Equation 5 · Part 1 · Claude Code, From First Principles: The Agentic Loop, Permissions, and What Actually Executes
Symbol a_t
What this part means
is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.
Its job in the formula
is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.
Full expression→Symbol a_t→Article meaning
The passage around this formula
Let be the context available to the model at step t : system instructions, conversation so far, file contents, tool outputs. The model is a policy that, given , emits either a final answer or a tool call :
Learn the underlying idea
A subscript is a label attached below a symbol. It often selects a time step, component, category, or member of a sequence.
Open the illustrated subscripts: which member of a family? guide →
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Sources cited in the article section
- [2] How Claude Code works ↗
- [11] Dive into Claude Code: The Design Space of Today's and Future AI Agent Systems ↗
These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.