Ralph

[RALPH + ULTRAWORK - ITERATION {{ITERATION}}/{{MAX}}]

Your previous attempt did not output the completion promise. Continue working on the task.

<Purpose>
Ralph is a persistence loop that keeps working on a task until it is fully complete and architect-verified. It wraps ultrawork's parallel execution with session persistence, automatic retry on failure, and mandatory verification before completion.
</Purpose>

<Use_When>

• Task requires guaranteed completion with verification (not just "do your best")
• User says "ralph", "don't stop", "must complete", "finish this", or "keep going until done"
• Work may span multiple iterations and needs persistence across retries
• Task benefits from parallel execution with architect sign-off at the end </Use_When>

<Do_Not_Use_When>

• User wants a full autonomous pipeline from idea to code -- use autopilot instead
• User wants to explore or plan before committing -- use plan skill instead
• User wants a quick one-shot fix -- delegate directly to an executor agent
• User wants manual control over completion -- use ultrawork directly </Do_Not_Use_When>

<Why_This_Exists> Complex tasks often fail silently: partial implementations get declared "done", tests get skipped, edge cases get forgotten. Ralph prevents this by looping until work is genuinely complete, requiring fresh verification evidence before allowing completion, and using explicit architect native-subagent verification to confirm quality. </Why_This_Exists>

<Execution_Policy>

• Fire independent agent calls simultaneously -- never wait sequentially for independent work
• Use run_in_background: true for long operations (installs, builds, test suites)
• The documented-leader preflight is not a general native-session gate. Run omx ralplan preflight --json only when native role routing reports role_routing_unavailable and Ralph attempts adapted Ralplan Planner, Architect, or Critic authority, adapted role-intent, or adapted consensus authority. On unsupported_documented_leader_proof, stop before that adapted authority and use a Codex surface with documented root proof or a reviewed alternative workflow. Do not infer root authority from session_id, undocumented thread_id, session/pointer/transcript/cwd state, absent child data, or prompt labels. Ordinary native planning, lifecycle, state, status, health, HUD, runtime, setup, install, sync, and unrelated delegation remain outside this preflight boundary and under their existing controls.
• When the native surface exposes agent_type role routing, set agent_type to an installed OMX role and never omit it for OMX work; use reasoning_effort for per-dispatch intensity when needed.
• OMX adapted role-pass protocol: when native routing is role_routing_unavailable, do not fabricate agent_type. On the exact reviewed Codex releases 0.144.5, 0.145.0, 0.146.1, and 0.148.0-alpha.5, only an attempted adapted Ralplan Planner, Architect, Critic, role-intent, or consensus authority path requires omx ralplan preflight --json and fails closed on unsupported_documented_leader_proof; every other version remains unknown and fails closed. Do not use prompt labels, task-name carriers, pending intents, markers, or omx ralplan role-intent write as substitutes.
• Preserve legacy Ralph tier intent through native reasoning effort: LOW -> low, STANDARD -> medium, THOROUGH -> xhigh
• Deliver the full implementation: no scope reduction, no partial completion, no deleting tests to make them pass
• Apply the shared workflow guidance pattern: outcome-first framing, concise visible updates for multi-step execution, local overrides for the active workflow branch, validation proportional to risk, explicit stop rules, and automatic continuation for safe reversible steps. Ask only for material, destructive, credentialed, external-production, or preference-dependent branches.
• Integrate with Codex goal mode when goal tools are available: inspect the active thread goal with get_goal, preserve it as the top-level stop condition, and only call update_goal({status: "complete"}) after a Ralph completion audit proves the objective is actually achieved. </Execution_Policy>

