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Ralph Approach for Claude Code

Unified bash script for running Claude Code with the Ralph approach in both HITL (Human-in-the-Loop) and AFK (Away From Keyboard) modes.

Features

  • Unified script for both HITL and AFK modes
  • Conventional Commits - Claude writes proper commit messages to .pending-commit
  • Signed commits after each iteration (handled by script, not Claude)
  • Auto-completion detection - Stops when all PRD tasks are complete
  • Docker sandbox support for isolated execution (optional, requires setup)
  • Configurable PRD and progress file paths

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. Claude reads PRD.json and progress.txt                  │
│  2. Claude implements the next task                         │
│  3. Claude writes commit message to .pending-commit         │
│  4. Script reads .pending-commit and creates signed commit  │
│  5. Repeat until PRD complete                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Prerequisites

  • Claude Code CLI - The claude command must be installed and authenticated
  • jq (optional) - For auto-completion detection (checks if all PRD tasks are done) 
    # macOS
brew install jq

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install jq

# Fedora
sudo dnf install jq
  • GPG (optional) - For signed commits

Installation

Quick Install

chmod +x install-ralph.sh
./install-ralph.sh

Manual Install

# 1. Copy ralph.sh to your local bin
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
cp ralph.sh ~/.local/bin/ralph
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/ralph

# 2. Add to PATH (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Docker Sandbox Setup (Optional)

Ralph supports Docker sandboxes for isolated execution. Sandbox is disabled by default because it requires one-time setup per project.

What is Docker Sandbox?

Docker sandboxes provide lightweight microVMs that isolate AI coding agents from your host system:

  • Complete isolation: Agent runs in a separate microVM, preventing host system access
  • Private Docker daemon: Each sandbox has its own isolated Docker environment
  • File synchronization: Your workspace syncs between host and sandbox at matching paths
  • Persistent state: Authentication persists within the sandbox

Prerequisites

  • Docker Desktop 4.57+ with sandbox support enabled
  • macOS or Windows: Full microVM-based sandbox support
  • Linux: Legacy container-based sandboxes with Docker Desktop 4.57+

One-Time Setup Per Project

Docker sandboxes are isolated and cannot access your host's Claude credentials. You need to authenticate inside the sandbox once.

Option 1: Default sandbox name (recommended)

cd /path/to/your/project

# Creates sandbox named 'claude-<foldername>' (e.g., 'claude-my-project')
docker sandbox run claude .

# Inside the sandbox:
/login
# Follow prompts, then exit (Ctrl+C or /exit)

# Now use ralph:
ralph -m afk -s 5

Option 2: Custom sandbox name

cd /path/to/your/project

# Create with custom name
docker sandbox run --name my-custom-sandbox claude .

# Login and exit
/login

# Use ralph with the name:
ralph -m afk -s my-custom-sandbox 5

Managing Sandboxes

# List all sandboxes (shows name and workspace)
docker sandbox ls

# Remove a sandbox (will need to re-authenticate)
docker sandbox rm <sandbox-name>

Without Sandbox (Default)

By default, ralph runs without sandbox isolation:

ralph -m afk 5    # No sandbox, uses host Claude authentication

For more information, see the Docker AI Sandboxes documentation.

Usage

# Show help
ralph -h

# HITL mode (default) - single iteration
ralph

# HITL mode - multiple iterations with pause between each
ralph 3

# AFK mode - 5 autonomous iterations
ralph -m afk 5

# AFK mode with Docker sandbox (requires one-time setup)
ralph -m afk -s 5

# AFK mode with named sandbox
ralph -m afk -s my-sandbox 5

# Custom PRD and progress files
ralph -p docs/PRD.json -r docs/progress.txt

# Without signed commits
ralph --no-sign

Options

Option Description Default
-m, --mode Mode: hitl or afk hitl
-s, --sandbox [name] Run in Docker sandbox. Optional: specify sandbox name false
--no-sandbox Disable Docker sandbox default
-p, --prd PRD file path PRD.json
-r, --progress Progress file path progress.txt
--no-sign Disable GPG commit signing signing enabled

Conventional Commits

Claude is instructed to write proper conventional commit messages to .pending-commit. The format follows:

<type>(<scope>): <description>

<optional body>

Commitlint Integration

Ralph automatically detects commitlint configuration files and instructs Claude to follow your project's commit rules. Supported config files:

  • commitlint.config.js, .cjs, .mjs, .ts
  • .commitlintrc, .commitlintrc.json, .commitlintrc.yaml, .commitlintrc.yml
  • .commitlintrc.js, .commitlintrc.cjs, .commitlintrc.mjs, .commitlintrc.ts
  • package.json (with "commitlint" key)

When a config is detected, you'll see:

Commitlint config: commitlint.config.js

Claude will read the config and follow your custom rules (types, scopes, max lengths, etc.) in addition to the default conventional commit format.

