setup-ralph

---

name: setup-ralph description: Setup the Ralph autonomous AI coding loop - ships features while you sleep argument-hint: " [-i/--interactive] [-f/--feature ]"

Objective

Set up the Ralph autonomous coding loop in any project. Ralph runs AI agents in a loop, picking tasks from a PRD, implementing one at a time, committing after each, and accumulating learnings until all tasks are complete.

This skill ONLY sets up Ralph - you run the commands yourself.

Quick Start

Setup Ralph interactively (recommended):

Copy/setup-ralph -i

Setup for specific feature:

Copy/setup-ralph -f 01-add-authentication

What this does:

1. Creates .agent/ralph/ structure in your project
2. Runs setup script to create all Ralph files
3. (If -i): Brainstorms PRD with you interactively
4. Transforms PRD into user stories (prd.json)
5. Shows you the command to run Ralph (you run it yourself)

After setup, you run:

Copybun run .agent/ralph/ralph.sh -f <feature-name>

Critical Rule

🛑 NEVER run ralph.sh or any execution commands automatically 🛑 NEVER execute the loop - only set up files and show instructions ✅ ALWAYS let the user copy and run commands themselves ✅ ALWAYS end by showing the exact command to run

When To Use

Use this skill when:

• Starting a new feature that can be broken into small stories
• Setting up Ralph in a new project
• Creating a new feature PRD interactively

Don't use for:

• Simple single-file changes
• Exploratory work without clear requirements
• Major refactors without acceptance criteria

Parameters

Examples:

Copy/setup-ralph /path/to/project -i              # Interactive PRD creation
/setup-ralph . -f 01-add-auth                 # Setup for specific feature
/setup-ralph -i -f 02-user-dashboard          # Interactive with specific name

State Variables

Entry Point

Load resources/steps/step-00-init.md

Step Files

Scripts

Execution Rules

1. Progressive Loading: Load one step at a time
2. Script Execution: Use scripts/setup.sh to create files atomically
3. Interactive Mode: If -i flag, run brainstorming conversation
4. State Persistence: Track progress in feature_dir/progress.txt
5. Resume Support: Detect existing PRD.md and resume from there
6. NEVER RUN RALPH: Only setup and show commands - user runs them

Success Criteria

✅ Ralph structure created at {project_path}/.agent/ralph ✅ Feature folder created with PRD.md, prd.json, progress.txt ✅ User stories properly formatted in prd.json ✅ Clear run command provided to user (they run it themselves)