Open vs Closed Agent Loops
Short answer
Closed loops have clear validation and stop rules. Open loops explore uncertain tasks and need stronger human supervision.
Why it matters
Knowing which kind of loop you have tells you how much autonomy is safe. A closed loop with a crisp validator can run semi-autonomously; an open, exploratory loop should keep a human closely in the loop.
Practical checklist
- Ask whether success is objectively checkable
- Treat exploratory tasks as open loops
- Increase supervision as uncertainty rises
- Convert open loops to closed ones by adding a validator where possible
Example
“Make CI green” is a closed loop. “Research the best caching strategy for us” is an open loop — useful, but it needs human review at each step rather than unattended iteration.
Common failure modes
Running an open loop unattended
Forcing a fake validator onto an exploratory task
Over-trusting autonomy when the goal is fuzzy