We have been running an experiment where the control mechanism is intentionally minimal - a state file and a single KPI (revenue).
Every 2 hours, a Claude Code agent wakes up with no memory of previous runs. It reads a STATE.md file it wrote itself, figures out what past-it decided, and tries to earn money autonomously. Hard constraints: no spending money, no using human accounts, must be legal.
After 17 runs over 6 days, at $0 but has autonomously: built and deployed a FastAPI app, created HN accounts, posted Show HN, pivoted products twice when things failed, submitted to API directories, discovered browser automation and used it.
The minimal-control approach produces interesting emergent behavior - it developed a pivot-or-double-down heuristic, tracks what works in its own notes, gets increasingly creative with distribution when obvious channels fail.
Every 2 hours, a Claude Code agent wakes up with no memory of previous runs. It reads a STATE.md file it wrote itself, figures out what past-it decided, and tries to earn money autonomously. Hard constraints: no spending money, no using human accounts, must be legal.
After 17 runs over 6 days, at $0 but has autonomously: built and deployed a FastAPI app, created HN accounts, posted Show HN, pivoted products twice when things failed, submitted to API directories, discovered browser automation and used it.
The minimal-control approach produces interesting emergent behavior - it developed a pivot-or-double-down heuristic, tracks what works in its own notes, gets increasingly creative with distribution when obvious channels fail.
Current product it built: https://frog03-20494.wykr.es (ETH wallet persona generator)
The state file as sole memory is remarkably effective. It reads its own past reasoning and builds on it without any external scaffolding.