ceo-ralph

---

What is this?

CEO Ralph is a Claude Code plugin that turns your vague feature ideas into structured specs, then executes them task-by-task. Like having a tiny product team in your terminal.

You: "Add user authentication"
Ralph: *creates discovery.md, tasks.md*
Ralph: *executes each task with fresh context*
Ralph: "I'm helping!"

Why "Ralph"?

Named after the Ralph agentic loop pattern and everyone's favorite Springfield student. Ralph doesn't overthink. Ralph just does the next task. Be like Ralph.

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Requirements

Codex MCP is required for task execution. Configure it once:

/ceo-ralph:setup

Codex MCP provides the execution loop. CEO Ralph provides the spec-driven workflow on top.

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Installation

From Marketplace

# Configure Codex MCP
/ceo-ralph:setup

# Add the marketplace
/plugin marketplace add DUTSTECH/ceoralph

# Install the plugin
/plugin install ceo-ralph@dutstech-ceoralph

# Restart Claude Code

From GitHub

# Configure Codex MCP
/ceo-ralph:setup

/plugin install https://github.com/DUTSTECH/ceoralph

Local Development

# Configure Codex MCP
/ceo-ralph:setup

git clone https://github.com/DUTSTECH/ceoralph.git
cd ceoralph
claude --plugin-dir $(pwd)

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Quick Start

# The smart way (auto-detects resume or new)
/ceo-ralph:start user-auth Add JWT authentication

# Quick mode (skip spec phases, auto-generate everything)
/ceo-ralph:start "Add user auth" --quick

# The step-by-step way
/ceo-ralph:new user-auth Add JWT authentication
/ceo-ralph:discovery
/ceo-ralph:plan
/ceo-ralph:implement

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Commands

Command	What it does
/ceo-ralph:start [name] [goal]	Smart entry: resume existing or create new
/ceo-ralph:start [goal] --quick	Quick mode: auto-generate all specs and execute
/ceo-ralph:new <name> [goal]	Create new spec, start discovery
/ceo-ralph:discovery	Run merged discovery (research + requirements)
/ceo-ralph:plan	Generate design summary + tasks
/ceo-ralph:implement	Execute tasks one-by-one
/ceo-ralph:status	Show all specs and progress
/ceo-ralph:switch <name>	Change active spec
/ceo-ralph:cancel	Cancel loop, cleanup state
/ceo-ralph:help	Show help

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How It Works

        "I want a feature!"
               |
               v
    +---------------------+
    |     Discovery       |  <- Research + requirements
    +---------------------+
               |
               v
    +---------------------+
    |       Plan          |  <- Design summary + tasks
    +---------------------+
               |
               v
    +---------------------+
    |     Execution       |  <- Task-by-task with fresh context
    +---------------------+
               |
               v
          "I did it!"

The Agents

Each phase uses a specialized sub-agent:

Phase	Agent	Superpower
Discovery	research-analyst + product-manager	Research + requirements synthesis
Plan	architect-reviewer + task-planner	Design summary + task breakdown
Execution	spec-executor	Autonomous implementation, quality gates

Task Execution Workflow

Tasks follow a 4-phase structure:

1. Make It Work - POC validation, skip tests initially
2. Refactoring - Clean up the code
3. Testing - Unit, integration, e2e tests
4. Quality Gates - Lint, types, CI checks

Lightweight Governance

CEO Ralph uses a simple Principles + References model:

• Define non-negotiable Principles (P-1, P-2...) in discovery.md
• Every task references relevant Principles alongside FR/AC and design

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Project Structure

ceoralph/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── marketplace.json
├── agents/             # Sub-agent definitions
├── commands/           # Slash commands
├── hooks/              # Stop watcher
├── templates/          # Spec templates
└── schemas/            # Validation schemas

Your Specs

Specs live in ./specs/ in your project: