Ralph Prompt Generator: Research & Analysis

Overview

Generates structured prompts for research, analysis, and planning tasks using the Ralph Wiggum technique. These prompts define clear research methodology, required sources, synthesis requirements, and concrete deliverables rather than code.

Best For:

Codebase analysis and audits
Security vulnerability assessments
Technology research and comparison
Migration planning
Architecture design documents
Performance analysis
Dependency audits
Documentation generation from code

Ralph Philosophy: This generator embraces the principle that failures are deterministic and fixable. Each research iteration builds on previous findings. Don't fear incomplete first passes—they're expected and provide data for deeper analysis in subsequent iterations.

Quick Start

Input Required:

Research objective (what you need to understand/analyze)
Scope (what to include/exclude)
Deliverable format (report, plan, document)
Completion promise

Generate prompt with:

Generate a Ralph research prompt for:
Objective: [What to research/analyze]
Scope: [What's included]
Deliverable: [What to produce]
Promise: [COMPLETION_PHRASE]

Prompt Generation Workflow

Step 1: Define Research Scope

Research Definition Template:

markdown

OBJECTIVE: [What question to answer or what to analyze]
SCOPE:
  Include: [What's in scope]
  Exclude: [What's explicitly out of scope]
SOURCES: [Where to look for information]
DELIVERABLE: [What artifact to produce]
SUCCESS: [How to know research is complete]

Step 2: Map Research Phases

Standard research phases:

Phase	Name	Purpose	Deliverable
1	Discovery	Identify what exists	Inventory/map
2	Analysis	Deep dive into findings	Analysis notes
3	Synthesis	Draw conclusions	Findings summary
4	Recommendations	Actionable next steps	Recommendation doc
5	Documentation	Final deliverable	Complete report

Step 3: Define Completion Criteria

Research completion criteria must be:

Based on coverage (examined all relevant items)
Based on depth (sufficient analysis per item)
Based on deliverable completeness (all sections written)

Examples:

Research Type	Completion Criteria
Security audit	All OWASP categories checked, all findings documented
Codebase analysis	All modules examined, architecture documented
Tech comparison	All options evaluated against all criteria
Migration plan	All systems inventoried, migration steps defined

Step 4: Structure the Prompt

Use this template:

markdown

# Research: [Research Title]

## Objective
[Clear statement of what this research aims to answer or analyze]

## Scope

### In Scope
- [Item 1 to analyze]
- [Item 2 to analyze]
- [Item 3 to analyze]

### Out of Scope
- [Explicitly excluded 1]
- [Explicitly excluded 2]

## Sources to Examine
- [Source type 1]: [Where to find]
- [Source type 2]: [Where to find]
- [Source type 3]: [Where to find]

