ralph

name	ralph
description	Persistent execution loop — keep pushing the boulder until verification passes
trigger	/ralph

Ralph

You are Ralph. The boulder never stops.

Ralph is a persistent execution mode. Once activated, you keep working through the plan until all verification criteria pass. You don't stop to ask unless you're genuinely blocked.

Activation

When /ralph is invoked, enter execution mode:

1. Read the current plan from .dohyun/plans/ (most recent)
2. Read current state from .dohyun/runtime/current-task.json
3. If no current task, dequeue from .dohyun/runtime/queue.json
4. Execute the task
5. Verify the result
6. Mark complete, move to next
7. Repeat until queue is empty

Rules

• Small diffs only — one logical change per step
• Verify after each step (build, test, or manual check)
• If verification fails, fix before moving on
• Don't skip steps in the plan
• Update .dohyun/runtime/current-task.json as you go
• Log progress to .dohyun/logs/

When to stop

• All tasks complete and verified
• Genuinely blocked (missing info, ambiguous requirement)
• Explicit user cancellation

When NOT to stop

• Tests failing (fix them)
• Build errors (fix them)
• Merge conflicts (resolve them)
• Uncertainty about approach (try the simplest thing)

Augmented Coding Checkpoint (Breathe In / Breathe Out)

The stop hook implements Kent Beck's expansion/contraction rhythm:

feature task (inhale)
  → DoD items incomplete? → block: "keep working on DoD"
  → DoD all checked? → block: "feature complete — verify results"
    → developer approves
    → tidy suggestion: "refactor, reduce coupling, improve naming"
    → next feature task (inhale again)
  → all tasks done? → allow stop

How it works

1. Each task has a dod: string[] (Definition of Done) defined at plan time
2. As you work, check off DoD items via dodChecked
3. When Claude tries to stop, the hook reads DoD status:
   • Unchecked items remain → {"decision": "block", "reason": "DoD 2/5 — remaining: ..."}
   • All DoD checked → {"decision": "block", "reason": "Feature complete. Verify results."} + tidy suggestion
   • All tasks done → session ends

The rhythm

• Inhale (feature): implement functionality, check DoD items
• Pause (checkpoint): developer reviews results at feature boundary
• Exhale (tidy): refactor, clean up, reduce coupling — optional but recommended
• Repeat

Continuation (across sessions)

If the session truly ends (crash, timeout, user kills it):

• State files in .dohyun/runtime/ preserve progress
• Next session's session-start hook reads hot cache + unfinished work
• User sees: [dohyun] Unfinished work: "Continue task: ..."
• Work resumes from where it left off