ralph-script

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1 scripts

Add a Ralph Wiggum autonomous loop to the current project. Creates ralph-loop.sh and prompt.md files that enable Claude to autonomously work through a PLAN.md task list. Use when the user says "/ralph-script", "add ralph loop", "set up ralph script", "add autonomous loop", or wants to bootstrap the Ralph Wiggum loop files into a project. Supports a --force flag to skip interactive checks.

12installs
Added on

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add petestewart/claude-skills ralph-script

Tags

Translated version includes tags in frontmatter

Ralph Script

Add
ralph-loop.sh
and
prompt.md
to the current project from bundled templates.

Workflow

1. Parse arguments

Check if the user passed
--force
. If so, set
FORCE=true
and skip all interactive checks in step 2.

2. Check referenced files

The ralph loop references these files at runtime:
FileHow it's usedRequired format
PLAN.md
Loop continues while
- [ ]
checkboxes exist
Must contain
- [ ]
/
- [x]
markdown checkboxes
PROBLEM.md
Read for troubleshooting contextAny markdown
PRD.md
Read for troubleshooting contextAny markdown
specs/README.md
Read for troubleshooting contextAny markdown
For each file, check if it exists in the project root.
If a file is missing (and not
--force
): Warn the user. List all missing files in a single message. Do not offer to create them — just note they will need to exist before running the loop.
If PLAN.md exists: Read it and verify it contains
- [ ]
style checkboxes. If it uses a different task format (numbered lists,
TODO:
markers, other patterns), use AskUserQuestion to ask:
  • "PLAN.md uses [detected format] instead of
    - [ ]
    checkboxes. The ralph-loop.sh script checks for
    - [ ]
    to determine if tasks remain. Should I: (a) update the script's grep pattern to match your format, or (b) leave as-is (you'll convert PLAN.md yourself)?"
  • If (a): note the needed grep pattern change for step 3.
If prompt.md references files that don't exist (and not
--force
): Optionally ask whether to remove those references from the generated prompt.md. Only ask if 2+ referenced troubleshooting files are missing — if just one is missing, simply warn.

3. Copy templates

Copy the template files from this skill's assets directory into the project root:
  • assets/ralph-loop.sh
    ./ralph-loop.sh
  • assets/prompt.md
    ./prompt.md
If either file already exists in the project, use AskUserQuestion to confirm overwrite (unless
--force
).
Apply any modifications determined in step 2 (e.g., adjusted grep pattern).
Make
ralph-loop.sh
executable:
bash
chmod +x ralph-loop.sh

4. Report

Print a summary:
  • Files created
  • Any warnings about missing referenced files
  • How to run:
    ./ralph-loop.sh
  • Remind that
    jq
    is optional but provides colored output with context usage tracking