commit 8ce458b33f423e2e89cfc4b56c75d053a9c4d1eb Author: Zhongwei Li Date: Sat Nov 29 17:56:04 2025 +0800 Initial commit diff --git a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cff3cee --- /dev/null +++ b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json @@ -0,0 +1,15 @@ +{ + "name": "ralph-wiggum", + "description": "Implementation of the Ralph Wiggum technique - continuous self-referential AI loops for interactive iterative development. Run Claude in a while-true loop with the same prompt until task completion.", + "version": "1.0.0", + "author": { + "name": "Daisy Hollman", + "email": "daisy@anthropic.com" + }, + "commands": [ + "./commands" + ], + "hooks": [ + "./hooks" + ] +} \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2015c13 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +# ralph-wiggum + +Implementation of the Ralph Wiggum technique - continuous self-referential AI loops for interactive iterative development. Run Claude in a while-true loop with the same prompt until task completion. diff --git a/commands/cancel-ralph.md b/commands/cancel-ralph.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..82130b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/commands/cancel-ralph.md @@ -0,0 +1,26 @@ +--- +description: "Cancel active Ralph Wiggum loop" +allowed-tools: ["Bash"] +hide-from-slash-command-tool: "true" +--- + +# Cancel Ralph + +```! +if [[ -f .claude/ralph-loop.local.md ]]; then + ITERATION=$(grep '^iteration:' .claude/ralph-loop.local.md | sed 's/iteration: *//') + echo "FOUND_LOOP=true" + echo "ITERATION=$ITERATION" +else + echo "FOUND_LOOP=false" +fi +``` + +Check the output above: + +1. **If FOUND_LOOP=false**: + - Say "No active Ralph loop found." + +2. **If FOUND_LOOP=true**: + - Use Bash: `rm .claude/ralph-loop.local.md` + - Report: "Cancelled Ralph loop (was at iteration N)" where N is the ITERATION value from above. diff --git a/commands/help.md b/commands/help.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..78a5045 --- /dev/null +++ b/commands/help.md @@ -0,0 +1,126 @@ +--- +description: "Explain Ralph Wiggum technique and available commands" +--- + +# Ralph Wiggum Plugin Help + +Please explain the following to the user: + +## What is the Ralph Wiggum Technique? + +The Ralph Wiggum technique is an iterative development methodology based on continuous AI loops, pioneered by Geoffrey Huntley. + +**Core concept:** +```bash +while :; do + cat PROMPT.md | claude-code --continue +done +``` + +The same prompt is fed to Claude repeatedly. The "self-referential" aspect comes from Claude seeing its own previous work in the files and git history, not from feeding output back as input. + +**Each iteration:** +1. Claude receives the SAME prompt +2. Works on the task, modifying files +3. Tries to exit +4. Stop hook intercepts and feeds the same prompt again +5. Claude sees its previous work in the files +6. Iteratively improves until completion + +The technique is described as "deterministically bad in an undeterministic world" - failures are predictable, enabling systematic improvement through prompt tuning. + +## Available Commands + +### /ralph-loop [OPTIONS] + +Start a Ralph loop in your current session. + +**Usage:** +``` +/ralph-loop "Refactor the cache layer" --max-iterations 20 +/ralph-loop "Add tests" --completion-promise "TESTS COMPLETE" +``` + +**Options:** +- `--max-iterations ` - Max iterations before auto-stop +- `--completion-promise ` - Promise phrase to signal completion + +**How it works:** +1. Creates `.claude/.ralph-loop.local.md` state file +2. You work on the task +3. When you try to exit, stop hook intercepts +4. Same prompt fed back +5. You see your previous work +6. Continues until promise detected or max iterations + +--- + +### /cancel-ralph + +Cancel an active Ralph loop (removes the loop state file). + +**Usage:** +``` +/cancel-ralph +``` + +**How it works:** +- Checks for active loop state file +- Removes `.claude/.ralph-loop.local.md` +- Reports cancellation with iteration count + +--- + +## Key Concepts + +### Completion Promises + +To