Loop - Ralph Loop Pattern

Execute -> Validate -> Iterate until VERIFIED_DONE.

Quick Start

bash

/loop "fix all type errors"
/loop "implement tests until 80% coverage"
ralph loop "fix lint errors"

Pattern

code

     EXECUTE
        |
        v
    +---------+
    | VALIDATE |
    +---------+
        |
   Quality    YES    +---------------+
   Passed? --------> | VERIFIED_DONE |
        |            +---------------+
        | NO
        v
    +---------+
    | ITERATE | (max iterations)
    +---------+
        |
        +-------> Back to EXECUTE

Iteration Limits

Model	Max Iterations	Use Case
Claude (Sonnet/Opus)	25	Complex reasoning
MiniMax M2.1	50	Standard tasks
MiniMax-lightning	100	Extended loops

Workflow

1. Execute Task

yaml

# Attempt implementation
Edit/Write/Bash as needed

2. Validate

yaml

# Run quality gates
ralph gates

3. Check & Iterate

yaml

# If validation fails and under limit
iteration += 1
if iteration <= MAX:
    continue  # Back to Execute
else:
    report "Max iterations reached"

Loop Types

Fix Loop

bash

/loop "fix all type errors"

Repeatedly fix errors until build passes.

Coverage Loop

bash

/loop "increase test coverage to 80%"

Add tests until coverage target met.

Lint Loop

bash

/loop "fix all lint warnings"

Fix lint issues until clean.

Build Loop

bash

/loop "fix build errors"

Fix compilation errors until success.

Exit Conditions

Success (VERIFIED_DONE)

•Quality gates pass
•Tests pass
•No remaining errors

Failure (MAX_ITERATIONS)

•Iteration limit reached
•Report remaining issues
•Ask user for guidance

Manual Exit

•User interrupts
•Critical error detected
•Deadlock detected

Integration

•Core pattern for all Ralph tasks
•Used by /orchestrator in Step 5
•Hooks enforce limits automatically

Anti-Patterns

•Never exceed iteration limits
•Never loop without validation step
•Never ignore failing tests
•Never loop on same error repeatedly (detect deadlock)