Ralph for Claude Code

Autonomous AI development loop with intelligent exit detection and rate limiting

Ralph is an implementation of the Ralph technique by Paul Gauthier, specifically adapted for Claude Code. It enables continuous autonomous development cycles where Claude Code iteratively improves your project until completion, with built-in safeguards to prevent infinite loops and API overuse.

Install once, use everywhere - Ralph becomes a global command available in any directory.

🌟 Features

• 🔄 Autonomous Development Loop - Continuously executes Claude Code with your project requirements
• 🛡️ Intelligent Exit Detection - Automatically stops when project objectives are complete
• ⚡ Rate Limiting - Built-in API call management with hourly limits and countdown timers
• 🚫 5-Hour API Limit Handling - Detects Claude's 5-hour usage limit and offers wait/exit options
• 📊 Live Monitoring - Real-time dashboard showing loop status, progress, and logs
• 🎯 Task Management - Structured approach with prioritized task lists and progress tracking
• 🔧 Project Templates - Quick setup for new projects with best-practice structure
• 📝 Comprehensive Logging - Detailed execution logs with timestamps and status tracking
• ⏱️ Configurable Timeouts - Set execution timeout for Claude Code operations (1-120 minutes)
• 🔍 Verbose Progress Mode - Optional detailed progress updates during execution

🚀 Quick Start

Ralph has two phases: one-time installation and per-project setup.

🔧 INSTALL ONCE              🚀 USE MANY TIMES
┌─────────────────┐          ┌──────────────────────┐
│ ./install.sh    │    →     │ ralph-setup project1 │
│                 │          │ ralph-setup project2 │
│ Adds global     │          │ ralph-setup project3 │
│ commands        │          │ ...                  │
└─────────────────┘          └──────────────────────┘

📦 Phase 1: Install Ralph (One Time Only)

Install Ralph globally on your system:

git clone https://github.com/frankbria/ralph-claude-code.git
cd ralph-claude-code
./install.sh

This adds ralph, ralph-monitor, and ralph-setup commands to your PATH.

Note

: You only need to do this once per system. After installation, you can delete the cloned repository if desired.

🎯 Phase 2: Initialize New Projects (Per Project)

For each new project you want Ralph to work on:

Option A: Import Existing PRD/Specifications

# Convert existing PRD/specs to Ralph format (recommended)
ralph-import my-requirements.md my-project
cd my-project

# Review and adjust the generated files:
# - PROMPT.md (Ralph instructions)
# - @fix_plan.md (task priorities) 
# - specs/requirements.md (technical specs)

# Start autonomous development
ralph --monitor

Option B: Manual Project Setup

# Create blank Ralph project
ralph-setup my-awesome-project
cd my-awesome-project

# Configure your project requirements manually
# Edit PROMPT.md with your project goals
# Edit specs/ with detailed specifications  
# Edit @fix_plan.md with initial priorities

# Start autonomous development
ralph --monitor

🔄 Ongoing Usage (After Setup)

Once Ralph is installed and your project is initialized:

# Navigate to any Ralph project and run:
ralph --monitor              # Integrated tmux monitoring (recommended)

# Or use separate terminals:
ralph                        # Terminal 1: Ralph loop
ralph-monitor               # Terminal 2: Live monitor dashboard

📖 How It Works

Ralph operates on a simple but powerful cycle:

1. 📋 Read Instructions - Loads PROMPT.md with your project requirements
2. 🤖 Execute Claude Code - Runs Claude Code with current context and priorities
3. 📊 Track Progress - Updates task lists and logs execution results
4. 🔍 Evaluate Completion - Checks for exit conditions and project completion signals
5. 🔄 Repeat - Continues until project is complete or limits are reached

Intelligent Exit Detection

Ralph automatically stops when it detects:

• ✅ All tasks in @fix_plan.md marked complete
• 🎯 Multiple consecutive "done" signals from Claude Code
• 🧪 Too many test-focused loops (indicating feature completeness)
• 📋 Strong completion indicators in responses
• 🚫 Claude API 5-hour usage limit reached (with user prompt to wait or exit)

📄 Importing Existing Requirements

Ralph can convert existing PRDs, specifications, or requirement documents into the proper Ralph format using Claude Code.

Supported Formats

• Markdown (.md) - Product requirements, technical specs
• Text files (.txt) - Plain text requirements
• JSON (.json) - Structured requirement data
• Word documents (.docx) - Business requirements
• PDFs (.pdf) - Design documents, specifications
• Any text-based format - Ralph will intelligently parse the content

Usage Examples

# Convert a markdown PRD
ralph-import product-requirements.md my-app

# Convert a text specification  
ralph-import requirements.txt webapp

# Convert a JSON API spec
ralph-import api-spec.json backend-service

# Let Ralph auto-name the project from filename
ralph-import design-doc.pdf

What Gets Generated

Ralph-import creates a complete project with:

• PROMPT.md - Converted into Ralph development instructions
• @fix_plan.md - Requirements broken down into prioritized tasks
• specs/requirements.md - Technical specifications extracted from your document
• Standard Ralph structure - All necessary directories and template files

The conversion is intelligent and preserves your original requirements while making them actionable for autonomous development.

