prd-ralph-loop

/prd-ralph-loop

Overview

Dispatch fresh workers until the validated manifest is complete or work is blocked. Workers own intake, selection, execution, verification, progress, and commit audits.

When to Use

Use when explicitly asked to complete all PRD tasks, rather than one task.

Inputs

• prd_file: required path to the task manifest; if absent, ask and stop.
• progress_file: optional; forward unchanged when supplied, otherwise let the worker use its default.
• commit: optional; forward unchanged when supplied, otherwise retain the worker default true.
• Preserve user scope, owner boundaries, and stop constraints in every dispatch.

Workflow

1. Record review_base_sha = git rev-parse HEAD and initial git status --porcelain. If either fails, report blocked and stop.
2. Activate the delegate-to-subagents skill for routing and dispatch.
3. Start one fresh subagent with the instruction “activate the prd-ralph skill”, the exact prd_file, explicit optional inputs, and all user scope/stop constraints. Request the worker's exact terminal protocol and summary. Wait for its result before another dispatch.
4. Interpret the worker result:
   • Exact <promise>COMPLETE</promise>: all work is complete; stop.
   • <promise>TASK_COMPLETE</promise> plus selected-task summary: one task passed and work remains; enforce caller stop constraints, then dispatch the next fresh worker only if continuation is authorized. If a scope/stop limit has been reached, report remaining work honestly without claiming COMPLETE.
   • <promise>BLOCKED</promise> plus actionable reason: stop and preserve the blocker. Do not retry an unchanged prerequisite, unavailable check, owner condition, or commit gate.
   • Actual tool/subagent failure or missing, contradictory, or invalid protocol: retry with a fresh worker and pass the prior failure/output. After three consecutive such failures, stop blocked. Reset this counter only after a valid TASK_COMPLETE. Ordinary blocked work is not a retryable runtime failure.
5. Define full_review_scope: committed diff review_base_sha..HEAD, staged and unstaged diffs, and new relevant untracked files, accounting for initial changes.
6. Only after orchestration stops, read the progress file if available: supplied progress_file, otherwise <dirname(prd_file)>/progress.txt. Capture durable knowledge, especially tool workarounds, in the target project's existing guidance; preserve owner limits and user scope.
7. Report complete or blocked accurately, with worker summaries, actionable blocker when present, and full_review_scope. A blocked run never claims PRD completion.

Common Rationalizations

A worker reporting a blocked check is not an invitation to dispatch repeatedly. Continue only on TASK_COMPLETE; required evidence and owner approval stay with the worker's gates.

Red Flags

Stay blind: do not read prd_file or any progress file during orchestration, even to select a task or infer completion. Do not activate the prd-ralph skill yourself or implement product changes. Workers validate the manifest before interpreting all-complete flags.

Verification

Confirm dispatches were sequential and fresh, forwarded inputs and constraints were intact, retries were limited to actual runtime/protocol failures, and the final status follows the worker protocol. Retain the baseline and full review scope so later review includes committed and uncommitted task changes.