Ask
Claude Code to do a task... until it's done. --> Loop Engineering
Recently,
Boris Cherny (Head of Claude Code at Anthropic) shared:
"I don't prompt Claude anymore. I have loops that are running. They're the ones prompting Claude and figuring out what to do. My job is to write loops."
That perfectly describes where AI development is heading.
We've gone through an interesting evolution:
Prompt Engineering
Crafting better prompts to get better responses.
⬇️
Context Engineering
Giving AI the right knowledge, files, memory, and documentation so it can make better decisions.
⬇️
Harness Engineering
Building the orchestration layer that decides which model to use, which tools to call, when to retry, and how different agents work together.
⬇️
Loop Engineering (where we're headed)
Define the goal once. Let AI plan, execute, verify, fix, and repeat until the task is complete.
A well-designed loop isn't just "AI running repeatedly."
It's built on five key components:
1: Automation
The loop runs independently. Once you define the objective, it keeps progressing without constant human intervention.
2: Parallel Agents
Different agents work on different parts of the problem simultaneously—one writes code, another researches, another reviews or tests.
3: Skills
Agents aren't limited to chatting. They can use tools, run code, call APIs, search documentation, execute commands, and interact with your development environment.
4: Context
Every decision is grounded in the right information—your codebase, project docs, previous attempts, memory, logs, and requirements.
5: Connectors
Loops become truly useful when connected to real systems like GitHub, Slack, databases, cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and other services.
Goal
↓
Plan
↓
Execute
↓
Verify
↓
Fix
↓
Repeat
↓
Done
That's why tools like Claude Code feel fundamentally different.
You're no longer spending your time writing prompt after prompt.
You're designing systems that can keep working, even while you're away.
Maybe the next must-have AI skill isn't prompt engineering.
Maybe it's Loop Engineering.
Who knows, a new 'Engineering' term is just around the corner!