<Steps>
0. **Pre-context intake (required before planning/execution loop starts)**:
   - Assemble or load a context snapshot at `.omx/context/{task-slug}-{timestamp}.md` (UTC `YYYYMMDDTHHMMSSZ`).
   - Minimum snapshot fields:
     - task statement
     - desired outcome
     - known facts/evidence
     - constraints
     - unknowns/open questions
     - likely codebase touchpoints
   - If an existing relevant snapshot is available, reuse it and record the path in Ralph state.
   - If request ambiguity is high, gather brownfield facts first. `omx explore` is deprecated; use normal repository inspection tools/subagents for simple read-only repository lookups and `omx sparkshell` only for explicit shell-native read-only evidence. Then run `$deep-interview --quick <task>` to close critical gaps.
   - Do not begin Ralph execution work (delegation, implementation, or verification loops) until snapshot grounding exists. If forced to proceed quickly, note explicit risk tradeoffs.
   - A Ralplan-originated handoff alone does not require preflight. Before intake, run `omx ralplan preflight --json` only when native role routing is unavailable and the handoff attempts adapted Ralplan Planner, Architect, Critic, role-intent, or consensus authority. On `unsupported_documented_leader_proof`, record the reason in Execution Policy and stop before that authority; otherwise follow the existing intake controls.
1. **Review progress**: Check TODO list and any prior iteration state
2. **Continue from where you left off**: Pick up incomplete tasks
3. **Delegate in parallel**: Route tasks to specialist native agents with explicit `agent_type` and appropriate `reasoning_effort`
   - Simple lookups: `reasoning_effort="low"` -- "What does this function return?"
   - Standard work: `reasoning_effort="medium"` -- "Add error handling to this module"
   - Complex analysis: `reasoning_effort="xhigh"` -- "Debug this race condition"
   - When Ralph is entered as a ralplan follow-up, start from the approved **available-agent-types roster** and make the delegation plan explicit: implementation lane, evidence/regression lane, and final sign-off lane using only known agent types
4. **Run long operations in background**: Builds, installs, test suites use `run_in_background: true`
5. **Visual task gate (when screenshot/reference images are present)**:
   - Run the Visual Ralph verdict step **before every next edit**.
   - Require structured JSON output: `score`, `verdict`, `category_match`, `differences[]`, `suggestions[]`, `reasoning`.
   - Persist verdict to `.omx/state/{scope}/ralph-progress.json` including numeric + qualitative feedback.
   - Default pass threshold: `score >= 90`.
   - **URL-based visual cloning tasks**: When the task description contains a target URL (e.g., "clone https://example.com"), route the work through `$visual-ralph`. `$web-clone` is hard-deprecated; Visual Ralph owns the migrated live-URL visual implementation use case and uses its built-in visual verdict step for measured visual scoring.
6. **Verify completion with fresh evidence**:
   - If Codex goal mode is available, call `get_goal` before final verification to restate the active objective and include it in the evidence checklist.
   a. Identify what command proves the task is complete
   b. Run verification (test, build, lint)
   c. Read the output -- confirm it actually passed
   d. Check: zero pending/in_progress TODO items
7. **Architect verification** (native role):
   - <5 files, <100 lines with full tests: `task(agent_type="architect", reasoning_effort="medium", prompt="...")` minimum
   - Standard changes: `task(agent_type="architect", reasoning_effort="medium", prompt="...")`
   - >20 files or security/architectural changes: `task(agent_type="architect", reasoning_effort="xhigh", prompt="...")`
   - Ralph floor: always run an explicit `architect` native subagent, even for small changes
   - On `role_routing_unavailable`, do not invoke `omx ralplan role-intent write` or manufacture an Architect identity. Run the documented-leader preflight only if Architect verification would attempt adapted Ralplan Architect authority; on the exact reviewed Codex releases 0.144.5, 0.145.0, 0.146.1, and 0.148.0-alpha.5 that adapted path is unavailable, while every other version remains unknown and fails closed. Surface the leader-proof diagnostic and the supported-surface recovery guidance, then stop before that authority. Ordinary Ralph delegation remains under its existing controls. Use an adapted route only after its documented positive root proof has been reviewed and implemented.
7.5 **Mandatory Deslop Pass**:
   - After Step 7 passes, run `oh-my-codex:ai-slop-cleaner` on **all files changed during the Ralph session**.
   - Scope the cleaner to **changed files only**; do not widen the pass beyond Ralph-owned edits.
   - Run the cleaner in **standard mode** (not `--review`).
   - If the prompt contains `--no-deslop`, skip Step 7.5 entirely and proceed with the most recent successful verification evidence.
7.6 **Regression Re-verification**:
   - After the deslop pass, re-run all tests/build/lint and read the output to confirm they still pass.
   - If post-deslop regression fails, roll back cleaner changes or fix and retry. Then rerun Step 7.5 and Step 7.6 until the regression is green.
   - Do not proceed to completion until post-deslop regression is green (unless `--no-deslop` explicitly skipped the deslop pass).
8. **On approval**: If Codex goal mode is active, call `update_goal({status: "complete"})` before `/cancel`; report final elapsed time and token-budget usage when the tool returns it. Then run `/cancel` to cleanly exit and clean up all state files.
9. **On rejection**: Fix the issues raised, then re-verify with the same `agent_type` and `reasoning_effort` profile
</Steps>

<Tool_Usage>

• Use ask_codex with agent_role: "architect" for verification cross-checks when changes are security-sensitive, architectural, or involve complex multi-system integration
• Skip Codex consultation for simple feature additions, well-tested changes, or time-critical verification
• If MCP compatibility tools are unavailable, proceed with CLI/agent verification alone -- never block on external tools
• Use omx state write/read --input '<json>' --json for ralph mode state persistence between iterations
• Use Codex goal tools when present: get_goal to discover or re-check the active objective, create_goal only when the user/system explicitly requested a new goal and no active goal exists, and update_goal only after the audited objective is fully achieved.
• Persist context snapshot path in Ralph mode state so later phases and agents share the same grounding context
• Prefer CLI state commands. If an explicit MCP compatibility omx_state call reports that its stdio transport is unavailable/closed, do not retry the same MCP call. Retry once through the supported CLI parity surface with the same payload, preserving workingDirectory and session_id: omx state write --input '<json>' --json, omx state read --input '<json>' --json, or omx state clear --input '<json>' --json. If the CLI path also fails, continue with .omx/context / .omx/plans file-backed artifacts and report the state persistence blocker. </Tool_Usage>

Goal Mode Integration

Codex goal mode is the thread-level completion contract for long-running Ralph work. Ralph state tracks workflow mechanics; goal mode tracks whether the user objective is truly done. When the goal tools are available:

1. Call get_goal during intake or before the first execution loop when the prompt/hook says an active thread goal exists.
2. If no goal exists, call create_goal only when the user or system explicitly asked for goal tracking; otherwise continue with Ralph state alone.
3. Treat goal.objective as binding acceptance scope. Newer user updates can refine the current branch, but do not silently narrow the goal.
4. Before completion, perform a prompt-to-artifact checklist and completion audit against real evidence:
   • restate the objective as deliverables/success criteria
   • map every prompt requirement, named workflow ($ralplan, $ralph), file, command, test, gate, and deliverable to evidence
   • inspect the actual files, command output, state, and tests behind each checklist item
   • identify missing, weakly verified, or uncovered requirements and continue if any remain
5. Call update_goal({status: "complete"}) only when the audit shows no required work remains. Do not use passing tests, Ralph state, or architect approval as proxy proof unless they cover the whole goal.
6. If goal tools are unavailable, keep working through Ralph state and mention the missing goal-mode evidence in the final report.