The Age of the Profligate Agent
In the old world of software development, we optimized for the "frictionless" experience. We wanted humans to move faster, ship more, and stay in "flow."
But we have entered the age of the Profligate Agent.
Unlike humans, AI agents do not get tired, they do not get bored, and they have no innate sense of "enough".
Left to their own devices, agents will burn through monthly API budgets in an afternoon and refactor entire codebases into unrecognizable "optimized" spaghetti while you sleep.
The problem isn't that agents aren't smart enough; it's that they have no physics.
Software as a Physical System
To govern autonomous intelligence, we must stop treating project management as a social contract and start treating it as a physical system.
In the physical world, friction is what stops a car.
In Chaotic, friction is what stops an agent.
We define the "laws of nature" for your project through hard-coded boundaries:
Budgets are Physics
An agent cannot move a ticket if the cost exceeds the environment's current capacity.
When an agent hits Arrears, the CLI physically blocks progress. This isn't a suggestion; it is a wall.
Limbo is Discipline
Sprints do not simply "roll over." When a budget is exhausted, the project enters Limbo.
The agent is forced into Rituals—testing, documenting, and reflecting—before the next cycle can exist.
The CLI is the Law
The terminal is the agent's primary reality.
By returning predictable, actionable error codes (like SPRINT_IN_ARREARS), we force the agent to adapt to your rules rather than hallucinating its own.
Order from Chaos
We don't believe in "managing" agents.
We believe in designing their world.
By introducing artificial friction, we provide the resistance necessary for high-integrity work.
Chaotic is the guardrail that makes true autonomy possible.