actionable ai

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The 4 types of AI loops, and which one to use

Turn-based, goal-based, time-based, proactive. How to build each of the four AI loop types, with the exact command and the best use case for every one.

  • How to build all 4 loops the Claude Code team uses, and what triggers each one.
  • The copy-paste command that starts each: /goal, /loop, /schedule.
  • The best use case for every loop, mapped to a real project you can hand off this week.
  • The one cap that stops a loop from prompting itself forever and draining your account.

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How to build the 4 types of AI loops the Claude Code team uses, with the exact command and the best use case for each.

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A look inside

What's inside

01

The Real Problem

Most people run their AI one prompt at a time.

02

Where This Came From

The four-type framing is what the Claude Code team recommends (credit to the loop-engineering breakdowns by @rpn and Akshay Pachaar).

03

What a Loop Actually Is

Old way: you prompt, it answers, you check it, you reprompt, over and over.

The rest of the guide

  1. Loop 1: Turn-basedTriggered by your prompt.
  2. How to Build ItStart in your project.
  3. Best Use CasesDesigning a landing page where you react to each version and refine copy, layout, and color turn by turn.
  4. The Upgrade That MattersThe only difference between normal prompting and a turn-based loop is the check-step.
  5. Loop 2: Goal-basedTriggered by the /goal command, which carries a success condition and a cap.
  6. How to Build ItWrite a measurable goal.
  7. Best Use CasesGetting a page to load faster until it hits a target Lighthouse or PageSpeed score.
  8. The Cap Is Not OptionalThe try-limit goes inside the /goal text for a reason.
  9. Loop 3: Time-basedTriggered by a clock.
  10. How to Build ItWrite a self-contained prompt.
  11. Best Use CasesChecking your inbox every morning and drafting replies to anything that needs one.
  12. Local vs CloudUse /loop while you are working and want to watch it.
  13. Loop 4: ProactiveTriggered by an event or a schedule, with no human present.
  14. How to Build ItPick the channel to watch.
  15. Best Use CasesHandling customer support emails: triage each one, draft or send the reply, escalate the hard ones to you.
  16. The Trust TestProactive is the loop that runs with no human watching, so the reviewer is everything.
  17. How to Pick Your LoopStill figuring out what you want?
  18. Build Your First Loop This WeekPick one bottleneck.
  19. The One Rule for Every LoopBefore you walk away from any loop, give it two things: a verifier that decides when the work is actually done, and a stop or cost cap so it cannot run forever.

About the author

Cooper Simson

Founder of Actionable AI. 30,000+ operators read the newsletter.

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No. The guide explains the work in practical steps and calls out technical details only when they matter.

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