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Macroautophagy/autophagy is a process that degrades unnecessary cellular components to maintain homeostasis. The Ca2+-sensing protein CALM (calmodulin) is needed for many cell functions yet is a limiting factor because of its insufficient availability for its target proteins. Although Ca2+ produces diverse actions in autophagy, the role of CALM in autophagy at basal conditions, when there is no external stimulation for increases in intracellular Ca2+, is not known. Our recent work indicates that CALM availability is critical for basal autophagy. In this punctum, we summarize our findings and discuss mechanisms whereby CALM regulates basal autophagy.