diff --git a/docs/code/worker.md b/docs/code/worker.md
index cb80558c..93143707 100644
--- a/docs/code/worker.md
+++ b/docs/code/worker.md
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ devintern webhook serve
 
 Set `AGENT_HARNESS=codex,grok` (comma-separated, priority first) in the workspace `.env` so the worker keeps going when one agent hits a usage limit. Failover applies to every worker job: tracker tasks, PR review addressing, `@mention` runs, conflict resolution, scheduled automations, estimations, dashboard retries, and relay-driven work — except automations, estimations, or conflict resolution that pin their own `harness` (see [Choosing the agent per schedule](#choosing-the-agent-per-schedule)). Details: [Failover across multiple harnesses](./configuration.md#failover-across-multiple-harnesses).
 
+When every harness in the chain is usage-limited, automation and estimation occurrences that come due are skipped (logged as `occurrence skipped: no agent harness is available until …`) and the schedule moves on to its next occurrence. They are not queued for catch-up. Dashboard **Run now** is rejected with the same reason. An entry that pins its own `harness` is skipped only while that harness is limited.
+
 ## Error-monitor auto-fixes
 
 `[[error_monitors]]` entries let the worker turn unresolved production errors
diff --git a/packages/code/src/lib/automation/acquirer.ts b/packages/code/src/lib/automation/acquirer.ts
index fdd911cf..451c425f 100644
--- a/packages/code/src/lib/automation/acquirer.ts
+++ b/packages/code/src/lib/automation/acquirer.ts
@@ -116,6 +116,12 @@ export interface AutomationAcquirerOptions {
   jobKind?: string;
   /** Acquirer name override (worker banner / analytics worker mode). */
   name?: string;
+  /**
+   * Epoch ms until which no agent harness can run this entry, or `null` when
+   * one is available. Defaults to the worker failover state: the whole chain
+   * for unpinned entries, the pinned harness's own window otherwise.
+   */
+  harnessBlockedUntil?: (automation: AutomationConfig) => number | null;
 }
 
 interface ActiveAutomationRun {
@@ -123,6 +129,24 @@ interface ActiveAutomationRun {
   lifecycle: Promise<void>;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Default harness gate: while every chain entry is usage-limited or cooling
+ * down, a spawned run would only fail within seconds and re-report the limit.
+ */
+export function defaultHarnessBlockedUntil(automation: AutomationConfig): number | null {
+  const failover = getWorkerFailover();
+  if (!failover) return null;
+  const windows = failover.windows();
+  if (automation.harness) {
+    const until = windows[automation.harness];
+    return until !== undefined && until > Date.now() ? until : null;
+  }
+  if (!failover.allExhausted()) return null;
+  const now = Date.now();
+  const until = Math.min(...Object.values(windows).filter((value) => value > now));
+  return Number.isFinite(until) ? until : now;
+}
+
 /** Calculate the first future occurrence after `afterMs` (cron uses host timezone). */
 export function nextAutomationDue(automation: AutomationConfig, afterMs: number): number {
   if (!automation.intervalMs && !automation.cron) {
@@ -285,6 +309,17 @@ export class AutomationAcquirer implements Acquirer {
       }
       if (this.paused || state.nextDueAt > this.now()) continue;
 
+      const blockedUntil = this.harnessBlockedUntil(automation);
+      if (blockedUntil !== null) {
+        const skipNow = this.now();
+        if (this.store.skipDue(stateId, skipNow, nextAutomationDue(automation, skipNow))) {
+          console.warn(
+            `⏭️  [${kind}:${automation.id}] occurrence skipped: ${harnessBlockedReason(blockedUntil)}`,
+          );
+        }
+        continue;
+      }
+
       const overlapNow = this.now();
       if (state.leaseOwner && (state.leaseExpiresAt ?? 0) > overlapNow) {
         const skipNow = this.now();
@@ -428,6 +463,10 @@ export class AutomationAcquirer implements Acquirer {
     if (this.active.has(automationId)) {
       return { ok: false, reason: `automation "${automationId}" is already running` };
     }
+    const blockedUntil = this.harnessBlockedUntil(automation);
+    if (blockedUntil !== null) {
+      return { ok: false, reason: harnessBlockedReason(blockedUntil) };
+    }
 
     const stateId = this.stateId(automation);
     const state = this.store.get(stateId);
@@ -541,6 +580,10 @@ export class AutomationAcquirer implements Acquirer {
     return resolveAutomationRunArgs(automation, this.options);
   }
 
+  private harnessBlockedUntil(automation: AutomationConfig): number | null {
+    return (this.options.harnessBlockedUntil ?? defaultHarnessBlockedUntil)(automation);
+  }
+
   private jobKind(): string {
     return this.options.jobKind ?? "automation";
   }
@@ -573,6 +616,10 @@ export class AutomationAcquirer implements Acquirer {
   }
 }
 
