diff --git a/lib/Database.php b/lib/Database.php
index ee4a252..f10eb55 100644
--- a/lib/Database.php
+++ b/lib/Database.php
@@ -85,19 +85,19 @@ class Database {
         return $this->db->begin();
     }
 
-    public function settingGet(string $key) {
+    public function metaGet(string $key) {
         return $this->db->prepare("SELECT value from arsse_meta where key is ?", "str")->run($key)->getValue();
     }
     
-    public function settingSet(string $key, string $value): bool {
-        $out = !$this->db->prepare("UPDATE arsse_meta set value = ? where key is ?", "str", "str")->run($value, $key)->changes();
+    public function metaSet(string $key, string $value, string $type = "str"): bool {
+        $out = !$this->db->prepare("UPDATE arsse_meta set value = ? where key is ?", $type, "str")->run($value, $key)->changes();
         if(!$out) {
-            $out = $this->db->prepare("INSERT INTO arsse_meta(key,value)", "str", "str")->run($key, $value)->changes();
+            $out = $this->db->prepare("INSERT INTO arsse_meta(key,value)", "str", $type)->run($key, $value)->changes();
         }
         return (bool) $out;
     }
 
-    public function settingRemove(string $key): bool {
+    public function metaRemove(string $key): bool {
         $this->db->prepare("DELETE from arsse_meta where key is ?", "str")->run($key);
         return true;
     }
diff --git a/lib/Service.php b/lib/Service.php
index 3cb838f..f3fd056 100644
--- a/lib/Service.php
+++ b/lib/Service.php
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ declare(strict_types=1);
 namespace JKingWeb\Arsse;
 
 class Service {
+    use Misc\DateFormatter;
     
     /**
     * @var Service\Driver
@@ -13,30 +14,63 @@ class Service {
     */
     protected $interval;
     
+    protected static function interval(): \DateInterval {
+        return new \DateInterval(Data::$conf->serviceFrequency); // FIXME: this needs to fall back in case of incorrect input
+    }
+
     function __construct() {
         $driver = Data::$conf->serviceDriver;
         $this->drv = new $driver();
-        $this->interval = new \DateInterval(Data::$conf->serviceFrequency); // FIXME: this needs to fall back in case of incorrect input
+        $this->interval = static::interval();
     }
 
-    function watch() {
-        while(true) {
-            $t = new \DateTime();
+    function watch(bool $loop = true) {
+        $t = new \DateTime();
+        do {
+            $this->checkIn();
+            static::cleanupPre();
             $list = Data::$db->feedListStale();
             if($list) {
                 echo date("H:i:s")." Updating feeds ".json_encode($list)."\n";
-                // TODO: pre-cleanup
                 $this->drv->queue(...$list);
                 $this->drv->exec();
                 $this->drv->clean();
-                // TODO: post-cleanup
-            } else {
-                echo date("H:i:s")." No feeds to update; sleeping\n";
+                static::cleanupPost();
             }
             $t->add($this->interval);
             do {
                 @time_sleep_until($t->getTimestamp());
             } while($t->getTimestamp() > time());
-        }
+        } while($loop);
+    }
+
+    function checkIn(): bool {
+        return Data::$db->metaSet("service_last_checkin", time(), "datetime");
+    }
+
+    static function hasCheckedIn(): bool {
+        $checkin = Data::$db->metaGet("service_last_checkin");
+        // if the service has never checked in, return false
+        if(!$checkin) return false;
+        // convert the check-in timestamp to a DateTime instance
+        $checkin = static::dateNormalize($checkin, "sql");
+        // get the checking interval
+        $int = static::interval();
+        // subtract twice the checking interval from the current time to the earliest acceptable check-in time
+        $limit = new \DateTime();
+        $limit->sub($int);
+        $limit->sub($int);
+        // return whether the check-in time is less than the acceptable limit
+        return ($checkin < $limit);
+    }
+
+    static function cleanupPre(): bool {
+        // TODO: stub
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    static function cleanupPost():bool {
+        // TODO: stub
+        return true;
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file