Engine profiles

Loop commands are built from declarative profiles in packages/core/src/engine-profiles.ts. Each profile specifies:

• Binary (with optional Windows alias)
• Prompt delivery — pipe-file, inline-prompt, or script
• Headless / auto-approve flags
• Workspace binding (-c, --dir, --add-dir, or cwd-only)
• Phase file attachments (developer vs auditor read/write targets)
• Doctor checks — PATH lookup or Python import

Shared contract

All engines receive the same append hint (LOOP_TOOL_HINT): write JSON to the designated buffer file, not chat-only output.

Orchestrator agent timeout: 15 minutes minimum (DEFAULT_AGENT_TIMEOUT_MS).

Delivery modes

Mode	Used by	Behavior
pipe-file	Cline	cat prompt | cline … with JSON headless flags
inline-prompt	Claude, Aider, Copilot, …	Full prompt on command line with tool hint
script	openhands-sdk	Python wrapper scripts/openhands-loop.py

Phase files

Aider and OpenCode attach workspace files per role:

• Developer writes developer_output.json, reads shared context + auditor output
• Auditor writes auditor_output.json, reads shared context + developer output

Example profile (conceptual)

cline: {
  id: "cline",
  binary: "cline",
  delivery: "pipe-file",
  headlessArgs: ["--json"],
  autoApproveArgs: ["--auto-approve", "true"],
  workspace: { mode: "flag", flag: "-c" },
  timeoutFlag: "-t",
}

Adding a new engine

1. Copy the closest existing profile in ENGINE_PROFILES.
2. Adjust binary, delivery mode, and flags to match the CLI’s headless docs.
3. Add expectations in engine-profiles.test.ts and loop.test.ts.
4. Document setup in Agent engines.

No new TypeScript builder functions are required unless you introduce a new delivery mode.

Maintainer note

Source of truth: engine-profiles.ts on GitHub.