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Monitored Ralph Loop

Generate copy-paste bash scripts for Ralph Wiggum/AI agent loops (Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, Goos

Rating: 3.9 (367 reviews)
Downloads: 11,933 downloads
Version: 1.0.0

Overview

Generate copy-paste bash scripts for Ralph Wiggum/AI agent loops (Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, Goose)

✨Key Features

Complete Documentation

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Ralph Loop (Event-Driven)

Enhanced Ralph pattern with event-driven notifications — Codex/Claude calls OpenClaw when it needs attention instead of polling.

Key Concepts

Clean Sessions

Each iteration spawns a fresh agent session with clean context. This is intentional:

Avoids context window limits
Each codex exec is a new process with no memory of previous runs
Memory persists via files: IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md, AGENTS.md, git history

File-Based Notification Fallback

If OpenClaw is rate-limited when Codex sends a wake notification:

The notification is written to .ralph/pending-notification.txt
Wake is attempted (may fail)
When OpenClaw recovers, it checks for pending notifications
Work is never lost — it's all in git/files

File Structure

text

project/
├── PROMPT.md                      # Loaded each iteration (mode-specific)
├── AGENTS.md                      # Project context, test commands, learnings
├── IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md         # Task list with status
├── specs/                         # Requirements specs
│   ├── overview.md
│   └── <feature>.md
└── .ralph/
    ├── ralph.log                  # Execution log
    ├── pending-notification.txt   # Current pending notification (if any)
    └── last-notification.txt      # Previous notification (for reference)

Notification Format

.ralph/pending-notification.txt:

json

{
  "timestamp": "2026-02-07T02:30:00+01:00",
  "project": "/home/user/my-project",
  "message": "DONE: All tasks complete.",
  "iteration": 15,
  "max_iterations": 20,
  "cli": "codex",
  "status": "pending"
}

Status values:

pending — Wake failed or not attempted
delivered — Wake succeeded

OpenClaw Recovery Procedure

When coming back online after rate limit or downtime, check for pending notifications:

bash

# Find all pending notifications across projects
find ~/projects -name "pending-notification.txt" -path "*/.ralph/*" 2>/dev/null

# Or check a specific project
cat /path/to/project/.ralph/pending-notification.txt

Recovery Actions by Message Prefix

Prefix	Action
DONE:	Report completion to user, summarize what was built
PLANNING_COMPLETE:	Inform user, ask if ready for BUILDING mode
PROGRESS:	Log it, update user if significant
DECISION:	Present options to user, wait for answer, inject into AGENTS.md
ERROR:	Check logs (.ralph/ralph.log), analyze, help or escalate
BLOCKED:	Escalate to user immediately with full context
QUESTION:	Present to user, get clarification, inject into AGENTS.md

Injecting Responses

To answer a decision/question for the next iteration:

bash

echo "## Human Decisions
- [$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')] Q: <question>? A: <answer>" >> AGENTS.md

The next Codex session will read AGENTS.md and see the answer.

Clearing Notifications

After processing a notification, clear it:

bash

mv .ralph/pending-notification.txt .ralph/last-notification.txt

Workflow

1. Collect Requirements

Ask for (if not provided):

Goal/JTBD: What outcome is needed?
CLI: codex, claude, opencode, goose
Mode: PLANNING, BUILDING, or BOTH
Tech stack: Language, framework, database
Test command: How to verify correctness
Max iterations: Default 20

2. Generate Specs

Break the goal into topics of concern → specs/*.md:

markdown

# specs/overview.md
## Goal
<one-sentence JTBD>

## Tech Stack
- Language: Python 3.11
- Framework: FastAPI
- Database: SQLite
- Frontend: HTMX + Tailwind

## Success Criteria
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2

3. Generate AGENTS.md

markdown

# AGENTS.md

## Project
<brief description>

## Commands
- **Install**: `pip install -e .`
- **Test**: `pytest`
- **Lint**: `ruff check .`
- **Run**: `python -m app`

## Backpressure
Run after each implementation:
1. `ruff check . --fix`
2. `pytest`

## Human Decisions
<!-- Decisions made by humans are recorded here -->

## Learnings
<!-- Agent appends operational notes here -->

4. Generate PROMPT.md (Mode-Specific)

#### PLANNING Mode

markdown

# Ralph PLANNING Loop

## Goal
<JTBD>

## Context
- Read: specs/*.md
- Read: Current codebase structure
- Update: IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md

## Rules
1. Do NOT implement code
2. Do NOT commit
3. Analyze gaps between specs and current state
4. Create/update IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md with prioritized tasks
5. Each task should be small (< 1 hour of work)
6. If requirements are unclear, list questions

