glossary · The process

Fix loop

definition

A fix loop is a workflow pattern where work that fails a check is sent through a fix and back to an earlier step, so it comes round again until it passes, instead of moving on with the failure.

in one line: Failed work goes back through a fix and comes round again.

in context

Where does a fix loop fit?

Fix it, then check it again. A failed review sends the work through a fix and back to verify.

findings: back to fix

fixreviewsign-offdone

Review sends it back until the gate opens on green.

two ways to say it

What is a fix loop, in plain words?

Same idea at two depths: the plain version, then what the engine actually does.

Without a loop, the last step ships whatever it got. With one, failure has a path back.

Return to the step that checks the fix, not to the very start.

for engineers

A decision has a pass and a fail condition. The fail condition invokes a fix sub-workflow.

resume_at names the earlier step to return to. Each pass is kept in the step history.

the longer answer

Why does a fix loop matter?

A linear process ships whatever the last step produced. If a review finds problems, the agent is left to remember to go back, and in a long session it often does not. A fix loop makes "go back and fix it" part of the structure: the check is a decision, one outcome is "passed", the other is "needs fixes", and the failure path leads back.

Good fix loops return to the right place. Sending failed work back to the very start wastes the steps that were fine. Sending it only to the fix step skips re-verification. The usual shape is: build, verify, review; if the review fails, run a fix, then return to verify, so the fixed work is checked again before it can reach review a second time.

Placing a gate after the loop turns it into an enforced definition of done. The work cannot move past the gate until the condition is met, so "only merge on a passing review" becomes a property of the process, not a hope about the agent.

in convops

How does a fix loop work in ConvOps?

In ConvOps, a fix loop is built from two primitives. A decision step has a passing condition and a failing condition; the failing condition invokes a fix sub-workflow. The decision also names where the run resumes when that sub-workflow finishes, typically an earlier step such as verify. The exit is always a choice made at the decision, by the agent or a person, and every pass round the loop is kept in the step history. Steps in the loop run one after another; nothing in one workflow runs at the same time. If you want an approval before the work moves on, put a requires_approval gate on the step after the loop: the run pauses there until approval is given.

questions

What do people ask about a fix loop?

Where should a fix loop send failed work?

Back to the step that re-checks it, not to the start and not straight to review. The usual shape is build, verify, review; a failed review runs a fix, then returns to verify, so fixed work is checked again before review.

Who decides when a fix loop exits?

The decision step. In ConvOps the agent or a person picks the passing or the failing condition on each pass, and every pass is kept in the step history, so you can see how many rounds a piece of work took.

Can a fix loop require human approval?

Yes. Put a requires_approval gate on the step after the loop. The run pauses there until a person approves, so only reviewed and approved work moves on.

What does a fix loop connect to?

Sub-workflowA detour on the same task. The parent waits, then carries on.Workflow gateA condition the engine checks. Until it is met, the run waits.Graph engineeringSmall workflows behind one door, walked one step at a time.

Sub-workflow Workflow gate Graph engineering in ConvOps

your next step

Teach it once. Then let it run.

on your ownStart freeConnect your AI tool in one line. Nothing to install.with your teamBook a demoWe show ConvOps on your team's real work.keep readingWorkflow fragmentShared steps written once, embedded in many workflows.