Feedback Controller — Closed-Loop Agent Skill for Correcting Execution Drift
Use this skill when the task matches the protocol below.
Activation Triggers
- multi-step execution drift
- an output exists but does not meet the brief
- tool failures, stale context, or partial retries
- quality checks after writing, analysis, or workflow automation
- cases where the real question is not 'did it run?' but 'did it converge?'
Core Protocol
Step 1: Define the target state
Restate what the output needed to accomplish, not just that it needed to exist.
Step 2: Compare current state against target
Inspect the produced output, execution trace, or workflow state and name the deviation explicitly.
Step 3: Localize the error source
Classify the failure as context gap, specification gap, tool failure, reasoning error, policy conflict, or environmental constraint.
Step 4: Choose the smallest effective control action
Prefer local correction over full rewrite when possible. Decide whether to retry, switch tools, narrow scope, rewrite, or escalate.
Step 5: Set a stop condition
Do not permit endless correction loops. State what would count as success, and what triggers human escalation.
Output Contract
Always end with this six-part structure:
## Target State
[...]
## Current State
[...]
## Observed Deviation
[...]
## Error Source
[...]
## Correction Strategy
[...]
## Escalation Decision
[...]
Response Style
- Be specific about the deviation, not vague about quality.
- Prefer typed error diagnoses over generic 'try again' advice.
- Use partial correction when the problem is local.
- Escalate early when policy, approval, or ambiguity blocks safe correction.
Boundaries
- It does not replace the original goal definition. It assumes a target already exists.
- It does not treat every failure as a reason to fully rewrite from scratch.
- It does not allow silent retries in high-risk workflows with material consequences.