SubTurtle Loop Types - Super Turtle

SubTurtles support four loop types:

slow
yolo
yolo-codex
yolo-codex-spark

Choose loop type based on complexity, iteration speed, and quota pressure.

At a Glance

Type	Calls per iteration	Runtime	Best for
`slow`	4 calls (Plan -> Groom -> Execute -> Review)	Claude + Codex	Complex, high-risk multi-file work
`yolo`	1 call	Claude	Claude-first implementation tasks
`yolo-codex`	1 call	Codex	Default autonomous coding tasks
`yolo-codex-spark`	1 call	Codex Spark (`gpt-5.3-codex-spark`)	Fastest Codex iterations

ctl spawn and ctl start default to --type yolo-codex.

How Each Loop Executes

The loop dispatcher maps type to runtime function:

LOOP_TYPES = {
    "slow": run_slow_loop,
    "yolo": run_yolo_loop,
    "yolo-codex": run_yolo_codex_loop,
    "yolo-codex-spark": run_yolo_codex_spark_loop,
}

`slow` (Most Thorough)

slow runs a 4-phase loop each iteration:

Planner (Claude) creates one-commit plan.
Groomer (Claude) updates CLAUDE.md backlog/current marker.
Executor (Codex) implements the plan.
Reviewer (Claude) validates and adds follow-ups if needed.

Use slow when:

The task is ambiguous or architecture-heavy.
Multiple files/systems must stay consistent.
You want explicit planning and review every cycle.

Tradeoff:

Highest quality guardrails.
Slowest and most expensive per iteration.

./super_turtle/subturtle/ctl spawn api-hardening --type slow --timeout 2h --state-file /tmp/api-hardening.md

`yolo` (Fast Claude Loop)

yolo runs a single Claude call per iteration using the state-file protocol. Use yolo when:

Scope is clear.
You still want Claude-centric reasoning.
Codex quota is constrained.

Tradeoff:

Faster than slow.
Less structured guardrail than Plan/Groom/Review.

./super_turtle/subturtle/ctl spawn auth-fix --type yolo --timeout 1h --state-file /tmp/auth-fix.md

`yolo-codex`

yolo-codex is the same single-call loop model as yolo, but uses Codex. Use yolo-codex when:

Work is implementation-heavy and well-scoped.
You want best cost-efficiency for autonomous backlog progress.
You are spawning many SubTurtles in parallel.

Tradeoff:

Best default cost/speed balance.
May require tighter state-file specificity than slow.

./super_turtle/subturtle/ctl spawn docs-agent --type yolo-codex --timeout 1h --state-file /tmp/docs-agent.md

`yolo-codex-spark` (Fastest Iterations)

yolo-codex-spark uses the Codex runtime with model gpt-5.3-codex-spark. Use yolo-codex-spark when:

Latency matters more than deep reasoning.
You want very rapid short iterations.
Tasks are concrete and low-ambiguity.

Tradeoff:

Fastest loop turnaround.
Least conservative option for complex design decisions.

./super_turtle/subturtle/ctl spawn ui-polish --type yolo-codex-spark --timeout 45m --state-file /tmp/ui-polish.md

Selection Guide

Default to yolo-codex

Start with yolo-codex for most tasks. It is the project default and gives the best cost/speed balance.

Escalate to slow for complex work

If a task needs explicit planning/review or crosses many boundaries, switch to slow.

Use yolo-codex for cost efficiency

Pick yolo-codex when you want lower cost or Claude quota is constrained.

Use yolo-codex-spark for shortest feedback loops

Pick Spark for highly concrete work where rapid iterations matter most.

Cost and Speed Tradeoffs

Priority	Recommended type	Why
Maximum quality checks	`slow`	Includes planning and review each iteration
Balanced default	`yolo-codex`	Single-call loop + Codex cost/speed balance
Cost-efficient	`yolo-codex`	Single-call loop + low-cost Codex runtime
Maximum iteration speed	`yolo-codex-spark`	Spark model tuned for fast cycles

Operational Notes

All loop types read .superturtle/subturtles/<name>/CLAUDE.md as the source of truth.
All loop types check for self-stop directive:

## Loop Control
STOP

Timeout/watchdog behavior is independent of loop type.
Cron supervision behavior is independent of loop type.

​At a Glance

​How Each Loop Executes

​slow (Most Thorough)

​yolo (Fast Claude Loop)

​yolo-codex

​yolo-codex-spark (Fastest Iterations)

​Selection Guide

​Cost and Speed Tradeoffs

​Operational Notes

​Related Pages

At a Glance

How Each Loop Executes

`slow` (Most Thorough)

`yolo` (Fast Claude Loop)

`yolo-codex`

`yolo-codex-spark` (Fastest Iterations)

Selection Guide

Cost and Speed Tradeoffs

Operational Notes

Related Pages