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A minimal, file‑based agent loop for autonomous coding.
| Date | Stars |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | 937 |
| 2026-08-02 | 938 |
| 2026-08-06 | 938 |
| 2026-08-12 | 942 |
| 2026-08-18 | 952 |
| 2026-08-27 | 953 |
| 2026-08-31 | 952 |
| 2026-09-01 | 953 |
| 2026-09-17 | 953 |
| 2026-09-20 | 954 |
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# Ralph
Ralph is a minimal, file‑based agent loop for autonomous coding. Each iteration starts fresh, reads the same on‑disk state, and commits work for one story at a time.
## How it works
Ralph treats **files and git** as memory, not the model context:
- **PRD (JSON)** defines stories, gates, and status
- **Loop** executes one story per iteration
- **State** persists in `.ralph/`
## Global CLI (recommended)
Install and run Ralph from anywhere:
```bash
npm i -g @iannuttall/ralph
ralph prd # launches an interactive prompt
ralph build 1 # one Ralph run
```
### Template hierarchy
Ralph will look for templates in this order:
1. `.agents/ralph/` in the current project (if present)
2. Bundled defaults shipped with this repo
State and logs always go to `.ralph/` in the project.
### Install templates into a project (optional overrides)
```bash
ralph install
```
This creates `.agents/ralph/` in the current repo so you can customize prompts and loop behavior. During install, you’ll be asked if you want to add the required skills.
### Install required skills (optional)
```bash
ralph install --skills
```
You’ll be prompted for agent (codex/claude/droid/opencode) and local vs global install. Skills installed: **commit**, **dev-browser**, **prd**.
If you skipped skills during `ralph install`, you can run `ralph install --skills` anytime.
## Quick start (project)
1) Create your PRD (JSON) or generate one:
```
ralph prd
```
Requires the **prd** skill (install via `ralph install --skills`).
Example prompt text:
```
A lightweight uptime monitor (Hono app), deployed on Cloudflare, with email alerts via AWS SES
```
Default output (agent chooses a short filename in `.agents/tasks/`):
```
.agents/tasks/prd-<short>.json
```
2) Run one build iteration:
```
ralph build 1 # one Ralph run
```
No‑commit dry run:
```
ralph build 1 --no-commit # one Ralph run
```
Override PRD output for `ralph prd`:
```
ralph prd --out .agents/tasks/prd-api.json
```
Optional human overview (generated from JSON):
```
ralph overview
```
This writes a tiny overview alongside the PRD: `prd-<slug>.overview.md`.
PRD story status fields are updated automatically by the loop:
- `open` → selectable
- `in_progress` → locked by a running loop (with `startedAt`)
- `done` → completed (with `completedAt`)
If a loop crashes and a story stays `in_progress`, you can set `STALE_SECONDS` in `.agents/ralph/config.sh` to allow Ralph to automatically reopen stalled stories.
## Override PRD paths
You can point Ralph at a different PRD JSON file via CLI flags:
```bash
ralph build 1 --prd .agents/tasks/prd-api.json # one Ralph run
```
Optional progress override:
```bash
ralph build 1 --progress .ralph/progress-api.md # one Ralph run
```
If multiple PRD JSON files exist in `.agents/tasks/` and you omit `--prd`, Ralph will prompt you to choose.
Optional config file (if you installed templates):
```
.agents/ralph/config.sh
```
## Choose the agent runner
Set `AGENT_CMD` in `.agents/ralph/config.sh` to switch agents:
```
AGENT_CMD="codex exec --yolo -"
AGENT_CMD="claude -p --dangerously-skip-permissions \"\$(cat {prompt})\""
AGENT_CMD="droid exec --skip-permissions-unsafe -f {prompt}"
AGENT_CMD="opencode run \"$(cat {prompt})\""
```
Or override per run:
```
ralph prd --agent=codex
ralph build 1 --agent=codex # one Ralph run
ralph build 1 --agent=claude # one Ralph run
ralph build 1 --agent=droid # one Ralph run
ralph build 1 --agent=opencode # one Ralph run
```
If the CLI isn’t installed, Ralph prints install hints:
```
codex -> npm i -g @openai/codex
claude -> curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
droid -> curl -fsSL https://app.factory.ai/cli | sh
opencode -> curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install.sh | bash
```
## State files (.ralph/)
- `progress.md` — append‑only progress log
- `guardrails.md` — “Signs” (lessons learned)
- `activity.log` — activity + timing log
- `errors.log` — repExcerpt of 4,871 characters
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ian nuttall
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matched fp:1a9ab83c41992c26, llm:Repository description: 'A minimal, file‑based agent loop for autonomous coding.' Language: TypeScript. No topics provided.
matched fp:1a9ab83c41992c26, llm:Repository description: 'A minimal, file‑based agent loop for autonomous coding.' Language: TypeScript. No topics provided.
matched fp:1a9ab83c41992c26, llm:Repository description: 'A minimal, file‑based agent loop for autonomous coding.' Language: TypeScript. No topics provided.