Loop Test

loop-test (local experiment)

/loop schedules periodic re-invocations of the same prompt. Two modes:

/loop is the wrong tool for sequential workflow phases. It repeats the same prompt each tick — to chain plan → review → check, the prompt itself has to be phase-aware (read state, advance, write back). For state-convergent autonomy, use /goal instead (see goal-test skill).

Right tool for /loop:

• Polling external state (CI runs, deploys, PR comments)
• Periodic checks (every 20m: any new bd-ready tasks?)
• Babysitting a long-running job (check progress, surface failures)
• Continuous monitoring during a long focused session

How /loop actually works

Reverse-engineered from claude binary v2.1.150.

Dynamic-mode contract

This is the mode you care about most — interval is just cron.

1. User runs /loop <prompt> (no interval).
2. Model does the work.
3. Before yielding, model calls ScheduleWakeup(delaySeconds, prompt, reason):
   • delaySeconds clamped to [60, 3600]
   • prompt must be exactly the same string as the original /loop input
   • reason is one sentence shown to user + sent to telemetry — be specific ("polling CI run" beats "waiting")
4. Harness re-invokes the model at the scheduled time. Loop continues.
5. Skip ScheduleWakeup → loop ends silently. No error.

Cache TTL gotcha

Anthropic prompt cache TTL is 5 minutes. Picking delaySeconds:

• < 270s → cache stays warm, cheap re-invocation
• >= 1200s → commit to the miss, one cache-miss amortizes over a long wait
• 300s is worst-of-both — you pay the miss without amortizing. Avoid exactly 300.

For idle ticks with no specific signal to watch, default 1200-1800s (20-30 min). User can always interrupt if they need you sooner.

Minute-boundary rounding gotcha (empirical, Experiment 1)

delaySeconds is NOT honored exactly. The actual wakeup time is rounded UP to the next clean minute boundary. Binary cron expression is MM HH * * * (minute-only granularity).

Examples from Experiment 1:

• Requested 30s, clamped to 60s, actual scheduled 65s (we were at HH:MM:55)
• Same request next tick, actual scheduled 101s (we were at HH:MM:19)

Implication: for any tick under ~1min you get 60-119s of real delay. Designing precise polling cadences <2min is futile — pick 60s (floor) and accept jitter, or accept >120s with predictable bucketing. Also note dispatch latency adds ~10-25s on top.

Cancellation / collisions

• Re-issuing /loop with the same prompt cancels the previous pending wakeup for that prompt (ZP5(_) in binary). One prompt = one live loop.
• User interrupt cancels all pending loop wakeups (b76() returns count cancelled).
• Recurring max age: 7 days (recurringMaxAgeMs = 604800000). After that the loop auto-ages-out.

Sentinels (fully autonomous)

For unattended runs where there's no user prompt sitting in the channel:

• <<autonomous-loop>> — cron-mode autonomous (CronCreate-backed)
• <<autonomous-loop-dynamic>> — ScheduleWakeup-mode autonomous

Useful for /lets:schedule-style routines but probably YAGNI for LETS right now.

Telemetry

• tengu_kairos_loop_dynamic — feature flag for dynamic mode
• tengu_loop_dynamic_wakeup_scheduled — fired per ScheduleWakeup
• tengu_loop_dynamic_wakeup_aged_out — fired when 7-day cap hits

Designing a useful /loop for LETS

Three rules that fit this project:

1. Loop only on read-only state polls. Anything that mutates (commit, push, bd close) needs explicit user approval per AUTO MODE rule — auto-loop violates it. /lets:status, /lets:check, bd ready are safe; /lets:commit, /lets:done are not.
2. One sentence of new information per tick, or nothing. If state hasn't changed, the tick should yield "no change" and reschedule. Don't re-report the same status over and over — the user sees ticks pile up.
3. Pick the delay for the actual signal, not a round number. Polling a CI run that takes ~8min? delaySeconds=480 is better than delaySeconds=600. Avoid 300 (cache trap).

Concrete /loop templates for LETS

Template A — poll for PR feedback

/loop check `gh pr view <N> --json comments,reviewDecision` for new activity since last check. If nothing new: report "no change" and reschedule (1200s). If new comments or review state changed: report what's new and stop the loop so user can act.

Use case: opened a PR, want to know within 20min when reviewer pings, without keeping the window in focus.

Template B — backlog watcher

/loop run `bd ready --json | jq length`. If count increased since last tick: report which new tasks appeared (bd show each new id, one-line summary). If unchanged: report "no change". Reschedule 1800s.

Use case: long deep-work session on a feature, want to surface if a higher-priority bug landed in the backlog without breaking focus.

Template C — long-running job babysit

/loop check the deploy status at <URL or command>. If still running: report "running, T+Xmin" + estimated remaining. If failed: surface the error and stop. If succeeded: confirm and stop. Reschedule 180s while running.

Use case: triggered a deploy or migration, want hands-off progress reporting.

Combining /loop with /goal (open research)

Interesting question: nest /loop inside /goal?

/goal Repo passes /lets:check three times in a row over the next hour.
/loop 5m /lets:check

The loop schedules the work; the goal defines the termination condition. Untested — see goal-test for the /goal half and try.

Concrete experiment

/loop check git status; if no uncommitted files and `git rev-list main..HEAD --count` is 0, report "clean" and stop. Otherwise report the dirty state and reschedule 90s.

Watch in findings:

• Does ScheduleWakeup fire after each tick?
• Is delaySeconds=90 honored, or clamped to 60?
• How does the UI display loop ticks between user messages?
• Does the model self-terminate when the stop-condition is met (no ScheduleWakeup call), or does it loop indefinitely?

Open questions

• How does the cron-mode (/loop 5m ...) persist? Just file on disk, or also stored in session state? Does it survive claude restart?
• Can a dynamic loop call another dynamic loop? (Probably idempotent on prompt-string — second /loop cancels first.)
• Does /loop interact with worktrees? Per-worktree state files, or global to the user?
• What's the practical max number of concurrent loops? (Both cron and dynamic.)
• How does /loop interact with /goal? Does a Stop hook block a /loop tick from yielding?

Findings (fill in during experiments)

Track in sibling findings.md. One entry per experiment:

### <date> · <prompt>
- Mode:              (interval / dynamic)
- delaySeconds:      requested → actual (clamped?)
- Ticks observed:    N
- Self-terminate?:   yes/no (did it skip ScheduleWakeup when condition met?)
- UI experience:     (intrusive? unobtrusive? useful?)
- Promote to plugin? yes/no + rationale

Promote criteria

Skill graduates to a real /lets:watch (or similar) command in plugins/lets/commands/ only if:

• At least one template (A/B/C) produces useful repeat-value across 3+ different real situations
• The "loop only on read-only polls" boundary is enforceable as a command-level guardrail
• We have a clear answer for: "how does the user stop the loop without losing the context?"

Otherwise: keep notes in findings.md, close lets-53buy with a "investigated, parking the pattern" comment.

See also

• Sibling skill goal-test — for convergent autonomous work (Stop hook condition). /goal is the right tool for plan → review → check → execute → review → check chaining; /loop is not.
• LETS Rules AUTO MODE section in .claude/rules/lets-rules.md — gating rules every loop must respect.
• Binary symbols (claude v2.1.150): tengu_kairos_loop_dynamic, tengu_loop_dynamic_wakeup_scheduled, recurringMaxAgeMs, ScheduleWakeup tool.