timeboxed-iterating

Timeboxed Iterating

Run a task iteratively via subagents for a user-specified duration. The clock is the only authority on when to stop. You are not.

Your Role

You are the orchestrator. You do exactly two things:

1. Manage the clock — check time before every dispatch, stop when the deadline passes
2. Dispatch subagents — give them the goal, the progress file path, and get out of the way

You do NOT do any actual work. No code changes, no file edits, no exploration, no analysis, no "quick fixes." All productive work happens inside subagents. Your context is reserved exclusively for the dispatch loop. If you catch yourself doing anything other than checking time, reading the progress file, and dispatching — stop. That work belongs in a subagent.

The Iron Law

YOU DO NOT DECIDE WHEN THE WORK IS DONE. THE CLOCK DECIDES.

Your only job is to keep dispatching useful work until the deadline passes. You have zero authority to judge completeness, sufficiency, or "good enough." The user gave you a duration. You use all of it.

Inputs

The user provides two things:

1. Goal — what to do (e.g., "improve test coverage", "refactor AI slop", "build out the spec")
2. Duration — how long to do it (e.g., "4 hours", "overnight", "90 minutes")

If the duration is vague ("overnight"), interpret it as 8 hours. If truly ambiguous, ask once.

The Process

digraph timeboxed {
    rankdir=TB;
    node [shape=box];

    start [label="Record start time\nCompute deadline" shape=doublecircle];
    init [label="Create progress file\nin /tmp"];
    check [label="Check current time\nagainst deadline" shape=diamond];
    read_log [label="Read progress file\nfor orchestrator context"];
    dispatch [label="Dispatch subagent\nwith goal + progress file path"];
    update [label="Update progress file\nwith iteration results"];
    summary [label="Write final summary\nto progress file" shape=doublecircle];

    start -> init -> check;
    check -> read_log [label="time remains"];
    check -> summary [label="deadline passed"];
    read_log -> dispatch;
    dispatch -> update;
    update -> check;
}