ralph-init

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Initialize Ralph in the current project. Use after /prd and /ralph to set up the autonomous loop scripts. Triggers on: initialize ralph, setup ralph, ralph init, add ralph to project.

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[Developer Tools]

When & Why to Use This Skill

The Ralph Project Initializer is a specialized utility designed to bootstrap autonomous development environments. It automates the setup of the Ralph iteration loop, enabling developers to transition seamlessly from product requirements (PRD) to autonomous code implementation. By configuring the necessary directory structures, shell scripts, and prompt templates, it minimizes manual configuration and accelerates the deployment of AI-driven coding agents using Claude Code.

Use Cases

  • Setting up an autonomous coding loop to automatically implement features and user stories defined in a PRD.
  • Bootstrapping a project environment for AI agents to perform continuous debugging and code refinement iterations.
  • Standardizing the deployment of Ralph-based automation scripts across multiple repositories to ensure consistent developer workflows.
nameralph-init
description"Initialize Ralph in the current project. Use after /prd and /ralph to set up the autonomous loop scripts. Triggers on: initialize ralph, setup ralph, ralph init, add ralph to project."

Ralph Project Initializer

Set up Ralph scripts in the current project directory so you can run the autonomous agent loop.

The Job

  1. Create the scripts/ralph/ directory in the current project
  2. Copy ralph.sh and prompt.md from ~/Documents/Projects/ralph-claude/
  3. Make ralph.sh executable
  4. Confirm setup is complete

Prerequisites

Before running /ralph-init, you should have:

  1. Generated a PRD with /prd (saved to tasks/prd-*.md)
  2. Converted it to prd.json with /ralph (creates scripts/ralph/prd.json)

What Gets Created

your-project/
  scripts/
    ralph/
      ralph.sh      # The iteration loop script
      prompt.md     # Instructions for each Claude Code iteration
      prd.json      # Your user stories (created by /ralph)
      progress.txt  # Created automatically on first run

Steps to Execute

When this skill is invoked:

# 1. Create the scripts/ralph directory
mkdir -p scripts/ralph

# 2. Copy the core files
cp ~/Documents/Projects/ralph-claude/ralph.sh scripts/ralph/
cp ~/Documents/Projects/ralph-claude/prompt.md scripts/ralph/

# 3. Make ralph.sh executable
chmod +x scripts/ralph/ralph.sh

After Initialization

Tell the user:

  1. Move their prd.json to scripts/ralph/ if it isn't there already
  2. Run the autonomous loop: ./scripts/ralph/ralph.sh 10
  3. Monitor progress in scripts/ralph/progress.txt

Example Output

After successful initialization, respond:

Ralph initialized in scripts/ralph/

Next steps:
1. Ensure prd.json is in scripts/ralph/
2. Run: ./scripts/ralph/ralph.sh 10

The script will iterate until all user stories pass or max iterations reached.

Notes

  • The ralph.sh script uses Claude Code CLI (claude --dangerously-skip-permissions)
  • Each iteration spawns a fresh Claude Code instance
  • Progress and learnings are persisted in progress.txt
  • Completed stories are tracked in prd.json with passes: true
ralph-init – AI Agent Skills | Claude Skills