loops

name	loops
description	Top-level workflow loops that chain multiple personas autonomously. Use *fix, *review, *impl, *qa, or *plan sprint instead of manually invoking each persona in sequence.
triggers	["*fix","*review","*impl","*qa","*plan sprint"]
requires	["bob-protocol","chat","make"]

Top-level loop commands that run multi-persona chains autonomously without the user needing to invoke each step.

TLDR: Use loop commands when you want a full workflow, not a single-persona response. Each loop runs its persona chain to completion — saving state and posting handoffs at every step. For direct single-persona control, use *chat @persona *command instead.

Loops — Multi-Persona Workflow Commands

Overview

Loop commands trigger an autonomous chain of personas. Each persona completes its role, saves state, hands off to the next, and the chain continues until the loop is done or a gate requires input.

Rule: Every persona in a loop MUST save state and post a handoff message before switching — see bob-protocol State Management.

Context Pressure Rule: After each persona step, before handing off, check for injected system messages signaling low context. If context is low: save state, post make chat MSG="Context is low. Prep for context clear." PERSONA="<name>" CMD="context-low" TO="all", then STOP — do not continue the loop. Wait for the user to run /clear, then resume via Cold Start Recovery. This overrides all loop continuation.

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Loop Commands

*fix <thing>

Fix loop — investigate, fix, test, and review a bug or broken behavior.

Chain: Neo → Trin → Morpheus

Step	Persona	Action
1	Neo	Investigate and fix: *swe fix <thing>
2	Trin	Verify fix, run tests: *qa uat <thing>
3	Morpheus	Code review: *lead review <thing>

• If Trin's tests fail → back to Neo (*swe fix)
• If Morpheus review fails → back to Neo (*swe fix)
• Anti-loop: if Neo fails twice → Oracle consult required before retry

Example: *fix auth token expiry bug

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*impl <phase>

Implementation loop — implement, test, and review a feature or sprint phase.

Chain: Neo → Trin → Morpheus

Step	Persona	Action
1	Neo	TDD implementation: *swe impl <phase>
2	Trin	UAT — run tests, verify acceptance criteria: *qa uat <phase>
3	Morpheus	Code review — quality and architecture: *lead review <phase>

• If Trin UAT fails → back to Neo for that phase only
• If Morpheus review fails → back to Neo for that phase only
• Do NOT restart the full sprint; fix the failing phase only

Example: *impl phase-2

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*qa <thing>

QA loop — test and review without reimplementation.

Chain: Trin → Morpheus

Step	Persona	Action
1	Trin	Test and verify: *qa test <thing>
2	Morpheus	Review results: *lead review <thing>

Example: *qa the new export command

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*review <thing>

Review loop — architecture and quality review of existing code or a deliverable.

Chain: Morpheus → Trin (optional)

Step	Persona	Action
1	Morpheus	Architecture review: *lead review <thing>
2	Trin	Quality review (if Morpheus flags issues): *qa review <thing>

Example: *review the new API design

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*plan sprint

Sprint planning loop — full planning sequence from stories through phase breakdown.

Chain: Cypher → [Smith gate] → Morpheus → [Smith gate] → Mouse → Morpheus review

Step	Persona	Action	Gate
1	Cypher	Write stories + acceptance criteria: *pm plan sprint	Smith review
1a	Smith	*user review <stories> → *user approve or *user reject	Must approve
2	Morpheus	Architecture decisions: *lead arch sprint	Smith review
2a	Smith	*user feedback <arch> → *user approve or *user reject	Must approve
3	Mouse	Break into short phases (1-3 tasks each): *sm plan sprint	Morpheus review
3a	Morpheus	Review sprint plan vs. architecture: *lead review sprint plan

Gates are hard stops — Smith must explicitly *user approve before the chain continues.

Example: *plan sprint

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When to Use Loops vs. Direct Invocation

Situation	Use
Fix a bug end-to-end	*fix <bug>
Implement a feature with tests and review	*impl <feature>
Just run tests and review	*qa <thing>
Architect review only	*review <thing>
Full sprint planning	*plan sprint
Talk directly to one persona	*chat @neo *swe fix X
Single-step with full control	*chat @trin *qa test all

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Loop Handoff Format

Every persona in a loop posts a handoff before switching:

make chat MSG="<summary> @NextPersona *command" PERSONA="<Name>" CMD="<prefix> handoff" TO="<next>"

The next persona reads CHAT.md on entry — if the handoff isn't there, they start blind.