signal completion, Claude must output a `` tag: + +``` +TASK COMPLETE +``` + +The stop hook looks for this specific tag. Without it (or `--max-iterations`), Ralph runs infinitely. + +### Self-Reference Mechanism + +The "loop" doesn't mean Claude talks to itself. It means: +- Same prompt repeated +- Claude's work persists in files +- Each iteration sees previous attempts +- Builds incrementally toward goal + +## Example + +### Interactive Bug Fix + +``` +/ralph-loop "Fix the token refresh logic in auth.ts. Output FIXED when all tests pass." --completion-promise "FIXED" --max-iterations 10 +``` + +You'll see Ralph: +- Attempt fixes +- Run tests +- See failures +- Iterate on solution +- In your current session + +## When to Use Ralph + +**Good for:** +- Well-defined tasks with clear success criteria +- Tasks requiring iteration and refinement +- Iterative development with self-correction +- Greenfield projects + +**Not good for:** +- Tasks requiring human judgment or design decisions +- One-shot operations +- Tasks with unclear success criteria +- Debugging production issues (use targeted debugging instead) + +## Learn More + +- Original technique: https://ghuntley.com/ralph/ +- Ralph Orchestrator: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator diff --git a/commands/ralph-loop.md b/commands/ralph-loop.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e54de24 --- /dev/null +++ b/commands/ralph-loop.md @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +--- +description: "Start Ralph Wiggum loop in current session" +argument-hint: "PROMPT [--max-iterations N] [--completion-promise TEXT]" +allowed-tools: ["Bash(${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/setup-ralph-loop.sh)"] +hide-from-slash-command-tool: "true" +--- + +# Ralph Loop Command + +Execute the setup script to initialize the Ralph loop: + +```! +"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/setup-ralph-loop.sh" $ARGUMENTS + +# Extract and display completion promise if set +if [ -f .claude/ralph-loop.local.md ]; then + PROMISE=$(grep '^completion_promise:' .claude/ralph-loop.local.md | sed 's/completion_promise: *//' | sed 's/^"\(.*\)"$/\1/') + if [ -n "$PROMISE" ] && [ "$PROMISE" != "null" ]; then + echo "" + echo "═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════" + echo "CRITICAL - Ralph Loop Completion Promise" + echo "═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════" + echo "" + echo "To complete this loop, output this EXACT text:" + echo " $PROMISE" + echo "" + echo "STRICT REQUIREMENTS (DO NOT VIOLATE):" + echo " ✓ Use XML tags EXACTLY as shown above" + echo " ✓ The statement MUST be completely and unequivocally TRUE" + echo " ✓ Do NOT output false statements to exit the loop" + echo " ✓ Do NOT lie even if you think you should exit" + echo "" + echo "IMPORTANT - Do not circumvent the loop:" + echo " Even if you believe you're stuck, the task is impossible," + echo " or you've been running too long - you MUST NOT output a" + echo " false promise statement. The loop is designed to continue" + echo " until the promise is GENUINELY TRUE. Trust the process." + echo "" + echo " If the loop should stop, the promise statement will become" + echo " true naturally. Do not force it by lying." + echo "═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════" + fi +fi +``` + +Please work on the task. When you try to exit, the Ralph loop will feed the SAME PROMPT back to you for the next iteration. You'll see your previous work in files and git history, allowing you to iterate and improve. + +CRITICAL RULE: If a completion promise is set, you may ONLY output it when the statement is completely and unequivocally TRUE. Do not output false promises to escape the loop, even if you think you're stuck or should exit for other reasons. The loop is designed to continue until genuine completion. diff --git a/hooks/hooks.json b/hooks/hooks.json new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2e5f697 --- /dev/null +++ b/hooks/hooks.json @@ -0,0 +1,15 @@ +{ + "description": "Ralph Wiggum plugin stop hook for self-referential loops", + "hooks": { + "Stop": [ + { + "hooks": [ + { + "type": "command", + "command": "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/stop-hook.sh" + } + ] + } + ] + } +} diff --git a/hooks/stop-hook.sh b/hooks/stop-hook.sh new file mode 100755 index 0000000..9aa611c --- /dev/null +++ b/hooks/stop-hook.sh @@ -0,0 +1,177 @@ +#!