diff --git a/src/agent/agent.js b/src/agent/agent.js
index 4ec5805..ca9cfa7 100644
--- a/src/agent/agent.js
+++ b/src/agent/agent.js
@@ -169,13 +169,13 @@ export class Agent {
             this.coder.executeDefault();
         });
 
-        this.self_defense = true;
-        this.defending = false;
-        this._pause_defending = false;
-
         // set interval every 300ms to update the bot's state
         this.update_interval = setInterval(async () => {
             this.bot.modes.update();
         }, 300);
     }
+
+    isIdle() {
+        return !this.coder.executing && !this.coder.generating;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/agent/coder.js b/src/agent/coder.js
index ec98da0..9e973c7 100644
--- a/src/agent/coder.js
+++ b/src/agent/coder.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export class Coder {
         this.file_counter = 0;
         this.fp = '/bots/'+agent.name+'/action-code/';
         this.executing = false;
+        this.generating = false;
         this.code_template = '';
         this.timedout = false;
         this.default_func = null;
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ export class Coder {
     }
 
     santitizeCode(code) {
-        const remove_strs = ['javascript', 'js']
+        const remove_strs = ['Javascript', 'javascript', 'js']
         for (let r of remove_strs) {
             if (code.startsWith(r)) {
                 code = code.slice(r.length);
@@ -89,6 +90,15 @@ export class Coder {
     }
 
     async generateCode(agent_history) {
+        // wrapper to prevent overlapping code generation loops
+        await this.stop();
+        this.generating = true;
+        await this.generateCodeLoop(agent_history);
+        this.generating = false;
+    }
+
+
+    async generateCodeLoop(agent_history) {
         let system_message = "You are a minecraft mineflayer bot that plays minecraft by writing javascript codeblocks. Given the conversation between you and the user, use the provided skills and world functions to write your code in a codeblock. Example response: ``` // your code here ``` You will then be given a response to your code. If you are satisfied with the response, respond without a codeblock in a conversational way. If something went wrong, write another codeblock and try to fix the problem.";
         system_message += getSkillDocs();
 
@@ -99,6 +109,8 @@ export class Coder {
         let code_return = null;
         let failures = 0;
         for (let i=0; i<5; i++) {
+            if (this.agent.bot.interrupt_code)
+                return;
             console.log(messages)
             let res = await sendRequest(messages, system_message);
             console.log('Code generation response:', res)
@@ -144,11 +156,7 @@ export class Coder {
                 role: 'system',
                 content: code_return.message
             });
-
-            if (this.agent.bot.interrupt_code)
-                return;
         }
-
         return;
     }
 
@@ -191,8 +199,10 @@ export class Coder {
             if (!interrupted) this.agent.bot.emit('idle');
             return {success:true, message: output, interrupted, timedout};
         } catch (err) {
-            console.error("Code execution triggered catch: " + err);
+            this.executing = false;
             clearTimeout(TIMEOUT);
+
+            console.error("Code execution triggered catch: " + err);
             await this.stop();
 
             let message = this.formatOutput(this.agent.bot) + '!!Code threw exception!!  Error: ' + err;
diff --git a/src/agent/commands/actions.js b/src/agent/commands/actions.js
index 49b1ac6..ca2cbb3 100644
--- a/src/agent/commands/actions.js
+++ b/src/agent/commands/actions.js
@@ -73,10 +73,14 @@ export const actionsList = [
     },
     {
         name: '!givePlayer',
-        description: 'Give the specified item to the given player. Ex: !givePlayer("steve", "stone_pickaxe")',
-        params: { 'player_name': '(string) The name of the player to give the item to.', 'item_name': '(string) The name of the item to give.' },
-        perform: wrapExecution(async (agent, player_name, item_name) => {
-            await skills.giveToPlayer(agent.bot, item_name, player_name);
+        description: 'Give the specified item to the given player. Ex: !givePlayer("steve", "stone_pickaxe", 1)',
+        params: { 
+            'player_name': '(string) The name of the player to give the item to.', 
+            'item_name': '(string) The name of the item to give.' ,
+            'num': '(number) The number of items to give.'
+        },
+        perform: wrapExecution(async (agent, player_name, item_name, num) => {
+            await skills.giveToPlayer(agent.bot, item_name, player_name, num);
         })
     },
     {
diff --git a/src/agent/library/skills.js b/src/agent/library/skills.js
index 9753ed3..e2fc8c0 100644
--- a/src/agent/library/skills.js
+++ b/src/agent/library/skills.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import pf from 'mineflayer-pathfinder';
 import Vec3 from 'vec3';
 
 
-function log(bot, message, chat=false) {
+export function log(bot, message, chat=false) {
     bot.output += message + '\n';
     if (chat)
         bot.chat(message);
diff --git a/src/agent/modes.js b/src/agent/modes.js
index de0f09c..873245d 100644
--- a/src/agent/modes.js
+++ b/src/agent/modes.js
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ class ModeController {
     }
 
     update() {
-        if (!this.agent.coder.executing) {
+        if (this.agent.isIdle()) {
             // other actions might pause a mode to override it
             // when idle, unpause all modes
             for (let mode of this.modes_list) {
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ class ModeController {
             }
         }
         for (let mode of this.modes_list) {
-            let available = mode.interrupts.includes('all') || !this.agent.coder.executing;
+            let available = mode.interrupts.includes('all') || this.agent.isIdle();
             let interruptible = this.agent.coder.interruptible && (mode.interrupts.includes('defaults') || mode.interrupts.includes(this.agent.coder.default_name));
             if (mode.on && !mode.paused && !mode.active && (available || interruptible)) {
                 mode.update(this.agent);