| name | work-loop |
| description | Autonomous work loop — pick one backlog issue, execute it, close it, exit. Re-invoked by scheduler for the next. |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep, Agent, Skill |
| automation | autonomous |
| schedule | 0 9 * * * |
| user-invocable | true |
| metadata | {"version":"1.3","created":"2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z","updated":"2026-05-03T00:00:00.000Z","author":"Ability.ai","changelog":["1.3: Add Single-Task Rule — each invocation handles exactly one issue per context window","1.2: Adopt the issue-driven development workflow — picks one backlog issue, executes it, closes it, and exits for the scheduler to re-invoke","1.1: Add error handling and prerequisite checks"]} |
Work Loop
ℹ️ First, set expectations: before anything else, print one short line with this skill's version and its most recent change — the top entry of metadata.changelog above — e.g. work-loop vX.Y — recent: <summary>. Then proceed.
Autonomous skill that picks one issue from the backlog, executes it, and exits. The scheduler re-invokes it for the next issue — one issue per context window.
Purpose
Run on a schedule (or manually) to autonomously advance the agent's task backlog. Each invocation handles exactly one issue, keeping context focused and noise-free. The cron handles iteration; this skill handles execution.
State Dependencies
| Source | Location | Read | Write | Description |
|---|
| GitHub Issues | Current repo | Yes | Yes | Task backlog |
| GitHub Labels | status:, priority:, skill:* | Yes | Yes | Track status and route by skill |
| Agent Skills | .claude/skills/ | Yes | No | Available capabilities |
| CLAUDE.md | ./CLAUDE.md | Yes | No | Agent identity and guidelines |
Prerequisites
gh CLI authenticated- Repository has required labels (status:todo, status:in-progress, priority:*)
- Agent has skills to handle the types of issues in backlog
Process
Step 1: Check for In-Progress Work
gh issue list --label "status:in-progress" --state open --json number,title,body,labels --limit 1
If an issue is in-progress:
- This is the current task
- Parse the issue body for requirements
- Continue working on it (skip to Step 3)
If no in-progress work, proceed to Step 2.
Step 2: Pick Next Task
Find highest priority todo:
gh issue list --label "priority:p0" --label "status:todo" --state open --json number,title,body,labels --limit 1
gh issue list --label "priority:p1" --label "status:todo" --state open --json number,title,body,labels --limit 1
gh issue list --label "priority:p2" --label "status:todo" --state open --json number,title,body,labels --limit 1
gh issue list --label "status:todo" --state open --json number,title,body,labels --limit 1
If no tasks found:
- Log: "Backlog empty. Work loop complete."
- Exit successfully
If task found:
Step 3: Execute Task
Parse the issue body to understand requirements. The issue should contain:
- Clear description of what needs to be done
- Acceptance criteria (if applicable)
- Any relevant context
Determine execution approach:
Check for a skill:* label on the issue first:
-
skill:* label present: This issue requires modifying or creating a skill file — it needs human input via /sprint. Mark it blocked:
gh issue edit $NUMBER --remove-label "status:in-progress" --add-label "status:blocked"
gh issue comment $NUMBER --body "Blocked: skill development issue — requires human sprint (/sprint #$NUMBER)"
Continue to the next issue.
-
No skill label (project-level): Determine approach:
- Skill invocation: If the issue references a specific skill (e.g., "run /groom" or "run /roadmap"), invoke that skill
- Direct execution: If the task is clear and doesn't require wizard tools, execute directly
- Sub-agent delegation: For complex research or analysis tasks, spawn an Agent
Add progress comments as work proceeds:
gh issue comment $NUMBER --body "Progress: $UPDATE"
Handle blockers: If the task cannot be completed:
Step 4: Complete Task
When task is done:
gh issue comment $NUMBER --body "## Completed
$SUMMARY_OF_WORK_DONE
---
*Completed by agent work-loop*"
gh issue edit $NUMBER --remove-label "status:in-progress" --add-label "status:done"
gh issue close $NUMBER --reason completed
Outputs
- Issues processed (moved from todo → done)
- Progress comments on each issue
- Completion summaries on closed issues
- Blocked issues flagged with reasons
Error Recovery
| Error | Recovery |
|---|
gh not authenticated | Log error, exit — user must run ! gh auth login |
| Issue update fails | Log error, exit |
| Task execution fails | Mark issue as blocked with error details, exit |
| Network failure | Retry once, then log and exit |
Completion Checklist
