LoopEngineering CrashCourse

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Loop Engineering Crash Course

Stop prompting one message at a time. Design the loop.

Learn to build AI agent loops — autonomous systems with a heartbeat, a body, a checker, a spine, and a stop you can prove.

Loop engineering is the practice of designing the system that prompts an AI agent — its trigger, instructions, guardrails, verification, state, and logging — rather than prompting it by hand.

The leverage has moved: it no longer lives in the perfect prompt, but in the control system that keeps an agent working toward a goal over time. This free, open-source course teaches that discipline end to end — 14 steps, 20 ready-to-run loop kits, graded labs, an operating handbook, and a certification. You don't read about loops here; you build them, in two tools, from a first in-session loop to a certified fleet.

Real command, real score — this image is [rendered from an actual run](scripts/render-loop-ready-terminal.mjs) of the deterministic [Loop Ready audit](scripts/loop-ready-audit.mjs), and [CI re-renders it](.github/workflows/loop-ready.yml) on every push. If a kit ever fails, this terminal goes red.

Want a loop running in your own project before the first lesson? One command:

# see the 20 ready-made loop kits
npx @loop-engineering/loop-kit list

# install one into the project you want the loop to watch
npx @loop-engineering/loop-kit ci-sweeper

> We eat our own cooking. This is a course about loops that is built by loops. The > rulebook lives in [LOOP.md](LOOP.md), the durable spine in [STATE.md](STATE.md), > and every single run is logged, one line at a time, in > [shared/loop-run-log.md](shared/loop-run-log.md).

📌 Quick links

| I want to… | | | --- | --- | | Enroll — find my starting point in 60 seconds | [View →](docs/00-start-here/README.md) | | See the full learning-track map with entry checks | [View →](docs/00-start-here/learning-tracks.md) | | Set up my agent (Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Grok) | [View →](docs/01-prerequisites/environment-setup.md) | | Look up a term in the glossary | [View →](docs/02-foundations/glossary.md) | | Install a ready-made loop in my own project | [View →](starters/getting-started.md) | | Browse the 20 loop patterns | [View →](#-loop-pattern-library) | | Operate loops safely (failure modes, recovery) | [View →](docs/10-operating/operating-loops.md) | | Get certified | [View →](docs/assessments/loop-ready-certification.md) |

💬 Why this matters

The people building today's coding agents say it plainly:

> "You shouldn't be prompting coding agents anymore. You should be designing loops > that prompt your agents." > > — Peter Steinberger ([source S8](resources/sources.md))

> "I don't prompt Claude anymore. I have loops running that prompt Claude and figuring > out what to do. My job is to write loops." > > — Boris Cherny, Head of Claude Code at Anthropic ([source S8](resources/sources.md))

The job is no longer writing the perfect prompt — it is architecting the control system that keeps agents working toward a goal over time. That is exactly the discipline this course teaches, and every voice above is one of its [nine credited primary sources](resources/sources.md).

🧩 The six building blocks

A heartbeat is the trigger that starts one iteration of a loop — in-session, conditional, scheduled, or event-driven. A spine is a loop's durable state between runs: with one an interrupted loop resumes, without one it restarts.

Every loop in this course — and every kit in the [pattern library](#-loop-pattern-library) — is assembled from the same six parts:

| Building block | Job in the loop | Taught in | | --- | --- | --- | | Heartbeat — schedules & automations | discovery + triage on a cadence | [Part 2](docs/04-part-2-heartbeat/README.md) | | Worktrees | safe parallel execution | [Part 3](docs/05-part-3-the-body/README.md) | | Skills | persistent project knowledge | [Part 3](docs/05-part-3-the-body/README.md) | | Connectors / MCP | reach into your real tools | [Part 3](docs/05-part-3-the-body/README.md) | | Sub-agents | the maker / checker split | [Part 3](docs/05-part-3-the-body/README.md) | | + Spine — memory / state | durable state outside any conversation | [Part 4](docs/06-part-4-the-spine/README.md) |

Deep dive: [Primitives](docs/02-foundations/primitives.md) · [Primitives Matrix](docs/02-foundations/primitives-matrix.md) — which block exists in which tool, side by side.

🎓 Choose your track

New here? [Open the 60-second router →](docs/00-start-here/README.md)

Like any good LMS, this course meets you where you are. Answer four honest questions and the router drops you onto exactly one of four tracks — so a first-timer never drowns and a veteran never yawns:

| Track | You are… | You'll learn to… | | --- | --- | --- | | T1 · Foundations | using an AI agent by hand (or not yet) | explain the shift and run your first in-session loop | | T2 · Practitioner | fluent in the six parts of a loop | choose a heartbeat, write a provable stop, split maker/checker | | T3 · Engineer | able to assemble a loop | build the full six-part loop in two tools and operate it safely | | T4 · Ultra-Pro | shipping loops already | hill-climbing loops, fleets, governance at team scale |

[View the full track map with entry checks and exit assessments →](docs/00-start-here/learning-tracks.md)

