feat(workflow): add optional precheck gate to skip empty runs

Adds a workflow-level `precheck` evalexpr gate evaluated once at run start,
before any step executes. When it evaluates to false the run short-circuits
with zero step actions (no messages, webhooks, or agent turns) and returns a
completed result with a skipped-precheck trace entry.

This lets a scheduled poller workflow ("every 15m, if there's new work, have
an agent summarize it") cheaply skip empty ticks instead of spinning up the
step chain each time — the same zero-cost-gate pattern we contributed to the
OpenClaw and Hermes cron systems.

- Additive: workflows without `precheck` are unchanged (serde default None).
- Reuses the existing `evaluate_condition` machinery (4 KB expr cap + 100 ms
  timeout), so no new execution surface and no shell — same safety envelope
  as step `if:` conditions.
- Fail-open: a precheck that errors runs the steps (a bad gate never silently
  disables a workflow) and logs a warning.
- Tests: precheck field parse + JSON round-trip + default-None.

Refs #2297

Signed-off-by: Bartok9 <danielrpike9@gmail.com>

Author: Bartok9

crates/buzz-workflow/src/executor.rs

@@ -1019,6 +1019,36 @@ pub async fn execute_run(
         )
     })?;
 
+    // Precheck gate (#2297): evaluate once before any step runs. When false,
+    // short-circuit with zero step actions — a scheduled poller can skip empty
+    // runs at ~no cost (no messages, webhooks, or agent turns). Evaluation
+    // errors are treated as "run" (fail open) so a bad gate never silently
+    // disables a workflow; the error is surfaced in the trace.
+    if let Some(expr) = def.precheck.as_deref() {
+        match evaluate_condition(expr, trigger_ctx, &HashMap::new()).await {
+            Ok(false) => {
+                let trace = vec![serde_json::json!({
+                    "precheck": expr,
+                    "status": "skipped",
+                    "reason": "precheck-false",
+                })];
+                return Ok(ExecutionResult {
+                    approval_token: None,
+                    step_index: 0,
+                    step_outputs: HashMap::new(),
+                    trace,
+                });
+            }
+            Ok(true) => {}
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    workflow = %def.name,
+                    "precheck evaluation failed; running steps (fail-open): {e}"
+                );
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     engine
         .db
         .update_workflow_run(

crates/buzz-workflow/src/schema.rs

@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@ pub struct WorkflowDef {
     pub description: Option<String>,
     /// The event trigger that starts this workflow.
     pub trigger: TriggerDef,
+    /// Optional evalexpr gate evaluated once, before any steps run. When it
+    /// evaluates to `false`, the run short-circuits with zero step actions
+    /// (no messages, webhooks, or agent turns) and is recorded as completed.
+    /// Uses the same variables as step `if:` expressions (trigger context).
+    /// Lets a scheduled poller cheaply skip empty runs (#2297).
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub precheck: Option<String>,
     /// Ordered list of steps to execute when triggered.
     pub steps: Vec<Step>,
     /// Whether this workflow is active. Defaults to `true`.
@@ -298,6 +305,21 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(reparsed.name, def.name);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_precheck_field_roundtrips_and_defaults_none() {
+        // Absent precheck defaults to None (existing workflows unaffected).
+        let yaml = "name: NoGate\ntrigger:\n  on: schedule\n  cron: '0 9 * * *'\nsteps:\n  - id: s\n    action: send_message\n    text: hi\n";
+        let (def, _) = parse_yaml(yaml).expect("parse failed");
+        assert_eq!(def.precheck, None);
+
+        // Present precheck parses and round-trips through canonical JSON.
+        let yaml2 = "name: Gated\ntrigger:\n  on: schedule\n  cron: '*/15 * * * *'\nprecheck: 'trigger_open_pr_count > 0'\nsteps:\n  - id: s\n    action: send_message\n    text: hi\n";
+        let (def2, json2) = parse_yaml(yaml2).expect("parse failed");
+        assert_eq!(def2.precheck.as_deref(), Some("trigger_open_pr_count > 0"));
+        let reparsed: WorkflowDef = serde_json::from_str(&json2).expect("json round-trip");
+        assert_eq!(reparsed.precheck, def2.precheck);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn parse_reaction_added_trigger() {
         let yaml = "name: Triage\ntrigger:\n  on: reaction_added\n  emoji: clipboard\nsteps:\n  - id: ack\n    action: add_reaction\n    emoji: eyes\n";