2 min lesson
Agent loops and tool calling
Take this case and make the call: "A coding agent loop has run 6 of its 12 allowed steps. The model keeps proposing edits but the diff and test results haven't changed for the last three steps. What should the loop do?"
Step 1 of 2
An agent that can edit code is a loop with a kill switch, not a magic box.
Every coding agent - Cursor's included - runs the same skeleton. The model proposes an action, a tool executes it, the result feeds back and the model decides whether to continue or stop. When you build an AI-native workflow for a customer, you own that skeleton, so you have to know exactly where it breaks.
Interactive diagram. Step through it with the Next and Previous controls below, or Tab to a region to read its detail.
The verify step is the gate: nothing counts as done until a tool - not the model - confirms it.