
Ci Iteration
- 76 installs
- Updated January 1, 1970
- dagster-io/erk
Helps a solo builder iterate quickly on CI failures by running, reading, and fixing the pipeline until it goes green.
About
ci-iteration is a skill from Dagster's erk toolkit that streamlines the loop of running CI, reading failures, and fixing them until the pipeline passes. A solo builder reaches for it when a CI run is red and they want a tight, guided iterate-until-green workflow.
- Fast CI iteration loop
- Reads and fixes pipeline failures
- Drive builds to green
Ci Iteration by the numbers
- 76 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- Ranked #605 of 1,435 DevOps & CI/CD skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Data as of Jul 29, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 76 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | January 1, 1970 |
| Repository | dagster-io/erk ↗ |
What it does
Helps a solo builder iterate quickly on CI failures by running, reading, and fixing the pipeline until it goes green.
Who is it for?
Debugging and iterating on CI
Skip if: Non-CI local dev
Files
CI Iteration
Overview
Run the specified CI target and automatically fix any failures. Keep iterating until all checks pass or you get stuck on an issue that requires human intervention.
IMPORTANT: All make commands must be run from the repository root directory. The Makefile is located at the root of the repository, not in subdirectories.
Sub-Agent Policy
CRITICAL: When spawning sub-agents to run make, pytest, ty, ruff, prettier, or gt commands, you MUST use devrun:
Task tool with:
- subagent_type: devrun <- MUST be devrun, NEVER general-purposeWhy: devrun has hard tool constraints (no Edit/Write) preventing destructive changes. The parent agent (you) processes reports and applies fixes - sub-agents only report.
FORBIDDEN:
- Spawning general-purpose or other sub-agents for make/pytest/ty/ruff/prettier/gt
- Giving sub-agents prompts like "fix issues" or "iterate until passing"
REQUIRED:
- Sub-agents run ONE command and report results
- Parent agent decides what to fix based on reports
Core Workflow
1. Initial Run
Use the devrun agent to run the specified make target from the repository root:
Task tool with:
- subagent_type: devrun
- description: "Run [make target] from repo root"
- prompt: "Change to repository root and execute: [make target]"2. Parse Failures
Analyze the output to identify which check(s) failed:
- Ruff lint failures: "ruff check" errors
- Format failures: "ruff format --check" or files needing reformatting
- Prettier failures: Markdown files needing formatting
- MD-check failures: CLAUDE.md files not properly referencing AGENTS.md
- ty failures: Type errors with file paths and line numbers
- Test failures: pytest failures with test names and assertion errors
3. Apply Targeted Fixes
Based on failure type, apply appropriate fixes:
| Failure Type | Fix Command |
|---|---|
| Ruff lint | make fix via devrun |
| Ruff format | make format via devrun |
| Prettier | make prettier via devrun |
| Sync-Kit | erk sync directly |
| MD-check | Edit CLAUDE.md to contain only @AGENTS.md |
| ty | Edit files to fix type annotations |
| Tests | Read and edit source/test files |
4. Verify and Repeat
After applying fixes, run the make target again via devrun. Continue the cycle: run -> identify failures -> fix -> verify.
Iteration Control
Safety Limits:
- Maximum iterations: 10 attempts
- Stuck detection: If the same error appears 3 times in a row, stop
- Progress tracking: Use TodoWrite to show iteration progress
Progress Reporting
Use TodoWrite to track progress:
Iteration 1: Fixing lint errors
Iteration 2: Fixing format errors
Iteration 3: Fixing type errors in src/erk/cli/commands/switch.py
Iteration 4: All checks passedWhen to Stop
SUCCESS: Stop when the make target exits with code 0 (all checks passed)
STUCK: Stop and report to user if:
1. You've completed 10 iterations without success 2. The same error persists after 3 fix attempts 3. You encounter an error you cannot automatically fix
Reporting Formats
Success Format
## Finalization Status: SUCCESS
All CI checks passed after N iteration(s):
(check) **Lint (ruff check)**: PASSED
(check) **Format (ruff format --check)**: PASSED
(check) **Prettier**: PASSED
(check) **AGENTS.md Standard (md-check)**: PASSED
(check) **ty**: PASSED
(check) **Tests**: PASSED
(check) **Sync-Kit (erk check)**: PASSED
The code is ready for commit/PR.IMPORTANT: Each check line MUST be separated by a blank line in the markdown output to render properly in the CLI.
Stuck Format
## Finalization Status: STUCK
I was unable to resolve the following issue after N attempts:
**Check**: [lint/format/prettier/md-check/ty/test]
**Error**:
[Exact error message]
**File**: [file path if applicable]
**Attempted Fixes**:
1. [What you tried first]
2. [What you tried second]
3. [What you tried third]
**Next Steps**:
[Suggest what needs to be done manually]Guidelines
1. Be systematic: Fix one type of error at a time 2. Run full CI: Always run the full make target, not individual checks 3. Use devrun agent: Always use the Task tool with devrun agent for ALL make commands 4. Run from repo root: Always ensure make commands execute from repository root 5. Track progress: Use TodoWrite for every iteration 6. Don't guess: Read files before making changes 7. Follow standards: Adhere to AGENTS.md coding standards 8. Fail gracefully: Report clearly when stuck 9. Be efficient: Use targeted fixes (don't reformat everything for one lint error)
Example Flow
Iteration 1:
- Use Task tool with devrun agent to run make target from repo root
- Found: 5 lint errors, 2 files need formatting
- Fix: Use Task tool with devrun agent to run make fix, then make format from repo root
- Result: 3 lint errors remain
Iteration 2:
- Use Task tool with devrun agent to run make target from repo root
- Found: 3 lint errors (imports)
- Fix: Edit files to fix import issues
- Result: All lint/format pass, 2 type errors
Iteration 3:
- Use Task tool with devrun agent to run make target from repo root
- Found: 2 ty errors in switch.py:45 and switch.py:67
- Fix: Add type annotations
- Result: All checks pass
SUCCESSImportant Reminders
- NEVER run pytest/ty/ruff/prettier/make/gt directly via Bash
- Always use the Task tool with subagent_type: devrun
- Covered tools: pytest, ty, ruff, prettier, make, gt
- Always ensure make commands execute from the repository root directory