## Notifications
When you need input or finish planning:

bash openclaw gateway wake --text "PLANNING: " --mode now

text

Use prefixes:
- `DECISION:` — Need human input on a choice
- `QUESTION:` — Requirements unclear
- `DONE:` — Planning complete

## Completion
When plan is complete and ready for building, add to IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md:

STATUS: PLANNING_COMPLETE

text

Then notify:

bash openclaw gateway wake --text "DONE: Planning complete. X tasks identified." --mode now

text

#### BUILDING Mode

markdown

# Ralph BUILDING Loop

## Goal
<JTBD>

## Context
- Read: specs/*.md, IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md, AGENTS.md
- Implement: One task per iteration
- Test: Run backpressure commands from AGENTS.md

## Rules
1. Pick the highest priority incomplete task from IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md
2. Investigate relevant code before changing
3. Implement the task
4. Run backpressure commands (lint, test)
5. If tests pass: commit with clear message, mark task done
6. If tests fail: try to fix (max 3 attempts), then notify
7. Update AGENTS.md with any operational learnings
8. Update IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md with progress

## Notifications
Call OpenClaw when needed:

bash openclaw gateway wake --text ": " --mode now

text

Prefixes:
- `DECISION:` — Need human input (e.g., "SQLite vs PostgreSQL?")
- `ERROR:` — Tests failing after 3 attempts
- `BLOCKED:` — Missing dependency, credentials, or unclear spec
- `PROGRESS:` — Major milestone complete (optional)
- `DONE:` — All tasks complete

## Completion
When all tasks are done:
1. Add to IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md: `STATUS: COMPLETE`
2. Notify:

bash openclaw gateway wake --text "DONE: All tasks complete. Summary: " --mode now

text

5. Run the Loop

Use the provided scripts/ralph.sh:

bash

# Default: 20 iterations with Codex
./scripts/ralph.sh 20

# With Claude Code
RALPH_CLI=claude ./scripts/ralph.sh 10

# With tests
RALPH_TEST="pytest" ./scripts/ralph.sh

Parallel Execution

For independent tasks, use git worktrees:

bash

# Create worktrees for parallel work
git worktree add /tmp/task-auth main
git worktree add /tmp/task-upload main

# Spawn parallel sessions (each is clean/fresh)
exec pty:true background:true workdir:/tmp/task-auth command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Implement user authentication...'"
exec pty:true background:true workdir:/tmp/task-upload command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Implement image upload...'"

Track sessions:

Session ID	Worktree	Task	Status
abc123	/tmp/task-auth	Auth module	running
def456	/tmp/task-upload	Image upload	running

Each Codex notifies independently. Check .ralph/pending-notification.txt in each worktree.

CLI-Specific Notes

Codex

Requires git repository
Each codex exec is a fresh session — no memory between calls
--full-auto: Auto-approve in workspace (sandboxed)
--yolo: No sandbox, no approvals (dangerous but fast)
Default model: gpt-5.2-codex

Claude Code

--dangerously-skip-permissions: Auto-approve (use in sandbox)
No git requirement
Each invocation is fresh

OpenCode

opencode run "$(cat PROMPT.md)"

Goose

goose run "$(cat PROMPT.md)"

Safety

⚠️ Auto-approve flags are dangerous. Always:

Run in a dedicated directory/branch
Use a sandbox (Docker/VM) for untrusted projects
Have git reset --hard ready as escape hatch
Review commits before pushing

Quick Start

bash

# 1. Create project directory
mkdir my-project && cd my-project && git init

# 2. Copy templates from skill
cp /path/to/ralph-loop/templates/* .
mv PROMPT-PLANNING.md PROMPT.md

# 3. Create specs
mkdir specs
cat > specs/overview.md << 'EOF'
## Goal
Build a web app that...

## Tech Stack
- Python 3.11 + FastAPI
- SQLite
- HTMX + Tailwind

## Features
1. Feature one
2. Feature two
EOF

# 4. Edit PROMPT.md with your goal

# 5. Run the loop
./ralph.sh 20

Example: Antique Catalogue

markdown

# specs/overview.md
## Goal
Web app for cataloguing antique items with metadata, images, and categories.

## Tech Stack
- Python 3.11 + FastAPI
- SQLite + SQLAlchemy
- HTMX + Tailwind CSS
- Local file storage for images

## Features
1. CRUD for items (name, description, age, purchase info, dimensions)
2. Image upload (multiple per item)
3. Tags and categories
4. Search and filter
5. Multiple view modes (grid, list, detail)

The agent will:

(PLANNING) Break this into 10-15 tasks
(BUILDING) Implement each task, one per iteration
Commit after each successful implementation
Notify on completion or if blocked

Installation

Terminal bash


openclaw install monitored-ralph-loop

Copied!

