Trying out autonomous agents
Sandcastle is Matt Pocock’s workflow for running Claude Code unattended inside a Docker container. It assigns the agent a GitHub issue in a git worktree, then merges the resulting commits back into the user’s branch. Its init command quickly scaffolds the infrastructure, but useful results still depend on supplying clear, focused tickets. Wayfinder fills that planning gap by breaking an idea that is too large for one session into a map issue and smaller decision tickets. Each ticket addresses a single unresolved question rather than a build segment, producing the self-contained, labeled issues Sandcastle needs. Without this map, vague issues led to equally vague pull requests. Before queueing work, the author uses a grilling skill to challenge assumptions and force difficult decisions. Resolving uncertainty early prevents the agent from making costly guesses during unattended runs. For secrets, the author replaces a plaintext .env file with Varlock and a committed .env.schema. Values are resolved through Doppler and exposed only through process.env during execution, although each secret must still be explicitly forwarded into the container configuration. The author would use the setup again but stresses that ticket quality remains decisive. Every diff is still reviewed, tasks stay tightly scoped, and fully unattended overnight operation remains a future goal.
