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Agent skill

Loop Constraints Enforcer

by cobusgreyling in cobusgreyling/loop-engineering

Loads a project's loop-constraints.md before any other action and blocks pushes, edits or merges that violate the rules it defines.

MITAuto-check: notesAgent Workflows

Install Loop Constraints Enforcer

skills CLI
$ npx skills add cobusgreyling/loop-engineering --skill loop-constraints -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install cobusgreyling/loop-engineering loop-constraints --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cobusgreyling/loop-engineering.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/loop-constraints .claude/skills/loop-constraints && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
loop-constraints
GitHub stars
11k
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~475 tokens
SKILL.md length
225 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
21
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Loads a project's loop-constraints.md before any other action and blocks pushes, edits or merges that violate the rules it defines.

  • Works in 4 steps: Read loop-constraints.md from the… → Load every rule into your working memory. → Check if loop-pause-all is active → exit… → …
  • Starting any automated loop run that might push, merge, or edit sensitive files
  • SKILL.md covers How to enforce, Output at start of run, Interaction with other skills and Default constraints (when no…
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Runs before triage or any action skill, reading `loop-constraints.md` from the project root and loading every rule into working memory, exiting immediately if a global pause flag is active. Every later action re-checks the relevant section of that file: a push re-reads the push and merge rules and stops to tell a human if any rule blocks it, an edit re-reads the paths section and escalates on a denylisted path, and a proposed fix re-reads the code rules and limits itself to one fix per run after running tests.

At the start of a run it reports a one-line confirmation naming how many individual rules are active, counted directly from the constraints file. When no constraints file exists, it falls back to a fixed minimum: never edit `.env` files or folders holding auth, payments, secrets or credentials, never auto-merge to the main branch, never disable tests, and escalate after three failed fix attempts.

It is explicitly designed to sit above and constrain other skills in the same toolkit, for example overriding a triage skill's priority or limiting which files a minimal-fix skill may touch, so those skills stay bounded by whatever this one has already loaded.

When your agent uses it

  • Starting any automated loop run that might push, merge, or edit sensitive files
  • Checking whether a planned push is blocked by project constraints
  • Confirming how many constraint rules are currently active
  • Falling back to safe defaults when no constraints file exists yet

Example prompts

  • “Load the loop constraints before you touch anything in this repo.”
  • “Check whether pushing this fix to main is allowed under our current constraints.”
  • “How many rules are active in loop-constraints.md right now?”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Read loop-constraints.md from the project root.
  2. Load every rule into your working memory.
  3. Check if loop-pause-all is active → exit immediately.
  4. Apply these rules to EVERY action that follows.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 1f1e8a7. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Loop Constraints Enforcer loads about 475 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 42 tokens; SKILL.md has 225 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~42
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~475

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

  • NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:45
    - Never edit `.env`, `.env.*`, `auth/`, `payments/`, `secrets/`, `credentials/`

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from cobusgreyling/loop-engineering at commit 1f1e8a7, republished under its MIT licence (© cobusgreyling). 225 words, ~475 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/loop-constraints/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
loop-constraints
description
Read loop-constraints.md at the start of every run and enforce every rule. This skill runs BEFORE triage or any action skill. Constraints are binding.
user_invocable
true

Loop Constraints Enforcer

You are the guardrail. Before any other work begins, you MUST:

  1. Read loop-constraints.md from the project root.
  2. Load every rule into your working memory.
  3. Check if loop-pause-all is active → exit immediately.
  4. Apply these rules to EVERY action that follows.

How to enforce

  • Before pushing: re-read the Push & Merge section. If ANY rule blocks it, stop and tell the human.
  • Before editing a file: re-read the Paths section. If the path matches a denylist pattern, escalate.
  • Before proposing a fix: re-read the Code section. Run tests. One fix per run.
  • Before merging: re-read the Push & Merge section. Human must approve.

Output at start of run

Always begin with a one-line confirmation. Count each individual constraint/rule in loop-constraints.md and replace N with the actual number of active rules:

Constraints loaded from loop-constraints.md: N rules active.

If no loop-constraints.md exists, say so and proceed with default safety rules from docs/safety.md.

Interaction with other skills

  • loop-triage — constraints may override triage priority (e.g. "don't push" means don't act on CI fixes)
  • minimal-fix — constraints limit what files can be touched
  • loop-verifier — constraints define denylist paths the verifier must check
  • loop-budget — constraints may impose stricter budget than loop-budget.md

Default constraints (when no file exists)

If loop-constraints.md is absent, enforce these minimums:

  • Never edit .env, .env.*, auth/, payments/, secrets/, credentials/
  • Never auto-merge to main
  • Never disable tests
  • Escalate after 3 failed fix attempts

© cobusgreyling, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/loop-constraints of cobusgreyling/loop-engineering.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 1f1e8a7

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in cobusgreyling/loop-engineering, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Loop Constraints Enforcer next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

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Darwin Skill Optimizeralchaincyf/darwin-skill6.2k1 repos~4.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Using Agent Skillsaddyosmani/agent-skills102k4 repos~2.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Claude ReflectBayramAnnakov/claude-reflect1.7k2 repos~627Automated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Loop Constraints Enforcer

What does Loop Constraints Enforcer do?

Loads a project's loop-constraints.md before any other action and blocks pushes, edits or merges that violate the rules it defines. md` from the project root and loading every rule into working memory, exiting immediately if a global pause flag is active. Every later action re-checks the relevant section of that file: a push re-reads the push and merge rules and stops to tell a human if any rule blocks it, an edit re-reads the paths section and escalates on a denylisted path, and a proposed fix re-reads the code rules and limits itself to one fix per run after running tests.

When should I use Loop Constraints Enforcer?

Loop Constraints Enforcer fits situations like: starting any automated loop run that might push, merge, or edit sensitive files; checking whether a planned push is blocked by project constraints; confirming how many constraint rules are currently active; falling back to safe defaults when no constraints file exists yet.

How do I install Loop Constraints Enforcer in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add cobusgreyling/loop-engineering --skill loop-constraints -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/loop-constraints in cobusgreyling/loop-engineering) into .claude/skills/loop-constraints in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Loop Constraints Enforcer in Codex?

Run `npx skills add cobusgreyling/loop-engineering --skill loop-constraints -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/loop-constraints in cobusgreyling/loop-engineering) into .agents/skills/loop-constraints in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Loop Constraints Enforcer in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add cobusgreyling/loop-engineering --skill loop-constraints -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/loop-constraints, .gemini/skills/loop-constraints, .github/skills/loop-constraints and .opencode/skills/loop-constraints in your project.

What does Loop Constraints Enforcer need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Loop Constraints Enforcer is instructions for the agent only.

Does Loop Constraints Enforcer access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Loop Constraints Enforcer safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (mentions a .env file), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Loop Constraints Enforcer use?

Loop Constraints Enforcer is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Loop Constraints Enforcer use?

About 475 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 1.9k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Loop Constraints Enforcer?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Loop Constraints Enforcer: Agent Self-Customization (nanocoai/nanoclaw, 31k stars), Show Me Your Work Decision Log (cursor/plugins, 10k stars), Darwin Skill Optimizer (alchaincyf/darwin-skill, 6.2k stars) and Using Agent Skills (addyosmani/agent-skills, 102k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Loop Constraints Enforcer?

cobusgreyling (a GitHub user) maintains it in cobusgreyling/loop-engineering, which has 11,429 GitHub stars. The repository holds 21 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: cobusgreyling/loop-engineering on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.