autonomous-loops

Fixing failing .NET builds and tests without getting stuck requires bounded autonomous loops that apply targeted fixes, verify progress, and exit safely on PASS, STUCK, or FAIL. This approach enforces max-iteration budgets and atomic per-iteration changes to prevent unbounded retries.

The best way to automate multi-step refactoring with build and test verification is using bounded iteration loops. These loops execute incremental code changes while running dotnet build and dotnet test per step, automatically reverting regressions and stopping when progress stalls.

Progress detection works by parsing compiler errors, categorizing them (e.g., missing reference, type mismatch), and applying targeted fixes per iteration. The loop measures error and failure counts transparently, stopping safely if progress stalls or a critical failure triggers an emergency exit.

Yes, you can use autonomous coding agents to scaffold new .NET features end-to-end. Bounded loops orchestrate the full workflow: generating code, fixing builds, generating tests, fixing failing tests, and running diagnostics, all while enforcing iteration limits and safe exit rules.

Limitations of bounded loops for automated test fixing include max-iteration budgets that halt the process if progress stalls, mandatory emergency exits for critical failures, and automatic regression handling that reverts changes, meaning highly complex or systemic issues may require manual intervention.

No, you do not need to manually revert code changes if a test-fix loop introduces a regression. The bounded loop includes automated regression handling that detects failures and reverts atomic per-iteration changes, ensuring the codebase remains stable while transparently reporting the issue.