vdt-loop

name	vdt:loop
description	Assess, route, fix, and verify in a loop until tests pass. Demonstrates Pattern 5: Conditional + Loop.
user-invocable	true
when_to_use	Invoke when tests are failing and need iterative fix-verify cycles.
category	utilities
keywords	["conditional","loop","incident-response","self-healing","pattern-5"]
argument-hint	[issue description]
metadata	{"author":"vdt-demo","version":"1.0.0"}

Loop — Conditional + Loop Pattern (Pattern 5)

Iterative fix cycle: ASSESS → ROUTE → EXECUTE → VERIFY → LOOP (max 3 iterations).

Usage

/vdt:loop "Tests are failing. Fix until all tests pass."

Workflow

Step 1: ASSESS

Run the test suite and capture the failure:

npm test 2>&1

Parse the output: error type, file, line number, stack trace.

Step 2: ROUTE (Conditional)

Classify the error and pick a fix strategy:

Error Type	Strategy	Agent
Null/undefined reference	Add null check, early return	debugger
Type mismatch	Fix type casting or validation	debugger
Missing import/module	Add import statement	(self)
Logic error	Rewrite logic block	debugger
Test assertion wrong	Fix test expectation	tester
Config/env issue	Fix configuration	(self)

Step 3: EXECUTE

Apply the fix based on the routed strategy:

1. Delegate to appropriate agent if needed
2. Make targeted code change
3. Ensure change matches codebase conventions

Step 4: VERIFY

Run test suite again:

npm test

• If ALL PASS → DONE (exit loop)
• If STILL FAILING → continue to Step 5

Step 5: LOOP

• Increment iteration counter
• If iteration < 3 → go back to Step 1 (ASSESS)
• If iteration >= 3 → STOP and report to user:
  • What was tried
  • What still fails
  • Suggested next steps

Safety

• Max 3 iterations — prevents infinite loops
• Each iteration must make progress (different fix than previous)
• If same error appears twice → escalate, don't retry same approach

Demo Annotation

🔍 ASSESS: npm test → "TypeError: Cannot read property 'email' of null"
🧠 ROUTE: Null reference → add null check strategy
🔧 EXECUTE: Add early return if user is null
🧪 VERIFY: npm test → ✅ All pass!
✅ DONE (1 iteration)

Or multi-iteration:

🔍 ASSESS: npm test → 2 failures
🧠 ROUTE: Null ref + missing validation
🔧 EXECUTE: Fix null check
🧪 VERIFY: npm test → 1 still failing
🔄 LOOP (iteration 2)
🔍 ASSESS: "ValidationError: email format invalid"
🧠 ROUTE: Validation error → fix input sanitization
🔧 EXECUTE: Add email validation
🧪 VERIFY: npm test → ✅ All pass!
✅ DONE (2 iterations)