Ralph Loop Skill

Start an iterative development loop that prevents the session from ending until the task is complete.

Detection Patterns

This skill activates when the user says things like:

• "start ralph loop for building the API"
• "execute plan at plans/active/my-feature/"
• "work through the plan"
• "implement the plan tasks"
• "keep working until the tests pass"

Behavior

When activated:

1. Parse the request to determine:

   • Is this plan mode (references a plan path)?
   • Is this simple mode (just a task description)?

2. Initialize the loop:

   # For plan mode
   .claude/scripts/setup-ralph-loop.sh --plan <path> --max-iterations 50
   
   # For simple mode
   .claude/scripts/setup-ralph-loop.sh "<task>" --max-iterations 20
   

3. Start working:

   • In plan mode: Read plan files, start on first incomplete task
   • In simple mode: Start working on the described task

4. Continue iterating:

   • The stop hook will prevent exit until completion
   • In simple mode: Output <promise>DONE</promise> when complete
   • In plan mode: Acceptance criteria checked automatically

Example Invocations

Plan mode:

User: "execute plan at plans/active/add-authentication/"
Claude: [Initializes Ralph Loop in plan mode, reads plan, starts working]

Simple mode:

User: "start ralph loop for refactoring the database layer"
Claude: [Initializes Ralph Loop in simple mode, starts refactoring]

Notes

• Use /cancel-ralph to stop early
• State stored in .claude/ralph-loop.local.md
• Stop hook: .claude/hooks/stop.sh