[FEATURE] Graceful timeout: submit current answers when time is running low

[ncrispino]

Problem

When agents run out of time during self-improvement iterations, they get cut off mid-improvement with no chance to submit their current best answer. This can result in lost work — the agent may have a strong answer in progress that never gets submitted.

Observed in log_20260308_092606_670139 where the run ended early due to a framework error during round evaluation, but the broader pattern applies: agents should always have a chance to submit before timeout.

Proposed Solution

When X minutes remain in the orchestrator timeout, inject a message telling agents to finalize and submit their current best answer via new_answer.

• Trigger at a configurable threshold (e.g., 80% of timeout elapsed or a fixed minutes-remaining value)
• Give agents a firm but graceful wrap-up window
• The message should instruct: "Time is running low. Finalize your current work and submit your best answer via new_answer."
• Wait until all agents have submitted their answers
• Once all answers are in, the normal flow continues — agents enter the next round where they can only vote, as usual
• If an agent still hasn't submitted after the wrap-up window, force-submit current workspace state as their answer

Key Principle

Agents should NOT be told to vote during the wrap-up window. Submission and voting are separate phases. The wrap-up window only ensures every agent submits a new_answer. The subsequent round naturally moves agents into vote-only mode.

Context

This came up during analysis of stuck-agent behavior. The self-improvement → plateau → evaluator rescue cycle works well, but without a graceful timeout, agents can be cut off before submitting any answer at all. The existing soft/hard timeout hooks handle tool blocking but don't explicitly guide agents toward submission.

Related

• Round evaluator feedback quality improvements (implementation_guidance field)
• Coordination workflow documentation updates