💻Code Examples

└── last-notification.txt # Previous notification (for reference)

--last-notificationtxt--previous-notification-for-reference.txt

## Notification Format

`.ralph/pending-notification.txt`:

}

.txt

Status values:
- `pending` — Wake failed or not attempted
- `delivered` — Wake succeeded

---

## OpenClaw Recovery Procedure

When coming back online after rate limit or downtime, **check for pending notifications**:

cat /path/to/project/.ralph/pending-notification.txt

cat-pathtoprojectralphpending-notificationtxt.txt

### Recovery Actions by Message Prefix

| Prefix | Action |
|--------|--------|
| `DONE:` | Report completion to user, summarize what was built |
| `PLANNING_COMPLETE:` | Inform user, ask if ready for BUILDING mode |
| `PROGRESS:` | Log it, update user if significant |
| `DECISION:` | Present options to user, wait for answer, inject into AGENTS.md |
| `ERROR:` | Check logs (`.ralph/ralph.log`), analyze, help or escalate |
| `BLOCKED:` | Escalate to user immediately with full context |
| `QUESTION:` | Present to user, get clarification, inject into AGENTS.md |

### Injecting Responses

To answer a decision/question for the next iteration:

- [$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')] Q: <question>? A: <answer>" >> AGENTS.md

--date-y-m-d-hm-q-question-a-answer--agentsmd.txt

The next Codex session will read AGENTS.md and see the answer.

### Clearing Notifications

After processing a notification, clear it:

mv .ralph/pending-notification.txt .ralph/last-notification.txt

mv-ralphpending-notificationtxt-ralphlast-notificationtxt.txt

---

## Workflow

### 1. Collect Requirements

Ask for (if not provided):
- **Goal/JTBD**: What outcome is needed?
- **CLI**: `codex`, `claude`, `opencode`, `goose`
- **Mode**: `PLANNING`, `BUILDING`, or `BOTH`
- **Tech stack**: Language, framework, database
- **Test command**: How to verify correctness
- **Max iterations**: Default 20

### 2. Generate Specs

Break the goal into **topics of concern** → `specs/*.md`:

---agent-appends-operational-notes-here---.txt

### 4. Generate PROMPT.md (Mode-Specific)

#### PLANNING Mode

RALPH_TEST="pytest" ./scripts/ralph.sh

ralphtestpytest-scriptsralphsh.txt

---

## Parallel Execution

For independent tasks, use git worktrees:

exec pty:true background:true workdir:/tmp/task-upload command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Implement image upload...'"

exec-ptytrue-backgroundtrue-workdirtmptask-upload-commandcodex-exec---full-auto-implement-image-upload.txt

Track sessions:

| Session ID | Worktree | Task | Status |
|------------|----------|------|--------|
| abc123 | /tmp/task-auth | Auth module | running |
| def456 | /tmp/task-upload | Image upload | running |

Each Codex notifies independently. Check `.ralph/pending-notification.txt` in each worktree.

---

## CLI-Specific Notes

### Codex
- Requires git repository
- **Each `codex exec` is a fresh session** — no memory between calls
- `--full-auto`: Auto-approve in workspace (sandboxed)
- `--yolo`: No sandbox, no approvals (dangerous but fast)
- Default model: gpt-5.2-codex

### Claude Code
- `--dangerously-skip-permissions`: Auto-approve (use in sandbox)
- No git requirement
- Each invocation is fresh

### OpenCode
- `opencode run "$(cat PROMPT.md)"`

### Goose
- `goose run "$(cat PROMPT.md)"`

---

## Safety

⚠️ **Auto-approve flags are dangerous.** Always:
1. Run in a dedicated directory/branch
2. Use a sandbox (Docker/VM) for untrusted projects
3. Have `git reset --hard` ready as escape hatch
4. Review commits before pushing

---

## Quick Start

./ralph.sh 20

ralphsh-20.txt

---

## Example: Antique Catalogue

example.txt

project/
├── PROMPT.md                      # Loaded each iteration (mode-specific)
├── AGENTS.md                      # Project context, test commands, learnings
├── IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md         # Task list with status
├── specs/                         # Requirements specs
│   ├── overview.md
│   └── <feature>.md
└── .ralph/
    ├── ralph.log                  # Execution log
    ├── pending-notification.txt   # Current pending notification (if any)
    └── last-notification.txt      # Previous notification (for reference)