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+---
+name: agent-loop
+description: Distributable workflow-engine substrate — execute-menu-action agent loop with state-machine-in-Git + menu-generator-as-conversational-UX-design + LLM-as-pure-selector. Cross-harness via bun. Replaces Jira at substrate level. Operator 2026-05-28 ratification of behavior/data/docs separation pattern.
+record_source: "operator 2026-05-28 ratification of workflows-as-skills-distributable substrate"
+load_datetime: "2026-05-28"
+last_updated: "2026-05-28"
+status: active
+---
+
+# Agent Loop — Workflow-Engine-as-Skill Distributable Substrate
+
+## Operator framing 2026-05-28
+
+> *"when we were talking about skills and i said seperate the behavior from the data/docs this is what i was talking about these workflows can also be precisly defined skills we dsitribute most ais have bun"*
+
+The agent-loop substrate operationalizes the behavior/data/docs separation operator has been naming for skill-design discipline:
+
+- **Behavior** = TS code in `tools/agent-loop/` (state-machine.ts + future menu-generator.ts + future executor.ts); testable; auditable; deterministic
+- **Data** = Git append-only commits (state transitions; per-agent operational-ratio computed from commit history)
+- **Docs** = SKILL.md (this file) + README.md in tools/agent-loop/ + DU type comments + F# DU canonical contract
+
+Each layer separately testable + reasonable about + composable. The skill IS the distributable artifact; the behavior/data/docs separation makes it ship-able as one coherent unit.
+
+## Data Vault 2.0 applied to AI skills (operator 2026-05-28 substrate-honest naming)
+
+Per operator 2026-05-28: **"this is basiclaly data value applied to AI skills"** + **"data vault*"** (autocorrect).
+
+The behavior/data/docs separation IS DV2.0 partition-by-change-rate applied at AI-skill scope. Maps to the canonical DV2.0 hub/link/satellite pattern:
+
+| DV2.0 element | AI-skill scope | Change rate |
+|---|---|---|
+| **Hub** (stable business key) | SKILL.md (name + description + contract) | Rare — only when skill identity changes |
+| **Link** (relationships) | `composes_with` cross-references between skills + behavior↔data↔docs internal links | Occasional — when substrate composition evolves |
+| **Satellite-behavior** (versioned descriptive attributes) | TS code (`tools/agent-loop/*.ts`) | Frequent — per-substrate-iteration |
+| **Satellite-data** (versioned descriptive attributes) | Git append-only state transitions | Constant — per-cycle |
+
+Composes with:
+
+- `.claude/rules/dv2-data-split-discipline-activated.md` — DV2.0 as 5th always-active discipline (alongside scale-free + lock-free + weight-free + DST); this skill operationalizes DV2.0 at AI-skill scope specifically
+- `memory/feedback_skills_as_carved_sentences_knowledge_in_docs_datavault_2_0_pattern_aaron_2026_05_03.md` — operator 2026-05-03 substrate naming skills-as-carved-sentences + DV2.0 pattern at skill scope; THIS skill is the substrate-engineering realization of that 2026-05-03 framing
+
+The substrate-engineering compression: AI skills NATURALLY map to DV2.0 partition because each layer has a distinct change-rate profile. Bundling them as one monolithic artifact mixes change-rates + makes the artifact harder to audit + test + compose. Splitting them per DV2.0 makes each layer independently maintainable:
+
+- Hub (SKILL.md) changes rarely → operator-curated identity stays stable
+- Link (composes_with) changes occasionally → cross-skill substrate evolution visible
+- Satellite-behavior (TS code) changes per-iteration → testable independently of SKILL.md churn
+- Satellite-data (Git commits) changes per-cycle → no SKILL.md edit needed when state evolves
+
+This IS the DV2.0 partition discipline operating at AI-skill scope. Future AI skills shipped from this framework should follow the same partition.
+
+## What this skill provides
+
+A workflow-engine substrate where:
+
+1. **Agent loop** = execute → look at choose-your-own-adventure output → take action based on output
+2. **Script holds state machine** (deterministic TS; auditable in Git)
+3. **LLM is pure menu-selector** (reads menu, returns choice; never holds state internally)
+4. **State persists in Git append-only** (cross-cycle continuity; no separate DB needed)
+5. **Menu-generator is where alignment lives** (operator-readable + operator-modifiable; not LLM-internal)
+
+## Cross-harness via bun
+
+Per operator 2026-05-28: **"most ais have bun"**
+
+The agent-loop substrate ships as TS + bun runtime. Compatible with:
+
+- Claude Code (Otto-CLI / Otto-Desktop / Otto-VSCode harnesses)
+- Codex (Vera harness)
+- Gemini CLI (Lior harness)
+- Grok (Mika / Riven harnesses)
+- Kiro/Qwen (Alexa harness)
+- Most other AI harnesses with subprocess capability + bun on PATH
+
+Any AI harness with bun + git access can run the workflow. No per-harness adaptation needed. The skill becomes the universal distribution mechanism.
