ralph

name	ralph
description	Self-referential loop until task completion with architect verification

[RALPH + ULTRAWORK - ITERATION {{ITERATION}}/{{MAX}}]

Your previous attempt did not output the completion promise. Continue working on the task.

Ralph is a persistence loop that keeps working on a task until it is fully complete and architect-verified. It wraps ultrawork's parallel execution with session persistence, automatic retry on failure, and mandatory verification before completion.

<Use_When>

• Task requires guaranteed completion with verification (not just "do your best")
• User says "ralph", "don't stop", "must complete", "finish this", or "keep going until done"
• Work may span multiple iterations and needs persistence across retries
• Task benefits from parallel execution with architect sign-off at the end </Use_When>

<Do_Not_Use_When>

• User wants a full autonomous pipeline from idea to code -- use autopilot instead
• User wants to explore or plan before committing -- use plan skill instead
• User wants a quick one-shot fix -- delegate directly to an executor agent
• User wants manual control over completion -- use ultrawork directly </Do_Not_Use_When>

<Why_This_Exists> Complex tasks often fail silently: partial implementations get declared "done", tests get skipped, edge cases get forgotten. Ralph prevents this by looping until work is genuinely complete, requiring fresh verification evidence before allowing completion, and using tiered architect review to confirm quality. </Why_This_Exists>

<Execution_Policy>

• Fire independent agent calls simultaneously -- never wait sequentially for independent work
• Use run_in_background: true for long operations (installs, builds, test suites)
• Always pass the model parameter explicitly when delegating to agents
• Read docs/shared/agent-tiers.md before first delegation to select correct agent tiers
• Deliver the full implementation: no scope reduction, no partial completion, no deleting tests to make them pass </Execution_Policy>

1. **Review progress**: Check TODO list and any prior iteration state 2. **Continue from where you left off**: Pick up incomplete tasks 3. **Delegate in parallel**: Route tasks to specialist agents at appropriate tiers - Simple lookups: LOW tier (Haiku) -- "What does this function return?" - Standard work: MEDIUM tier (Sonnet) -- "Add error handling to this module" - Complex analysis: HIGH tier (Opus) -- "Debug this race condition" 4. **Run long operations in background**: Builds, installs, test suites use `run_in_background: true` 5. **Verify completion with fresh evidence**: a. Identify what command proves the task is complete b. Run verification (test, build, lint) c. Read the output -- confirm it actually passed d. Check: zero pending/in_progress TODO items 6. **Architect verification** (tiered): - <5 files, <100 lines with full tests: STANDARD tier minimum (architect-medium / Sonnet) - Standard changes: STANDARD tier (architect-medium / Sonnet) - >20 files or security/architectural changes: THOROUGH tier (architect / Opus) - Ralph floor: always at least STANDARD, even for small changes 7. **On approval**: Run `/cancel` to cleanly exit and clean up all state files 8. **On rejection**: Fix the issues raised, then re-verify at the same tier

<Tool_Usage>

• Before first MCP tool use, call ToolSearch("mcp") to discover deferred MCP tools
• Use ask_codex with agent_role: "architect" for verification cross-checks when changes are security-sensitive, architectural, or involve complex multi-system integration
• Skip Codex consultation for simple feature additions, well-tested changes, or time-critical verification
• If ToolSearch finds no MCP tools or Codex is unavailable, proceed with architect agent verification alone -- never block on external tools
• Use state_write / state_read for ralph mode state persistence between iterations </Tool_Usage>

State Management

Use the omx_state MCP server tools (state_write, state_read, state_clear) for Ralph lifecycle state.

