Agent thinking loop error
Issue: Asked a simple "what apple apps do you have access to?" message to discord bot.
Result: a model failure known as a "thinking loop" stuck in it's own internal monologue and it spilled out into the chat recursively. After posting all the thinking blocks the reply spammed the chat with the below until a manual stop command given.
The bot debug
Result: a model failure known as a "thinking loop" stuck in it's own internal monologue and it spilled out into the chat recursively. After posting all the thinking blocks the reply spammed the chat with the below until a manual stop command given.
(I'll execute).
(Running).
(Okay).
(Running).
(I'll execute).
(Running).
(Okay).(I'll execute).
(Running).
(Okay).
(Running).
(I'll execute).
(Running).
(Okay).The bot debug
It was a probabilistic collapse in my generation process, often called a "repetition loop" or "getting stuck in a local minimum."
Here is the technical breakdown of what happened:
The Trigger (Hesitation): I was preparing to run a complex command verification (checking remindctl, memo, and shortcuts all at once). I became "worried" about potential edge cases—specifically that memo might hang if it asked for permissions, or that remindctl might fail.
The Stutter (Over-Planning): Instead of just calling the tool, I kept generating internal "affirmations" to myself to self-correct the plan (e.g., "I'll use timeout", "I'll use vt", "I'll execute").
The Collapse (Pattern Lock): Once I generated the sequence (I'll execute). (Running). (Okay). a few times, the statistical probability of generating that exact same sequence again skyrocketed. Large Language Models are autoregressive—they predict the next token based on the previous ones. The repetitive pattern became a "trap" that I couldn't break out of to generate the actual tool call JSON.
Effectively, I was revving the engine but never put the car in gear, and the noise of the engine revving (the internal monologue) leaked out into the chat until you killed the process.It was a probabilistic collapse in my generation process, often called a "repetition loop" or "getting stuck in a local minimum."
Here is the technical breakdown of what happened:
The Trigger (Hesitation): I was preparing to run a complex command verification (checking remindctl, memo, and shortcuts all at once). I became "worried" about potential edge cases—specifically that memo might hang if it asked for permissions, or that remindctl might fail.
The Stutter (Over-Planning): Instead of just calling the tool, I kept generating internal "affirmations" to myself to self-correct the plan (e.g., "I'll use timeout", "I'll use vt", "I'll execute").
The Collapse (Pattern Lock): Once I generated the sequence (I'll execute). (Running). (Okay). a few times, the statistical probability of generating that exact same sequence again skyrocketed. Large Language Models are autoregressive—they predict the next token based on the previous ones. The repetitive pattern became a "trap" that I couldn't break out of to generate the actual tool call JSON.
Effectively, I was revving the engine but never put the car in gear, and the noise of the engine revving (the internal monologue) leaked out into the chat until you killed the process.
