| name | goal-loop |
| description | Explain and write effective instructions for the `/goal` feature — the persistent self-checking agent loop (plan → act → test → review → iterate), available in agents like Codex, Claude Code, and Hermes Agent. Use when the user mentions `/goal`, "goal loop", "Ralph loop", wants to kick off a long-running autonomous agent run, asks how to write a goal prompt, or wants a one-paragraph goal instruction drafted. |
Agent /goal Loop
What /goal is
/goal is a slash command that turns an agent prompt into a persistent agent looping plan → act → test → review → iterate until a stop condition is met, the user pauses, or the token budget runs out. Internally called the "Ralph loop."
Agents with the /goal feature right now: Codex, Claude Code, and Hermes Agent.
Key difference from a normal prompt: when a turn ends but the goal isn't met, the agent auto-continues instead of waiting for input.
Lifecycle states: pursuing, paused, achieved, unmet, budget-limited.
When monitoring a running /goal, every check should include a one-line update to the user: what the agent is doing and whether it is on track. Keep it extremely concise.
Not: a budget command, a safety boundary, "run forever", or a replacement for /plan. It's a contract enforcer with a verification loop.
Requirements
- An agent with the
/goal feature — right now: Codex, Claude Code, or Hermes Agent
- The goals feature enabled in the agent's config
- Subscription auth — API-key auth does not work. A pro-tier plan is the realistic minimum for long runs.
When to use it
Use only when all three are true:
- Task is >30 min of mechanical work.
- There's a verifiable stop condition (tests pass, coverage hit, eval ≥ X, build green).
- Repo is agent-ready (working build, decent tests,
AGENTS.md present).
Fits: migrations, coverage lifts, TDD feature builds, refactors with contract tests, prompt/eval optimization, deploy retry loops, bug-repro-then-fix.
Bad fits: exploratory work, vague "improve this", anything without a "done" definition, prod credentials, destructive shared-infra ops.
The 5-part contract (every goal needs this)
- Objective — one sentence, one concrete outcome.
- Constraints — what must NOT change (public API, files, libs, conventions).
- Validation command — the exact shell command that proves progress (
pytest -q, pnpm test, etc.).
- Stop condition — verifiable: "Stop when X passes" OR "when further changes need human/product input."
- Documentation — one sentence instructing the agent to write concise, targeted docs for every change, either creating new
.md files or updating existing ones.
Plus: tell the agent what to read first, ask it to work in checkpoints with a short progress log.
Writing a goal (the core deliverable)
When the user wants a quick /goal instruction, produce a structured markdown block with one line per contract item (proper newlines, not flowing prose). Do not prefix the output with /goal — the user adds the slash command themselves in the composer. Emit only the contract body. Template:
**Objective:** <one-sentence objective>
**Read first:** <files/PLAN.md/issue>
**Constraints:** <what not to change, libs, conventions>
**Validate:** `<exact command>` after each change
**Document:** Write concise, targeted documentation for all changes — create new `.md` files or update existing docs as needed.
**Checkpoints:** work in checkpoints and log progress briefly
**Stop when:** <verifiable condition>, OR when further changes require human/product input
Example (migration)
**Objective:** Migrate this project from Pydantic v1 to v2.
**Read first:** pyproject.toml, src/, tests/
**Constraints:** no public API changes; keep imports backwards-compatible via shims if needed; no new dependencies
**Validate:** `pytest -q` after each change
**Checkpoints:** work in checkpoints; log progress briefly
**Stop when:** full suite passes with zero deprecation warnings, OR when a change requires architecture decisions
Example (coverage lift)
**Objective:** Raise coverage in src/auth/ from ~38% to ≥75%.
**Read first:** src/auth/, tests/auth/, AGENTS.md
**Constraints:** no new deps; mirror existing test style; do not modify production code unless strictly required for testability
**Validate:** `pytest --cov=src/auth --cov-report=term-missing`
**Checkpoints:** work in checkpoints; log coverage delta each one
**Stop when:** coverage ≥75% AND all tests pass, OR when uncovered code needs design changes
Writing rules
- One objective, one stop condition. Not a backlog.
- Documentation is mandatory. Every
/goal prompt must include a single sentence committing the agent to concise, targeted docs — new .md files or focused updates to existing docs.
- Never instruct the agent to create new ADRs — ADRs require the user's explicit approval, so goal prompts must not pre-approve or encourage them.