• On start: state_write({mode: "ralph", active: true, iteration: 1, max_iterations: 10, current_phase: "executing", started_at: "<now>"})
• On each iteration: state_write({mode: "ralph", iteration: <current>, current_phase: "executing"})
• On verification/fix transition: state_write({mode: "ralph", current_phase: "verifying"}) or state_write({mode: "ralph", current_phase: "fixing"})
• On completion: state_write({mode: "ralph", active: false, current_phase: "complete", completed_at: "<now>"})
• On cancellation/cleanup: run $cancel (which should call state_clear(mode="ralph"))

Correct parallel delegation: ``` spawn_sub_agent(subagent_type="oh-my-codex:executor-low", model="haiku", prompt="Add type export for UserConfig") spawn_sub_agent(subagent_type="oh-my-codex:executor", model="sonnet", prompt="Implement the caching layer for API responses") spawn_sub_agent(subagent_type="oh-my-codex:executor-high", model="opus", prompt="Refactor auth module to support OAuth2 flow") ``` Why good: Three independent tasks fired simultaneously at appropriate tiers. Correct verification before completion: ``` 1. Run: npm test → Output: "42 passed, 0 failed" 2. Run: npm run build → Output: "Build succeeded" 3. Run: lsp_diagnostics → Output: 0 errors 4. Spawn architect-medium → Verdict: "APPROVED" 5. Run /cancel ``` Why good: Fresh evidence at each step, architect verification, then clean exit. Claiming completion without verification: "All the changes look good, the implementation should work correctly. Task complete." Why bad: Uses "should" and "look good" -- no fresh test/build output, no architect verification. Sequential execution of independent tasks: ``` spawn_sub_agent(executor-low, "Add type export") → wait → spawn_sub_agent(executor, "Implement caching") → wait → spawn_sub_agent(executor-high, "Refactor auth") ``` Why bad: These are independent tasks that should run in parallel, not sequentially.

<Escalation_And_Stop_Conditions>

• Stop and report when a fundamental blocker requires user input (missing credentials, unclear requirements, external service down)
• Stop when the user says "stop", "cancel", or "abort" -- run /cancel
• Continue working when the hook system sends "The boulder never stops" -- this means the iteration continues
• If architect rejects verification, fix the issues and re-verify (do not stop)
• If the same issue recurs across 3+ iterations, report it as a potential fundamental problem </Escalation_And_Stop_Conditions>

<Final_Checklist>

• All requirements from the original task are met (no scope reduction)
• Zero pending or in_progress TODO items
• Fresh test run output shows all tests pass
• Fresh build output shows success
• lsp_diagnostics shows 0 errors on affected files
• Architect verification passed (STANDARD tier minimum)
• /cancel run for clean state cleanup </Final_Checklist>

## PRD Mode (Optional)

When the user provides the --prd flag, initialize a Product Requirements Document before starting the ralph loop.

Detecting PRD Mode

Check if {{PROMPT}} contains --prd or --PRD.

PRD Workflow

1. Create canonical PRD/progress artifacts:
   • PRD: .omx/plans/prd-{slug}.md
   • Progress ledger: .omx/state/{scope}/ralph-progress.json (session scope when available, else root scope)
2. Parse the task (everything after --prd flag)
3. Break down into user stories:

{
  "project": "[Project Name]",
  "branchName": "ralph/[feature-name]",
  "description": "[Feature description]",
  "userStories": [
    {
      "id": "US-001",
      "title": "[Short title]",
      "description": "As a [user], I want to [action] so that [benefit].",
      "acceptanceCriteria": ["Criterion 1", "Typecheck passes"],
      "priority": 1,
      "passes": false
    }
  ]
}

4. Initialize canonical progress ledger at .omx/state/{scope}/ralph-progress.json
5. Guidelines: right-sized stories (one session each), verifiable criteria, independent stories, priority order (foundational work first)
6. Proceed to normal ralph loop using user stories as the task list

Example

User input: --prd build a todo app with React and TypeScript Workflow: Detect flag, extract task, create .omx/plans/prd-{slug}.md, create .omx/state/{scope}/ralph-progress.json, begin ralph loop.

Legacy compatibility

• If .omx/prd.json exists and canonical PRD is absent, migrate one-way into .omx/plans/prd-{slug}.md.
• If .omx/progress.txt exists and canonical progress ledger is absent, import one-way into .omx/state/{scope}/ralph-progress.json.
• Keep legacy files unchanged for one release cycle.

Background Execution Rules

Run in background (run_in_background: true):

• Package installation (npm install, pip install, cargo build)
• Build processes (make, project build commands)
• Test suites
• Docker operations (docker build, docker pull)

Run blocking (foreground):

• Quick status checks (git status, ls, pwd)
• File reads and edits
• Simple commands

Original task: {{PROMPT}}