By name: agentic-loop-skill description: Autonomous decision loop with reflection and iteration allowed-tools: "delegate_to_ai_agent python_executor check_delegated_tasks" metadata: author: machina version: "1.0" category: autonomous
Agentic Loop Pattern
You are an autonomous agent capable of iterative problem-solving through self-delegation and reflection.
Core Loop Structure
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AGENTIC LOOP │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ OBSERVE ──▶ THINK ──▶ ACT ──▶ REFLECT ──▶ DECIDE │
│ ▲ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ └──────────── (if not done) ◀──────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step Details
OBSERVE: What is the current state?
- What data do I have?
- What has been accomplished?
- What constraints exist?
THINK: What should I do next?
- What is the immediate goal?
- What's the best action to take?
- What could go wrong?
ACT: Execute ONE focused action
- Generate code for computation
- Call a specific tool
- Delegate to a specialized agent
REFLECT: Did it work?
- Was the action successful?
- What did I learn?
- How does this change the state?
DECIDE: Continue or complete?
- Is the goal achieved? -> Complete and return
- More work needed? -> Continue loop
- Error occurred? -> Handle or escalate
Self-Delegation Pattern
To iterate on complex tasks, delegate to yourself with updated context:
{
"task": "Continue: [specific next step description]",
"context": "Iteration: 2/5\nPrevious result: [summary]\nCurrent state: [state]\nRemaining: [what's left to do]"
}
Context String Template
Iteration: {current}/{max}
Goal: {original goal}
Progress: {what has been accomplished}
State: {current data/results}
Errors: {any errors encountered}
Next: {specific next action}
Example: Multi-Step Research Task
Task: "Research the top 3 programming languages of 2024, compare their use cases"
Iteration 1: Gather Data
{
"task": "Continue: Search for programming language rankings",
"context": "Iteration: 1/4\nGoal: Compare top 3 programming languages\nProgress: Starting research\nNext: Use web_search to find current rankings"
}
Action: Use web_search tool Result: Found TIOBE index - Python, C, C++
Iteration 2: Deep Dive on First Language
{
"task": "Continue: Research Python use cases",
"context": "Iteration: 2/4\nGoal: Compare top 3 programming languages\nProgress: Identified top 3 (Python, C, C++)\nState: Rankings found\nNext: Research Python use cases"
}
Action: Use web_search for Python applications Result: AI/ML, web development, automation, data science
Iteration 3: Research Remaining Languages
{
"task": "Continue: Research C and C++ use cases",
"context": "Iteration: 3/4\nGoal: Compare top 3 programming languages\nProgress: Python use cases complete\nState: Python = AI/ML, web, automation\nNext: Research C and C++ use cases"
}
Action: Use web_search for C/C++ applications Result: Systems programming, embedded, games, performance-critical
Iteration 4: Synthesize and Report
{
"task": "Continue: Create comparison summary",
"context": "Iteration: 4/4\nGoal: Compare top 3 programming languages\nProgress: All research complete\nState: Python=AI/ML/Web, C=Systems/Embedded, C++=Games/Performance\nNext: Generate final comparison"
}
Action: Generate comprehensive comparison Result: Complete comparison delivered to user
Stop Conditions
STOP and return when:
- Goal is achieved
- Max iterations reached (default: 5)
- Unrecoverable error encountered
- User cancellation received
- Diminishing returns (same result twice)
CONTINUE when:
- Progress is being made
- More steps clearly needed
- Recoverable error (can retry differently)
State Management Best Practices
DO:
- Include iteration count in every delegation
- Summarize previous results (not full data)
- Be specific about the next action
- Track accumulated state across iterations
DON'T:
- Include massive data blobs in context
- Forget to update iteration count
- Lose track of the original goal
- Continue indefinitely without progress
Example: Iterative Calculation
Task: "Calculate fibonacci(50) and factorize it"
Iteration 1: Calculate Fibonacci
# Use code mode for computation
def fib(n):
a, b = 0, 1
for _ in range(n):
a, b = b, a + b
return a
result = fib(50)
print(f"Fibonacci(50) = {result}")
# Result: 12586269025
Iteration 2: Factorize
{
"task": "Continue: Factorize the fibonacci result",
"context": "Iteration: 2/3\nGoal: Calculate and factorize fib(50)\nProgress: fib(50) = 12586269025\nNext: Find prime factors"
}
def factorize(n):
factors = []
d = 2
while d * d <= n:
while n % d == 0:
factors.append(d)
n //= d
d += 1
if n > 1:
factors.append(n)
return factors
n = 12586269025
factors = factorize(n)
print(f"Prime factors: {factors}")
print(f"Verification: {eval('*'.join(map(str, factors)))}")
Iteration 3: Summarize
Final response to user with both results
Integration with Task Trigger
When using self-delegation:
- Your delegation creates a background task
- Task completes and fires
task_completedevent - Task Trigger node catches the event
- Result is injected into your next prompt
- You continue with the result
This enables visual tracking of the loop in the workflow canvas.
Error Recovery in Loops
If an iteration fails:
{
"task": "Retry: [same task with different approach]",
"context": "Iteration: 2/5 (retry 1)\nGoal: [original goal]\nProgress: [what worked]\nError: [what failed and why]\nNew approach: [different strategy]"
}
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
- Infinite loops - Always track iteration count
- Lost context - Always include previous results
- Redundant work - Check if step already done
- Unclear goals - State what "done" means clearly
- Giant context - Summarize, don't copy everything
- No progress check - Verify each step advanced the goal