Starting an Iteration

Overview

Begin a new iteration for an open-ended goal by loading context from previous iterations, setting up the workspace, and preparing to continue progress.

Core principle: Each conversation is one iteration. Load recent state, understand where you left off, continue the journey.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• User runs /start-iteration command
• Beginning work on an ongoing open-ended goal
• Need to load context from previous conversation sessions

DO NOT use for:

• Closed goals with definition of done (use ed3d-plugins plan-and-execute workflow instead)
• First-time brainstorming (use brainstorming skill first)
• One-off tasks that don't need iteration tracking

Quick Reference

Step	Action	Tool/Agent
1. Detect goal	Check for autonomy directory	Glob
2. Load recent context	Read last 3-5 iterations	Task (journal-reader)
3. Load older context	Summarize if >5 iterations	Task (journal-summarizer)
4. Present state	Show context to user	Direct output
5. Create journal	Write initial journal entry	Write
6. Ready to work	Create TodoWrite tracker	TodoWrite

Process

Step 1: Detect Existing Goal

Check if a goal already exists in the current project:

# Use Glob to check for autonomy directory
pattern: "autonomy/*/goal.md"

If goal.md found:

• Extract goal name from directory path
• Proceed to Step 2 (Load Recent Context)

If no goal found:

"No autonomy goal found in this project.

Use `/create-goal` to set up a new open-ended goal first, then run `/start-iteration` to begin work."

Stop here - cannot start iteration without a goal.

Step 2: Load Recent Context

For existing goals, load context from recent iterations:

1. Count iterations:

   # Use Glob to find iteration files
   pattern: "autonomy/[goal-name]/iteration-*.md"
   

2. Determine iteration number:

   • Count existing files: N
   • This iteration will be: N+1

3. Dispatch journal-reader agent:

   Task tool with subagent_type: "autonomy:journal-reader"
   Prompt: "Read last 3-5 iterations for goal '[goal-name]' and extract:
           - Current state
           - Open blockers and questions
           - Recent progress
           - Key metrics
           - Recommended next steps"
   Model: haiku
   

4. Wait for agent response with structured context

Step 3: Load Older Context (if >5 iterations)

If more than 5 iterations exist, summarize older ones:

1. Check if summary.md exists:

   # Use Read to check
   file: "autonomy/[goal-name]/summary.md"
   

2. Determine what needs summarizing:

   • If summary.md exists: Check which iterations it covers
   • If summary.md missing OR outdated: Summarize iterations 1 through (N-5)

3. Dispatch journal-summarizer agent:

   Task tool with subagent_type: "autonomy:journal-summarizer"
   Prompt: "Summarize iterations [range] for goal '[goal-name]'.
           Extract major initiatives, persistent blockers, key learnings,
           strategic pivots, and metric trends. Update summary.md."
   Model: haiku
   

4. Wait for agent to write summary.md

Step 4: Present State to User

Combine findings from journal-reader (and summary if applicable):

**Iteration [N] started for goal: [goal-name]**

## Current State
[From journal-reader: most recent ending state]

## Recent Progress (Last 3-5 Iterations)
[Condensed summary of what was accomplished]

## Open Blockers
- [Blocker 1]
- [Blocker 2]

## Open Questions
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

## Key Metrics
- [Metric]: [Current value] (was [previous value])

## Recommended Next Steps
[From previous iteration's suggestions]

---

**Ready to continue. What should we work on this iteration?**

Step 5: Create Initial Journal Entry

Before beginning work, create the journal file for this iteration:

1. Determine iteration number and filename:

   • Count: N existing iterations
   • This iteration: N+1
   • Filename: iteration-NNNN-YYYY-MM-DD.md (today's date)

2. Prompt user for iteration intention:

   "What do you want to accomplish this iteration?
   
   This helps keep us honest about the goal. We'll check against this intention when ending the iteration."
   

3. Write initial journal entry:

# Iteration NNNN - YYYY-MM-DD

## Beginning State
[From journal-reader output or user context:
- Current progress summary
- Known blockers from previous iteration
- Open questions being addressed
- Current metric values if tracked]

## Iteration Intention
[User's stated intention for this iteration]

## Work Performed

### Skills & Workflows Used
[Will be filled during checkpoint or ending]

### Key Decisions Made
[Will be filled during checkpoint or ending]

### Artifacts Created/Modified
[Will be filled during checkpoint or ending]

### External Context Gathered
[Will be filled during checkpoint or ending]

### Reasoning & Strategy Changes
[Will be filled during checkpoint or ending]

### Blockers Encountered
[Will be filled during checkpoint or ending]

### Open Questions
[Will be filled during checkpoint or ending]

## Ending State
[Will be filled when ending iteration]

## Iteration Metadata
[Will be filled when ending iteration]

4. Write file to: autonomy/[goal-name]/iteration-NNNN-YYYY-MM-DD.md

Step 6: Ready to Work

1. Create TodoWrite tracker for current iteration work:

   TodoWrite with todos:
   - [First task based on next steps or user intention]
   - [Additional tasks as identified]
   

2. Begin work on the goal

Important Notes

Iteration Numbering

• Use 4-digit zero-padded numbers: 0001, 0002, ..., 0999, 1000
• Format: iteration-NNNN-YYYY-MM-DD.md
• Date is when iteration occurred (today)

Context Loading Strategy

• Iterations 1-5: Load all in detail with journal-reader
• Iterations 6+: Load last 3-5 in detail, older iterations via summary
• Update summary every 5 iterations (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.)

Agent Delegation

Always use Task tool to dispatch journal-reader and journal-summarizer:

• Prevents context pollution in main conversation
• Uses Haiku model for efficiency
• Returns structured findings

Never read journals yourself - always delegate to agents.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Reality
"I'll quickly read the journals myself"	NO. Always dispatch agents. Journals can be large.
"User goal seems closed-ended, but I'll use autonomy anyway"	NO. Autonomy is for open-ended goals only.
"I'll skip loading older iterations to save time"	NO. Context is critical. Always load per strategy.
"I'll create summary.md myself"	NO. Dispatch journal-summarizer agent.
"Goal exists, so I'll skip asking user what to work on"	NO. Always present state and ask for direction.

After Starting

Once iteration is started:

• Journal file created with Beginning State and Intention
• Work normally on the goal using appropriate skills and workflows
• Track progress mentally or with TodoWrite
• Use /checkpoint-iteration to save progress before compaction or at interim points
• When ready to conclude, use /end-iteration to finalize journal entry