📚 Curriculum

Prerequisites & foundations (read first): [Environment Setup](docs/01-prerequisites/environment-setup.md) · [Agentic-Coding Primer](docs/01-prerequisites/agentic-coding-primer.md) · [Spec-Driven Primer](docs/01-prerequisites/spec-driven-primer.md) · [Mental Models](docs/02-foundations/mental-models.md) · [Concepts](docs/02-foundations/concepts.md) · [The Four Layers](docs/02-foundations/the-four-layers.md) · [Primitives](docs/02-foundations/primitives.md) · [Primitives Matrix](docs/02-foundations/primitives-matrix.md) · [Glossary](docs/02-foundations/glossary.md)

The 14-step core roadmap — six parts, each ending in something you built:

| Part | Steps | What you learn | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 · The Shift | 01–03 | prompting → looping, the four layers, anatomy of a loop | [Start →](docs/03-part-1-the-shift/README.md) | | 2 · The Heartbeat | 04–07 | in-session, run-until-done, schedules, event-driven | [Start →](docs/04-part-2-heartbeat/README.md) | | 3 · The Body | 08–11 | worktrees, skills, connectors/MCP, maker ≠ checker | [Start →](docs/05-part-3-the-body/README.md) | | 4 · The Spine | 12 | durable state between runs | [Start →](docs/06-part-4-the-spine/README.md) | | 5 · A Complete Loop | 13 | build the same loop twice (Claude Code & OpenCode) | [Start →](docs/07-part-5-complete-loop/README.md) | | 6 · Human Control | 14 | staying the engineer: cost, verification, nested loops | [Start →](docs/08-part-6-human-control/README.md) |

Then keep climbing:

| Stage | What it holds | | | --- | --- | --- | | Methods | design your own loop: [Decision Framework](docs/09-methods/decision-framework.md), [Design Checklist](docs/09-methods/loop-design-checklist.md), [Pattern Picker](docs/09-methods/pattern-picker.md), [Worked Example](docs/09-methods/worked-example-dependency-sweeper.md) | [View →](docs/09-methods/make-your-own-loop.md) | | Operating handbook | safety, failure modes, infinite loops, observability, recovery | [View →](docs/10-operating/operating-loops.md) | | Graded labs | 11 hands-on projects, from a watch loop to a two-routine gate — with [solutions](docs/projects/solutions/README.md) | [View →](docs/projects/README.md) | | Advanced | hill-climbing, multi-loop coordination, evals & traces, governance, enterprise scale | [View →](docs/advanced/README.md) | | Certification | the Loop Ready capstone: [Final Exam](docs/assessments/final-exam.md) · [Capstone Rubric](docs/assessments/capstone-rubric.md) | [View →](docs/assessments/loop-ready-certification.md) |

Every lesson shows the same build in at least two tools, side by side (Claude Code ↔ OpenCode), so you learn the discipline — not one vendor's syntax.

🔁 Anatomy of a loop

An agent loop is a system that repeatedly runs an AI agent toward a specified outcome without a human driving each run. Every production loop declares six parts; a loop missing one of them is the loop that surprises you at 3am.

Six parts, one discipline. A heartbeat decides when the agent runs, a body does the work, a checker grades it (the maker never grades its own work), a spine remembers across runs, a provable stop ends it, and you stay the engineer:

flowchart LR
    H(["⏱ Heartbeatwhen it runs"]) --> B["🦾 Bodydoes the work"]
    B --> C{"✅ Checkergrades it"}
    C -- "not done" --> S[("🧠 Spineremembers")]
    S --> H
    C -- "success · run limit · no progress" --> X(["🛑 Provable stop"])
    X --> U["🧑‍💻 You — the engineer"]

Start with [Mental Models](docs/02-foundations/mental-models.md) and [The Four Layers](docs/02-foundations/the-four-layers.md); keep the [Glossary](docs/02-foundations/glossary.md) open in a tab.

🧰 Loop pattern library

Twenty production-shaped loop kits, each with a definition, a spine, a budget, a constitution, and a read-only checker. Install any of them into your own project with one command — no clone required:

npx @loop-engineering/loop-kit 

| Pattern | What it does | | --- | --- | | [ci-sweeper](patterns/ci-sweeper.md) | fires the instant CI goes red on main and sweeps it back to green | | [pr-babysitter](patterns/pr-babysitter.md) | keeps open PRs from rotting — conflicts, red CI, silent reviewers | | [daily-triage](patterns/daily-triage.md) | clears the overnight noise before you open your laptop | | [issue-triage](patterns/issue-triage.md) | daily-triage's narrower cousin, stripped down to issues alone | | [dependency-sweeper](patterns/dependency-sweeper.md) | keeps dependencies current without updating them blind | | [dependency-cve-burndown](patterns/dependency-cve-burndown.md) | reads the 3 a.m. CVE advisory so it never waits until Monday | | [docs-sweep](patterns/docs-sweep.md) | catches documentation the moment the code moves on without it | | [changelog-drafter](patterns/changelog-drafter.md) | drafts the changelog your busy sprint was going to forget | | [test-coverage-loop](patterns/test-coverage-loop.md) | burns down the "we should really test that" backlog | | [test-stabilizer-loop](patterns/test-stabilizer-loop.md) | hunts flaky tests until a red run means something again | | [prod-error-sweep](patterns/prod-error-sweep.md) | sweeps the production errors that actually cost users something | | [page-load-loop](patterns/page-load-loop.md) | keeps pushing page-load performance downhill, beat after beat | | [repo-cleanup-loop](patterns/repo-cleanup-loop.md) | clears repository clutter — branches nobody deleted, and worse | | [post-merge-cleanup](patterns/post-merge-cleanup.md) | finishes the story every merge leaves behind | | [ticket-to-pr-ready](patterns/ticket-to-pr-ready.md) | one ticket, one run: reproduce, fix, arrive PR-ready | | [spec-dev-review](patterns/spec-dev-review.md) | one story → a scoped spec packet: findings, progress, review | | [clodex-adversarial-review](patterns/clodex-adversarial-review.md) | a real maker–checker pair: Claude implements, Codex reviews | | [codex-completion-contract](patterns/codex-completion-contract.md) | stops "mostly done" from quietly passing as "done" | | [loop-harness-verification](patterns/loop-harness-verification.md) | a general-purpose harness for any scheduled repo task | | [stale-safe-batch-release](patterns/stale-safe-batch-release.md) | the bookend: batches what every other kit left safely releasable |

Prefer to design your own from a blank? npx @loop-engineering/loop-kit new scaffolds one from [the blank template](starters/_template/README.md). [View the full install guide →](starters/getting-started.md)

🚀 Getting started (5 minutes)

1. Enroll — run the [60-second router](docs/00-start-here/README.md). It hands you

a track.

1. Set up your agent — follow the

[Environment Setup guide](docs/01-prerequisites/environment-setup.md) (Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, or Grok; every lesson shows at least Claude Code ↔ OpenCode).

1. Speed-run the primers — the

[Agentic-Coding Primer](docs/01-prerequisites/agentic-coding-primer.md) and the [Spec-Driven Primer](docs/01-prerequisites/spec-driven-primer.md).

1. Ground yourself in the foundations — start with

[Mental Models](docs/02-foundations/mental-models.md).

1. Begin the 14 steps — [Part 1 · The Shift](docs/03-part-1-the-shift/README.md), then follow

the [curriculum](#-curriculum) through to the [Loop Ready certification](docs/assessments/loop-ready-certification.md).

🛡️ Operating & safety

A loop without a provable stop is an incident with a delay. The operating handbook is a first-class part of the course, not an appendix:

• [Operating loops](docs/10-operating/operating-loops.md) — the day-to-day handbook
• [Safety](docs/10-operating/safety.md) — L1 report-only first, human gates, budgets
• [Failure modes](docs/10-operating/failure-modes.md) ·

[Infinite loops](docs/10-operating/infinite-loops.md) · [Anti-patterns](docs/10-operating/anti-patterns.md)

• [Observability](docs/10-operating/observability.md) ·

[Recovery playbook](docs/10-operating/recovery-playbook.md) · [Multi-loop operation](docs/10-operating/multi-loop.md)

The house rules this repo itself runs under — one owner per file, a sacred spine, stop conditions as specs, green ≠ done — live in [LOOP.md](LOOP.md).

> "Build the loop. But build it like someone who intends to stay the engineer, not just > the person who presses go." > > — Addy Osmani, Loop Engineering > ([source S5](resources/sources.md))

🏅 Certification: Loop Ready

Loop Ready is an auditable score, not a badge. It certifies that you can design a loop declaring all six parts, and that the loop you built is verified by something other than itself.

The course ends with a graded capstone, not a participation badge. You design, build, and operate a loop of your own, then defend it against the [Capstone Rubric](docs/assessments/capstone-rubric.md) and pass the [Final Exam](docs/assessments/final-exam.md). [View the full certification path →](docs/assessments/loop-ready-certification.md)

📂 Repository map

| Folder | What it holds | | --- | --- | | docs/ | the course — single source of truth for GitHub and the website | | loops/ | [the loops that build this course](loops/README.md) — real prompts, real spines | | patterns/ | the 20 loop patterns ([table above](#-loop-pattern-library)) | | starters/ | [install-and-fill loop kits](starters/README.md) — [one npx command](starters/getting-started.md) into any project, or start from [_template/](starters/_template/README.md) | | packages/loop-kit/ | the published CLI behind npx @loop-engineering/loop-kit | | skills/, templates/, examples/, stories/ |

…

Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: ayeshakhalid192007-dev
• Source: ayeshakhalid192007-dev/LoopEngineering-CrashCourse
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://ayeshakhalid192007-dev.github.io/loop-lab/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.