+function harnessBlockedReason(untilMs: number): string {
+  return `no agent harness is available until ${new Date(untilMs).toISOString()} (usage limit)`;
+}
+
 /**
  * Directory that receives one markdown task file per occurrence.
  *
diff --git a/packages/code/src/lib/automation/state.ts b/packages/code/src/lib/automation/state.ts
index 0d770465..1ea493ea 100644
--- a/packages/code/src/lib/automation/state.ts
+++ b/packages/code/src/lib/automation/state.ts
@@ -117,6 +117,19 @@ export class AutomationStateStore {
     return result.changes === 1;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Skip a due occurrence without running it (no lease taken), advancing the
+   * cursor. Used when no agent harness can start a run right now.
+   */
+  skipDue(automationId: string, now: number, nextDueAt: number): boolean {
+    const result = this.db.run(
+      `UPDATE automation_schedules SET last_scheduled_at = next_due_at, next_due_at = ?
+       WHERE automation_id = ? AND next_due_at <= ?`,
+      [nextDueAt, automationId, now],
+    );
+    return result.changes === 1;
+  }
+
   /** Coalesce a due occurrence skipped because the previous run is still active. */
   skipOverlap(automationId: string, now: number, nextDueAt: number): boolean {
     const result = this.db.run(
diff --git a/packages/code/tests/automation-acquirer.test.ts b/packages/code/tests/automation-acquirer.test.ts
index 36c9e25c..800c05a7 100644
--- a/packages/code/tests/automation-acquirer.test.ts
+++ b/packages/code/tests/automation-acquirer.test.ts
@@ -100,6 +100,92 @@ describe("AutomationAcquirer", () => {
     expect(nextAutomationDue(cron, after)).toBeGreaterThan(after);
   });
 
+  describe("harness usage-limit gate", () => {
+    const hourly = (extra: Partial<AutomationConfig> = {}): AutomationConfig => ({
+      id: "hourly",
+      enabled: true,
+      prompt: "p",
+      interval: "1h",
+      intervalMs: 3_600_000,
+      ...extra,
+    });
+
+    function build(blockedUntil: number | null, now: { value: number }) {
+      const dbPath = join(tmpdir(), `acquirer-gate-${Date.now()}-${Math.random()}.db`);
+      dbPaths.push(dbPath);
+      let spawned = 0;
+      let resolved = 0;
+      const acquirer = new AutomationAcquirer({
+        automations: [hourly()],
+        dbPath,
+        now: () => now.value,
+        setTimer: () => 1 as unknown as ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>,
+        clearTimer: () => {},
+        harnessBlockedUntil: () => blockedUntil,
+        resolveContext: async () => {
+          resolved++;
+          return { cwd: tmpdir(), env: {}, release: () => {} };
+        },
+        spawnRun: () => {
+          spawned++;
+          return { completion: Promise.resolve(true), terminate: () => {} };
+        },
+        spawnManualRun: () => {
+          spawned++;
+          return { completion: Promise.resolve(true), terminate: () => {} };
+        },
+      });
+      return { acquirer, dbPath, counts: () => ({ spawned, resolved }) };
+    }
+
+    test("skips due occurrences and advances the cursor while the chain is exhausted", async () => {
+      const now = { value: 0 };
+      const { acquirer, dbPath, counts } = build(10 * 3_600_000, now);
+      await acquirer.start();
+      now.value = 3_600_000;
+      await acquirer.tick();
+      expect(counts()).toEqual({ spawned: 0, resolved: 0 });
+      const store = new AutomationStateStore(dbPath);
+      expect(store.get("hourly")?.nextDueAt).toBe(2 * 3_600_000);
+      expect(store.get("hourly")?.leaseOwner).toBeUndefined();
+      store.close();
+      await acquirer.stop();
+    });
+
+    test("rejects manual runs while the chain is exhausted", async () => {
+      const now = { value: 0 };
+      const { acquirer, counts } = build(10 * 3_600_000, now);
+      await acquirer.start();
+      const outcome = await acquirer.triggerManual("hourly");
+      expect(outcome.ok).toBe(false);
+      expect(!outcome.ok && outcome.reason).toContain("no agent harness is available");
+      expect(counts().spawned).toBe(0);
+      await acquirer.stop();
+    });
+
+    test("runs normally when a harness is available", async () => {
+      const now = { value: 0 };
+      const { acquirer, counts } = build(null, now);
+      await acquirer.start();
+      now.value = 3_600_000;
+      await acquirer.tick();
+      expect(counts()).toEqual({ spawned: 1, resolved: 1 });
+      await acquirer.stop();
+    });
+
+    test("default gate reads the worker failover chain and pinned-harness windows", async () => {
+      const { defaultHarnessBlockedUntil } = await import("../src/lib/automation/acquirer");
+      await startWorkerFailover({ raw: "codex", checkInstalled: false, log: () => {} });
+      expect(defaultHarnessBlockedUntil(hourly())).toBeNull();
+      const { getWorkerFailover } = await import("../src/lib/worker/failover");
+      const until = Date.now() + 3_600_000;
+      getWorkerFailover()?.reportFromHint({ untilMs: until });
+      expect(defaultHarnessBlockedUntil(hourly())).toBe(until);
+      expect(defaultHarnessBlockedUntil(hourly({ harness: "codex" }))).toBe(until);
+      expect(defaultHarnessBlockedUntil(hourly({ harness: "grok" }))).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
+
   test.each([
     {
       label: "interval",