Other Reasons to Stop

Reaching the goal isn't the only valid reason for a loop to stop. A well-designed agent also stops when it hits a maximum number of steps or a time limit, when it runs into an error it can't resolve on its own, or when it reaches a point where handing off to a person makes more sense than continuing to guess.

These limits matter because a loop with no boundaries can get stuck: retrying the same failing action over and over, or drifting further from the goal with each cycle instead of closer to it. A step or time limit catches that even when the agent itself can't tell it's stuck.

So stopping conditions aren't a single rule — they're a small set of checks: did the goal get reached, did something fail in a way the agent can't handle, has it been going too long. Designing those checks is part of building the agent, not something to bolt on afterward.

Besides reaching the goal, what is another valid reason for an agent loop to stop?

Without a step or time limit, a stuck agent could keep retrying the same failing action ____.

Designing stopping conditions is something that should be built into an agent from the start, not added as an afterthought.