run / then run

Syntax

run "<file.loop>"
then run "<file.loop>"
… with the result of <step>

What it does

A flow step. run "x.loop" runs every definition in that file; then run chains the next and receives the previous step's text summary; with the result of <step> pulls the handoff from a named earlier step instead of the previous one.

Where a loop self-corrects on one goal and a pipeline sequences stages inside a single file, a flow composes at the file level: each run executes a whole .loop — its full plan→act→observe cycle, its own done when — and passes a short text summary forward as context for the next step. Reach for it when a job spans units you already built and tested separately: a build loop, then a test loop, then a deploy loop. The chain is fail-fast — a step that ends unsatisfied halts the rest, so a broken build never reaches deploy. By default each step auto-carries the previous step's summary; with the result of <step> overrides that when a later step needs an earlier output instead (release notes that reference the build, not the test that ran after it). Paths are relative to the flow file. Add a human approves first under a step to gate it — the flow blocks until a person signs off before that file runs, which is how you put a hand on irreversible steps like a deploy.

Example

flow "release":
  run "build.loop"
  then run "test.loop"
  then run "notes.loop" with the result of build

How it runs

Common mistakes

• Using run outside a flow. run / then run are flow steps, not a way to invoke a loop from inside a loop or stage. To sequence stories in one file, use a pipeline with stages; use a flow only to chain whole files.
• Wrong relative path. The quoted file resolves relative to the flow file, not your shell. A path that works from the terminal can still fail inside the flow — write it relative to where the .loop lives.
• Assuming state carries, not just a summary. Only a short text summary passes between steps — not the file tree diff or variables. If a later step needs a specific earlier output, name it with with the result of <step> rather than hoping it survived the auto-carry.
• Forgetting fail-fast. A step whose done when never goes green halts the entire flow. Make sure every chained file has a real, runnable check, or the chain stalls at the first weak link.

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