From f0b5ead181f79be8fb9a64fe629d6a22a1a8e1e3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:08:15 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 1/8] Initial plan


From c2eb4729b4f1f0cfdefd3f1b231ee8934395a45e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:17:35 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 2/8] Add Ralph loop scaffold

Co-authored-by: acoyfellow <1666099+acoyfellow@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/ralph.yml    | 59 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 .opencode/opencode.json        | 16 +++++++++
 AGENTS.md                      | 25 +++++++++++++
 README.md                      | 12 ++++++-
 scripts/ralph/constraints.json |  7 ++++
 scripts/ralph/failure.json     |  6 ++++
 scripts/ralph/guard.sh         | 66 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 scripts/ralph/prd.json         | 32 +++++++++++++++++
 scripts/ralph/progress.txt     |  2 ++
 9 files changed, 224 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
 create mode 100644 .github/workflows/ralph.yml
 create mode 100644 .opencode/opencode.json
 create mode 100644 AGENTS.md
 create mode 100644 scripts/ralph/constraints.json
 create mode 100644 scripts/ralph/failure.json
 create mode 100755 scripts/ralph/guard.sh
 create mode 100644 scripts/ralph/prd.json
 create mode 100644 scripts/ralph/progress.txt

diff --git a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70a181d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+name: Ralph Loop
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  push:
+    paths:
+      - "AGENTS.md"
+      - "scripts/ralph/**"
+
+jobs:
+  ralph:
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.actor == 'Copilot' || github.actor == 'copilot-swe-agent[bot]' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.RALPH_PAT }}
+
+      - name: Setup Node
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 20
+
+      - name: Install jq
+        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y jq
+
+      - name: Install OpenCode
+        run: npm install -g @github/opencode
+
+      - name: Validate state files
+        run: |
+          jq empty scripts/ralph/prd.json
+          jq empty scripts/ralph/constraints.json
+          jq empty scripts/ralph/failure.json
+
+      - name: Ensure guard is executable
+        run: chmod +x scripts/ralph/guard.sh
+
+      - name: Run OpenCode iteration
+        run: opencode run --config .opencode/opencode.json
+
+      - name: Run guard
+        run: bash scripts/ralph/guard.sh scripts/ralph/constraints.json
+
+      - name: Commit and push changes
+        env:
+          GIT_AUTHOR_NAME: ralph-bot
+          GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL: ralph@example.com
+          GIT_COMMITTER_NAME: ralph-bot
+          GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL: ralph@example.com
+        run: |
+          if [[ -z "$(git status --porcelain)" ]]; then
+            echo "No changes to commit."
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          git add .
+          git commit -m "chore: ralph iteration"
+          git push
diff --git a/.opencode/opencode.json b/.opencode/opencode.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c51b4d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.opencode/opencode.json
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{
+  "workdir": ".",
+  "agents": [
+    {
+      "id": "ralph",
+      "agentFile": "AGENTS.md",
+      "state": {
+        "prd": "scripts/ralph/prd.json",
+        "progress": "scripts/ralph/progress.txt",
+        "constraints": "scripts/ralph/constraints.json",
+        "failure": "scripts/ralph/failure.json"
+      },
+      "maxIterations": 1
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b93d325
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# Ralph Agents
+
+- PAUSED: false
+- MAX_FAILURE_RETRIES: 3
+- COMMIT_AUTHOR: ralph-bot <ralph@example.com>
+
+## Loop checklist
+1) Load AGENTS.md and scripts/ralph state files.
+2) If paused, exit immediately.
+3) Pick the first `"status": "todo"` story in prd.json and mark it doing before work.
+4) Keep one story per run and make the smallest possible diff.
+5) Run scripts/ralph/guard.sh before committing; never bypass it.
+6) Update progress.txt with a short learning when a story is marked done.
+7) If failures exceed MAX_FAILURE_RETRIES, set PAUSED: true and push state.
+
+## Working files
+- scripts/ralph/prd.json - story queue (todo/doing/done)
+- scripts/ralph/progress.txt - chronological learnings
+- scripts/ralph/constraints.json - guard limits
+- scripts/ralph/failure.json - consecutive failure bookkeeping
+
+## Footguns
+- Do not touch build artifacts (dist, node_modules, .svelte-kit, build).
+- Avoid changing more than 25 files or 400 total lines per iteration.
+- Guard must pass before any commit or push.***
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 29e1293..55a472e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -19,6 +19,16 @@ npx create-remote-app my-app
 
 Then follow the setup guide in your new project's README.
 
