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Install Autoloop

This prompt guides you, a coding agent, to install Autoloop — an automated research and experimentation platform that runs iterative optimization loops on GitHub Agentic Workflows.

Your Task

Set up Autoloop in this repository by:

  1. Installing the gh-aw CLI extension
  2. Initializing the repo for agentic workflows
  3. Copying the Autoloop workflow and configuration files
  4. Compiling the workflows
  5. Creating a branch, committing, and opening a pull request
  6. Helping create the first Autoloop program

Step 1: Install gh-aw CLI Extension

Run the installation script from the gh-aw repository:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/github/gh-aw/main/install-gh-aw.sh | bash

Verify installation:

gh aw version

You should see version information displayed. If you encounter an error, check that:

  • GitHub CLI (gh) is installed and authenticated
  • The installation script completed without errors

Step 2: Initialize Repository for Agentic Workflows

gh aw init

What this does: Configures .gitattributes, creates the dispatcher agent, and sets up Copilot setup steps.

Step 3: Clone Autoloop and Copy Files

Clone the Autoloop repository and copy its files into this repo:

git clone https://github.com/githubnext/autoloop /tmp/autoloop

Copy the workflow definitions:

cp -r /tmp/autoloop/workflows/ .github/workflows/

Copy the issue template and create the Autoloop directories:

mkdir -p .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE
cp -r /tmp/autoloop/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
mkdir -p .autoloop/programs

Clean up:

rm -rf /tmp/autoloop

Step 4: Compile the Workflows

gh aw compile autoloop
gh aw compile sync-branches

What this does: Generates .github/workflows/autoloop.lock.yml and .github/workflows/sync-branches.lock.yml from the workflow definitions.

Step 5: Create a Branch, Commit, and Open a Pull Request

Create a new branch for the installation changes, commit, and push:

git checkout -b install-autoloop
git add .
git commit -m "Install Autoloop"
git push -u origin install-autoloop

Then open a pull request for review:

gh pr create --title "Install Autoloop" --body "Set up Autoloop workflows and configuration"

Report the pull request link to the user.

Step 6: Create Your First Program

Next, suggest to the user that we create their first program, which will be added to the existing PR. If they decline, we're done. Else, continue.

Help the user create their first Autoloop program as a GitHub issue using the Autoloop Program issue template. See create-program.md for a detailed guide on writing programs.

A good first program has:

  • A measurable numeric metric
  • A bounded set of target files
  • An incremental goal where small changes can improve the metric

When proposing a program, always clarify whether it is open-ended or goal-oriented:

  • Open-ended programs run indefinitely, always seeking improvement (e.g., "continuously improve algorithm performance"). Omit target-metric from the frontmatter.
  • Goal-oriented programs have a specific finish line (e.g., "reach 95% test coverage"). Set target-metric in the frontmatter. When the metric is reached, the program completes automatically — the autoloop-program label is removed and autoloop-completed is added.

Read the target repo to find good candidates for autoloop programs. Test coverage? Bundle size optimization? Algo improvements? ML pipeline improvements?

Optionally, you may copy existing examples from the .autoloop/programs/ folder in the Autoloop repo for inspiration.

Troubleshooting

gh aw not found

  • Verify GitHub CLI is installed: gh --version
  • Re-run the installation script from Step 1
  • Check that gh auth status shows a valid session

Compile fails

  • Ensure .github/workflows/autoloop.md and .github/workflows/sync-branches.md exist
  • Ensure .github/workflows/shared/ directory was copied
  • Re-run gh aw compile autoloop with --verbose for details

Reference