continuous-agent-loop

name	continuous-agent-loop
description	Use when building autonomous Claude Code loops for Salesforce Apex and LWC projects. Patterns from sequential pipelines to RFC-driven multi-agent DAG systems with quality gates. Do NOT use for single-shot Apex tasks.

Continuous Agent Loop

Patterns, architectures, and reference implementations for running Claude Code autonomously in loops on Salesforce projects. Covers sequential claude -p pipelines through RFC-driven multi-agent DAG orchestration with Apex test gates.

When to Use

• Setting up autonomous Salesforce development workflows (Apex TDD cycles, LWC iteration)
• Choosing the right loop architecture for your problem (simple deploy vs complex feature)
• Building CI/CD-style continuous development pipelines with SF CLI gates
• Running parallel agents for multi-layer Salesforce work (Apex + LWC + Integration)
• Adding quality gates (governor limits, coverage thresholds) to autonomous workflows

Loop Selection Flow

Start
  |
  +-- Need strict CI/PR control? -- yes --> continuous-pr
  |
  +-- Need RFC decomposition? -- yes --> rfc-dag
  |
  +-- Need exploratory parallel generation? -- yes --> infinite
  |
  +-- default --> sequential

Loop Pattern Spectrum

Pattern	Complexity	Best For
Sequential Pipeline	Low	Daily Apex dev steps, scripted SFDX workflows
Infinite Agentic Loop	Medium	Parallel Apex/LWC generation from a spec
Continuous Claude PR Loop	Medium	Multi-day Apex TDD iterations with CI gates
De-Sloppify Pattern	Add-on	Quality cleanup after any Implementer step
Ralphinho / RFC-Driven DAG	High	Large Salesforce features with parallel units and merge queue

---

1. Sequential Pipeline

The simplest loop. Chain claude -p calls — each is a focused step with a clear prompt.

#!/bin/bash
set -e

# Step 1: Implement with TDD
claude -p "Read docs/order-service-spec.md. Implement OrderService.cls with TDD.
Target 85% coverage. No SOQL or DML inside for loops."

# Step 2: De-sloppify
claude -p "Review changes. Remove: unnecessary null checks, tests verifying platform
behavior, System.debug statements, commented-out code.
Run 'sf apex run test --class-names OrderServiceTest' after cleanup."

# Step 3: Verify
claude -p "Run 'sf project deploy start --dry-run --source-dir force-app/main/default/classes'.
Fix any failures. Do not add new features."

# Step 4: Commit
claude -p "Commit with message: feat: add order service with test coverage"

Variations: Use --model opus for architecture analysis, --model haiku for simple fixes. Use --allowedTools "Read,Grep,Glob" for read-only analysis passes.

---

2. Infinite Agentic Loop

Two-prompt system for parallel sub-agents. Useful for generating multiple Apex test class variants or LWC component iterations from a spec.

PROMPT 1 (Orchestrator)              PROMPT 2 (Sub-Agents)
┌─────────────────────┐             ┌──────────────────────┐
│ Parse spec file      │             │ Receive full context  │
│ Scan output dir      │  deploys   │ Read assigned number  │
│ Plan iteration       │────────────│ Follow spec exactly   │
│ Assign creative dirs │  N agents  │ Generate unique output │
└─────────────────────┘             └──────────────────────┘

Key Insight: Uniqueness via Assignment

Don't rely on agents to self-differentiate. The orchestrator assigns each agent a specific test scenario and iteration number. Batching: 1-5 simultaneously, 6-20 in batches of 5, infinite in waves of 3-5.

---

3. Continuous Claude PR Loop

Production-grade shell script that runs Claude Code in a continuous loop, creating PRs, waiting for CI (including Apex test runs), and merging automatically.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. Create branch (continuous-claude/iteration-N)   │
│  2. Run claude -p with Apex TDD prompt              │
│  3. (Optional) Reviewer pass                        │
│  4. Commit + Push + Create PR                       │
│  5. Wait for CI (sf apex run test --code-coverage)  │
│  6. CI failure? → Auto-fix pass (claude -p)         │
│  7. Merge PR (squash) → Return to main → repeat     │
│  Limit by: --max-runs N | --max-cost $X             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Cross-Iteration Context: SHARED_TASK_NOTES.md

The critical innovation — a file that persists across iterations:

## Progress
- [x] OrderService.cls — 82% coverage (iteration 1)
- [ ] OrderController.cls — 45% coverage, needs work

## Next Steps
- Focus on OrderController.cls
- Named credential for external API is set up

Claude reads this at iteration start, updates at iteration end.

