Authoring a loop

A loop is a self-contained folder under loops/. The goals, in order: ease of use, reach, plug-and-play. The full rubric is skill-authoring-rules.md — read it first; this is the quick start.

Hard constraints

• Self-contained folders only. Installs copy the folder in isolation, so no ../ references and no links to docs/ (it isn't installed) — anything needed at runtime lives inside the folder or in a sibling skill the loop degrades without.
• One top-level file (SKILL.md). Everything else goes in tools/ roles/ schemas/ rubrics/ examples/ (those five, nothing else). No per-skill README — provenance goes in the root README.
• name == folder name, lowercase-hyphen. Programs and roles stay generic — no hardcoded metrics, paths, budgets, or ledger locations; only named bindings (<artifact>, <budget>, …).
• Spawn-or-degrade for all subagents so loops run everywhere but get real isolation where supported.
• Every loop keeps an append-only run ledger so progress is reviewable.

The five ingredients

Every loop decomposes into: a program, an artifact slot, a feedback signal, a run ledger, and a termination/budget.

SKILL.md skeleton

---
name: <loop-name>                 # == folder name; lowercase-hyphen
description: >
  Use when the user wants to ... . <one line of what it does>. Not for ... .
compatibility: Requires Python 3.9+   # optional; only a real env requirement
metadata:
  version: "0.1.0"
---
# <Loop Name>

<1–2 sentence overview: what the loop is + its feedback signal.>

## When to use
<triggers mirroring the description; one default approach + an escape hatch.>

## Setup
Resolve bindings interactively (load `loop.run.yaml` if present, else infer+recommend on Claude Code
or ask as quoted prompts; write `loop.run.yaml` and confirm). Bindings:

| binding | meaning | default | how to infer |
|---|---|---|---|
| `<artifact>` | ... | — | ... |

Format: `examples/run.example.yaml`.

## Loop (until <budget> or user interrupt)
Copy this checklist:
- [ ] ...
... the program ...
Append {change, signal, decision} to <ledger> each iteration.

## Ledger
<tab-separated format + a short example.>

## Constraints
- <the few hard rules, each with its reason.>

Copy this skeleton into loops/<name>/SKILL.md to start a new loop.