Types

Type Description
feat A new feature
fix A bug fix
docs Documentation changes
style Code style (formatting, semicolons)
refactor Code change without fix/feature
perf Performance improvement
test Adding/correcting tests
build Build system or dependencies
ci CI configuration
chore Other maintenance

Example Commit Messages

feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism

fix(api): handle null response in user endpoint

refactor(components): extract shared button styles

docs: add API documentation for v2 endpoints

Modes Explained

HITL Mode (Human-in-the-Loop)

  • Claude works on one task at a time
  • Pauses between iterations for human review
  • You can stop anytime with Ctrl+C
  • Best for: supervised work, learning, critical tasks

AFK Mode (Away From Keyboard)

  • Claude works autonomously through tasks
  • Shows Claude's normal terminal output
  • Auto-stops when all PRD tasks have passes: true (requires jq)
  • Falls back to running all iterations if jq not installed
  • Optional Docker sandbox for extra isolation (-s flag)
  • Best for: overnight runs, bulk work, trusted environments

File Structure

your-project/
├── PRD.json            # Project requirements document
├── progress.txt        # Progress log (auto-created if missing)
├── .pending-commit     # Temporary commit message (auto-cleaned)
└── .gitignore          # Add .pending-commit here

Recommended .gitignore addition

.pending-commit

GPG Signing Setup

To use signed commits, ensure GPG is configured:

# Check if you have a GPG key
gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long

# If not, generate one
gpg --full-generate-key

# Configure git to use your key
git config --global user.signingkey YOUR_KEY_ID
git config --global commit.gpgsign true

Example PRD.json

{
  "project": "My Awesome App",
  "overview": "Brief description of the project.",
  "tasks": [
    { "id": 1, "title": "Set up project with Vite + React + TypeScript", "status": "pending" },
    { "id": 2, "title": "Create basic routing structure", "status": "pending" },
    { "id": 3, "title": "Implement authentication flow", "status": "pending" },
    { "id": 4, "title": "Build dashboard component", "status": "pending" },
    { "id": 5, "title": "Add unit tests", "status": "pending" },
    { "id": 6, "title": "Configure CI/CD pipeline", "status": "pending" }
  ]
}

Example progress.txt

# Progress Log

## 2025-01-25

### 14:32 - Setup
- Initialized Vite project with React and TypeScript
- Configured ESLint and Prettier
- Created initial folder structure

### 15:45 - Routing
- Added React Router v6
- Created Layout component with header/footer
- Implemented route guards for auth

Troubleshooting

"ralph: command not found"

# Ensure ~/.local/bin is in PATH
echo $PATH | grep -q ".local/bin" || echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

GPG signing fails

# Test GPG signing
echo "test" | gpg --clearsign

# If it fails, set GPG_TTY
export GPG_TTY=$(tty)

.pending-commit not found warning

This is normal if Claude didn't make any changes. The script falls back to a default commit message.

Docker sandbox not working

# Check Docker Desktop is running
docker info

# Verify sandbox support
docker sandbox ls

If docker sandbox ls fails:

  1. Ensure Docker Desktop is version 4.57 or later
  2. Update Docker Desktop if needed
  3. Restart Docker Desktop
  4. Check that sandbox feature is enabled in Docker Desktop settings

If you get "Invalid API key" or "/login" error in sandbox mode:

You need to authenticate inside the sandbox (one-time per project):

cd /your/project
docker sandbox run claude .
/login
# Follow prompts, then exit

The sandbox is isolated and cannot access your host's credentials.

If sandbox still doesn't work:

# Run without sandbox (this is the default behavior)
ralph -m afk 5

For more help, see the Docker AI Sandboxes documentation.

License

MIT