---

4. The De-Sloppify Pattern

Add-on for any loop. When you ask an LLM to implement Apex with TDD, it over-tests:

• Tests verifying Salesforce platform behavior
• Defensive null checks for schema-guaranteed fields
• Excessive try/catch blocks

Solution: Don't constrain the Implementer — let it be thorough. Then add a focused cleanup pass:

# Implement (thorough)
claude -p "Implement OrderService.cls with full TDD."

# De-sloppify (separate context)
claude -p "Review changes. Remove tests for platform behavior, redundant null checks,
System.debug statements, commented-out code. Run 'sf apex run test' after cleanup."

Two focused agents outperform one constrained agent.

---

5. Ralphinho / RFC-Driven DAG

Most sophisticated. RFC-driven pipeline that decomposes a Salesforce feature into a dependency DAG, runs each unit through quality stages, and lands via merge queue.

Salesforce RFC/PRD
       │
  DECOMPOSITION (sf-architect)
  Break into: Apex → LWC → Integration → Metadata layers
       │
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  For each DAG layer (sequential, by dependency): │
│                                                  │
│  Quality Pipelines (parallel per unit):          │
│  Research → Plan → Implement → Test → Review     │
│  Apex: governor check + ≥75% coverage gate       │
│  LWC: Jest tests + accessibility check           │
│                                                  │
│  Merge Queue:                                    │
│  Rebase → sf deploy validate → Apex tests →      │
│  Pass → Land  |  Fail → Evict + re-enter         │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Complexity Tiers

Tier	Pipeline Stages
trivial	implement → sf deploy validate
small	implement → apex test → code-review
medium	research → plan → implement → apex test → governor-check → review-fix
large	+ sf-architect final review

When to Use Ralphinho vs SCC-Native

Signal	Ralphinho	SCC-Native
10+ interdependent work units	Yes	No
Need worktree isolation	Yes	No
Single feature with 3 layers	No	Yes
Quick Apex + LWC iteration	No	Yes

---

Salesforce Loop Patterns

Pattern	Loop Type	Stop Condition
Governor Fix	sequential	No more governor violations
Coverage Ramp	sequential	All classes at 75%+ (85% target)
PB→Flow Migration	continuous-pr	All Process Builders converted
Trigger Framework Migration	sequential	All triggers use handler pattern
Deployment Monitor	infinite (30s)	Deploy succeeds/fails/cancelled

SF-Specific Checkpoint Format

── SF Checkpoint #N ────────────────────────
  Apex Tests:    142/145 passing (+3)
  Coverage:      78% → 82% (target: 85%)
  Governor:      2 violations remaining (was 8)
  Deploy:        Validates against scratch org
  Iteration:     N/max
────────────────────────────────────────────

---

Choosing the Right Pattern

Is the task a single focused Salesforce change?
├─ Yes → Sequential Pipeline
└─ No → Is there a written RFC/spec?
         ├─ Yes → Need parallel layers?
         │        ├─ Yes → RFC-Driven DAG
         │        └─ No → Continuous Claude PR Loop
         └─ No → Need many variants from a spec?
                  ├─ Yes → Infinite Agentic Loop
                  └─ No → Sequential + De-Sloppify

Combining Patterns

1. Sequential + De-Sloppify — Most common. Every Apex implement step gets a cleanup pass.
2. Continuous Claude + De-Sloppify — Add --review-prompt with de-sloppify directive.
3. Any loop + Quality Gates — Use the sf-review-agent agent as a gate before commits.
4. Model routing — --model haiku for simple fixes, --model opus for architecture.

Anti-Patterns

1. Infinite loops without exit conditions — Always have max-runs, max-cost, or completion signal.
2. No context bridge — Use SHARED_TASK_NOTES.md to bridge claude -p invocations.
3. Retrying same failure — Capture failure output and feed to next attempt.
4. Negative instructions instead of cleanup — Don't say "don't add System.debug." Add a separate de-sloppify pass.
5. All agents in one context — Separate concerns into different agent processes.
6. Ignoring deploy dependency order — Apex before LWC before metadata.

References

Project	Author	SCC Context
Ralphinho	enitrat	Adapted for Salesforce layers
Infinite Agentic Loop	disler	Useful for Apex test generation
Continuous Claude	AnandChowdhary	Use with sf apex run test as CI gate

Related

• Agent: loop-operator — For monitoring and managing autonomous agent loops