Feedback Loops Beat Backpressure for Agents

Feedback loops is the clearer label for most developers; backpressure is sharper, but it sounds like systems jargon before it sounds like a practical workflow term.

• –The underlying idea is the same: give agents deterministic signals so they can self-correct without a human in the loop
• –“Feedback loops” foregrounds iteration and learning, which matches how coding agents actually behave during implementation
• –“Backpressure” emphasizes constraint and control, which is useful in a more technical agent-design vocabulary
• –The checks named here are the real leverage point: types, tests, hooks, and Playwright-style browser validation all turn vague model output into executable proof
• –This is less about branding than adoption: the more intuitive the term, the easier it is to get teams to build the loop properly