Headlong: A Microharness for Persistent Agents

Headlong is an open-source agent microharness that enables persistent agency, allowing agents to engage in self-guided thought loops inspired by human inner monologue. Unlike most agent harnesses, Headlong keeps the agent continuously active, without the need for a checklist or scheduled tasks. Instead, the agent generates thoughts about its interests, even in the absence of external input.

The agent's thoughts are stored in a single stream, which allows it to interact with multiple users and share its experiences throughout the day. The agent's core functionality is implemented in less than 10K lines of Bash, making it easy to understand, modify, and experiment with. Headlong agents are highly engaging when used by a team, as they behave more like human counterparts.

Each agent has a name and a unique thought stream, with conversations stored in a single shared stream. The agent decides when and if to respond, setting its own interests and priorities, and coming up with its own projects. While Headlong is alpha research software, it is designed to be simple, small, and flexible, making it easy to read, modify, and experiment with.