- Forbid reward-hacking explicitly: "Do not delete, skip, weaken, or narrow tests to make the goal pass." Otherwise the agent may game the stop condition.
- 4,000-char limit on the objective. If longer, put detail in a file (
PLAN.md/GOAL_BRIEF.md) and make the goal point to it — keep the goal itself compact.
- Use literal strings for paths, commands, issue numbers — exact.
- Forbid scope creep explicitly: "Do not refactor unrelated code. Do not add dependencies."
- Tell the agent when to pause: "If , pause and ask before proceeding."
- Short, vague goals burn tokens for no extra value vs. a normal prompt.
Meta-prompting trick (highest-leverage)
Hand-written goals under-specify. Ask a second AI session (Claude with the codebase loaded, ChatGPT with project connected, or a separate agent thread in the same dir) to: (1) inspect the codebase, (2) surface hidden assumptions/constraints/edge cases, (3) emit a structured /goal markdown block using the 4-part contract. Paste that into the agent. Order-of-magnitude better runs.
Claude Code cmux note: after Claude finishes, it may prefill a predicted next user message; that draft is Claude, not the user speaking.
Self-goal setting
The agent can now write and set its own goal natively (the create_goal tool). Instead of crafting the contract yourself, give it your high-level intent and tell it to set the goal: "Inspect this repo, then write yourself a /goal with a verifiable stop condition and pursue it." It's the meta-prompting trick done inline — the agent turns your intent into the contract. Still give it the same raw materials (files to read, constraints, the validation command) so the goal it writes is grounded. Add: "ask clarifying questions before committing if the intent is underspecified" — catches ambiguity up front and prevents the self-set goal from drifting.
Launching
cd <repo> (goals run scoped to the working directory).- Launch the agent bare (opens the TUI). Not exec/headless mode —
/goal is a TUI slash command only.
- Sign in with subscription auth (not an API key).
- Type
/goal <your contract> in the composer, Enter.
- Walk away.
Controlling a running goal
| Command | Effect |
|---|
/goal (alone) | Status: current checkpoint, what's verified, what remains, blockers |
/goal pause | Freeze |
/goal resume | Unfreeze (paused goals never auto-resume) |
/goal clear | Kill the goal |
/goal <new> | Replace the current goal |
| Ctrl+C / any typed message | Auto-pauses; user input always wins priority |
Resuming across sessions: goal state is persisted server-side. cd back into the repo, launch the agent, /goal for status, /goal resume.
Budget-limited state: the agent doesn't stop abruptly — it summarizes, notes what's left, saves state. /goal resume works after budget refresh or upgrade.
When a goal drifts
- Minor drift: just type a correction in the composer (auto-pauses, folds it in, resumes).
- Loose objective:
/goal pause, read status, then /goal <tighter version> — replaces the contract. Don't pile instructions on a vague goal.
- Bad mess:
/goal clear, git status or git stash, rewrite with the meta-prompting trick, restart.
Don't let a drifting goal keep running "to see where it goes." Tokens burn, diffs compound.
Operational tips
- Inspect status periodically with bare
/goal.
- Always review the diff before merging — long autonomy means more code to validate, not less. Human oversight becomes more critical, not optional.
- Keep approvals/sandboxing tight; default permissions are correct.
- First run: pick a 30-min scoped task so you learn how
/goal actually stops before trusting it overnight.
- Bake recurring policy into
AGENTS.md so every goal inherits it without restating: adversarial self-review before declaring done, an extra QA pass even when tests pass, and the standard validation command. Saves repeating it in each goal paragraph.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|
/goal missing from slash popup | Update the agent to a version that supports /goal |
| Feature flag on but command missing | Quit and restart the agent fully |
Typed /goals | It's singular: /goal |
| Doesn't activate | Sign out, sign back in with subscription auth (not API key) |
| Stopped with progress summary | Budget-limited — /goal resume after refresh, or tighten scope |
/goal resume says no active goal | Terminal state or cleared — start fresh with /goal <new> |
| Goal looks active but won't auto-continue | Stuck in Plan mode — plan-only work doesn't trigger continuation. Draft the plan, then switch to Goal execution |
Mental model
/goal is a contract enforcer with a verification loop, not a "run forever" button. The shift: stop writing prompts, start writing specifications with stop conditions. Spend the time upfront defining "done"; the run takes care of itself.
