Every agent runs the same fundamental cycle. Click each node to understand what happens at every step.
Click any node on the loop to explore it
🔄 The Loop
This is the heartbeat of every AI agent. Unlike a chatbot that responds once and stops, an agent cycles through these five steps continuously until its goal is achieved. Click a node above to dive in.
Lesson Complete!
You understand the agent loop — the core pattern behind every autonomous AI system.
Match the Agent Loop Step to What Happens
Tap one on the left, then its match on the right
Put the Agent Loop in Order
Arrange the agent loop steps in the correct sequence
⠿1Learn — store the outcome in memory
⠿2Think — reason about goal, memory, and current context
⠿3Act — call a tool to take a real action
⠿4Perceive — take in input from the environment
⠿5Observe — check if the action succeeded or failed
The Agent Loop — Console
✦Free response
Walk through the Think-Act-Observe agent loop with a concrete example. Show at least 3 full cycles where the agent makes progress toward a goal, including one cycle where the observation reveals something unexpected that changes the plan.