ralph-claim-feature

name	ralph-claim-feature
description	Atomically claim a feature for a teammate. Uses file locking to prevent two teammates from claiming the same feature. Teams variant only.
user-invocable	false

Skill: claim-feature

Atomically claim the next available feature for a teammate.

Purpose

In team mode, multiple implementer teammates work in parallel. This command ensures that no two teammates claim the same feature by using file locking around the read-modify-write operation.

Priority Rules

1. If this teammate already has an in_progress feature (claimed_by matches), return it (retry scenario)
2. Otherwise, find the first pending feature with no claimed_by value
3. Set status to in_progress, set claimed_by to the teammate name
4. Recalculate stats, write file, return claimed feature JSON

Input

• TeammateName (required): Name of the teammate claiming the feature (e.g., "implementer-1")
• Path: Path to feature_list.json (default: ./feature_list.json)

Output

JSON object of the claimed feature:

{
  "id": "F042",
  "description": "Validate email format on registration",
  "status": "in_progress",
  "claimed_by": "implementer-1",
  ...
}

If no features are available to claim:

{ "result": "ALL_CLAIMED" }

Usage

ralph skill claim-feature --teammate "implementer-1"

Schema Extension

This command adds one optional field to each feature:

{ "claimed_by": "implementer-1" }

Rules

• ALWAYS use this command to claim features in team mode (never set status manually)
• File locking prevents concurrent corruption
• claimed_by persists across session crashes, preventing re-claiming by other teammates