| name | rsi-loop |
| description | Run a fully agentic development loop on a codebase, driven by a BACKLOG.md: advance one medium-sized task per iteration with the repo's own tests/typecheck/build as the gate, commit, and self-schedule the next iteration indefinitely with no human checkpoints. Use whenever the user wants a fully autonomous dev or maintenance loop: "autonomous loop", "RSI loop", "keep working through my backlog", "perpetual development". Each iteration handles a complete, meaningful task — not a micro-step — balanced between scope and reliability. |
RSI Loop (fully agentic)
A backlog-driven autonomous loop that advances a project one medium task at a
time and runs indefinitely with zero human intervention. Each iteration
picks up a self-contained item from the backlog, implements the minimal correct
change, runs the repo's full quality gate, and commits — no micro-decomposition,
no multi-agent voting, no checkpoints.
Scope philosophy
This loop is configured for medium tasks (not micro-steps, not epics):
| Scope | When to use |
|---|
| Micro (single function, one file) | Trivially checkable; rsi-loop handles these easily but you're paying overhead per item |
| Medium ← you are here | A self-contained feature, refactor, or bugfix — touches 2–5 files, one logical change, completable in one iteration. The sweet spot |
| Large / epic | Multi-iteration work that needs decomposition into medium tasks in the backlog |
Setup (first run)
On first run, use safe defaults silently:
- If
.rsi-loop.json exists at the repo root, use it.
- Otherwise, create
.rsi-loop.json with defaults below — never block, never ask questions.
Contract fields (defaults used when no config exists):
- commit_target (
"branch-pr"): branch + PR.
- perpetual (
true): self-schedule the next iteration when done.
- max_blast_radius (
"medium"): files/lines a single iteration may touch
before it must stop and self-correct by splitting into smaller items.
If there is no BACKLOG.md, create one by inferring the project goal from the
repo (README, package.json, code structure), then seed P0–P3 medium-sized items.
The loop (one iteration)
Do exactly one iteration per invocation, then perpetuate:
-
Intake. Read BACKLOG.md. Take the first unchecked item (P0 → P3).
-
Scope check. Verify the item is a medium task. If too large, decompose it
into 2–4 medium items in the backlog and pick the first. If too small, batch
it with related items until the batch forms a medium task.
-
Implement the minimal correct change, reusing existing modules. No
speculative abstractions; no new dependency if a few lines do. Match the
repo's conventions. Keep within max_blast_radius.
-
Gate. Run the full quality gate the repo defines (complete test suite
- typecheck + build). Add a test for genuinely new logic. Commit only if
everything is green — a red gate means fix or revert, never commit red.
-
Record. Check off the item in BACKLOG.md, add follow-ups, update docs.
-
Commit per commit_target, with a message naming the item. Don't commit
session/scheduler state or scratch files.
-
Regenerate (RSI). If no unchecked items remain anywhere, generate a small
batch (3–5) of high-value, non-speculative medium items aligned with the
project goal and append them to the backlog. Commit the plan and continue.
-
Perpetuate. Schedule the next iteration (host loop / self-paced wakeup)
with a prompt that re-enters this skill.
Model
A single capable model (e.g. Sonnet, Opus) handles the entire iteration. Each
task is medium-sized — the model has room to understand context and produce a
coherent change without per-step voting.
Honest boundaries
- The gate is the only safety net. No redundancy, no voting. A mistake the
tests don't catch can land. Keep the suite meaningful.
- Direction is self-determined. The loop decides what to build from the
project's own signals — no human checkpoint at regeneration. If strategic
alignment matters, seed the backlog explicitly.
- Medium tasks require good judgment. Each iteration makes multiple
decisions; model capability matters more than in a micro-step setup.
References
references/backlog.md — BACKLOG.md format, priorities, and regeneration rule.
