work-loop

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:

# P0 first
gh issue list --label "priority:p0" --label "status:todo" --state open --json number,title,body,labels --limit 1

# Then P1
gh issue list --label "priority:p1" --label "status:todo" --state open --json number,title,body,labels --limit 1

# Then P2
gh issue list --label "priority:p2" --label "status:todo" --state open --json number,title,body,labels --limit 1

# Then any todo
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:

• Move to in-progress:

  gh issue edit $NUMBER --remove-label "status:todo" --add-label "status:in-progress"
  gh issue comment $NUMBER --body "Starting work on this issue."
  

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:

  1. Skill invocation: If the issue references a specific skill (e.g., "run /groom" or "run /roadmap"), invoke that skill
  2. Direct execution: If the task is clear and doesn't require wizard tools, execute directly
  3. 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:

• Add blocker comment explaining why
• Move to blocked status:

  gh issue edit $NUMBER --remove-label "status:in-progress" --add-label "status:blocked"
  gh issue comment $NUMBER --body "Blocked: $REASON"
  

• Continue to next task

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

• Checked for in-progress work
• Picked next task by priority
• Added progress comments
• Closed completed issue with summary
• Logged final status