Swe agent issue loop

SWE Agent Issue Loop

Use this skill to handle issue-driven software engineering tasks the way modern coding-agent benchmarks and production agent harnesses do: isolate the repository, reproduce the failure, edit narrowly, and verify with executable tests.

When To Use

Activate when the user asks to:

• Fix a GitHub issue, bug report, failing test, or CI failure
• Build a coding-agent benchmark task
• Convert an issue into a reproducible repair workflow
• Compare agent scaffolds on software engineering tasks
• Add guardrails around autonomous coding agents

Repair Loop

1. Frame the issue

   • Extract expected behavior, observed behavior, affected files, environment, and acceptance criteria.
   • Identify what evidence is missing before editing.
   • Record any user constraints such as no refactor, no dependency changes, or no UI changes.

2. Build a reproduction

   • Run the smallest relevant failing command.
   • Prefer a focused test over full-suite execution.
   • If no test exists, write or sketch one before implementation when feasible.
   • Store command, result, and failure reason.

3. Patch narrowly

   • Read the local code around the failing behavior.
   • Change the smallest coherent surface.
   • Avoid solving benchmark tasks by hardcoding issue text, test names, or environment-specific values.

4. Verify

   • Re-run the reproducer.
   • Run adjacent tests or a targeted suite.
   • Check for formatting, lint, type, or build regressions when relevant.
   • Summarize command outcomes in the final response.

5. Harden the harness

   • Use sandboxed execution for autonomous agents.
   • Cap command timeouts and output length.
   • Separate model instructions from tool output.
   • Preserve full trajectories for later review.

Benchmark-Aware Guidance

SWE-bench Verified emphasizes clear issue descriptions, correct tests, and solvable tasks. Mirror that standard for internal benchmarks:

• Do not include ambiguous reports without expected behavior.
• Do not count a task as solved unless tests or deterministic checks pass.
• Track whether the agent used only allowed context.
• Capture the diff and trajectory, not only pass/fail.

Helper Script

Use issue_repro_matrix.py to convert issue text into a reproducibility matrix:

python scripts/issue_repro_matrix.py issue.md

References

Read agent-loop-checklist.md before designing a coding-agent harness or benchmark task.

External grounding:

• SWE-bench Verified
• mini-SWE-agent SWE-bench documentation
• SWE-ReX GitHub repository
• OpenHands Software Agent SDK HuggingFace paper page
• OpenHands GitHub repository