ralph-loops

Ralph Loops

Continuous AI iteration until completion criteria met

What Are Ralph Loops?

Self-referential feedback loops where Claude:

1. Implements changes
2. Verifies results (tests, builds)
3. Analyzes failures, iterates
4. Repeats until criteria met or max iterations

Named after Ralph Wiggum — persistent iteration despite setbacks.

Quick Start

Claude Code CLI (Recommended)

claude code plugins install anthropics/claude-code/plugins/ralph-wiggum

/ralph-loop "Implement feature X.
Completion criteria:
- Tests pass (npm test)
- Build succeeds (npm run build)
Output <promise>COMPLETE</promise> when done."
--completion-promise "COMPLETE"
--max-iterations 20

/cancel-ralph  # If needed

Manual Pattern (Any Interface)

I need you to work iteratively on this until completion.

[TASK]

Completion Criteria (verify each):
- [Criterion 1] (verify: [command])
- [Criterion 2] (verify: [command])

Process:
1. Implement changes
2. Run verification
3. If not passing, debug and iterate
4. If passing: <promise>COMPLETE</promise>

Use TodoWrite to track iterations.
Keep iterating without permission until:
- All criteria met, OR
- 20 iterations (document blockers)

Start now.

Templates

See templates/RALPH-loop-prompts.md.template

Template	Use Case
TDD Implementation	Test-driven development
Build Fix	Compilation/type errors
API Implementation	REST API with CRUD + tests
Refactor Until Quality	Quality metrics
Migration	Library/framework upgrades
Feature Until Deployed	End-to-end delivery

When to Use

Good for: TDD, build fixes, API implementations, long-running features (4-12h), migrations, quality improvements

Not for: Frequent design decisions, ambiguous requirements, production debugging, unpredictable iterations (>40)

Best Practices

Clear Completion Criteria

Bad: Implement authentication

Good:

Implement JWT authentication
Criteria:
- Login endpoint works (POST /api/auth/login)
- All tests pass (npm test -- auth)
- Build succeeds (npm run build)

Max Iterations

• Simple (bug fixes): 10-15
• Medium (features, APIs): 15-25
• Complex (migrations): 25-40

Verification Commands

npm test              # Tests
npm run build         # Build
npm run type-check    # TypeScript
npm run lint          # Quality

Completion Promises

<promise>COMPLETE</promise>
<promise>TESTS_PASSING</promise>
<promise>BUILD_CLEAN</promise>
<promise>API_READY</promise>
<promise>DEPLOYED</promise>

Fallback Instructions

If stuck after 15 iterations:
1. Document blockers
2. List what was tried
3. Suggest alternatives
4. Output: <promise>BLOCKED</promise>

Integration with E-P-C-C

Phase 1: Explore — Understand codebase
Phase 2: Plan — Define criteria, set verification
Phase 3: Code — RALPH LOOP HERE (iterate until complete)
Phase 4: Commit — Review (already verified), commit, deploy

Expected Results

Metric	Result
Success Rate	6 repos overnight (YC hackathon)
Cost Efficiency	$50k contract for $297 API
Long-running	Programming language over 3 months
Typical	5-20 iterations for medium features

Troubleshooting

Not completing: Break task smaller, make criteria specific, check commands, increase iterations

Exits early: Use unique promise tag, explicit criteria, add verification commands

Stuck on same error: Add fallback instructions, lower max iterations, switch to manual

Decision Tree

Clear completion criteria? → No → Define first
Can verify automatically? → No → Don't use Ralph
Well-scoped (<40 iterations)? → No → Break into smaller
Benefits from autonomous iteration? → Yes → USE RALPH

Resources

• CLAUDE-delegation.md — Ralph as Tier 2 Recommended
• CLAUDE-workflows.md — Workflow details
• Original: https://ghuntley.com/ralph/
• Plugin: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/ralph-wiggum
• Orchestrator: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator

Updated: 2026-01-12 | Status: Production-Ready