# Loop Coding > Orchestrates implementation-heavy coding work — migrations, major refactors, rewrites, multi-file feature builds, auth/API overhauls, system rebuilds — via a 7-phase pipeline (research, audit, plan, implement, review, fix-loop, ship). Scripts-first (70%+ automated), dual-model critique (Opus + Codex), auto-generated helper sub-skills via skill-creator, staging-first deploy. Trigger on: migrate, rewrite, rebuild, overhaul, large feature — including Russian миграция, крупный рефакторинг, переписать, переделать систему, большая фича, лупкодинг. Do NOT use for: single-file edits, fixes under 5 lines, dependency bumps, typo or link fixes, docs-only changes, adding a log line or type hint, code review of existing PRs, ADR or planning-only requests, content writing or naming tasks (use gsd-plan-phase or brainstorming for planning). - Skill: `qwwiwi/loop-coding` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 45 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add qwwiwi/loop-coding` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/qwwiwi/loop-coding/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: DevOps & Infra - Author: qwwiwi (https://skillmd.com/u/qwwiwi) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/qwwiwi/loop-coding --- # loop-coding Orchestrator for large coding tasks. I (Silvana/Opus) coordinate; subagents and scripts do the heavy lifting. ## Core principles 1. **Scripts-first.** If a step can be formalized as a shell/python script, it MUST be a script, not an AI call. Scripts are cheaper, faster, deterministic, and free from token drift. AI is reserved for: generating prompts for subagents, reading merged artifacts, making judgment calls, writing actual code, critiquing code. 2. **Codex for critique, Opus for code, double only on Review.** Research is dual (Sonar+Sonnet, parallel). Audit and Plan are Codex GPT-5.5 ONLY — Opus is NOT spawned for these phases (Codex is the stronger critic + architect, and Opus subscription is the scarce resource we protect). Implement is Opus (best in our stack). Review is the only dual-model phase: Codex + Opus in parallel, scripts merge outputs and flag divergence as risk. Rationale: Audit/Plan = single critic is enough when the critic is GPT-5.5; Review = code already exists, two pairs of eyes catch different bugs, worth the Opus token. 3. **Respect existing code.** Before building new, audit what already exists: our repos (your-repos), code in `~/.claude/`, instructions in CLAUDE.md / rules.md / SOUL.md. Do NOT reinvent if a solution already exists. 4. **Auto-generate helper skills when needed.** After audit, if a gap is detected that would repeat 3+ times and has no existing solution, invoke the global `skill-creator` at `~/.claude/skills/skill-creator/` via an Opus subagent with a pre-answered non-interactive brief (otherwise skill-creator's interview phase stalls). Validate every generated sub-skill with `quick_validate.py` before use. `run_eval.py` for trigger evaluation works on Max OAuth; `run_loop.py` description optimization requires `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` and is blocked in this workspace. Full workflow + path conventions: `references/sub-skill-generation.md`. 5. **Rent external skills safely.** Skills from skills.sh can be downloaded into `rented-skills/{task-id}/` for the duration of the task, but ONLY after passing security scan (`scripts/skill-security-scan.sh`). 6. **Max 3 fix iterations.** If review-fix loop does not converge in 3 iterations, escalate to prince with remaining issues. 7. **Staging-first deploy.** If project has deploy.sh: staging is autonomous, production requires prince explicit "да, на prod". Push to git is autonomous. ## When to use Trigger on: миграция, переезд, крупный рефакторинг, большая фича, переделать систему, loop-coding, лупкодинг, полная переработка. Do NOT trigger on: single bug fixes, typo corrections, 1-file edits, planning-only discussions, documentation updates. **Sibling skill — `fast-loop-coding`** (`~/.claude/skills/fast-loop-coding/SKILL.md`): for tasks 50-300 LOC, 1-3 files, single subsystem, 15-30 min. 4 phases instead of 7, no parallel research, no double review, 1 fix iteration. Use it when task fits its decision tree; escape to this skill mid-task if scope grows past 300 LOC / 3 files / multi-subsystem. ## Workflow Seven phases, strict order: ``` 1. Research (Sonar + Sonnet + GitHub-scout + skill-scout, parallel) 2. Audit (Codex GPT-5.5 ONLY; respect existing code) 3. Plan (Codex GPT-5.5 ONLY — arch + impl + test skeletons brief) 4. Implement (Opus coder subagents; run tests after each commit) 5. Review (Codex + Opus parallel; extend tests) ← only dual-model phase 6. Fix-loop (max 3 iterations; else escalate) 7. Ship (git push auto; staging auto; prod requires prince OK) ``` Each phase produces an artifact in the run directory and updates the milestone bar. ## Run directory Every invocation creates a dedicated directory: ``` ~/.claude/loop-coding-runs/{YYYY-MM-DD}-{task-slug}/ ├── RESEARCH.md (phase 1 