Ralph Loop

Trigger

Workflow

1. Gather the user's task prompt and optional parameters:

   • max_iterations

     (number, default 0 for unlimited)

   • completion_promise

     (text, or "null" if not set)
2. Create the directory

   .cursor/ralph/

   if it doesn't exist, then write the state file at

   .cursor/ralph/scratchpad.md

   with this exact format:
   markdown

   ---
   iteration: 1
   max_iterations: <N or 0>
   completion_promise: "<TEXT>" or null
   ---
   
   <the user's task prompt goes here>

   Example:
   markdown

   ---
   iteration: 1
   max_iterations: 20
   completion_promise: "COMPLETE"
   ---
   
   Build a REST API for todos with CRUD operations, input validation, and tests.

3. Confirm to the user that the Ralph loop is active, then begin working on the task.
4. The stop hook automatically intercepts each turn end and feeds the same prompt back as a followup message. You will see it prefixed with

   [Ralph loop iteration N.]

   .

Guardrails

• If a completion promise is set, you may ONLY output

  <promise>TEXT</promise>

  when the statement is completely and genuinely true.
• Do not output false promises to escape the loop.
• Always recommend setting

  max_iterations

  as a safety net.
• Quote the

  completion_promise

  value in the YAML frontmatter if it contains special characters.

Output