Ralph Tools
Quick reference for ralph tools task and ralph tools memory commands used during orchestration.
Two Task Systems
| System | Command | Purpose | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runtime tasks | ralph tools task | Track work items during runs | .agent/tasks.jsonl |
| Code tasks | ralph task | Implementation planning | tasks/*.code-task.md |
This skill covers runtime tasks. For code tasks, see /code-task-generator.
Task Commands
bash
ralph tools task add "Title" -p 2 -d "description" --blocked-by id1,id2 ralph tools task list [--status open|in_progress|closed] [--format table|json|quiet] ralph tools task ready # Show unblocked tasks ralph tools task close <task-id> ralph tools task show <task-id>
Task ID format: task-{timestamp}-{4hex} (e.g., task-1737372000-a1b2)
Priority: 1-5 (1 = highest, default 3)
Memory Commands
bash
ralph tools memory add "content" -t pattern --tags tag1,tag2 ralph tools memory list [-t type] [--tags tags] ralph tools memory search "query" [-t type] [--tags tags] ralph tools memory prime --budget 2000 # Output for context injection ralph tools memory show <mem-id> ralph tools memory delete <mem-id>
Memory types:
- •
pattern(default) - How this codebase does things - •
decision- Why something was chosen - •
fix- Solution to a recurring problem - •
context- Project-specific knowledge
Memory ID format: mem-{timestamp}-{4hex} (e.g., mem-1737372000-a1b2)
NEVER use echo/cat to write tasks or memories — always use CLI tools.
Output Formats
All commands support --format:
- •
table(default) - Human-readable - •
json- Machine-parseable - •
quiet- IDs only (for scripting) - •
markdown- Memory prime only
Common Workflows
Track dependent work
bash
ralph tools task add "Setup auth" -p 1 # Returns: task-1737372000-a1b2 ralph tools task add "Add user routes" --blocked-by task-1737372000-a1b2 ralph tools task ready # Only shows unblocked tasks
Store a discovery
bash
ralph tools memory add "Parser requires snake_case keys" -t pattern --tags config,yaml
Find relevant memories
bash
ralph tools memory search "config" --tags yaml ralph tools memory prime --budget 1000 -t pattern # For injection