The Core Shift
Manual prompting scales with your attention. A loop system scales with your infrastructure.
Manual prompting
human → prompt → agent → paste result → repeat
- You are the scheduler, router and reviewer
- Work stops when you stop typing
- Context is copied by hand, errors slip through
Loop system
signals → discover → isolate → execute → verify ↺
- Failing CI and open issues are the prompt
- Branches isolate every attempt
- Tests gate every merge, humans handle escalations
Run the Loop
A mock repo has a failing CI run and three open issues. Press Play (or Step) to watch the agent discover work, branch, patch, verify and merge.
- #142 flaky test: retry logic in webhook handler
- #141 upgrade stripe sdk to v14
- #139 docs: rotate api keys guide
idle — no run yet. Press Play to let the agent find its own work: it will read the failing CI signal, pick issue #142, branch, patch, verify and merge.
Design Principles
The loop only stays safe if these four properties hold.
Idempotent tasks
Re-running a task must be harmless. Loops retry; side effects must not compound.
Isolation
Every attempt lives on its own branch or sandbox. Failure is cheap and revertible.
Verification gates
Nothing merges without passing automated checks. The gate, not vibes, decides.
Human escalation
When the loop stalls or stakes are high, it files a report and pages a human.
Check Your Loop Literacy
Six quick questions. Instant feedback, score at the end.