🛠️ Configuration

Rate Limiting

# Default: 100 calls per hour
ralph --calls 50

# With integrated monitoring
ralph --monitor --calls 50

# Check current usage
ralph --status

Claude API 5-Hour Limit

When Claude's 5-hour usage limit is reached, Ralph:

1. Detects the limit error automatically
2. Prompts you to choose:
   • Option 1: Wait 60 minutes for the limit to reset (with countdown timer)
   • Option 2: Exit gracefully (or auto-exits after 30-second timeout)
3. Prevents endless retry loops that waste time

Custom Prompts

# Use custom prompt file
ralph --prompt my_custom_instructions.md

# With integrated monitoring
ralph --monitor --prompt my_custom_instructions.md

Execution Timeouts

# Set Claude Code execution timeout (default: 15 minutes)
ralph --timeout 30  # 30-minute timeout for complex tasks

# With monitoring and custom timeout
ralph --monitor --timeout 60  # 60-minute timeout

# Short timeout for quick iterations
ralph --verbose --timeout 5  # 5-minute timeout with progress

Verbose Mode

# Enable detailed progress updates during execution
ralph --verbose

# Combine with other options
ralph --monitor --verbose --timeout 30

Exit Thresholds

Modify these variables in ~/.ralph/ralph_loop.sh:

MAX_CONSECUTIVE_TEST_LOOPS=3     # Exit after 3 test-only loops
MAX_CONSECUTIVE_DONE_SIGNALS=2   # Exit after 2 "done" signals
TEST_PERCENTAGE_THRESHOLD=30     # Flag if 30%+ loops are test-only

📁 Project Structure

Ralph creates a standardized structure for each project:

my-project/
├── PROMPT.md           # Main development instructions for Ralph
├── @fix_plan.md        # Prioritized task list (@ prefix = Ralph control file)
├── @AGENT.md           # Build and run instructions
├── specs/              # Project specifications and requirements
│   └── stdlib/         # Standard library specifications
├── src/                # Source code implementation
├── examples/           # Usage examples and test cases
├── logs/               # Ralph execution logs
└── docs/generated/     # Auto-generated documentation

🎯 Best Practices

Writing Effective Prompts

1. Be Specific - Clear requirements lead to better results
2. Prioritize - Use @fix_plan.md to guide Ralph's focus
3. Set Boundaries - Define what's in/out of scope
4. Include Examples - Show expected inputs/outputs

Project Specifications

• Place detailed requirements in specs/
• Use @fix_plan.md for prioritized task tracking
• Keep @AGENT.md updated with build instructions
• Document key decisions and architecture

Monitoring Progress

• Use ralph-monitor for live status updates
• Check logs in logs/ for detailed execution history
• Monitor status.json for programmatic access
• Watch for exit condition signals

🔧 System Requirements

• Bash 4.0+ - For script execution
• Claude Code CLI - npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
• tmux - Terminal multiplexer for integrated monitoring (recommended)
• jq - JSON processing for status tracking
• Git - Version control (projects are initialized as git repos)
• Standard Unix tools - grep, date, etc.

Installing tmux

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install tmux

# macOS
brew install tmux

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install tmux

📊 Monitoring and Debugging

Live Dashboard

# Integrated tmux monitoring (recommended)
ralph --monitor

# Manual monitoring in separate terminal
ralph-monitor

Shows real-time:

• Current loop count and status
• API calls used vs. limit
• Recent log entries
• Rate limit countdown

tmux Controls:

• Ctrl+B then D - Detach from session (keeps Ralph running)
• Ctrl+B then ←/→ - Switch between panes
• tmux list-sessions - View active sessions
• tmux attach -t <session-name> - Reattach to session

Status Checking

# JSON status output
ralph --status

# Manual log inspection
tail -f logs/ralph.log

Common Issues

• Rate Limits - Ralph automatically waits and displays countdown
• 5-Hour API Limit - Ralph detects and prompts for user action (wait or exit)
• Stuck Loops - Check @fix_plan.md for unclear or conflicting tasks
• Early Exit - Review exit thresholds if Ralph stops too soon
• Execution Timeouts - Increase --timeout value for complex operations
• Missing Dependencies - Ensure Claude Code CLI and tmux are installed
• tmux Session Lost - Use tmux list-sessions and tmux attach to reconnect

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Test with ./install.sh and sample projects
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the Ralph technique created by Paul Gauthier for the Aider project
• Built for Claude Code by Anthropic
• Community feedback and contributions

🔗 Related Projects

• Claude Code - The AI coding assistant that powers Ralph
• Aider - Original Ralph technique implementation

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📋 Command Reference

Installation Commands (Run Once)

./install.sh              # Install Ralph globally
./install.sh uninstall    # Remove Ralph from system
./install.sh --help       # Show installation help

Ralph Loop Options

ralph [OPTIONS]
  -h, --help          Show help message
  -c, --calls NUM     Set max calls per hour (default: 100)
  -p, --prompt FILE   Set prompt file (default: PROMPT.md)
  -s, --status        Show current status and exit
  -m, --monitor       Start with tmux session and live monitor
  -v, --verbose       Show detailed progress updates during execution
  -t, --timeout MIN   Set Claude Code execution timeout in minutes (1-120, default: 15)

Project Commands (Per Project)

ralph-setup project-name     # Create new Ralph project
ralph-import prd.md project  # Convert PRD/specs to Ralph project
ralph --monitor              # Start with integrated monitoring
ralph --status               # Check current loop status
ralph --verbose              # Enable detailed progress updates
ralph --timeout 30           # Set 30-minute execution timeout
ralph --calls 50             # Limit to 50 API calls per hour
ralph-monitor                # Manual monitoring dashboard

tmux Session Management

tmux list-sessions        # View active Ralph sessions
tmux attach -t <name>     # Reattach to detached session
# Ctrl+B then D           # Detach from session (keeps running)

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Ready to let AI build your project? Start with ./install.sh and let Ralph take it from there! 🚀