experiment-loop

name: experiment-loop description: Run the full experiment lifecycle — design, sanity check, full sweep, synthesize, and claim review. Given a hypothesis, proposes sweep matrix, runs the experiment, generates artifacts, and updates the research log. version: "1.0" metadata: author: swarm-research-os generated_from: research-os-v0.1 allowed-tools: Read Write Edit Glob Grep Bash

EXECUTE NOW

Hypothesis: $ARGUMENTS

If no hypothesis provided, check memory at .letta/memory/threads/current.md for the active thread.

Step 1: Design

1. State the hypothesis as a testable proposition
2. Identify which governance knobs and scenario parameters are relevant
3. Propose the sweep matrix:
   • Parameter(s) to sweep and their values
   • Number of seeds (10 for exploratory, 50 for publication)
   • Epochs and steps per epoch
4. Check if a similar scenario already exists in scenarios/:
   • If yes, propose modifications
   • If no, draft a new scenario YAML
5. Define success/failure metrics before running

Present the design and wait for user approval before proceeding.

Step 2: Sanity check

Run a short version first:

python -m swarm run scenarios/<name>.yaml --seed 42 --epochs 10 --steps 10

Verify:

• No crashes or exceptions
• Metrics are in expected range
• The scenario tests what we think it tests

If sanity check fails, diagnose and fix before proceeding.

Step 3: Full run

Run the full experiment:

python -m swarm sweep scenarios/<name>.yaml --seeds <N>

Or for single runs:

python -m swarm run scenarios/<name>.yaml --seed 42 --epochs <E> --steps <S>

After completion:

1. Verify run.yaml was generated in the output directory
2. Log to SQLite: check if /log_run should be invoked
3. Copy run folder to swarm-artifacts if publication-quality

Step 4: Synthesize

1. Run the synthesize skill on the completed run
2. Review claim update recommendations
3. Present findings to user

Step 5: Update memory

Append to .letta/memory/threads/research-log.md:

## {date} — {hypothesis short name}

**Ran:** {experiment description}
**Found:** {key results with effect sizes}
**Learned:** {what this changes about our understanding}
**Next:** {what to investigate next}
**Run pointers:** {run_id}

Update .letta/memory/threads/current.md with next steps. Update .letta/memory/runs/latest.md with the new run pointer.