RU: Encourage
Add items to the encouraged list during an active loop session. Encouraged items get priority in opportunity discovery and override forbidden patterns.
Runtime configurable: Works with or without active loop. Changes apply on next iteration.
Self-Evolving Skill: This skill improves through use. If instructions are wrong, parameters drifted, or a workaround was needed — fix this file immediately, don't defer. Only update for real, reproducible issues.
Usage
/ru:encourage test coverage- Add "test coverage" to encouraged list/ru:encourage --list- Show current encouraged items/ru:encourage --clear- Clear all encouraged items/ru:encourage --remove <phrase>- Remove item matching phrase (fuzzy)
Execution
/usr/bin/env bash << 'RALPH_ENCOURAGE_SCRIPT'
PROJECT_DIR="${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-$(pwd)}"
CONFIG_FILE="$PROJECT_DIR/.claude/ru-config.json"
# Get arguments
ARGS="${ARGUMENTS:-}"
# Ensure config file exists with guidance structure
if [[ ! -f "$CONFIG_FILE" ]]; then
echo '{"guidance": {"forbidden": [], "encouraged": []}}' > "$CONFIG_FILE"
fi
# Ensure guidance structure exists
if ! jq -e '.guidance' "$CONFIG_FILE" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
jq '. + {guidance: {forbidden: [], encouraged: []}}' "$CONFIG_FILE" > "$CONFIG_FILE.tmp" && mv "$CONFIG_FILE.tmp" "$CONFIG_FILE"
fi
# Handle commands
case "$ARGS" in
"--list"|"-l")
echo "Current encouraged items:"
jq -r '.guidance.encouraged[]?' "$CONFIG_FILE" | while read -r item; do
echo " + $item"
done
COUNT=$(jq -r '.guidance.encouraged | length' "$CONFIG_FILE")
echo ""
echo "Total: $COUNT items"
;;
"--clear"|"-c")
jq '.guidance.encouraged = []' "$CONFIG_FILE" > "$CONFIG_FILE.tmp" && mv "$CONFIG_FILE.tmp" "$CONFIG_FILE"
echo "Cleared all encouraged items"
;;
--remove\ *)
PHRASE="${ARGS#--remove }"
MATCH=$(jq -r --arg phrase "$PHRASE" \
'.guidance.encouraged[] | select(. | ascii_downcase | contains($phrase | ascii_downcase))' \
"$CONFIG_FILE" | head -1)
if [[ -z "$MATCH" ]]; then
echo "No encouraged item matches: $PHRASE"
exit 1
fi
TS=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
jq --arg match "$MATCH" --arg ts "$TS" \
'.guidance.encouraged |= map(select(. != $match)) | .guidance.timestamp = $ts' \
"$CONFIG_FILE" > "$CONFIG_FILE.tmp" && mv "$CONFIG_FILE.tmp" "$CONFIG_FILE"
echo "Removed from encouraged list: $MATCH"
;;
"")
echo "Usage: /ru:encourage <phrase> | --list | --clear | --remove <phrase>"
echo ""
echo "Current encouraged items:"
jq -r '.guidance.encouraged[]?' "$CONFIG_FILE" | while read -r item; do
echo " + $item"
done
;;
*)
TS=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
jq --arg item "$ARGS" --arg ts "$TS" \
'.guidance.encouraged = ((.guidance.encouraged // []) + [$item] | unique) | .guidance.timestamp = $ts' \
"$CONFIG_FILE" > "$CONFIG_FILE.tmp" && mv "$CONFIG_FILE.tmp" "$CONFIG_FILE"
echo "Added to encouraged list: $ARGS"
echo ""
echo "Current encouraged items:"
jq -r '.guidance.encouraged[]?' "$CONFIG_FILE" | while read -r item; do
echo " + $item"
done
;;
esac
RALPH_ENCOURAGE_SCRIPTRun the bash script above to manage encouraged items.
How It Works
- Config file: Changes are written to
.claude/ru-config.json - Next iteration applies: The Stop hook reads config fresh on each iteration
- Priority override: Encouraged items override forbidden patterns
- Template rendering: Encouraged items appear in the
## USER GUIDANCEsection
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| jq error on add | Config file malformed | Run /ru:settings reset to recreate |
| Item not appearing | Typo or different casing | Use --list to verify exact text |
| Encouraged not applied | RU not running | Start with /ru:start |
| Remove by phrase fails | No match found | Use --list to see exact item names |
| Config file not found | .claude dir missing | Create with mkdir -p.claude |
Post-Execution Reflection
After this skill completes, check before closing:
- Did the command succeed? — If not, fix the instruction or error table that caused the failure.
- Did parameters or output change? — If the underlying tool's interface drifted, update Usage examples and Parameters table to match.
- Was a workaround needed? — If you had to improvise (different flags, extra steps), update this SKILL.md so the next invocation doesn't need the same workaround.
Only update if the issue is real and reproducible — not speculative.