ralph-wiggum

name	ralph-wiggum
description	Autonomous "night shift" loop agent for research, testing, documentation, and background tasks using sessions_spawn, exec, Git, and message tools.

Ralph Wiggum - The Night Shift Agent 🌙

When to use this skill

• Use when the user request matches this skill's domain and capabilities.
• Use when this workflow or toolchain is explicitly requested.

When not to use this skill

• Do not use when another skill is a better direct match for the task.
• Do not use when the request is outside this skill's scope.

Ralph is your autonomous background worker. He loops through tasks, spawns sub-agents, runs shell commands, manages Git operations, and reports back — all while you sleep.

The Big Idea

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  RALPH'S LOOP (runs continuously or once)   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  1. Spawn sub-agent for task                │
│  2. Wait for result                         │
│  3. Execute shell commands if needed         │
│  4. Commit changes to Git                   │
│  5. Send report via message tool            │
│  6. Loop to next task (or exit)             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Ralph's job: Run your recurring tasks automatically. Research, testing, documentation, anything that doesn't need your immediate attention.

---

Core Tools (The "Ralph Stack")

Ralph is a wrapper around 4 Clawdbot tools:

Tool	What Ralph Does With It
sessions_spawn	Spawn sub-agent sessions for complex tasks
exec	Run shell commands (npm install, tests, Git)
Git	Clone, commit, push, check status
message	Send reports to you (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.)

---

Basic Loop Pattern

Simple One-Shot Task

# Ralph runs one task and reports back
sessions_spawn task:"Research recent AgTech funding trends and summarize with sources" label:"ralph-research"
# Returns session ID for tracking

Result: Sub-agent researches, completes, and Clawdbot automatically pings you.

---

Multi-Step Loop (The "Night Shift")

# 1. Spawn research agent
SESSION_ID=$(sessions_spawn task:"Research 5 recent AgTech funding rounds, analyze patterns, create summary with sources" label:"ralph-agtech")

# 2. Wait for completion (poll)
while true; do
  STATUS=$(sessions_list | grep "$SESSION_ID" | jq -r '.status')
  if [ "$STATUS" = "completed" ]; then
    break
  fi
  sleep 60
done

# 3. Clone target repo
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git /tmp/repo-work
cd /tmp/repo-work

# 4. Generate report from session history
SESSION_HISTORY=$(sessions_history sessionKey:$SESSION_ID)
echo "$SESSION_HISTORY" > /tmp/repo-work/agtech-research.md

# 5. Commit changes
git add .
git commit -m "docs: add AgTech funding research (Ralph Wiggum)"
git push origin main

# 6. Send notification
message action:send provider:telegram to:"@your_handle" message:"✅ Ralph completed AgTech research! Report committed to repo."

# 7. Clean up
rm -rf /tmp/repo-work

---

Configuration Options

Loop Control

Parameter	Options	Default
runOnce	true/false	false
interval	Time string (1h, 30m, 2d)	1h
maxLoops	Number or null (infinite)	null
exitOnFailure	true/false	false

Sub-Agent Settings

Parameter	Options	Default
agentId	Agent ID from agents_list	Default
model	Model alias or full provider/model	Default
runTimeoutSeconds	Timeout for each spawn	3600
cleanup	delete/keep	delete

---

Common Use Cases

1. Nightly Research & Documentation

Goal: Keep up with industry trends while you sleep.

# Ralph runs every night at 10 PM, researches for 2 hours
sessions_spawn \
  task:"Scan Hacker News, TechCrunch, AgFunder for AI/AgTech news. Summarize 5 most relevant articles with links and analysis." \
  label:"ralph-nightly-news" \
  runTimeoutSeconds:7200

# After completion, append to daily memory
# (See "Advanced Pattern: Daily Log" below)

---

2. Automated Testing & CI Monitoring

Goal: Run tests and report failures without manual checking.

# Ralph loops every 30 minutes, runs tests
while true; do
  # Spawn sub-agent to run tests
  TEST_SESSION=$(sessions_spawn \
    task:"Run full test suite, capture failing tests, create bug reports for any failures with reproduction steps" \
    label:"ralph-test-runner" \
    agentId:"coding-agent" \
    runTimeoutSeconds:1800
  )

  # Wait for result
  sleep 1800  # 30 min timeout

  # Check for failures
  TEST_HISTORY=$(sessions_history sessionKey:$TEST_SESSION)
  if echo "$TEST_HISTORY" | grep -q "FAILING"; then
    # Alert via message tool
    message action:send provider:telegram to:"@your_handle" message:"⚠️ Test failures detected. Check session: $TEST_SESSION"
  fi

  # Clean up session
  sessions_spawn task:"exit" sessionId:$TEST_SESSION cleanup:"delete"

  # Wait before next loop
  sleep 1800  # 30 min
done

---

3. Continuous Market Research (The "Money Finder")

Goal: Find business opportunities, partnerships, deals.

