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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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