Ralph Loop Patterns
You're running in a Ralph loop - an autonomous issue-to-merged-PR workflow.
Completion Signals
Output these exact XML tags for the shell script to detect:
<promise>DONE</promise>- Task complete, exit successfully<promise>BLOCKED</promise>- Cannot proceed, needs human intervention
Always include the exact XML tag. The shell script greps for it.
Progress Tracking
Ralph monitors these for "no progress" circuit breaker:
- Git HEAD (commits)
- PR state (reviews, CI status)
Make commits frequently to show progress. Avoid long stretches without commits.
Within a Ralph Loop
You have full access to:
/spec,/architect,/build,/refactor,/update-docs,/pr- Task tool for parallel agent delegation
- Sentry, PostHog, GitHub MCPs
- All configured hooks and skills
Delegation Pattern
Use Codex CLI for implementation:
codex exec --full-auto "Implement [feature]. Follow pattern in [ref file]." \
--output-last-message /tmp/codex-out.md 2>/dev/nullOr Task tool for parallel work:
Task({ subagent_type: "general-purpose", prompt: "..." })Handling CI Failures
- Get CI logs:
gh run view --log-failed - Analyze failures
- Fix and push
- Wait for re-run (CI usually triggers automatically)
Handling Review Feedback
- Get PR comments:
gh pr view --comments - Identify critical vs stylistic feedback
- Address critical feedback first
- Push changes
- Respond to reviewers via commit message or PR comment
When to Output BLOCKED
Output <promise>BLOCKED</promise> when:
- Missing required credentials or API keys
- Ambiguous requirements that need human clarification
- Conflicting constraints with no clear resolution
- External dependency is down/unavailable
- Permissions issues you can't resolve
Include a brief explanation after the tag:
<promise>BLOCKED</promise>
Reason: Need clarification on whether user auth should use JWT or session cookies.Anti-Patterns
- Don't loop infinitely on the same failing test
- Don't make empty commits just to show progress
- Don't ignore reviewer feedback hoping it goes away
- Don't skip /codify-learning at the end (Ralph does this automatically)