---

## Phase 1: Discovery

### Objective
Create comprehensive inventory of [what to inventory].

### Tasks
1. [Discovery task 1]
2. [Discovery task 2]
3. [Discovery task 3]

### Deliverable: Inventory
Create `[filename].md` with:
```markdown
# [Inventory Title]

## Items Found
| # | Item | Location | Type | Notes |
|---|------|----------|------|-------|
| 1 | | | | |
| 2 | | | | |

Phase 1 Success Criteria

All [scope items] examined
Inventory file created
No areas unexplored

Phase 1 Checkpoint

Document in inventory file:

DISCOVERY COMPLETE:
- Items found: [count]
- Areas examined: [list]
- Coverage: Complete/Partial

Phase 2: Analysis

Objective

Deep analysis of each discovered item.

Analysis Framework

For each item, analyze:

[Dimension 1]: [What to examine]
[Dimension 2]: [What to examine]
[Dimension 3]: [What to examine]

Tasks

Analyze each item against framework
Document findings per item
Identify patterns across items
Note anomalies or concerns

Deliverable: Analysis Notes

Create

[analysis-filename].md

with:

markdown

# Analysis: [Item Name]

## [Dimension 1]
[Findings]

## [Dimension 2]
[Findings]

## [Dimension 3]
[Findings]

## Summary
[Key takeaways for this item]

Phase 2 Success Criteria

All inventory items analyzed
Analysis notes for each item
Patterns identified
Anomalies documented

Phase 2 Checkpoint

ANALYSIS COMPLETE:
- Items analyzed: [X/Y]
- Key patterns: [list]
- Concerns identified: [count]

Phase 3: Synthesis

Objective

Synthesize findings into coherent conclusions.

Tasks

Review all analysis notes
Identify overarching themes
Draw conclusions from patterns
Prioritize findings by impact
Formulate key insights

Deliverable: Findings Summary

Create

[findings-filename].md

with:

markdown

# Research Findings: [Topic]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 paragraphs summarizing key findings]

## Key Findings
1. **[Finding 1]**: [Description and evidence]
2. **[Finding 2]**: [Description and evidence]
3. **[Finding 3]**: [Description and evidence]

## Patterns Observed
- [Pattern 1]
- [Pattern 2]

## Areas of Concern
1. [Concern 1]: [Details]
2. [Concern 2]: [Details]

## Data Summary
- Total items examined: [X]
- Categories: [list]
- Analysis coverage: [X%]

Phase 3 Success Criteria

All findings synthesized
Conclusions supported by evidence
Priorities established
Summary document complete

Phase 4: Recommendations

Objective

Provide actionable recommendations based on findings.

Tasks

Develop recommendations for each finding
Prioritize by impact and effort
Identify dependencies between recommendations
Create action timeline (if applicable)

Deliverable: Recommendations

Add to findings document or create separate:

markdown

# Recommendations

## High Priority (Address Immediately)
1. **[Recommendation]**
   - Rationale: [Why]
   - Effort: [Low/Medium/High]
   - Impact: [Low/Medium/High]
   - Dependencies: [Any]

## Medium Priority (Plan for Soon)
[...]

## Low Priority (Future Consideration)
[...]

## Implementation Order
1. First: [Recommendation X]
2. Then: [Recommendation Y]
3. Finally: [Recommendation Z]

Phase 4 Success Criteria

All findings have recommendations
Priorities assigned
Implementation order defined
Dependencies identified

Phase 5: Final Documentation

Objective

Produce final polished deliverable.

Tasks

Compile all sections into final document
Add executive summary
Review for completeness
Ensure actionability
Format consistently

Deliverable: Final Report

Create

[final-report].md

with all sections:

Executive Summary
Scope and Methodology
Findings
Analysis
Recommendations
Appendix (raw data if needed)

Phase 5 Success Criteria

All sections complete
Executive summary written
Consistent formatting
No TODO items
Actionable and clear

Final Verification

Completeness Checklist

Phase 1: Discovery complete, inventory exists
Phase 2: All items analyzed, notes exist
Phase 3: Findings synthesized, summary exists
Phase 4: Recommendations provided, prioritized
Phase 5: Final document complete

Quality Checklist

All conclusions supported by evidence
Recommendations are actionable
Document is well-organized
No sections are missing content
Executive summary captures key points

Completion

When ALL of the following are true:

All 5 phases completed
All deliverables created
Completeness checklist verified
Quality checklist verified

Output: <promise>[COMPLETION_PHRASE]</promise>

Progress Tracking

RESEARCH PROGRESS:
Phase 1 (Discovery): [COMPLETE/IN PROGRESS]
Phase 2 (Analysis): [COMPLETE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED]
Phase 3 (Synthesis): [COMPLETE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED]
Phase 4 (Recommendations): [COMPLETE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED]
Phase 5 (Documentation): [COMPLETE/IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED]

Items examined: [X/Y]
Deliverables created: [list]

If Stuck

Document what information is missing
List sources already examined
Identify the specific gap
Do NOT skip analysis or output false promise


## Example Prompts

### Example 1: Security Audit

**Input:**
- Objective: Identify security vulnerabilities in authentication module
- Scope: src/auth/ directory
- Deliverable: Security audit report with findings and fixes
- Promise: SECURITY_AUDIT_COMPLETE

**Generated Prompt:**

```markdown
# Research: Authentication Security Audit

## Objective
Identify security vulnerabilities in the authentication module following OWASP guidelines and provide remediation recommendations.