+## Ralph Loop Automation
+
+This repo includes a minimal Ralph loop to run one story at a time.
+
+1. Add a repo-scoped PAT secret named `RALPH_PAT` (contents + workflow).
+2. Trigger the **Ralph Loop** workflow manually, or push changes to `AGENTS.md` or `scripts/ralph/**` (only bot pushes auto-run).
+3. The loop reads `AGENTS.md` plus `scripts/ralph/{prd.json,progress.txt,constraints.json,failure.json}`, runs `scripts/ralph/guard.sh`, and commits if the guard passes.
+
+State files live under `scripts/ralph/` and `.opencode/opencode.json` wires them into OpenCode.
+
 ## What This Repo Shows
 
 This project demonstrates:
@@ -213,4 +223,4 @@ This is a pragmatic starting point for projects needing authenticated persistent
 ## Requirements
 
 - Node.js + Bun
-- Cloudflare account (for deployment)
\ No newline at end of file
+- Cloudflare account (for deployment)
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/constraints.json b/scripts/ralph/constraints.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a1dfcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/ralph/constraints.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "maxFilesChanged": 25,
+  "maxLinesChanged": 400,
+  "forbiddenPaths": ["node_modules", "dist", "build", ".svelte-kit", ".next"],
+  "requireProgressUpdate": true,
+  "maxFailureRetries": 3
+}
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/failure.json b/scripts/ralph/failure.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c5a87e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/ralph/failure.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "consecutiveFailures": 0,
+  "lastRunUrl": "",
+  "lastError": "",
+  "lastTimestamp": ""
+}
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..085e7b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+constraints_file="${1:-}"
+
+if [[ -z "${constraints_file}" ]]; then
+  echo "Usage: $0 <constraints.json>" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "jq is required for guard checks" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f "${constraints_file}" ]]; then
+  echo "Constraints file not found: ${constraints_file}" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if grep -Eq "^-\\s*PAUSED:\\s*true" AGENTS.md; then
+  echo "Guard blocked: AGENTS.md is paused" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+max_files=$(jq -r '.maxFilesChanged // 0' "${constraints_file}")
+max_lines=$(jq -r '.maxLinesChanged // 0' "${constraints_file}")
+require_progress=$(jq -r '.requireProgressUpdate // false' "${constraints_file}")
+readarray -t forbidden_paths < <(jq -r '.forbiddenPaths[]?' "${constraints_file}")
+
+files_changed=$(git diff --name-only)
+
+if [[ -z "${files_changed}" ]]; then
+  echo "Guard note: no changes detected; nothing to validate."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+file_count=$(echo "${files_changed}" | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
+if [[ "${max_files}" -gt 0 && "${file_count}" -gt "${max_files}" ]]; then
+  echo "Guard failed: ${file_count} files changed (max ${max_files})." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+line_total=$(git diff --numstat | awk '{add+=$1; del+=$2} END {print add+del}')
+if [[ "${max_lines}" -gt 0 && "${line_total}" -gt "${max_lines}" ]]; then
+  echo "Guard failed: ${line_total} total line changes (max ${max_lines})." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+for path in "${forbidden_paths[@]}"; do
+  if echo "${files_changed}" | grep -E "^${path}(/|$)" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "Guard failed: forbidden path touched (${path})." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+done
+
+if [[ "${require_progress}" == "true" ]]; then
+  prd_changed=$(echo "${files_changed}" | grep -c "scripts/ralph/prd.json" || true)
+  progress_changed=$(echo "${files_changed}" | grep -c "scripts/ralph/progress.txt" || true)
+  if [[ "${prd_changed}" -gt 0 && "${progress_changed}" -eq 0 ]]; then
+    echo "Guard failed: prd.json changed without updating progress.txt." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+fi
+
+echo "Guard passed: constraints satisfied."
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/prd.json b/scripts/ralph/prd.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a73ca1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/ralph/prd.json
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+[
+  {
+    "id": "S1",
+    "title": "Boot Ralph automation scaffold",
+    "status": "todo",
+    "acceptanceCriteria": [
+      "Required Ralph state files and OpenCode config exist in the repo",
+      "Guard script is available for later iterations"
+    ],
+    "notes": ""
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "S2",
+    "title": "Add/verify diff guard in CI",
+    "status": "todo",
+    "acceptanceCriteria": [
+      "Guard runs in the Ralph workflow",
+      "Guard fails on forbidden paths or oversized diffs"
+    ],
+    "notes": ""
+  },
+  {
+    "id": "S3",
+    "title": "Make README describe how to run",
+    "status": "todo",
+    "acceptanceCriteria": [
+      "README documents the Ralph loop triggers",
+      "README lists required secrets and state files"
+    ],
+    "notes": ""
+  }
+]
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/progress.txt b/scripts/ralph/progress.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d3ebcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/ralph/progress.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Ralph Progress
+- Initialized scaffold and baseline state.

From 2503208201f7630c7944528161b17a0baa960d8e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:19:21 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 3/8] Harden guard script

Co-authored-by: acoyfellow <1666099+acoyfellow@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 AGENTS.md              |  2 +-
 scripts/ralph/guard.sh | 16 +++++++++-------
 2 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index b93d325..fc8ffa1 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -22,4 +22,4 @@
 ## Footguns
 - Do not touch build artifacts (dist, node_modules, .svelte-kit, build).
 - Avoid changing more than 25 files or 400 total lines per iteration.
-- Guard must pass before any commit or push.***
+- Guard must pass before any commit or push.
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
index 085e7b7..7f2c3fa 100755
--- a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
+++ b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
@@ -41,18 +41,20 @@ if [[ "${max_files}" -gt 0 && "${file_count}" -gt "${max_files}" ]]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-line_total=$(git diff --numstat | awk '{add+=$1; del+=$2} END {print add+del}')
+line_total=$(git diff --numstat | awk '{add+=$1; del+=$2} END {total=add+del; if (total=="") print 0; else print total}')
 if [[ "${max_lines}" -gt 0 && "${line_total}" -gt "${max_lines}" ]]; then
   echo "Guard failed: ${line_total} total line changes (max ${max_lines})." >&2
   exit 1
 fi
 
-for path in "${forbidden_paths[@]}"; do
-  if echo "${files_changed}" | grep -E "^${path}(/|$)" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    echo "Guard failed: forbidden path touched (${path})." >&2
-    exit 1
-  fi
-done
+if [[ ${#forbidden_paths[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
+  for path in "${forbidden_paths[@]}"; do
+    if echo "${files_changed}" | grep -E "^${path}(/|$)" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      echo "Guard failed: forbidden path touched (${path})." >&2
+      exit 1
+    fi
+  done
+fi
 
 if [[ "${require_progress}" == "true" ]]; then
   prd_changed=$(echo "${files_changed}" | grep -c "scripts/ralph/prd.json" || true)

From 65d5cd60a5a0d007b6d720cdfd4f681c65ffb410 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:21:59 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 4/8] Address review updates

Co-authored-by: acoyfellow <1666099+acoyfellow@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/ralph.yml |  2 +-
 scripts/ralph/guard.sh      | 17 +++++++++++------
 scripts/ralph/prd.json      |  2 +-
 scripts/ralph/progress.txt  |  1 +
 4 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
index 70a181d..995a2d0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   ralph:
-    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.actor == 'Copilot' || github.actor == 'copilot-swe-agent[bot]' }}
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.actor_id == 198982749 }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
index 7f2c3fa..4be6cd4 100755
--- a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
+++ b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ if [[ ! -f "${constraints_file}" ]]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-if grep -Eq "^-\\s*PAUSED:\\s*true" AGENTS.md; then
+if grep -Eq "^[[:space:]-]*PAUSED:[[:space:]]*true" AGENTS.md; then
   echo "Guard blocked: AGENTS.md is paused" >&2
   exit 1
 fi
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ if [[ -z "${files_changed}" ]]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+readarray -t changed_list <<< "${files_changed}"
+
 file_count=$(echo "${files_changed}" | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
 if [[ "${max_files}" -gt 0 && "${file_count}" -gt "${max_files}" ]]; then
   echo "Guard failed: ${file_count} files changed (max ${max_files})." >&2
@@ -48,11 +50,14 @@ if [[ "${max_lines}" -gt 0 && "${line_total}" -gt "${max_lines}" ]]; then
 fi
 
 if [[ ${#forbidden_paths[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
-  for path in "${forbidden_paths[@]}"; do
-    if echo "${files_changed}" | grep -E "^${path}(/|$)" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-      echo "Guard failed: forbidden path touched (${path})." >&2
-      exit 1
-    fi
+  for file in "${changed_list[@]}"; do
+    for path in "${forbidden_paths[@]}"; do
+      [[ -z "${path}" ]] && continue
+      if [[ "${file}" == "${path}" || "${file}" == "${path}/"* ]]; then
+        echo "Guard failed: forbidden path touched (${path})." >&2
+        exit 1
+      fi
+    done
   done
 fi
 
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/prd.json b/scripts/ralph/prd.json
index 3a73ca1..ab9ad49 100644
--- a/scripts/ralph/prd.json
+++ b/scripts/ralph/prd.json
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
   },
   {
     "id": "S3",
-    "title": "Make README describe how to run",
+    "title": "Update README with usage instructions",
     "status": "todo",
     "acceptanceCriteria": [
       "README documents the Ralph loop triggers",
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/progress.txt b/scripts/ralph/progress.txt
index 3d3ebcd..7a6a0d2 100644
--- a/scripts/ralph/progress.txt
+++ b/scripts/ralph/progress.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 # Ralph Progress
 - Initialized scaffold and baseline state.
+- Clarified story naming and guard behavior.

From e66a1a9c55f4438e411aefd25574a290de1ce3b4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:22:44 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 5/8] Refine guard diff scope

Co-authored-by: acoyfellow <1666099+acoyfellow@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 scripts/ralph/guard.sh | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
index 4be6cd4..0eed84f 100755
--- a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
+++ b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ max_lines=$(jq -r '.maxLinesChanged // 0' "${constraints_file}")
 require_progress=$(jq -r '.requireProgressUpdate // false' "${constraints_file}")
 readarray -t forbidden_paths < <(jq -r '.forbiddenPaths[]?' "${constraints_file}")
 
-files_changed=$(git diff --name-only)
+files_changed=$(git diff HEAD --name-only)
 
 if [[ -z "${files_changed}" ]]; then
   echo "Guard note: no changes detected; nothing to validate."
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ if [[ "${max_files}" -gt 0 && "${file_count}" -gt "${max_files}" ]]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-line_total=$(git diff --numstat | awk '{add+=$1; del+=$2} END {total=add+del; if (total=="") print 0; else print total}')
+line_total=$(git diff HEAD --numstat | awk '{add+=$1; del+=$2} END {total=add+del; if (total=="") print 0; else print total}')
 if [[ "${max_lines}" -gt 0 && "${line_total}" -gt "${max_lines}" ]]; then
   echo "Guard failed: ${line_total} total line changes (max ${max_lines})." >&2
   exit 1

From cfceeadec27e066da538e20317c3f7e52be90cc5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:24:35 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 6/8] Tighten guard checks

Co-authored-by: acoyfellow <1666099+acoyfellow@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/ralph.yml |  2 +-
 scripts/ralph/guard.sh      | 12 +++++++-----
 2 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
index 995a2d0..e670d90 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   ralph:
-    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.actor_id == 198982749 }}
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || format('{0}', github.actor_id) == vars.RALPH_BOT_ID || github.actor_id == 198982749 }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
index 0eed84f..fcec067 100755
--- a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
+++ b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ if [[ ! -f "${constraints_file}" ]]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-if grep -Eq "^[[:space:]-]*PAUSED:[[:space:]]*true" AGENTS.md; then
+if grep -Eq "^[[:space:]]*-[[:space:]]*PAUSED:[[:space:]]*true" AGENTS.md; then
   echo "Guard blocked: AGENTS.md is paused" >&2
   exit 1
 fi
@@ -53,10 +53,12 @@ if [[ ${#forbidden_paths[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
   for file in "${changed_list[@]}"; do
     for path in "${forbidden_paths[@]}"; do
       [[ -z "${path}" ]] && continue
-      if [[ "${file}" == "${path}" || "${file}" == "${path}/"* ]]; then
-        echo "Guard failed: forbidden path touched (${path})." >&2
-        exit 1
-      fi
+      case "${file}" in
+        "${path}"|"${path}"/*)
+          echo "Guard failed: forbidden path touched (${path})." >&2
+          exit 1
+          ;;
+      esac
     done
   done
 fi

From c7fec3a060ea3ae2b69c21ba3682bd052958bab2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:26:50 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 7/8] Improve guard parsing

Co-authored-by: acoyfellow <1666099+acoyfellow@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/ralph.yml |  1 +
 scripts/ralph/guard.sh      | 19 ++++++++++---------
 2 files changed, 11 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
index e670d90..9489ff2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   ralph:
+    # 198982749 is the Copilot app actor id fallback when RALPH_BOT_ID is unset.
     if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || format('{0}', github.actor_id) == vars.RALPH_BOT_ID || github.actor_id == 198982749 }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
diff --git a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
index fcec067..24d407f 100755
--- a/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
+++ b/scripts/ralph/guard.sh
@@ -27,23 +27,20 @@ max_files=$(jq -r '.maxFilesChanged // 0' "${constraints_file}")
 max_lines=$(jq -r '.maxLinesChanged // 0' "${constraints_file}")
 require_progress=$(jq -r '.requireProgressUpdate // false' "${constraints_file}")
 readarray -t forbidden_paths < <(jq -r '.forbiddenPaths[]?' "${constraints_file}")
+readarray -t changed_list < <(git diff HEAD --name-only)
 
-files_changed=$(git diff HEAD --name-only)
-
-if [[ -z "${files_changed}" ]]; then
+if [[ ${#changed_list[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "Guard note: no changes detected; nothing to validate."
   exit 0
 fi
 
-readarray -t changed_list <<< "${files_changed}"
-
-file_count=$(echo "${files_changed}" | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
+file_count=${#changed_list[@]}
 if [[ "${max_files}" -gt 0 && "${file_count}" -gt "${max_files}" ]]; then
   echo "Guard failed: ${file_count} files changed (max ${max_files})." >&2
   exit 1
 fi
 
-line_total=$(git diff HEAD --numstat | awk '{add+=$1; del+=$2} END {total=add+del; if (total=="") print 0; else print total}')
+line_total=$(git diff HEAD --numstat | awk '{add+=$1; del+=$2} END {total=add+del; if (NR==0) print 0; else print total}')
 if [[ "${max_lines}" -gt 0 && "${line_total}" -gt "${max_lines}" ]]; then
   echo "Guard failed: ${line_total} total line changes (max ${max_lines})." >&2
   exit 1
@@ -64,8 +61,12 @@ if [[ ${#forbidden_paths[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
 fi
 
 if [[ "${require_progress}" == "true" ]]; then
-  prd_changed=$(echo "${files_changed}" | grep -c "scripts/ralph/prd.json" || true)
-  progress_changed=$(echo "${files_changed}" | grep -c "scripts/ralph/progress.txt" || true)
+  prd_changed=0
+  progress_changed=0
+  for file in "${changed_list[@]}"; do
+    [[ "${file}" == "scripts/ralph/prd.json" ]] && prd_changed=$((prd_changed+1))
+    [[ "${file}" == "scripts/ralph/progress.txt" ]] && progress_changed=$((progress_changed+1))
+  done
   if [[ "${prd_changed}" -gt 0 && "${progress_changed}" -eq 0 ]]; then
     echo "Guard failed: prd.json changed without updating progress.txt." >&2
     exit 1

From 4edd6ea4073e0412f7cb32b11ca7321520c2e082 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 20:28:27 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 8/8] Add workflow permissions

Co-authored-by: acoyfellow <1666099+acoyfellow@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/ralph.yml | 3 +++
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
index 9489ff2..00a29ae 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ralph.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ on:
       - "AGENTS.md"
       - "scripts/ralph/**"
 
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
 jobs:
   ralph:
     # 198982749 is the Copilot app actor id fallback when RALPH_BOT_ID is unset.