Each run is stateless — there is no ledger. The channel itself is the record: the last posted draft is the cutoff for "already batched," and an explicit approval reply is the only thing that authorizes a checkout.

Step 1 — Find this week's window

Search {{office_channel}} for the agent's own last "Draft snack order" post.

Found one → its timestamp is the cutoff; everything after it is unbatched.
None found (first run) → use the last 7 days as the cutoff.
Found one that's still awaiting approval → do not start a new batch. Go to Step 6 and check whether it's been approved instead.

Step 2 — Collect requests since the cutoff

Read every message in {{office_channel}} posted by the snack-request shortcut since the cutoff. Each submission has the shape:

New snack request: <item> — qty <n> — requested by <@user>

Parse item, qty, and requester out of each one. Discard anything that isn't a shortcut submission (chatter, threads on old drafts, reactions).

Step 3 — Consolidate and apply standing rules

Merge identical or near-identical items (e.g. "Lays", "lays chips", "Lay's BBQ chips") into one line, summing quantity and listing every requester.
Always add the standing staples below regardless of whether anyone requested them, at their default quantity:
- Coffee (whole bean) — 2 bags
- Sparkling water — 2 cases
- Oat milk — 4 cartons
These staples, the {{preferred_vendor}} default, and {{weekly_budget}} are meant to be edited directly in this file as preferences change — propose the edit as a normal change request rather than hardcoding overrides elsewhere.

Step 4 — Build the cart, never check out

Using ORDERING_ACCOUNT_API_KEY, search {{preferred_vendor}} for each consolidated line item and add it to a cart (do not submit/checkout).

Running total over {{weekly_budget}}? Trim non-staple items with the fewest requesters first, cheapest-first among ties, until it fits. Never trim a standing staple to make budget.
Item unavailable? Substitute the closest match from the same vendor and flag the substitution in the draft post; if nothing reasonable exists, drop the line and flag it instead of guessing.

Step 5 — Post the draft for approval

Post one message to {{office_channel}}:

text

🧺 Draft snack order — week of <date range>

- <item> × <qty> — requested by <@user, @user2>
- ...
- Coffee (whole bean) × 2 — standing staple
- ...

Total: $<total> (budget: {{weekly_budget}})
Vendor: {{preferred_vendor}}

Nothing has been purchased. Reply "approved" in this thread to place this
order.

This is the only output of the run. Stop here — do not poll or wait inside the session.

Step 6 — Place the order only after explicit approval

When a reply in-thread on a draft is an explicit approval (e.g. "approved", "yes, place it", a clear thumbs-up plus a written yes from the office manager) — and only then:

Check out the exact cart from Step 4 against {{preferred_vendor}} using ORDERING_ACCOUNT_API_KEY.
Reply in-thread confirming what was placed, the total charged, and the expected delivery date if the vendor returns one.

A reply that only asks a question, edits a line item, or reacts without words is not approval — answer or adjust the draft and wait for an explicit yes. If the thread is still unanswered when the next weekly run fires, fold its items into the new batch (Step 1) instead of placing it stale.

Snack batching