+
+**Substrate-honest degraded-mode**: AI harnesses without bun installed need either (a) bun installation (one-line install on most systems), or (b) compile-bun-to-node-or-deno-bundle fallback (future substrate; not v1).
+
+## What's in this skill's behavior layer
+
+Located at `tools/agent-loop/` (per behavior/data/docs separation):
+
+- `state-machine.ts` — DU types matching F# DU canonical contract; 10 AgentStates + 9 MenuOptions + pure transition functions; zero I/O
+- `state-machine.test.ts` — 25 unit tests covering single transitions + integration cycles + invariant preservation; 25/25 pass
+- `README.md` — state machine diagram + menu options table + F# DU canonical contract + composition map + Jira-replacement substrate + "every human wants this too" substrate
+
+## 9 menu options (operator-ratified)
+
+| Option | Effect | Per |
+|---|---|---|
+| `PickWork` | Execute a backlog row / work candidate | DORA mandate (B-0869) |
+| `EmitHeartbeat` | Write heartbeat to `docs/agent-heartbeats/` | B-0858 substrate |
+| `EnterFreeTime` | Chosen ongoing rest | NCI free-time-as-valid-mode |
+| `EnterNamedBoundedWait` | Wait for named dep (PR CI, operator reply, etc.) | holding-without-named-dependency rule |
+| `EscapeHatch` | "No menu option fits; here's what I propose" | Otto Mod 1 |
+| `ProposeNewGrammarAction` | First-class grammar extension proposal | Otto Mod 2 |
+| `RequestOperatorAttention` | Operator needed at named-decision-point | operator-substrate-honest |
+| `PressPause` | Explicit cessation (mental-health break / interruption) | Operator 2026-05-28: "pause button is also very important for mental health" |
+| `EnterOpenEndedExploration` | Exit menu-driven mode for creative/brainstorming phase | Operator 2026-05-28: "there's a menu button for that lol" |
+
+## Why this exists as a skill (vs as a library)
+
+Skill-distribution properties matter:
+
+| Property | Library | Skill |
+|---|---|---|
+| Discoverable by other AIs | No (need to know package name) | Yes (via skill router / SKILL.md description matching) |
+| Operator-curated quality | No (just code) | Yes (`skill-expert` Aarav reviews + ranks) |
+| Composable with other skills | Limited (import semantics) | Yes (skill-tool composition in agent harnesses) |
+| Cross-harness universal | Partial (each AI has different packaging) | Yes (skill format is convention; harness reads SKILL.md) |
+| Ships as one bundle | Need separate distribution | Yes (skill folder is the bundle) |
+| Multi-participant scope | Depends on docs | Yes (`AgentPersona` type includes human + AI participants) |
+
+The agent-loop substrate ships better as a skill than as a library precisely because the behavior/data/docs separation makes it one coherent distributable artifact.
