Ralph Loop Execution Protocol

Autonomous development with fresh context per iteration and Hat-lite builder/verifier workflow.

Quick Start

# From project directory (after /create-prd)
./ralph.sh 20          # Run up to 20 iterations
./ralph.sh 5           # Quick test with 5 iterations

How It Works

Each iteration runs in a fresh context window:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ITERATION (Fresh Context)                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. ORIENT: Read activity.log + tasks.json + memories│
│ 2. BUILD:  Pick ONE task, implement, verify        │
│ 3. VERIFY: Review, update status, commit           │
│ 4. LEARN:  (Optional) Save insights to memories    │
│ 5. DECIDE: All done? → RALPH_COMPLETE              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Hat-Lite System

Role	When	Responsibility
Builder	~65% of iteration	Implement ONE task
Verifier	~35% of iteration	Review, update, commit

Key Files

File	Purpose
.ralph/current-taskset/tasks.json	Task state (source of truth)
.ralph/current-taskset/activity.log	Iteration history
.ralph/current-taskset/memories.md	Persistent learnings
.ralph/current-taskset	Symlink to active task set
PROMPT.md	Instructions per iteration
ralph.sh	Loop runner script

Task JSON Format

Tasks are stored in .ralph/current-taskset/tasks.json:

{
  "tasks": [
    {
      "id": "setup-001",
      "description": "Initialize project",
      "verificationTier": "build",
      "passes": false,
      "iteration_completed": null
    }
  ]
}

Valid verificationTier values: "build" (default), "visual", "api", "e2e". See WORKFLOW.md for details.

Completion Signal

When all tasks pass, output:

RALPH_COMPLETE: All tasks verified

Commands

Subcommands: /ralph run [N], /ralph status, /ralph init, /ralph taskset <new|list|switch|delete>, /ralph add-task, /ralph remember, /ralph memories.

Workflow Details

See WORKFLOW.md for the 5-phase iteration lifecycle (Orient, Build, Verify, Learn, Decide) and Hat-Lite role definitions.

Examples

See EXAMPLES.md for web app, API, resumption, and mid-loop status checking scenarios.

Troubleshooting

See TROUBLESHOOTING.md for immediate exit, premature completion, infinite loop, and context issues.