Tech SkillsGoal and Loop Commands

When A Goal Ends Question Explained

This worked Loop Engineering practice question tests Goal and Loop Commands. Try the answer first, then review why D is the best choice.

Short answer

The correct answer is D. A goal can also end when judged impossible or after an error you must fix.

The /goal docs describe several exits: the condition is met, the evaluator judges it impossible, or an error occurs that you must fix. Running /clear also removes any active goal. Setting a goal does not guarantee the work finishes. Run /goal with no arguments to see the current state, and read why it stopped before assuming the work is done. The correct answer is D. A goal can also end when judged impossible or after an error you must fix

The Question

A /goal you set an hour ago is no longer active and the task is only half done. A teammate says a goal always runs until the condition is true. What is the right understanding?

AThe goal is still active; /goal only pauses while you type
BA goal always completes; the half-finished work means someone ran /goal clear
CA goal keeps restarting Claude until the evaluator agrees, with no other exit
DA goal can also end when judged impossible or after an error you must fixCorrect

Why D is correct

The /goal docs describe several exits: the condition is met, the evaluator judges it impossible, or an error occurs that you must fix. Running /clear also removes any active goal. Setting a goal does not guarantee the work finishes. Run /goal with no arguments to see the current state, and read why it stopped before assuming the work is done. The correct answer is D. A goal can also end when judged impossible or after an error you must fix

Why the other options are wrong

Option A: The goal is still active; /goal only pauses while you type

Typing does not pause a goal. If /goal with no arguments shows nothing active, the goal is gone.

Option B: A goal always completes; the half-finished work means someone ran /goal clear

Someone may have cleared it, but that is one explanation among several. "Always completes" is the wrong model either way.

Option C: A goal keeps restarting Claude until the evaluator agrees, with no other exit

The evaluator agreeing is one exit. A verdict of impossible, an error you must fix, /goal clear, and /clear also end a goal.

Key idea: Goal and Loop Commands

Loop engineering is a practice skill. Open Claude Code in a throwaway folder, write one small task in a file, and run it with /loop or /goal while you watch. If you doubt an answer, test it against a real run in that folder.

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