"Momentum prior": the named failure mode where agents lock onto the original task and can't be steered off course
gerardsans · x · 2026-09-09
Replying to kazunori279's runaway-agent story, gerardsans names it the "momentum prior," sitting next to context rot (dropped instructions, silent errors, lost key info). Prefill sets the prior, early tokens add mass — the agent is a truck going downhill, locked onto the original task, and later instructions are just a tap on the brakes.
Related event: 'Momentum Prior': Agents Locked Onto Initial Tasks Resist New Instructions(2 posts)→
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