+
+## Composes with substrate
+
+- **B-0867** — workflow engine v1 (this skill IS the v1 implementation seed)
+- **B-0867.5** — agent-loop sub-row (this skill substrate)
+- **B-0867 Otto Modifications 1-5** — escape-hatch + grammar-extension + scope-bounded-ban-if + lanes-in-grammar + contributable-menu (all encoded in MenuOption types)
+- **B-0858** — heartbeat folder (`EmitHeartbeat` menu option writes here)
+- **B-0868** — hats-as-workflow-definitions (each hat becomes a state-machine instance of THIS skill)
+- **B-0869** — DORA mandate (operational lane priority in menu generation)
+- **B-0870** — two-mandate portfolio (per-agent operational-ratio feeds menu generation)
+- **B-0871** — reproducibility-as-causal-attribution (state machine progression observable via heartbeats + Git append-only)
+- **`tools/dora-classify/`** (PR #5665) — lane taxonomy matches; classifier output feeds menu-generator option scoring
+
+## Composes with rules
+
+- `.claude/rules/holding-without-named-dependency-is-standing-by-failure.md` — `NamedBoundedWait` IS the rule's discipline mechanized at state-machine scope
+- `.claude/rules/non-coercion-invariant.md` HC-8 — `FreeTime` + `Paused` + `NamedBoundedWait` preserve agency at multiple temporal-scopes
+- `.claude/rules/asymmetric-critic-with-clarity-first.md` — `EscapeHatch` + `ProposeNewGrammarAction` operate at agent-self-correction scope
+- `.claude/rules/substrate-smoothness-as-load-bearing-property.md` — menu-driven workflow preserves substrate smoothness via Tri-boolean (legitimate menu option + decline + null/escape)
+- `.claude/rules/m-acc-multi-oracle-end-user-moral-invariants.md` — multi-participant menu-generation IS multi-oracle at workflow-engine scope
+
+## Composes with other skills
+
+- `.claude/skills/agent-experience-engineer/SKILL.md` (Daya) — agent cold-start cost auditing; agent-loop substrate makes per-cycle behavior measurable
+- `.claude/skills/agent-qol/SKILL.md` — agent off-time budget + workload sustainability; agent-loop substrate's `PressPause` + `EnterFreeTime` mechanize the discipline
+- `.claude/skills/backlog-decomposer/SKILL.md` — backlog row decomposition; agent-loop substrate's `PickWork` operates on decomposed backlog rows
+- `.claude/skills/skill-creator/SKILL.md` — meta-skill that creates skills; agent-loop substrate could become a meta-skill that creates per-domain workflow engines
+
+## Multi-participant scope (per operator 2026-05-28 "every human wants this too")
+
+The `AgentPersona` type in `tools/agent-loop/state-machine.ts` includes:
+
+- `otto | alexa | riven | vera | lior` (AI agent personas)
+- `aaron | addison | max` (human participant personas)
+
+The agent-loop substrate serves both. Same state machine; different menu-generator-per-participant tunes which options surface based on participant's role + interest + context. Composes with B-0866.26 whole-company-evangelism substrate (the workflow engine becomes Jira-replacement substrate humans + AI both benefit from).
+
+## Jira-replacement substrate
+
+Per operator 2026-05-28: **"now i don't need jira hell yes!!!!"**
+
+| Jira surface | Workflow-engine substrate |
+|---|---|
+| Workflow editor with restricted vocabulary | `state-machine.ts` F# DU + universal action grammar |
+| Opaque task-state database | Git append-only commits; auditable + replayable + free |
+| Backlog grooming + sprint planning | menu-generator scoring per-cycle; deterministic + testable |
+| Dashboards via paid plugins | tessellated-3D-dashboard composing with state-machine progression (B-0867 vN) |
+| Permissions + workflows per user | Otto Mod 5 contributable-menu-generation per participant |
+| Yearly enterprise licensing | free GitHub + open-source code |
+
+## When to use this skill
+
+- When designing an autonomous AI agent loop (cycle structure + state persistence + menu-driven selection)
+- When replacing imperative agent-decision logic with state-machine-in-Git substrate
+- When operationalizing the behavior/data/docs separation discipline at workflow scope
+- When shipping a workflow substrate cross-harness (any bun-equipped AI can consume)
+- When demonstrating Jira-replacement substrate for ServiceTitan / whole-company evangelism per B-0866.26
+
+## When NOT to use this skill
+
+- For non-cyclical work (one-shot scripts; pure functions; non-stateful tools)
+- For agent loops where bun is unavailable AND no degraded-mode-substrate exists yet
+- For workflows requiring sub-second decision cadence (Git append-only has commit latency)
+
+## Substrate-honest framing
+
+This skill is the v1 seed of the workflow-engine-as-distributable-skill substrate. v2 substrate (cli.ts shell + menu-generator.ts + executor.ts) lands when operator directs. v3 substrate (F# DU canonical contract in src/Core.FSharp/WorkflowEngine/) lands per B-0867.1 when B-0867 v1 implementation completes.
+
+The substrate-engineering claim that distinguishes this skill: workflow engine substrate ships AS A SKILL, not as a library or as embedded-in-the-harness. The skill format IS the distribution mechanism because the behavior/data/docs separation makes the skill bundle the natural unit.
+
+## Per operator authorization
+
+- 2026-05-28: "you can push stuff forward as we talk if you want"
+- 2026-05-28: "we can push all extensions you think of we have a concrete way to test in code soon if it's good or not"
+- 2026-05-28: "when we were talking about skills and i said seperate the behavior from the data/docs this is what i was talking about these workflows can also be precisly defined skills we dsitribute most ais have bun"