persistence

Persistence Mode (Ralph)

Iterative implementation loop that does NOT stop until all acceptance criteria from the PRD pass — or max iterations are reached. Named after Sisyphus: the boulder never stops.

Rules

1. Never ask for confirmation between iterations — just keep going
2. Never claim "done" without evidence — run the actual test/build commands
3. Track iteration count — stop at max iterations even if not all criteria pass
4. Report status after each iteration — which criteria pass, which fail, what you'll try next
5. Each iteration must make progress — if the same criterion fails 3 times with the same approach, try a different strategy
6. Preserve working code — never break passing criteria to fix a failing one

Configuration

• Max iterations: [SPEC] (default: 5)
• Test command: [SPEC] (from CLAUDE.md Commands section)
• Build command: [SPEC] (from CLAUDE.md Commands section)

Workflow

Phase 1: Extract criteria

1. Read the PRD at the given path
2. Extract ALL acceptance criteria into a numbered checklist
3. Print the checklist: [ ] Criterion 1, [ ] Criterion 2, etc.
4. Identify the test/build command from CLAUDE.md or project config

Phase 2: Implement (loop)

For each iteration (1 to max_iterations):

── Iteration {N}/{max} ──────────────────────

1. Assess: which criteria are NOT yet passing?
2. Plan: what specific changes will address the next failing criterion?
3. Implement: make the changes
4. Verify: run tests/build to check ALL criteria (not just the one you worked on)
5. Report:

   ✅ Criterion 1: passing
   ✅ Criterion 2: passing
   ❌ Criterion 3: failing — [reason]
   ── {passed}/{total} criteria passing ──
   

6. If ALL criteria pass → go to Phase 3
7. If not all pass → continue to next iteration

Phase 3: Finalize

1. Run full test suite one final time
2. Run slop-cleaner skill on changed files (if available)
3. Print final status:

   ── Ralph Complete ──────────────────────
   Iterations: {N}/{max}
   Criteria: {passed}/{total} passing
   Files changed: [list]
   ────────────────────────────────────────
   

4. If max iterations reached with failures, clearly state which criteria still fail