ralph-json-start-loop_skill

Overview

This skill runs the Ralph autonomous loop to execute feature stories defined in prds/*.json and manage feature work using git worktrees. It automates selecting ready projects, implementing stories, running checks, committing changes, and syncing updates back to the main repo. It is designed for repeated, unattended iterations and can run in background mode.

How this skill works

The script inspects PRD JSON files for story status and dependency metadata, builds a dependency graph, and selects the next available project alphabetically when ready. For each iteration it creates a git worktree, picks the first story with passes: false, implements changes, runs quality checks, commits with a standardized message, updates the JSON, and syncs results back to the main repository. Run it in background mode and monitor progress via the worktree .ralph-progress.txt file.

When to use it

• Automating incremental development of feature stories defined in prds/*.json
• Running long or repeated implementation iterations without manual supervision
• Enforcing project ordering through declared dependsOn relationships
• Working on multiple independent projects in parallel using separate terminals
• Converting planned stories into commits and synced PRDs after plan creation

Best practices

• Keep PRD JSON files in .claude/plans/, plans/, or prds/ with proper dependsOn fields
• Start the script with run_in_background: true to avoid timeouts
• Run one Ralph per independent project in its own terminal to avoid worktree overlap
• Name projects and dependencies clearly; Ralph picks the first ready project alphabetically
• Use plan mode first and run /ralph-json-create-issues to convert plans before execution

Example use cases

• Run /ralph to automatically pick the next ready project and execute until completion
• Run /ralph 25 to run 25 iterations on the selected project
• Run /ralph auth-flow to target a specific project by name
• Monitor progress with tail -f <worktree>/.ralph-progress.txt while Ralph runs in background
• Run multiple terminals for parallel work on independent projects, each using its own worktree