Ralph Specum Switch

SkillDev tools

This skill should be used only when the user explicitly asks to use `$ralph-specum-switch`, or explicitly asks Ralph Specum in Codex to switch the active spec.

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Ralph Specum Switch skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by tzachbon/smart-ralph in plugins/ralph-specum-codex/skills/ralph-specum-switch/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Use this to switch the active spec.

Derive RALPH_CODEX_PLUGIN_ROOT from this loaded skill by resolving two parent directories from the SKILL.md directory. Never derive it from the project working directory.

Contract

  • Read .claude/ralph-specum.local.md when present
  • Parse specs_dirs from frontmatter to discover all spec roots
  • Treat the first specs_dirs entry as the default root
  • Default specs root is ./specs
  • .current-spec lives in the default specs root
  • Do not guess on ambiguous names

Action

  1. Resolve the requested target by full path or exact name.
  2. If no target was provided, list available specs grouped by root.
  3. If the name is ambiguous across roots, stop and require a full path.
  4. Update .current-spec:
    • bare name for the default root
    • full path for non-default roots
  5. Read the target spec state and summarize phase, progress, approval state, and present files.
  6. Report prototype dependencies without mutating them:
    • Treat a missing activePrototypes field as an empty map.
    • When state exists, run "$RALPH_CODEX_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/prototype_records.py" select-downstream --base-path "$BASE_PATH" --state "$BASE_PATH/.ralph-state.json" using the selected spec's resolved basePath.
    • Show each blocker from activeBlockers with prototype ID, status, blocked artifact or transition, returnPhase, and returnTaskIndex.
    • Show staleArtifacts and staleTaskIndexes from the selection result.
    • Do not reconcile, remove active entries, edit records, or change blocker data. If no overlay or stale dependency exists, preserve the existing switch output.

Signals

GitHub stars
536
Forks
48
Last commit
Sep 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
ralph-specum-switch
Source
github.com/tzachbon/smart-ralph