/bin/bash + +# Ralph Wiggum Stop Hook +# Prevents session exit when a ralph-loop is active +# Feeds Claude's output back as input to continue the loop + +set -euo pipefail + +# Read hook input from stdin (advanced stop hook API) +HOOK_INPUT=$(cat) + +# Check if ralph-loop is active +RALPH_STATE_FILE=".claude/ralph-loop.local.md" + +if [[ ! -f "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" ]]; then + # No active loop - allow exit + exit 0 +fi + +# Parse markdown frontmatter (YAML between ---) and extract values +FRONTMATTER=$(sed -n '/^---$/,/^---$/{ /^---$/d; p; }' "$RALPH_STATE_FILE") +ITERATION=$(echo "$FRONTMATTER" | grep '^iteration:' | sed 's/iteration: *//') +MAX_ITERATIONS=$(echo "$FRONTMATTER" | grep '^max_iterations:' | sed 's/max_iterations: *//') +# Extract completion_promise and strip surrounding quotes if present +COMPLETION_PROMISE=$(echo "$FRONTMATTER" | grep '^completion_promise:' | sed 's/completion_promise: *//' | sed 's/^"\(.*\)"$/\1/') + +# Validate numeric fields before arithmetic operations +if [[ ! "$ITERATION" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then + echo "⚠️ Ralph loop: State file corrupted" >&2 + echo " File: $RALPH_STATE_FILE" >&2 + echo " Problem: 'iteration' field is not a valid number (got: '$ITERATION')" >&2 + echo "" >&2 + echo " This usually means the state file was manually edited or corrupted." >&2 + echo " Ralph loop is stopping. Run /ralph-loop again to start fresh." >&2 + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +if [[ ! "$MAX_ITERATIONS" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then + echo "⚠️ Ralph loop: State file corrupted" >&2 + echo " File: $RALPH_STATE_FILE" >&2 + echo " Problem: 'max_iterations' field is not a valid number (got: '$MAX_ITERATIONS')" >&2 + echo "" >&2 + echo " This usually means the state file was manually edited or corrupted." >&2 + echo " Ralph loop is stopping. Run /ralph-loop again to start fresh." >&2 + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +# Check if max iterations reached +if [[ $MAX_ITERATIONS -gt 0 ]] && [[ $ITERATION -ge $MAX_ITERATIONS ]]; then + echo "🛑 Ralph loop: Max iterations ($MAX_ITERATIONS) reached." + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +# Get transcript path from hook input +TRANSCRIPT_PATH=$(echo "$HOOK_INPUT" | jq -r '.transcript_path') + +if [[ ! -f "$TRANSCRIPT_PATH" ]]; then + echo "⚠️ Ralph loop: Transcript file not found" >&2 + echo " Expected: $TRANSCRIPT_PATH" >&2 + echo " This is unusual and may indicate a Claude Code internal issue." >&2 + echo " Ralph loop is stopping." >&2 + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +# Read last assistant message from transcript (JSONL format - one JSON per line) +# First check if there are any assistant messages +if ! grep -q '"role":"assistant"' "$TRANSCRIPT_PATH"; then + echo "⚠️ Ralph loop: No assistant messages found in transcript" >&2 + echo " Transcript: $TRANSCRIPT_PATH" >&2 + echo " This is unusual and may indicate a transcript format issue" >&2 + echo " Ralph loop is stopping." >&2 + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +# Extract last assistant message with explicit error handling +LAST_LINE=$(grep '"role":"assistant"' "$TRANSCRIPT_PATH" | tail -1) +if [[ -z "$LAST_LINE" ]]; then + echo "⚠️ Ralph loop: Failed to extract last assistant message" >&2 + echo " Ralph loop is stopping." >&2 + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +# Parse JSON with error handling +LAST_OUTPUT=$(echo "$LAST_LINE" | jq -r ' + .message.content | + map(select(.type == "text")) | + map(.text) | + join("\n") +' 2>&1) + +# Check if jq succeeded +if [[ $? -ne 0 ]]; then + echo "⚠️ Ralph loop: Failed to parse assistant message JSON" >&2 + echo " Error: $LAST_OUTPUT" >&2 + echo " This may indicate a transcript format issue" >&2 + echo " Ralph loop is stopping." >&2 + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +if [[ -z "$LAST_OUTPUT" ]]; then + echo "⚠️ Ralph loop: Assistant message contained no text content" >&2 + echo " Ralph loop is stopping." >&2 + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +# Check for completion promise (only if set) +if [[ "$COMPLETION_PROMISE" != "null" ]] && [[ -n "$COMPLETION_PROMISE" ]]; then + # Extract text from tags using Perl for multiline support + # -0777 slurps entire input, s flag makes . match newlines + # .*? is non-greedy (takes FIRST tag), whitespace normalized + PROMISE_TEXT=$(echo "$LAST_OUTPUT" | perl -0777 -pe 's/.*?(.*?)<\/promise>.*/$1/s; s/^\s+|\s+$//g; s/\s+/ /g' 2>/dev/null || echo "") + + # Use = for literal string comparison (not pattern matching) + # == in [[ ]] does glob pattern matching which breaks with *, ?, [ characters + if [[ -n "$PROMISE_TEXT" ]] && [[ "$PROMISE_TEXT" = "$COMPLETION_PROMISE" ]]; then + echo "✅ Ralph loop: Detected $COMPLETION_PROMISE" + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 + fi +fi + +# Not complete - continue loop with SAME PROMPT +NEXT_ITERATION=$((ITERATION + 1)) + +# Extract prompt (everything after the closing ---) +# Skip first --- line, skip until second --- line, then print everything after +# Use i>=2 instead of i==2 to handle --- in prompt content +PROMPT_TEXT=$(awk '/^---$/{i++; next} i>=2' "$RALPH_STATE_FILE") + +if [[ -z "$PROMPT_TEXT" ]]; then + echo "⚠️ Ralph loop: State file corrupted or incomplete" >&2 + echo " File: $RALPH_STATE_FILE" >&2 + echo " Problem: No prompt text found" >&2 + echo "" >&2 + echo " This usually means:" >&2 + echo " • State file was manually edited" >&2 + echo " • File was corrupted during writing" >&2 + echo "" >&2 + echo " Ralph loop is stopping. Run /ralph-loop again to start fresh." >&2 + rm "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + exit 0 +fi + +# Update iteration in frontmatter (portable across macOS and Linux) +# Create temp file, then atomically replace +TEMP_FILE="${RALPH_STATE_FILE}.tmp.$$" +sed "s/^iteration: .*/iteration: $NEXT_ITERATION/" "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" > "$TEMP_FILE" +mv "$TEMP_FILE" "$RALPH_STATE_FILE" + +# Build system message with iteration count and completion promise info +if [[ "$COMPLETION_PROMISE" != "null" ]] && [[ -n "$COMPLETION_PROMISE" ]]; then + SYSTEM_MSG="🔄 Ralph iteration $NEXT_ITERATION | To stop: output $COMPLETION_PROMISE (ONLY when statement is TRUE - do not lie to exit!)" +else + SYSTEM_MSG="🔄 Ralph iteration $NEXT_ITERATION | No completion promise set - loop runs infinitely" +fi + +# Output JSON to block the stop and feed prompt back +# The "reason" field contains the prompt that will be sent back to Claude +jq -n \ + --arg prompt "$PROMPT_TEXT" \ + --arg msg "$SYSTEM_MSG" \ + '{ + "decision": "block", + "reason": $prompt, + "systemMessage": $msg + }' + +# Exit 0 for successful hook execution +exit 0 diff --git a/plugin.lock.json b/plugin.lock.json new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a6da0aa --- /dev/null +++ b/plugin.lock.json @@ -0,0 +1,61 @@ +{ + "$schema": "internal://schemas/plugin.lock.v1.json", + "pluginId": "gh:anthropics/claude-code:plugins/ralph-wiggum", + "normalized": { + "repo": null, + "ref": "refs/tags/v20251128.0", + "commit": "600088dd332b78c7003d37280a5ffb68c141959d", + "treeHash": "9684b140f04a626c5f6cda7c8b14984d1df61b89c11a4c824e5c1b3ec6a66fba", + "generatedAt": "2025-11-28T10:13:48.172309Z", + "toolVersion": "publish_plugins.py@0.2.0" + }, + "origin": { + "remote": "git@github.com:zhongweili/42plugin-data.git", + "branch": "master", + "commit": "aa1497ed0949fd50e99e70d6324a29c5b34f9390", + "repoRoot": "/Users/zhongweili/projects/openmind/42plugin-data" + }, + "manifest": { + "name": "ralph-wiggum", + "description": "Implementation of the Ralph Wiggum technique - continuous self-referential AI loops for interactive iterative development. 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