The Agentic Loop: Three loops in a trench coat(bobbytables.io)
bobbytables.io
The Agentic Loop: Three loops in a trench coat
https://www.bobbytables.io/p/the-agentic-loop-three-loops-in-a
25 comments
You can always find more loops if you want to write the next version of this post. Anything that runs software is a loop of instruction execution.
The programming equivalent of "it's only a question of where did they hide the circle" in math? :)
I like how you found the pattern of 3 loops. I am working on a similar blog where I had human loop outside the inference loop :) human -> llm-> tool
there are more than 3: https://www.latent.space/p/loopcraft
The issue I have with loops is that for truly complex work, where I care about building a generalized solution for a complex problem, the agents frequently reward hack and end up burning indefinitely without finishing until I step in.
Curious how you're addressing this
Curious how you're addressing this
Totally. Earth's rotation is a loop too. We should count that.
rotation and orbit, and technically the eccentricity in the axis as well
There's also at least the galactic orbit. There might be a very large scale orbit as well around the Great Attractor, but the jury's still bery much out on that one.
Anyone have suggestions on implementing loops with a basic $20/mo subscription to claude or gemini? Any blog posts recommended?
The article is describing how every harness functions. If you're already using Codex, Claude Code, or Antigravity then you're already doing this. And you get a lot of usage. I generally don't hit my limits with GPT if I stick to reviews of code that cheaper models create. Google gives you a low number of free requests. OpenCode has a generous free tier for open source models (and a plan that is $5 / month for the first month.)
The article describes API calls using code. How does one use these loops in Claude Code (assuming you mean CLI not cloud) or Antigravity (assuming you mean agy not the IDE)?
The article is describing how agents work. You can either read it only to gain that understanding, or read it because you’re trying to build your own version of Claude Code. “How can we use these loops in Claude Code?” doesn’t make any sense.
Oh, interesting.
So am I understanding correctly then that the tools that come with monthly subscriptions are inherently limited and unable to expand to what the article describes in the outermost loops?
So am I understanding correctly then that the tools that come with monthly subscriptions are inherently limited and unable to expand to what the article describes in the outermost loops?
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Aren't the loops the wrong way round in the diagram. The tightest loop is the inference loop, then the tool loop and then human loop?
I think of them from the outside in, so that's why I illustrated it that way.
Fascinating. I think it's the first time I've heard it put that way.
For me it's more intuitive the other way around, as the "outer" loops increase in complexity (and can have additional separate loops running inside them). It also makes sense because you can always add more (meta) loops that way.
For me it's more intuitive the other way around, as the "outer" loops increase in complexity (and can have additional separate loops running inside them). It also makes sense because you can always add more (meta) loops that way.
You are absolutely correct. It's an i18n/l10n issue. They spin in the opposite direction in the other hemisphere.
Not true. This is a common LLM hallucination.
See https://www.britannica.com/story/do-toilets-in-different-hem...
See https://www.britannica.com/story/do-toilets-in-different-hem...
Oh no, what happens when I flush my agents from one hemisphere down the toilet in the other then?