loops-playbook

name	loops-playbook
description	Choose the simplest loop primitive (turn-based, /goal, /loop, /schedule) and make success criteria explicit and verifiable.

Loops playbook

This skill summarizes practical guidance for progressing from one-off, turn-based work to goal-based, time-based, and proactive loops, with a focus on clear stop conditions and verifiable success criteria.

Instructions

1) Start with the simplest loop

• Prefer a one-off, turn-based interaction for short tasks that aren’t part of a regular process.
• Escalate to more structured loops only when it materially improves reliability or automation.

2) Make stop conditions explicit

• For goal-based work, define success criteria and an explicit turn cap (e.g., “stop after 5 tries”).
• Avoid subjective success criteria; prefer deterministic checks (tests, scores, thresholds).

3) Improve reliability with verification

• Give Claude a way to verify results end-to-end (tools/connectors, measurable checks).
• When possible, encode manual verification as reusable skills (see references/related-skill-verify-frontend-change.md).

4) Use the right primitive

• Turn-based: user-triggered, stops when the task is done or more context is needed.
• /goal: user-triggered; stops when the goal is achieved or the turn cap is reached.
• /loop: time-triggered; runs on your computer and stops if you turn it off.
• /schedule: time-triggered in the cloud; suitable for recurring routines.

5) Manage tokens intentionally

• Choose the right primitive/model for the job.
• Pilot before large runs.
• Use scripts for deterministic work.
• Don’t run routines more often than needed.

Examples

See examples/commands.md for command examples from the source post.

References

See references/notes.md for additional notes captured from the source.

Source

• https://claude.com/blog/getting-started-with-loops