output) ├── AUDIT.md (phase 2 output) ├── PLAN.md (phase 3 output) ├── REVIEW.md (phase 5/6 output; severity-sorted) ├── FIX-LOG.md (iteration log) ├── DEPLOY.md (phase 7 log) ├── tests/ (TDD skeletons from Plan phase) └── rented-skills/ (external skills used during this task) ``` Artifacts persist after task completion for audit trail. Archived to `runs/archive/` by a monthly cron. ## Phase execution For each phase, read the corresponding reference file for detailed instructions: - Phase 1 Research -> `references/phase-1-research.md` - Phase 2 Audit -> `references/phase-2-audit.md` - Phase 3 Plan -> `references/phase-3-plan.md` - Phase 4 Implement -> `references/phase-4-implement.md` - Phase 5 Review -> `references/phase-5-review.md` - Phase 6 Fix-loop -> `references/phase-6-fix-loop.md` - Phase 7 Ship -> `references/phase-7-ship.md` Cross-cutting concerns: - GitHub scouting -> `references/github-scout.md` (min 2000 stars, prefer 10k+) - skills.sh scouting + rent flow -> `references/skill-scout.md` - Security scan for external skills -> `references/skill-security.md` - Test strategy per language -> `references/test-strategy.md` - Auto-generation of sub-skills -> `references/sub-skill-generation.md` ## Scripts (automation backbone) Every formalizable step has a script. Invoke them, do not reimplement: | Script | Purpose | Phase | |---|---|---| | `scripts/init-run.sh {slug}` | Create run directory, seed templates | pre-1 | | `scripts/github-search.sh {query}` | `gh search repos stars:>=2000`, returns JSON | 1 | | `scripts/skill-scout.sh {query}` | Search skills.sh catalog, filter by security | 1 | | `scripts/skill-security-scan.sh {path}` | Static grep + Codex review, verdict safe/risky/reject | 1 | | `scripts/rent-skill.sh {url} {run-dir}` | Download into `rented-skills/`, log manifest | 1 | | `scripts/return-skill.sh {run-dir}` | Clean rented-skills, keep manifest | 7 | | `scripts/parallel-review.sh {target}` | Spawn Codex + Opus reviewers, merge to REVIEW.md | 2,5 | | `scripts/merge-reviews.sh {a} {b}` | Two reviews -> consensus + divergence | 2,5 | | `scripts/loop-controller.sh {run-dir}` | Iteration counter, auto-escalate at 3 | 6 | | `scripts/milestone-render.sh {phase}` | Render progress bar, send to Telegram | all | | `scripts/test-runner.sh {lang\|auto}` | pytest (py) / pnpm\|bun\|npm test (ts) / bats (sh) | 4,5 | | `scripts/commit-atomic.sh {message}` | git add + commit + optional push | 4,7 | | `scripts/deploy-helper.sh {env}` | Wrapper over project deploy.sh, logs to DEPLOY.md | 7 | | `scripts/escalate.sh {run-dir}` | Telegram sendDocument to prince after 3 fails | 6 | Scripts are self-documenting (pass `-h` for usage). ## Model allocation | Role | Model | Phases | |---|---|---| | Orchestrator | Opus 4.6 (me) | all | | Research-Sonar | Perplexity sonar-pro | 1 | | Research-Code | Sonnet 4.6 subagent | 1 | | Research-GitHub | Sonnet 4.6 + gh CLI | 1 | | Skill-scout | Sonnet 4.6 subagent | 1 | | Auditor | Codex GPT-5.5 | 2 | | Architect + planner | Codex GPT-5.5 | 3 | | Test-skeleton writer | Opus subagent | 3 (only after Codex plan lands) | | Coder | Opus subagent(s), up to 5 | 4, 6 | | Reviewer A | Codex GPT-5.5 | 5 | | Reviewer B | Opus subagent | 5 | Codex is never used for research (too slow, too expensive) or for code writing (Opus is stronger in our stack). Codex is strictly critic/architect, and is now the SOLE model for Audit and Plan to offload Opus subscription. Opus only enters during Implement, test-skeleton writing under Codex plan, fix-loop, and Review. ## Milestone display After every phase transition, render and send the bar to prince. Seven segments, one per phase. See `scripts/milestone-render.sh`. ``` ▰▱▱▱▱▱▱ 14% · Research ▰▰▱▱▱▱▱ 28% · Audit ▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 42% · Plan ▰▰▰▰▱▱▱ 57% · Implement ▰▰▰▰▰▱▱ 71% · Review ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱ 85% · Fix-loop ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 100% · Ship ``` ## Escalation Hard stops where the loop cannot proceed autonomously: 1. After 3 fix-loop iterations with remaining critical/high issues -> Telegram to prince with REVIEW.md + FIX-LOG.md attached. 2. Before production deploy (always) -> explicit prince approval required. 3. If research finds no viable approach and no patterns exist -> ask prince for direction. 4. If a rented skill fails security scan AND no alternative exists -> report to prince, do not use skill. Use `scripts/escalate.sh` - it sends the right files with the right caption. ## Starting a run ```bash RUN_DIR=$(bash scripts/init-run.sh "cognee-migration") bash scripts/phase-1-research.sh "$RUN_DIR" "migrate to Cognee graph RAG" bash scripts/parallel-review.sh audit "$RUN_DIR" ``` Orchestration is primarily shell-driven; I step in for judgment calls between phases and to spawn subagents for code-writing tasks. ## Versioning Current: v1.0 (2026-04-17). Skill evolves via iteration after real use. Feedback from each run goes into `~/.claude/skills/LEARNINGS.md` and promotes into this SKILL.md when score >= 0.8.