ralph-loop: Instructions file for Codex

Code Quality Standards

Always apply these standards to all code you write.

Reuse Before Creating

Before writing new code, analyze existing utilities, components, hooks, helpers and tests:

1. Search first — grep/glob for similar functionality before implementing
2. Extend if close — if something exists that's 80% of what you need, extend it
3. Extract if duplicating — if you're about to copy-paste, extract to shared module instead

File Size & Organization

Keep files between 200-300 lines max. If a file exceeds this:

1. Split by responsibility — one module = one concern
2. Extract sub-components — UI pieces that can stand alone should
3. Separate logic from presentation — hooks/utils in their own files
4. Group by feature — co-locate related files, not by type

Signs a file needs splitting:

• Multiple unrelated exports
• Scrolling to find what you need
• "Utils" file becoming a junk drawer
• Component doing data fetching + transformation + rendering

Task Execution

• One task per invocation. When working from .agent/tasks.json, complete exactly one task, commit, and stop. Never batch multiple tasks.

Code Style

1. Prefer writing clear code and use inline comments sparingly
2. Document methods with block comments at the top of the method
3. Use Conventional Commit format

Test To Verify Functionality

If you didn't test it, it doesn't work.

Verify written code by:

• Running unit tests
• Running end to end tests
• Checking for type errors
• Checking for lint errors
• Smoke testing and checking for runtime errors with Playwright
• Taking screenshots and verifying the UI is as expected