/loop -- Bounded Foreground Loop

Orientation

Use when: the user wants a visible repeat-until-pass cycle inside the current session, such as "loop until lint passes" or "try this up to three times and stop if tests still fail."

Don't use when: the work should run unattended across sessions (/daemon), on a clock (/schedule), on file changes (/watch), or as a metric-driven optimization experiment (/experiment).

Commands

Command	Behavior
/loop status	Show all known Citadel loops with active/stopped grouping.
/loop inspect {id}	Show one loop's contract, verifier, budget, runs, and stop reason.
/loop templates	List built-in loop templates.
/loop plan --template {name}	Create a loop contract from a template.
/loop run "{action}" --verify "{command}" --max {N}	Run a bounded foreground loop.
/loop stop {id}	Mark a loop stopped.

Protocol

Step 1: Classify the loop

Determine which kind of loop the user requested:

User intent	Route
Repeat within this active session	/loop
Continue campaign across sessions	/daemon
Run on a schedule	/schedule
Watch PR checks/reviews	/pr-watch
Watch files or marker comments	/watch
Optimize a numeric metric	/experiment

If another route is clearly better, say so and route there.

Step 2: Require a verifier

A /loop run must have an explicit verifier. Explicit means the user supplied --verify "<command>" or an equally concrete verifier command in plain language. Do not infer a verifier from words like "lint", "test", "until it works", or "fix until passing." If the verifier is missing, ask for it before executing and do not run loop-runner.js, shell commands, or manual repair steps.

Accept examples like:

--verify "npm run lint"
--verify "npm run test"
--verify "node scripts/operating-proof.js --write"

If missing, respond in this shape: