| name | loop-engineering |
| description | Run a disciplined agentic loop on a verifiable task: goal → act → verify → correct → repeat until green or blocked. Use when executing a loop task with a machine-checkable verifier, or when the user asks to "run the loop." |
Loop Engineering
Execute a task using the Loop Engineering discipline. The verifier closes the feedback loop — not the human.
Prerequisites
Before starting, confirm you have:
- Task spec — goal, seeded state, definition of done
- Verifier command — returns unambiguous pass/fail (e.g.,
pytest tests/order/test_status_transition.py)
- Regression gates — optional broader suite, lint, or typecheck
- Budget — max iterations and optional token/time ceiling
- Active rules —
@loop-discipline, @loop-termination, @loop-safety (or equivalent in context)
Procedure
1. Baseline the verifier
Run the verifier before any edits. Confirm it fails as expected on the seeded state. Record the failure output — this is iteration 0.
2. Enter the loop
For each iteration until green or blocked:
EDIT → RUN VERIFIER → READ OUTPUT → HYPOTHESIS → (repeat)
Follow @loop-discipline: smallest change, one hypothesis, no skipping verification.
3. Check termination
After each verifier run, evaluate:
| Condition | Action |
|---|
| All verifiers green, no regressions | Success — summarize changes and iteration count |
| Same error 3× with no progress | Blocked — summarize per @loop-termination |
| Budget ceiling hit | Budget stop — report partial state |
| Regression introduced | Continue loop — fix regression before declaring green |
4. Log metrics
At end of run, report:
- Iterations to green (or N/A if blocked)
- Human interventions required
- Regression count
- Final verifier output (last 20 lines if failed)
Example invocation
@loop-engineering
Task: oms-status-race-001
Verifier: pytest tests/order/test_status_transition.py && mypy src/orders/
Budget: 8 iterations
Seeded state: concurrent status updates leave orders inconsistent; one integration test is red.
Escalation
If the task spec is missing a verifier, stop and help the user craft one (@verifier-crafting) before looping. A loop without a verifier is repeated guessing.
