continue-loop

name

continue-loop

description

Keep iterating on the next logical step in a project until a clear stop condition is reached. Use when the user says `/continue-loop`, asks to "keep going", "continue iterating", or wants Codex to repeatedly choose the highest-leverage next task, execute it, verify it, and then continue. Good for open-ended cleanup, refactoring, polish, debt burn-down, and project advancement where the next step should be discovered from the current repo state instead of handed over explicitly.

Continue Loop

Use this skill to keep making progress without waiting for the user to spell out every step. Treat the loop as a sequence of small, verified passes, not a license to thrash.

Workflow

1. Establish the bounds.
   • Respect any explicit scope, count, stop condition, or quality bar from the user.
   • If the user gave no bound, keep going until you hit a real blocker, diminishing returns, or a clean handoff point worth surfacing.
2. Initialize or resume the loop state.
   • Resolve SKILL_DIR to the directory containing this SKILL.md.
   • Run:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/continue_loop.py" start --cwd "$PWD"

• Add --goal "..." when the user gave a concrete objective worth preserving.
• Reuse the existing state file unless the user clearly wants a fresh loop.

3. Ask the core question.
   • Run:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/continue_loop.py" next --cwd "$PWD"

• Answer: What is the next logical step to focus on next?
• Consider only a few concrete candidates. Pick the step that best matches user intent, dependency order, and narrow verification.

4. Do the work.
   • Read the relevant code, tests, docs, and repo instructions first.
   • Implement the chosen step fully enough to verify it.
   • Prefer finishing one seam cleanly over opening several half-done branches.
5. Verify before claiming progress.
   • Run the smallest meaningful proof for the area you changed.
   • If the repo requires screenshots for UI work, take them.
6. Record the pass.
   • Run:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/continue_loop.py" record \
  --cwd "$PWD" \
  --focus "Short name of the step you just completed" \
  --summary "What changed and why" \
  --verification "Exact command(s) or checks you ran"

• Add --next-hint "..." if the current pass revealed an obvious follow-up.
• Use --status blocked only when you truly cannot proceed safely.

7. Decide whether to continue.
   • Continue immediately when there is another clear, valuable step.
   • Stop when the next step would be speculative, too risky for reasonable assumptions, or requires a user decision.
   • When stopping, run:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/continue_loop.py" stop \
  --cwd "$PWD" \
  --reason "Why the loop should stop here"

Choosing The Next Step

Rank candidate steps against:

• dependency order
• user-stated goals
• architectural leverage
• likelihood of unblocking later work
• risk of breaking unrelated behavior
• cost of focused verification
• signal from failing tests, TODOs, logs, profiler output, or unfinished seams

Prefer:

• steps that unblock more work later
• deleting dead paths over adding compatibility or fallback layers
• finishing an in-flight change before hopping elsewhere
• narrow proofs over broad "maybe everything still works" runs
• small passes that can be explained in one or two sentences

Avoid:

• bouncing between unrelated areas
• speculative rewrites without evidence
• analysis-only loops when you can implement
• broad validation churn before the local change is stable
• infinite looping after the work has clearly reached a pause point

Script Notes

• The helper script stores loop state under $CODEX_HOME/state/continue-loop by default so the repo stays clean.
• Override the location with --state-file /path/to/state.json when you want an explicit shared log.
• Use status to inspect the current loop summary:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/continue_loop.py" status --cwd "$PWD"

• The state log is there to keep the loop honest. It should help you avoid repeating the same step or forgetting why the last pass stopped.