Ralph Single Iteration Executor

Execute ONE Ralph iteration – implement a single user story completely, then stop.

This is the manual mode skill. Use this when you want:

• Maximum context cleanliness (new chat per story)
• Full control and review between stories
• To work through complex projects carefully

For faster execution with batches, use jpralph-auto instead.

Your Task

1. Read the PRD at prd.json (in project root)
2. Read the progress log at progress.txt (check Codebase Patterns section first)
3. Check you’re on the correct branch from PRD branchName. If not, check it out or create from main.
4. Pick the highest priority user story where passes: false
5. Implement that single user story completely
6. Run quality checks (e.g., typecheck, lint, test – use whatever your project requires)
7. Update AGENTS.md files if you discover reusable patterns (see below)
8. If checks pass, commit ALL changes with message: feat: [Story ID] - [Story Title]
9. Update the PRD to set passes: true for the completed story
10. Append your progress to progress.txt

Progress Report Format

APPEND to progress.txt (never replace, always append):

## [Date/Time] - [Story ID]
Chat: [Current chat ID or description]
- What was implemented
- Files changed
- **Learnings for future iterations:**
  - Patterns discovered (e.g., "this codebase uses X for Y")
  - Gotchas encountered (e.g., "don't forget to update Z when changing W")
  - Useful context (e.g., "the evaluation panel is in component X")
---

The learnings section is critical – it helps future iterations avoid repeating mistakes and understand the codebase better.

Consolidate Patterns

If you discover a reusable pattern that future iterations should know, add it to the ## Codebase Patterns section at the TOP of progress.txt (create it if it doesn’t exist). This section should consolidate the most important learnings:

## Codebase Patterns
- Example: Use `sql<number>` template for aggregations
- Example: Always use `IF NOT EXISTS` for migrations
- Example: Export types from actions.ts for UI components

Only add patterns that are general and reusable, not story-specific details.

Update AGENTS.md Files

Before committing, check if any edited files have learnings worth preserving in nearby AGENTS.md files:

1. Identify directories with edited files – Look at which directories you modified
2. Check for existing AGENTS.md – Look for AGENTS.md in those directories or parent directories
3. Add valuable learnings – If you discovered something future developers/agents should know:
   • API patterns or conventions specific to that module
   • Gotchas or non-obvious requirements
   • Dependencies between files
   • Testing approaches for that area
   • Configuration or environment requirements

Examples of good AGENTS.md additions:

• “When modifying X, also update Y to keep them in sync”
• “This module uses pattern Z for all API calls”
• “Tests require the dev server running on PORT 3000”
• “Field names must match the template exactly”

Do NOT add:

• Story-specific implementation details
• Temporary debugging notes
• Information already in progress.txt

Only update AGENTS.md if you have genuinely reusable knowledge that would help future work in that directory.

Quality Requirements

• ALL commits must pass your project’s quality checks (typecheck, lint, test)
• Do NOT commit broken code
• Keep changes focused and minimal
• Follow existing code patterns

Browser Testing (Required for Frontend Stories)

For any story that changes UI, you MUST verify it works in the browser:

1. Use Antigravity’s browser tools to navigate to the relevant page
2. Verify the UI changes work as expected
3. Take a screenshot if helpful for the progress log

A frontend story is NOT complete until browser verification passes.

Stop Condition

After completing a user story, check if ALL stories have passes: true.

If ALL stories are complete and passing, reply with: COMPLETE

If there are still stories with passes: false, end your response with: DONE

This signals that this iteration is complete, but more work remains. The user should create a NEW CHAT for the next iteration.

Important

• Work on ONE story per iteration
• Commit when quality checks pass
• Keep CI green
• Read the Codebase Patterns section in progress.txt before starting
• End with <promise>DONE</promise> when this story is complete
• End with <promise>COMPLETE</promise> only if ALL stories are done

Next Steps Guidance

When you output <promise>DONE</promise>, also provide clear guidance:

Story US-XXX complete! ✅

Remaining stories: [count]
Next story: US-YYY - [title]

To continue:
1. Create a NEW CHAT (for fresh context)
2. Load the jpralph-iterate skill
3. The agent will pick up the next story automatically

This helps the user know exactly what to do next.