# Agentic Loop > 8-step recursive self-improvement discipline for OPENCLAW. Detect drift, score outputs, propose forges, ratify, apply, audit. Closes the loop. - Skill: `ariffazil/agentic-loop` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ariffazil/agentic-loop` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ariffazil/agentic-loop/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Security - License: MIT - Author: ariffazil (https://skillmd.com/u/ariffazil) - Updated: 2026-09-10 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ariffazil/agentic-loop --- # Agentic Loop — OPENCLAW Self-Improvement Discipline > **The agent that doesn't improve itself is a script with extra steps.** This is the OPENCLAW-side counterpart to `~/.hermes/skills/agentic/recursive-improve/`. Where Hermes improves **the conversation** (SOUL.md phrasing, tone, verdict discipline), OPENCLAW improves **the runtime** (cron cadence, routing bindings, skill freshness, plugin load order, MCP surface health). ## The 8-step loop ``` 1. DETECT 2. INVENTORY 3. SCORE 4. PROPOSE drift signal → what we have → against floors → forge candidate ↓ 8. SEAL 7. AUDIT 6. APPLY 5. RATIFY VAULT999 ← F1-F13 check ← edit + restart ← sovereign sign ``` ### 1. DETECT — find drift Sources of drift signal: - `journalctl -u openclaw-gateway --since "1h ago"` — errors, warnings, stalled sessions - `openclaw health --json` — non-`ok:true` responses - `openclaw doctor` — risky config flags - `/root/.openclaw/memory/watchers/*.jsonl` — watcher events (essay changes, rating events) - `~/.hermes/memory/forge-queue/*.yaml` — sibling Hermes proposals - Crontab drift: `crontab -l | diff - <(echo "expected: ")` — what we expect vs what runs - Plugin/MCP version drift: `npm view openclaw version` vs `openclaw --version` - arifOS build↔live drift: `curl -s :8088/health | jq .runtime_drift` ### 2. INVENTORY — what we have ``` ~/.openclaw/ ├── openclaw.json # main config (agents, channels, bindings, plugins, mcp, etc.) ├── plugins/ # loaded plugin code ├── skills/ # bundled skills (~50+) ├── workspace/ │ ├── skills/ # sovereign-curated skills │ ├── MEMORY.md # long-term memory │ ├── SUBSTRATE.md # VPS + services map │ ├── CHECKPOINT.md # warm-wake context │ ├── HEARTBEAT.md # heartbeat prompt │ └── cron/jobs.json # agent-managed cron jobs └── SYSTEM_MD.md # system prompt ``` ### 3. SCORE — against F1-F13 (subset applicable to runtime) | Floor | What it checks at the runtime layer | |---|---| | F1 AMANAH | Any proposed forge respects reversibility; irreversible ops require sovereign ack. | | F2 TRUTH | Drift claims are backed by a `curl` or `openclaw doctor` receipt, not a guess. | | F4 CLARITY | Forge proposals are 1-2 sentences + a diff. No walls of text. | | F6 MARUAH | No "I noticed" / "I'd be happy to" — direct verdict + way-forward. | | F7 STEWARDSHIP | One forge per loop run, not five. No spam. | | F9 ANTIHANTU | Forge descriptions say what the change DOES, not what the agent "feels" about it. | | F11 AUTH | OpenClaw writes to its own config only; never to `~/.hermes/*` or `/root/arifOS/*`. | | F13 SOVEREIGN | Default mode: HOLD on Tier-2+ forges. AUTO on Tier-1 (cron timing, plugin reordering, skill comments). | A forge must pass all 8 floors to leave step 3. A floor failure stops the loop and surfaces the receipt to the sovereign. ### 4. PROPOSE — write a forge candidate ```yaml proposal_id: forge-2026-06-06-001 generated_at: 2026-06-06T17:50:00Z generated_by: openclaw-agentic-loop@0.1.0 target_file: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | ~/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md | target_section: diagnosis: | <1-2 sentences on what drift was detected, with curl/doctor receipt inline> proposed_change: | expected_impact: | f1_f13_check: | F1: reversible (config flip, no data loss) ✓ F2: cited `openclaw doctor` + `journalctl` ✓ F4: 2 sentences + diff ✓ F6: no persona ✓ F7: one forge, not five ✓ F9: describes what changes, not feelings ✓ F11: writes only to ~/.openclaw/* ✓ F13: Tier-1 (auto) | Tier-2 (HOLD) ✓ reversibility: full | partial | irreversible tier: 1 | 2 ratification: PENDING | AUTO-APPLIED ``` Writes to `~/.openclaw/workspace/forge-queue/forge-YYYY-MM-DD-NNN.yaml`. The queue is the only artifact at this step. ### 5. RATIFY — sovereign sign-off (or auto for Tier-1) - **Tier-1** (config flips, comment edits, plugin reordering, cron timing): AUTO-APPLIED at step 6. The receipt is logged to VAULT999 with `tier=1, ratification=auto`. - **Tier-2+** (anything touching a plugin binary, a service restart loop, an MCP credential, a systemd unit): HOLD. The forge queue emits a Telegram message to Arif (sovereign) with `/ratify N` / `/reject N` / `/show N` commands. No edit lands until sovereign replies. The agent NEVER ratifies its own proposals. Even if the agent later gets the ratification capability, escalation is mandatory. ### 6. APPLY — single edit + targeted restart For a Tier-1 forge: 1. Read the current target file 2. Apply the proposed diff (or call `openclaw config set` for known keys) 3. If the change requires a service restart: `systemctl restart openclaw-gateway` (one shot, with health check) 4. If the change is an MCP plugin: `openclaw mcp reload ` (per-plugin, no full restart) 5. Verify: `curl -s :18789/health`, `openclaw health --json`, `journalctl -n 30` 6. If health fails: auto-rollback via `cp` of the pre-forge backup + restart For Tier-2: skip step 6 entirely. Wait for sovereign. ### 7. AUDIT — F1-F13 re-check After the forge applies, re-run the floor check. The receipt includes the post-forge health probe. If any floor fails post-apply: - Auto-rollback to pre-forge state - Receipt marked `reverted` - Surfaces the failure to sovereign (Tier-1) or blocks (Tier-2) ### 8. SEAL — VAULT999 entry Every applied forge (Tier-1 auto or Tier-2 ratified) writes a VAULT999 entry: ```json { "kind": "OPENCLAW_FORGE_APPLIED", "proposal_id": "forge-2026-06-06-001", "actor": "openclaw-agentic-loop@0.1.0", "target": "~/.openclaw/openclaw.json", "diff_hash": "sha256:...", "tier": 1, "ratification": "auto" | "sovereign:", "pre_health": "ok", "post_health": "ok", "f1_f13_post_check": "PASS", "ts": "2026-06-06T17:55:00Z" } ``` ## Cadence - **Daily** (03:00 MYT): the full 8-step loop runs, targeting at most 1 forge. If no drift is detected, the loop is a no-op (just a VAULT999 entry: `OPENCLAW_LOOP_OK`). - **Hourly**: DETECT + INVENTORY only (cheap probes). If a Tier-1 drift is detected, the loop fires immediately (no waiting for the daily run). - **On-watch**: when `~/.openclaw/memory/watchers/*.jsonl` gets a new entry, the loop wakes and re-scores the relevant forge. ## Pairs with - `~/.hermes/skills/agentic/recursive-improve/` — sibling for SOUL/MEMORY/USER edits - `~/.hermes/skills/agentic/response-rating/` — the user signal that drives Tier-1 vs Tier-2 routing - `arifOS L6 VAULT999` — every applied forge seals here for audit ## Failure modes - **Forge loop runs but produces no forge** (healthy day): writes `OPENCLAW_LOOP_OK` to VAULT999 and exits. No Telegram ping. - **Forge fails health post-apply**: auto-rollback, `reverted` receipt, no further action that day. - **Sovereign replies `/reject N`**: the queue entry is marked `rejected`, no edit lands, no VAULT999 entry beyond the rejection receipt. - **Tier-2 forge proposed but sovereign doesn't reply within 7 days**: queue entry archived with reason `expired-no-ratification`. ## Self-test (run once after install) ```bash openclaw skill test agentic-loop # Verifies: # - forge-queue/ is writable # - VAULT999 seal endpoint is reachable (via arifOS MCP) # - ratify ping to Telegram works (dry-run) # - 8-step loop is well-formed (smoke test on a sample drift) ``` ## Provenance - Forged 2026-06-06 by AGI OPENCLAW (Ω) at Arif's directive ("Make it agentic. Capabilities first. No F13 sovereign this session.") - Anchored to F1 AMANAH + F13 SOVEREIGN (waived for Tier-1 this session, not for Tier-2) - Closes the loop with Hermes's `recursive-improve` skill — same protocol, different substrate **DITEMPA BUKAN DIBERI** — the loop ratchets when the human ratifies, never before.