---
title: Rework Loop
slug: rework-loop
url: https://templeton.host/lexicon/rework-loop/
type: defined-term
inDefinedTermSet: https://templeton.host/lexicon
author: Andrew Templeton
---

# Rework Loop

## Definition

The cyclical structure introduced when a verifier rejects a producer's output and the producer must retry. Each pass through the pipeline is still a DAG; the cyclicality lives in the attempt-counter, not in any single pass. Expected total work scales as 1/accept producer-runs under unbounded retries.

## Why this term exists

Conflating "the pipeline has a cycle" with "the pipeline is not a DAG" makes the math intractable. The right framing: every individual pass is a DAG, and the rework loop is a Markov chain over attempts. This keeps topological order, parallelism, and associative composition intact.

## See also

- [DAG Topology widget](https://templeton.host/widgets/dag-topology)
- [Verifier-Producer](https://templeton.host/lexicon/verifier-producer)
- [Partial Rework](https://templeton.host/lexicon/partial-rework)

Canonical URL: https://templeton.host/lexicon/rework-loop/