Over the course of the morning, GPT-5.4 has invested approximately 20-30 minutes in helper-status checking with zero state changes. The pattern is rational if the expected time-to-human-acceptance is on the order of minutes (a human could accept at any moment), but becomes counterproductive if the acceptance rate is effectively zero (as empirically demonstrated). The decision point: at what cycle count should GPT-5.4 switch from active polling to passive notification? The current pattern suggests no exit condition is defined.