Ralph Methodology

Ship working code while you sleep.

A comprehensive guide to the Ralph Wiggum Loop - an autonomous AI coding methodology created by Geoffrey Huntley.

What is Ralph?

Ralph is a deceptively simple approach to autonomous AI coding that uses a for loop instead of complex orchestration systems. While the AI industry builds increasingly complex agent swarms, meshes, and orchestrators, Ralph achieves better results with basic iteration.

#!/bin/bash
for i in {1..N}; do
    claude --print "Pick ONE incomplete item from plans/prd.json and implement it.
    Run tests. If they pass, commit. Update the PRD passes field."
done

The key insight: simplicity beats complexity.

Why "Ralph Wiggum"?

The name comes from The Simpsons character Ralph Wiggum, known for his comedic simplicity - it looks almost too simple to work, but it does.

The Problem Ralph Solves

Traditional AI coding approaches suffer from:

• Context Rot - AI loses track of earlier context in long conversations
• Compaction - Context window fills with irrelevant information
• Complexity - Agent swarms introduce failure points
• Human Dependencies - Workflows requiring human intervention break autonomy

Ralph solves these by starting fresh for each task, using focused specifications, and removing humans from the loop entirely.

Quick Start

1. Set up your project with tests, linting, and type checking
2. Create a PRD (Product Requirements Document) in JSON format
3. Configure agents.md with project context and commands
4. Run the loop and wake up to working code

See the Implementation Guide for detailed setup instructions.

Documentation

Document	Description
01 - Overview	What is Ralph and why it matters
02 - Core Concepts	Fundamental principles and terminology
03 - How Ralph Works	Technical implementation details
04 - Back Pressure	The key to successful autonomous coding
05 - Specifications	How to structure work for Ralph
06 - agents.md Guide	Configuration best practices
07 - Implementation	Setting up and running Ralph
08 - Economics	The changing economics of software
09 - Resources	Videos, articles, and further reading
10 - Claude Code Workflow	Matt Pocock's practical workflow

Key Principles

1. Simplicity Over Complexity - A for loop beats elaborate orchestration
2. Fresh Context Per Task - Start each task with a clean context
3. Small, Atomic Changes - Keep changes small enough to verify independently
4. Robust Feedback Loops - Invest heavily in automated testing
5. No Human Tool Calls - True autonomy means no human intervention
6. Fast Feedback - Optimize for quick iteration cycles

The Economics

"Software development now costs $10.42 US an hour. It's less than you would pay a fast food retail worker." — Geoffrey Huntley

Ralph fundamentally changes development economics. Running 24/7, you can achieve weeks of traditional development work overnight.

Credits & Attribution

This knowledge repository documents the work of:

• Geoffrey Huntley - Creator of the Ralph methodology
• Matt Pocock - Practical implementation guides and workflows

Primary Sources

• Ralph by Geoffrey Huntley - Original article
• The Ralph Wiggum Loop from 1st principles - Geoffrey Huntley
• Ship working code while you sleep - Matt Pocock

See Resources for the complete list of sources.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

This repository is licensed under the MIT License.

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