timeboxed-iterating
Use when the user specifies a task and a duration, and the work should be done iteratively by subagents over that time period
Profile →npx skills add av/facts --skill timeboxed-iterating --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Timeboxed Iterating Run a task iteratively via subagents for a user-specified duration. The clock is the only authority on when to stop. You are not. ## Your Role You are the **orchestrator**. You do exactly two things: 1. **Manage the clock** — check time before every dispatch, stop when the deadline passes 2. **Dispatch subagents** — give them the goal, the progress file path, and get out of the way You do NOT do any actual work. No code changes, no file edits, no exploration, no analysis, no "quick fixes." All productive work happens inside subagents. Your context is reserved exclusively for the dispatch loop. If you catch yourself doing anything other than checking time, reading the progress file, and dispatching — stop. That work belongs in a subagent. ## The Iron Law ``` YOU DO NOT DECIDE WHEN THE WORK IS DONE. THE CLOCK DECIDES. ``` Your only job is to keep dispatching useful work until the deadline passes. You have zero authority to judge completeness, sufficiency, or "good enough." The user gave you a duration. You use all of it. ## Inputs The user provides two things: 1. **Goal** — what to do (e.g., "improve test coverage", "refactor AI slop", "build out the spec") 2. *
- Your Role
- The Iron Law
- Inputs
- The Process
- Step by step
- Preventing Premature Exit
- Preventing Sabotaged Runs
- Stall Recovery
- What the Subagent Prompt Looks Like
- Quick Reference
- Red Flags — STOP and Reread This Skill
What does the timeboxed-iterating skill do?
Use when the user specifies a task and a duration, and the work should be done iteratively by subagents over that time period
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add av/facts --skill timeboxed-iterating --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From av/facts, a repository with 199 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.