fast-loop-coding

Speed-tuned cousin of loop-coding. For small, well-scoped tasks where the full 7-phase pipeline is overkill. Target: 3-4x faster than loop-coding.

Core principle

Single critic for plan, dual for review. Loop-coding (full) is dual on Audit/Plan/Review (defence in depth on big surface). Fast-loop drops Audit entirely, keeps Plan single-model (Codex GPT-5.5 — strong enough alone for small scope), and keeps Review dual (Codex+Opus parallel — cheap insurance once the code exists). If surface is small, one Codex plan converges; if not, escape valve to loop-coding. Aligns with core/rules.md > Model role split: Codex for critique/architecture, Opus for code, dual only on Review.

Decision tree (run BEFORE starting)

Use fast-loop-coding if ALL true:

• Estimated LOC <= 300
• Files touched <= 3
• Single subsystem (no cross-service coupling)
• Tests fit in one file
• No production deploy (staging OK)
• No RED file edits
• No external API contract changes