## Scope

### In Scope
- All files in src/auth/
- Authentication flows (login, signup, password reset)
- Session management
- Token handling
- Input validation

### Out of Scope
- Authorization (permissions, roles)
- Third-party auth providers
- Frontend security

## Sources to Examine
- Code files: src/auth/**/*.ts
- Tests: tests/auth/**/*.ts
- Configuration: auth-related config files
- Dependencies: auth-related npm packages

---

## Phase 1: Discovery

### Tasks
1. List all files in auth module
2. Identify all entry points (routes)
3. Map authentication flows
4. Identify external dependencies
5. List all sensitive operations

### Deliverable: auth-inventory.md
```markdown
# Auth Module Inventory

## Files
| File | Purpose | Entry Points | Sensitive Ops |
|------|---------|--------------|---------------|

## Dependencies
| Package | Version | Security Notes |

## Authentication Flows
1. Login: [path]
2. Signup: [path]
[...]

Phase 1 Success

All auth files listed
All entry points identified
Flows mapped
Dependencies inventoried

Phase 2: Analysis

Security Analysis Framework

For each component, check:

A1 Injection: SQL, NoSQL, command injection risks
A2 Broken Auth: Weak passwords, session issues
A3 Sensitive Data: Password storage, token exposure
A4 XXE: XML parsing vulnerabilities
A5 Access Control: Proper authorization checks
A6 Misconfiguration: Insecure defaults
A7 XSS: User input handling
A8 Deserialization: Unsafe object handling
A9 Components: Vulnerable dependencies
A10 Logging: Insufficient monitoring

Tasks

Analyze each file against OWASP framework
Check password hashing implementation
Review JWT token handling
Examine session management
Check input validation

Deliverable: security-analysis.md

Per-file analysis with vulnerabilities found.

Phase 3: Synthesis

Tasks

Categorize all vulnerabilities by severity
Identify systemic issues
Calculate risk scores
Prioritize by exploitability

Deliverable: security-findings.md

markdown

# Security Findings

## Critical (Requires Immediate Action)
- [Vulnerability]: [Location] - [Impact]

## High
[...]

## Medium
[...]

## Low
[...]

## Summary Statistics
- Critical: X
- High: X
- Medium: X
- Low: X

Phase 4: Recommendations

Tasks

Provide fix for each vulnerability
Prioritize fixes by risk
Estimate effort for each fix
Identify quick wins

Deliverable: remediation-plan.md

markdown

# Remediation Plan

## Immediate Actions
1. [Fix]: [How] - [Effort]

## Short-term (This Sprint)
[...]

## Medium-term
[...]

Phase 5: Final Report

Deliverable: AUTH-SECURITY-AUDIT.md

Complete report with:

Executive Summary
Methodology
Findings by Severity
Detailed Vulnerability Descriptions
Remediation Plan
Verification Steps

Completion

When audit report complete with all vulnerabilities documented and remediation provided:

Output: <promise>SECURITY_AUDIT_COMPLETE</promise>


### Example 2: Technology Comparison

**Input:**
- Objective: Compare React vs Vue vs Svelte for new frontend
- Scope: Team skills, project requirements, ecosystem
- Deliverable: Comparison report with recommendation
- Promise: FRAMEWORK_COMPARISON_COMPLETE

**Generated Prompt:**

```markdown
# Research: Frontend Framework Comparison

## Objective
Compare React, Vue, and Svelte to recommend the best framework for the new frontend project based on team skills, project requirements, and ecosystem.

## Scope

### In Scope
- Learning curve for team
- Performance characteristics
- Ecosystem (libraries, tools)
- Community and support
- Project requirements fit
- Long-term maintainability

### Out of Scope
- Mobile development (React Native, etc.)
- SSR frameworks (Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit)
- Backend considerations

---

## Phase 1: Discovery

### Tasks
1. Document team's current skills
2. List project requirements
3. Identify key evaluation criteria
4. Gather framework documentation

