Agent Loop EngineeringContext Compaction Between Agent TurnsMost advice on agent context compaction is backwards: it compresses on a timer and loses the wrong things. Here's how to compact by relevance, keep what matters, and do it safely.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringManaging the Context Window Across Loop IterationsWhy does your agent get slower and dumber the longer it runs? The agent loop context window is filling with junk. Here's a bloated loop, why it degrades, and how to keep context lean.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringTree of Thoughts Inside the Agent LoopA tree of thoughts agent explores several reasoning paths and keeps the best, instead of committing to the first. Here's a real case where branching turned a stuck agent into a solver.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringHow to Add a Critic Step to Your Agent LoopA second model reviewing the first catches errors a single pass never will. Here's how an agent critic loop works, where it pays off, and the trap that makes most critics useless.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringReflexion: Adding Self-Correction to the LoopAn agent failed the same task four times, the same way, without noticing. A reflexion agent loop breaks that cycle by making failure a lesson. Here's how to add self-correction step by step.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringPlan-and-Execute vs ReAct: Which Loop WinsThe plan and execute vs react debate usually picks the wrong winner. Here's a side-by-side teardown of both loops on the same task, and the honest answer about when each one loses.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringThe Observe Step: Feeding Tool Results Back to the ModelWhy does your agent keep ignoring what its tools return? Nine times out of ten the agent loop observation step is malformed. Here's a real case and the fix that made an agent 'smart' overnight.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringMax Iterations vs Goal Completion: Setting Loop LimitsSetting an agent loop iteration limit sounds trivial until it silently caps your best runs. Here's how to pick a limit from data, not a hunch, and when to let the goal decide instead.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringPreventing Infinite Loops in AI AgentsMost AI agent infinite loop prevention fails because it guards the wrong signal. Here's a loop that spins forever, why the obvious fix doesn't work, and the check that actually stops it.August 22, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringWhen to Break the Agent Loop: Stopping ConditionsAn agent once ran 240 iterations on a task that needed four, and billed accordingly. Good agent loop stopping conditions would have caught it at six. Here's how to build them.August 21, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringPerceive-Plan-Act: The Classic Agent CycleMost agent guides push straight to ReAct and skip the perceive plan act loop entirely. That's backwards. Here's a real case where the older, simpler cycle beat the trendy one.August 21, 2026·8 min read
Agent Loop EngineeringHow to Design a Robust Agent Control LoopSolid agent control loop design comes down to five decisions most people make by accident. Here's how to make them on purpose, with code for the parts that actually break.August 21, 2026·8 min read