# Ralph runs daily, scans for opportunities
sessions_spawn \
  task:"Search for Texas agriculture companies looking for tech partnerships. Find CEOs, founders, decision-makers. Compile list with contact info and partnership angles." \
  label:"ralph-money-finder" \
  runTimeoutSeconds:5400  # 1.5 hours

# After completion, send to TD's WhatsApp
message action:send provider:whatsapp to:"[phone]" message:"💰 Ralph found 5 potential partners! Check session for full details."

---

4. Competitive Intelligence

Goal: Track competitors, pricing changes, product launches.

# Ralph monitors competitor websites daily
sessions_spawn \
  task:"Check FarmFriend.io and 3 competitors. Look for pricing changes, new features, blog posts, announcements. Create diff report." \
  label:"ralph-competitor-watch" \
  runTimeoutSeconds:3600

# Commit report to Git for tracking
# (See "Advanced Pattern: Git Integration" below)

---

5. Documentation Maintenance

Goal: Keep docs fresh, update changelogs, fix broken links.

# Ralph reviews docs weekly
sessions_spawn \
  task:"Review all .md files in repo. Check for broken links, outdated info, missing examples. Create TODO list with file paths and fixes needed." \
  label:"ralph-doc-maintainer" \
  runTimeoutSeconds:7200

---

Advanced Patterns

Pattern: Daily Log

Keep a running log of Ralph's work:

# Create daily log file
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
LOG_FILE="/Users/username/clawd/memory/${DATE}-ralph.md"

# Start log
echo "# Ralph Wiggum - ${DATE}" > "$LOG_FILE"
echo "## Tasks Completed" >> "$LOG_FILE"

# For each task, append result
echo "- [Task 1] Research completed at $(date)" >> "$LOG_FILE"
echo "  Result: $SESSION_RESULT" >> "$LOG_FILE"
echo "" >> "$LOG_FILE"

---

Pattern: Git Integration

Commit Ralph's work automatically:

# Clone repo
WORK_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git "$WORK_DIR"
cd "$WORK_DIR"

# Spawn Ralph session
SESSION=$(sessions_spawn task:"..." label:"ralph-task")

# Wait for completion
sleep 3600

# Get result and write to repo
RESULT=$(sessions_history sessionKey:$SESSION)
echo "$RESULT" > ralph-output.md

# Commit and push
git add .
git commit -m "docs: add Ralph Wiggum research output"
git push origin main

# Cleanup
rm -rf "$WORK_DIR"

---

Pattern: Parallel Research (The "Ralph Army")

Spawn multiple Ralphs for parallel work:

# Ralph 1: Research
R1=$(sessions_spawn task:"Research AgTech trends" label:"ralph-research")

# Ralph 2: Competitive analysis
R2=$(sessions_spawn task:"Analyze competitors" label:"ralph-competitor")

# Ralph 3: Market sizing
R3=$(sessions_spawn task:"Size Texas AgTech market" label:"ralph-market")

# Wait for all to complete
sleep 7200  # 2 hours

# Aggregate results
for SESSION in $R1 $R2 $R3; do
  sessions_history sessionKey:$SESSION
done > /tmp/ralph-full-report.md

# Send summary
message action:send provider:telegram to:"@your_handle" message:"🎯 Ralph Army complete! Full report saved."

---

Pattern: Conditional Looping

Only continue if previous task succeeded:

# Task 1: Research
T1=$(sessions_spawn task:"..." label:"ralph-t1")
T1_RESULT=$(sessions_history sessionKey:$T1)

# Check if successful
if echo "$T1_RESULT" | grep -q "SUCCESS"; then
  # Task 2: Only runs if T1 succeeded
  T2=$(sessions_spawn task:"..." label:"ralph-t2")
else
  # Alert and exit
  message action:send provider:telegram to:"@your_handle" message:"❌ Ralph Task 1 failed, aborting Task 2"
fi

---

Pattern: Smart Retry

Retry failed tasks with backoff:

MAX_RETRIES=3
RETRY_DELAY=300  # 5 minutes

for i in $(seq 1 $MAX_RETRIES); do
  SESSION=$(sessions_spawn task:"..." label:"ralph-retry-$i")
  RESULT=$(sessions_history sessionKey:$SESSION)

  if echo "$RESULT" | grep -q "SUCCESS"; then
    break  # Success!
  fi

  if [ $i -lt $MAX_RETRIES ]; then
    echo "Retry $i failed, waiting $RETRY_DELAY seconds..."
    sleep $RETRY_DELAY
  else
    # Final failure alert
    message action:send provider:telegram to:"@your_handle" message:"❌ Ralph task failed after $MAX_RETRIES retries"
  fi
done

---

Safety Limits (Critical!)

