ralph

name	ralph
description	Long-running iterative development loops. Run arbitrarily-long tasks without diluting model attention. Triggers: ralph, ralph loop, iterative loop, long-running task, development loop.

Ralph Loop

Long-running iterative development loops. Run complex tasks across multiple iterations with reflection checkpoints.

Commands

Command	Description
/unipi:ralph start <name> [options]	Start a new loop
/unipi:ralph stop	Pause current loop
/unipi:ralph resume <name>	Resume a paused loop
/unipi:ralph status	Show all loops
/unipi:ralph cancel <name>	Delete loop state
/unipi:ralph archive <name>	Move loop to archive
/unipi:ralph clean [--all]	Clean completed loops
/unipi:ralph list --archived	Show archived loops
/unipi:ralph nuke [--yes]	Delete all ralph data

Tools

Tool	Description
ralph_start	Start a ralph loop (LLM-callable)
ralph_done	Signal iteration complete, request next

Options

• --max-iterations N — Stop after N iterations (default: 50)
• --items-per-iteration N — Process N items per iteration
• --reflect-every N — Reflection checkpoint every N iterations

How It Works

1. Start — Create a task file with goals and checklist
2. Iterate — LLM works on task, updates checklist, calls ralph_done
3. Reflect — Every N iterations, pause and assess progress
4. Complete — When done, LLM outputs COMPLETE marker

Integration with Workflow

When @unipi/workflow is present:

• /unipi:work suggests ralph for large tasks
• Ralph loops emit events that workflow can track
• Ralph state is available to info-screen (when present)

Task File Format

# Task

{Description}

## Goals
- Goal 1
- Goal 2

## Checklist
- [ ] Item 1
- [ ] Item 2
- [x] Completed item

## Notes
{Progress notes}

State

Loop state stored in .unipi/ralph/ directory:

• .unipi/ralph/{name}.md — Task file
• .unipi/ralph/{name}.state.json — Loop state
• .unipi/ralph/archive/ — Completed loops

Tips

• Use --items-per-iteration for large checklists
• Use --reflect-every 10 for long-running tasks
• Press ESC to pause, send message to resume
• Task file is updated each iteration — check it for progress