ralph

name	ralph
description	Persistence loop until task completion. Use when work must be verified complete.
argument-hint	<task description>
level	4

Ralph Skill

Keep working until ALL acceptance criteria are verified. PRD-driven persistence loop.

Usage

/skill:ralph "fix all TypeScript errors"
/skill:ralph "implement user authentication"
/skill:ralph "complete the API endpoints"

How It Works

RALPH ITERATION 1/10
        ↓
Create/Read PRD (prd.json)
        ↓
Pick next incomplete story
        ↓
Implement + Verify
        ↓
Story passes? → Mark complete → Next story?
        ↓
No → Fix → Re-verify → Loop
        ↓
All stories pass → Architect verification → Done

PRD Format

Create .omp/prd.json:

{
  "title": "Implement user authentication",
  "stories": [
    {
      "id": "AUTH-001",
      "description": "User can register",
      "acceptance_criteria": [
        "POST /auth/register accepts email/password",
        "Password is hashed with bcrypt",
        "Returns JWT token",
        "Validates email format",
        "Returns 400 for invalid input"
      ],
      "passes": false
    },
    {
      "id": "AUTH-002",
      "description": "User can login",
      "acceptance_criteria": [
        "POST /auth/login accepts valid credentials",
        "Returns JWT token",
        "Returns 401 for invalid credentials"
      ],
      "passes": false
    }
  ]
}

Steps

1. Initialize (Iteration 1)

{
  "active": true,
  "iteration": 1,
  "max_iterations": 10,
  "started_at": "2024-01-15T10:00:00Z",
  "current_phase": "implementing",
  "current_story": "AUTH-001"
}

2. Pick Next Story

Read prd.json, find first story with "passes": false.

3. Implement

Delegate to executor:

Task(subagent_type="oh-my-pi:executor", model="sonnet", prompt="Implement AUTH-001: User registration per acceptance criteria")

4. Verify Each Criterion

For each acceptance criterion:

• Run relevant tests
• Manual verification if needed
• Collect evidence

5. Mark Story Complete

When ALL criteria pass:

{
  "id": "AUTH-001",
  "passes": true,
  "verified_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "evidence": ["tests pass", "verified manually"]
}

6. Check Completion

Read prd.json:

• All passes: true? → Go to Step 7
• Not all complete? → Loop to Step 2

7. Architect Verification

Task(subagent_type="oh-my-pi:architect", model="opus", prompt="Review implementation against acceptance criteria")

If approved → Complete If rejected → Fix and re-verify

Anti-Patterns

❌ "Looks good, should work"

// Wrong - no verification
"Implementation complete, should work correctly"

✅ Evidence-based

// Right - actual verification
"Test results: 12/12 pass"
"Verified: POST /auth/register with valid input returns 200 + JWT"

Progress Tracking

Update .omp/state/ralph-progress.json:

{
  "active": true,
  "iteration": 2,
  "current_story": "AUTH-002",
  "completed_stories": ["AUTH-001"],
  "pending_stories": ["AUTH-002", "AUTH-003"],
  "errors_encountered": [],
  "iterations_with_no_progress": 0
}

Completion Criteria

• All prd.json stories have passes: true
• All acceptance criteria verified with evidence
• Architect review passed
• No regressions (all tests pass)
• Clean state files

Cancel

/skill:cancel

Stops ralph and cleans up state.