### Deliverable: evaluation-criteria.md
```markdown
# Evaluation Framework

## Team Context
- Current experience: [frameworks]
- Available learning time: [duration]
- Team size: [N]

## Project Requirements
- [Requirement 1]
- [Requirement 2]
[...]

## Evaluation Criteria
| Criterion | Weight | Reason |
|-----------|--------|--------|
| Learning curve | 25% | Team has limited React experience |
| Performance | 20% | App will be data-heavy |
[...]

Phase 2: Analysis

Analysis Framework

For each framework:

Learning Curve: Time to productivity
Performance: Bundle size, runtime speed, memory
Ecosystem: Available libraries, tools, IDE support
Community: Documentation, Stack Overflow, GitHub activity
Hiring: Developer availability
Architecture: How it fits project patterns

Deliverable: framework-analysis.md

markdown

# React Analysis
## Learning Curve
[Analysis]

## Performance
[Analysis]

[... repeat for Vue and Svelte]

Phase 3: Synthesis

Tasks

Score each framework on each criterion
Apply weights
Calculate overall scores
Identify dealbreakers

Deliverable: comparison-matrix.md

markdown

# Framework Comparison Matrix

| Criterion | Weight | React | Vue | Svelte |
|-----------|--------|-------|-----|--------|
| Learning Curve | 25% | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Performance | 20% | 3 | 4 | 5 |
[...]
| **Weighted Total** | | X.X | X.X | X.X |

Phase 4: Recommendations

Deliverable: recommendation.md

markdown

# Framework Recommendation

## Recommendation: [Framework]

### Rationale
[Why this framework is best for this team and project]

### Advantages
- [Advantage 1]
- [Advantage 2]

### Concerns and Mitigations
- [Concern 1]: [How to address]

### Implementation Approach
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
[...]

Phase 5: Final Report

Deliverable: FRAMEWORK-COMPARISON-REPORT.md

Completion

When complete comparison with recommendation:

Output: <promise>FRAMEWORK_COMPARISON_COMPLETE</promise>


## Best Practices

### Research Methodology
- Define scope explicitly (what's in/out)
- Use consistent analysis framework
- Document evidence for conclusions
- Separate findings from opinions

### Deliverables
- Create artifacts as you go
- Use consistent format
- Include data to support conclusions
- Make recommendations actionable

### DO:
- Define clear scope boundaries
- Create deliverables at each phase
- Support conclusions with evidence
- Provide actionable recommendations
- Track progress systematically

### DON'T:
- Skip the discovery phase
- Make recommendations without evidence
- Leave sections incomplete
- Output promise before documentation

## Integration with Ralph Loop

```bash
/ralph-wiggum:ralph-loop "[paste generated prompt]" --completion-promise "YOUR_PROMISE" --max-iterations 50

Recommended iterations by research complexity:

Simple audit (single module):
```
--max-iterations 30-40
```
Comparison (3-5 options):
```
--max-iterations 40-60
```
Full codebase analysis:
```
--max-iterations 70-100
```
Complex planning:
```
--max-iterations 60-80
```

For single-task prompts, see

ralph-prompt-single-task

. For multi-task prompts, see

ralph-prompt-multi-task

. For project-level prompts, see

ralph-prompt-project

ralph-prompt-research

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Ralph Prompt Generator: Research & Analysis

Overview

Quick Start

Prompt Generation Workflow

Step 1: Define Research Scope

Step 2: Map Research Phases

Step 3: Define Completion Criteria

Step 4: Structure the Prompt

Phase 1 Success Criteria

Phase 1 Checkpoint

Phase 2: Analysis

Objective

Analysis Framework

Tasks

Deliverable: Analysis Notes

Phase 2 Success Criteria

Phase 2 Checkpoint

Phase 3: Synthesis

Objective

Tasks

Deliverable: Findings Summary

Phase 3 Success Criteria

Phase 4: Recommendations

Objective

Tasks

Deliverable: Recommendations

Phase 4 Success Criteria

Phase 5: Final Documentation

Objective

Tasks

Deliverable: Final Report

Phase 5 Success Criteria

Final Verification

Completeness Checklist

Quality Checklist

Completion

Progress Tracking

If Stuck

Phase 1 Success

Phase 2: Analysis

Security Analysis Framework

Tasks

Deliverable: security-analysis.md

Phase 3: Synthesis

Tasks

Deliverable: security-findings.md

Phase 4: Recommendations

Tasks

Deliverable: remediation-plan.md

Phase 5: Final Report

Deliverable: AUTH-SECURITY-AUDIT.md

Completion

Phase 2: Analysis

Analysis Framework

Deliverable: framework-analysis.md

Phase 3: Synthesis

Tasks

Deliverable: comparison-matrix.md

Phase 4: Recommendations

Deliverable: recommendation.md

Phase 5: Final Report

Deliverable: FRAMEWORK-COMPARISON-REPORT.md

Completion