Ralph should never run wild. Set limits:

Limit	Recommended Setting	Why
runTimeoutSeconds	7200 (2 hours) per spawn	Prevent infinite loops
maxLoops	10 or null with interval	Cap total iterations
cleanup	delete	Clean up sessions after use
exitOnFailure	true for critical tasks	Stop on errors

Never Do This:

# ❌ BAD: Infinite loop with no timeout
while true; do
  sessions_spawn task:"..."
done

Always Do This:

# ✅ GOOD: Timeout + cleanup + loop cap
MAX_LOOPS=10
LOOP_COUNT=0

while [ $LOOP_COUNT -lt $MAX_LOOPS ]; do
  SESSION=$(sessions_spawn \
    task:"..." \
    label:"ralph-task-$LOOP_COUNT" \
    runTimeoutSeconds:7200 \
    cleanup:"delete"
  )

  LOOP_COUNT=$((LOOP_COUNT + 1))
done

---

Cron Integration

Run Ralph on a schedule via Clawdbot cron:

# Add cron job to run Ralph daily at 2 AM
cron action:add job:({
  "name": "ralph-nightly-research",
  "schedule": "0 2 * * *",  # 2 AM daily
  "command": "sessions_spawn task:'Research AgTech news and trends' label:'ralph-nightly' runTimeoutSeconds:7200 cleanup:'delete'",
  "enabled": true
})

---

Troubleshooting

Ralph Gets Stuck

# Check running sessions
sessions_list kinds:["ralph"]

# Kill stuck session
process action:kill sessionId:XXX

# Force cleanup
sessions_spawn task:"exit" sessionId:XXX cleanup:"delete"

Session Not Found

# List all sessions to find correct sessionKey
sessions_list

# Search by label
sessions_list | grep "ralph"

No Report Received

# Check session history
sessions_history sessionKey:XXX

# Verify message tool access
message action:send provider:telegram to:"@your_handle" message:"Test: Ralph reporting in."

---

Best Practices

1. Always set runTimeoutSeconds — Prevent runaway processes
2. Use cleanup:delete — Keep sessions clean
3. Send progress reports — Use message tool for visibility
4. Commit to Git — Track Ralph's work over time
5. Set exitOnFailure:true for critical tasks
6. Use labels — Track what each Ralph is doing
7. Monitor with sessions_list — Check status regularly
8. Start small — Test one-shot before full loops

---

Example: Full Night Shift Script

#!/bin/bash
# Ralph's Night Shift - Runs 2 AM daily

echo "🌙 Ralph starting night shift: $(date)"

# Task 1: Research AgTech news
T1=$(sessions_spawn \
  task:"Research top 10 AgTech news stories from yesterday. Summarize with links and analysis." \
  label:"ralph-nightly-news" \
  runTimeoutSeconds:3600 \
  cleanup:"delete"
)

echo "📰 Task 1 (Research) started: $T1"
sleep 3600  # Wait for completion

# Task 2: Competitive analysis
T2=$(sessions_spawn \
  task:"Check competitor websites for pricing changes, new features, announcements." \
  label:"ralph-competitor-check" \
  runTimeoutSeconds:3600 \
  cleanup:"delete"
)

echo "🔍 Task 2 (Competitors) started: $T2"
sleep 3600  # Wait for completion

# Aggregate results
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
LOG_FILE="/Users/username/clawd/memory/${DATE}-ralph.md"

echo "# Ralph Wiggum Night Shift - ${DATE}" > "$LOG_FILE"
echo "" >> "$LOG_FILE"

echo "## AgTech News" >> "$LOG_FILE"
sessions_history sessionKey:$T1 >> "$LOG_FILE"
echo "" >> "$LOG_FILE"

echo "## Competitive Intelligence" >> "$LOG_FILE"
sessions_history sessionKey:$T2 >> "$LOG_FILE"

# Send report
message action:send provider:telegram to:"@your_handle" message:"🌙 Ralph's night shift complete! Report saved to memory/${DATE}-ralph.md"

echo "✅ Ralph finished: $(date)"

---

Getting Started

1. Test one-shot task first:

   sessions_spawn task:"Research one AgTech article" label:"ralph-test" runTimeoutSeconds:600 cleanup:"delete"
   

2. Add message notifications:

   # After session completes
   message action:send provider:telegram to:"@your_handle" message:"✅ Ralph task complete!"
   

3. Add cron schedule:

   cron action:add job:({
     "name": "ralph-daily",
     "schedule": "0 2 * * *",
     "command": "...",
     "enabled": true
   })
   

4. Monitor progress:

   sessions_list | grep ralph
   

---

Ralph's motto: "I do the work while you sleep. That's what loops are for!" 🌙💤

Key benefit: Autonomous research, testing, and documentation without your direct involvement. Free up your brain for high-leverage work.