[ralph-wiggum] Markdown code block markers passed to shell, causing parse error

[Aistotle]

TL;DR

The hook script includes markdown code block markers (```) that are being passed directly to the shell instead of being stripped. The shell tries to execute ```! if [[ ... as a command, causing a parse error.

---

Error Message

Error: Bash command failed for pattern "```! if [[ -f .claude/ralph-loop.local.md ]]; then 
ITERATION=$(grep '^iteration:' .claude/ralph-loop.local.md | sed 's/iteration: *//') 
echo "FOUND_LOOP=true" 
echo "ITERATION=$ITERATION" 
else 
echo "FOUND_LOOP=false" 
fi

(eval):1: parse error near `echo'

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Steps to Reproduce

1. Use macOS (which defaults to zsh)
2. Run a ralph-loop until it completes or is cancelled
3. Observe the parse error in the output

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Expected Behavior

The hook script should execute successfully regardless of the user's default shell.

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Actual Behavior

The script fails with (eval):1: parse error near 'echo' — a classic zsh error when encountering bash-specific syntax.

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Suggested Fix

Either:

• Add an explicit shebang (#!/bin/bash) to ensure the script runs in bash
• Or rewrite the script to be POSIX-compliant / zsh-compatible

---

Environment

Component	Details
Interface	Claude Code for VS Code extension
Plugin	ralph-wiggum (via /plugin install ralph-wiggum@claude-code-plugins)
OS	macOS (zsh is default shell since Catalina)
Shell	zsh 5.9 (or similar)

[postrednik]

Additional Root Cause Analysis

The issue isn't actually about zsh vs bash compatibility. The real problem is that markdown code block markers are being passed to the shell as part of the command.

Looking at the error message closely:

Error: Bash command failed for pattern "```!
if [[ -f .claude/ralph-loop.local.md ]]; then
...

The pattern starts with ```! — these are markdown formatting characters that should never reach the shell. They're being interpreted as shell syntax, causing the parse error.

Evidence

The same error occurs with /ralph-wiggum:cancel-ralph:

Error: Bash command failed for pattern "```!
if [[ -f .claude/ralph-loop.local.md ]]; then
  ITERATION=$(grep '^iteration:' .claude/ralph-loop.local.md | sed 's/iteration: *//')
  echo "FOUND_LOOP=true"
...
```": [stderr]
(eval):1: parse error near `echo'

Suggested Fix

The command/hook definition likely has the bash script wrapped in markdown code blocks for documentation purposes, but those markers are not being stripped before execution. The fix should remove or escape the ``` markers from the executable pattern.

Workaround

Manually delete the loop file:

rm .claude/ralph-loop.local.md

[Aistotle]

@postrednik
Thanks, you're right! The markdown code block markers being passed to the shell is a much more precise diagnosis.

I'll update the issue title and description to reflect the actual root cause.

**Then edit the issue:**

New title:

[ralph-wiggum] Markdown code block markers passed to shell, causing parse error

[mjohnson518]

Same underlying issue as #50 and #69 - the plugin's command structure doesn't work with Claude Code's bash execution.

Bash script workaround: #50 (comment)