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Running Claude Code autonomously: delegate the loop, keep control
In autonomous mode, you no longer drive every step of Claude Code: you set a stop condition once, and an evaluator checks it after each turn until the work is genuinely finished. Four levers make this loop automatic: /goal, /loop, /schedule and Stop hooks.
Claude Code can work two ways: as an assistant you watch at every step, or as an autonomous agent you delegate a « work, check, repeat » loop to until a stop condition is met. This dossier details the four mechanisms that make that autonomy operational, and where to keep control.
WYP.agency — practical guide, verified edition · July 2026
01From assistant to autonomous agent
Most developers use Claude Code as an assistant they must watch constantly. There is another way to work: you set a condition once, and Claude runs on its own until it is met.
In the usual flow, you are the loop: you write a prompt, Claude replies, you review, you re-run, twenty times. In the autonomous flow, you set a stop condition, an evaluator checks it after each turn, and if it is not done, Claude goes again. You define the goal once.
This is not a convenience setting. It is a different relationship to the tool: instead of driving every step, you delegate the loop « work, check, repeat ». The question is no longer « how do I do this », but « what am I willing to delegate ».
02The four levers
Four mechanisms make the loop automatic. Each is defined by its stop condition — what decides the work is done.
/goal — runs until a condition is true
You describe the target; Claude chains turns until an evaluator confirms it is reached. Best when « done » is objectively checkable: the tests pass, the page loads.
/loop — re-runs on a regular interval
Claude is re-run in a loop until you stop it or the work is done. Useful to watch a changing state: a deployment, a queue.
/schedule — at fixed times, in the background
The task fires on a schedule, with no open session. For the recurring: a report every morning, a watch every night.
Stop hooks — scriptable control of a turn's end
A script decides whether Claude may stop or must continue. The stop condition becomes programmable — the door to genuinely bespoke autonomy.
03Choosing the right lever
04Keeping control
Delegating the loop does not mean letting go. Useful autonomy is bounded: a clear stop condition, a limited scope, and a point where a human signs off on what commits.
The right question is not « does it work? » but « which decision am I willing to delegate, and which requires my signature? » Autonomy is framed before it is launched.
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The four levers to run Claude Code autonomously — /goal, /loop, /schedule, Stop hooks — each command cross-checked against the official documentation.
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See also
Further reading
Sources
- WYP.agency — Guide « Faire tourner Claude Code en autonomie » (édition vérifiée, juillet 2026). https://wyp.agency/glossaire/claude-code-autonomie/
- Anthropic — Documentation Claude Code. https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code