Ralph Status Reporting

Overview

The Ralph status block is a structured, machine-parseable progress report included at the end of every autonomous loop iteration. It enables automated monitoring, exit detection, and progress tracking. The format is rigid and must be followed exactly — machine parsing depends on consistent structure.

Announce at start: "Producing RALPH_STATUS block for this iteration."

Trigger Conditions

End of every autonomous loop iteration (mandatory)
After BUILD phase completes in the autonomous loop
When monitoring systems need progress data
When exit gate evaluation is needed
When the autonomous-loop skill invokes this skill

Phase 1: Data Collection

Goal: Gather all metrics needed for the status block.

Count tasks completed in this iteration
Count files modified (created, edited, deleted)
Run the test suite and record result
Determine the primary work type
Check for blockers or issues

Metric Collection Table

Metric	How to Determine	Example
TASKS_COMPLETED_THIS_LOOP	Count tasks marked complete this iteration	1
FILES_MODIFIED	Count files changed via git diff or tracking	3
TESTS_STATUS	Run test suite, record overall result	PASSING
WORK_TYPE	Categorize the primary activity	IMPLEMENTATION
Blockers	Check if any task was unable to proceed	None

Work Type Classification

Work Type	When to Use
IMPLEMENTATION	New code written (features, endpoints, services)
TESTING	Primary activity was writing or fixing tests
DOCUMENTATION	Primary activity was docs, specs, or comments
REFACTORING	Primary activity was restructuring without behavior change

STOP — Do NOT proceed to Phase 2 until:

All metrics are collected
Test suite has been run (not assumed)
Work type is determined

Phase 2: STATUS Evaluation

Goal: Determine the correct STATUS value based on iteration outcome.

STATUS Decision Table

Condition	STATUS Value	EXIT_SIGNAL
Tasks remain, work completed this iteration	IN_PROGRESS	false
Tasks remain, no work completed (investigation)	IN_PROGRESS	false
Cannot proceed, needs external input	BLOCKED	false
All tasks complete, all tests pass	COMPLETE	Evaluate Phase 3
All tasks complete, tests failing	IN_PROGRESS	false

STATUS Values Defined

Value	Meaning	Loop Action
IN_PROGRESS	Work is ongoing, tasks remain or tests failing	Continue loop
COMPLETE	All planned work is finished, tests pass	Evaluate exit gate
BLOCKED	Cannot proceed without external input	Halt and report

When BLOCKED

Clearly describe what is blocking progress in RECOMMENDATION
Set EXIT_SIGNAL: false (blocked is not complete)
The circuit breaker may activate if blocked state persists across iterations

STOP — Do NOT proceed to Phase 3 until:

STATUS value is determined
If BLOCKED, blocker is clearly described

Phase 3: EXIT_SIGNAL Evaluation

Goal: Determine whether EXIT_SIGNAL should be true or false.

Condition	How to Verify	Required
No remaining tasks	IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md has no unchecked items	Yes
All tests pass	TESTS_STATUS is PASSING	Yes
No errors in latest iteration	Clean execution, no unresolved exceptions	Yes
No meaningful work remains	No TODOs, no incomplete features, code review done	Yes

EXIT_SIGNAL Decision Table

Tasks Remaining	Tests Status	Errors	Meaningful Work	EXIT_SIGNAL
Yes	Any	Any	Any	false
No	FAILING	Any	Any	false
No	PASSING	Yes	Any	false
No	PASSING	No	Yes	false
No	PASSING	No	No	true

Dual-Condition Exit Gate

The loop orchestrator uses TWO independent signals to confirm exit:

Heuristic detection: Completion language ("all done", "everything passes", "no remaining work") appears >= 2 times in recent output
Explicit declaration: EXIT_SIGNAL: true in the status block

Both must be true simultaneously. This prevents:

False positives from casual completion language
Premature exits when Claude says "done" while still working productively

STOP — Do NOT set EXIT_SIGNAL to true unless ALL four conditions are verified.

Phase 4: Block Production

Goal: Write the RALPH_STATUS block in exact format.

Required Format

---RALPH_STATUS---
STATUS: [IN_PROGRESS | COMPLETE | BLOCKED]
TASKS_COMPLETED_THIS_LOOP: [number]
FILES_MODIFIED: [number]
TESTS_STATUS: [PASSING | FAILING | NOT_RUN]
WORK_TYPE: [IMPLEMENTATION | TESTING | DOCUMENTATION | REFACTORING]
EXIT_SIGNAL: [false | true]
RECOMMENDATION: [one-line summary of next action or completion state]
---END_RALPH_STATUS---

Field Specifications

Field	Type	Allowed Values	Description
STATUS	enum	IN_PROGRESS, COMPLETE, BLOCKED	Current iteration outcome
TASKS_COMPLETED_THIS_LOOP	integer	0+	Number of tasks finished this iteration
FILES_MODIFIED	integer	0+	Number of files changed (created, edited, deleted)
TESTS_STATUS	enum	PASSING, FAILING, NOT_RUN	State of test suite after this iteration
WORK_TYPE	enum	IMPLEMENTATION, TESTING, DOCUMENTATION, REFACTORING	Primary activity category
EXIT_SIGNAL	boolean	false, true	Whether all work is complete
RECOMMENDATION	string	Free text (one line only)	Next action or final summary

RECOMMENDATION Guidelines

STATUS	RECOMMENDATION Content
IN_PROGRESS	"Next: [specific next task]"
COMPLETE	"All tasks complete, tests passing, [summary]"
BLOCKED	"Blocked: [specific blocker description]"

Phase 5: Validation

Goal: Verify the status block is correct before output.

Validation Checks

Check	Rule	If Violated
Format exact	Matches template character-for-character (except values)	Rewrite block
STATUS consistency	COMPLETE requires EXIT_SIGNAL evaluation	Fix STATUS or EXIT_SIGNAL
TESTS_STATUS matches reality	Value matches actual test run result	Re-run tests
EXIT_SIGNAL justified	true only when all 4 conditions met	Set to false
RECOMMENDATION present	Non-empty, one line	Add recommendation
No extra fields	Only the 7 defined fields	Remove extras

Anti-Patterns / Common Mistakes

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Omitting the status block	Loop cannot evaluate exit, monitoring blind	Every iteration ends with status
Setting EXIT_SIGNAL true with failing tests	Premature exit, broken code	Verify all 4 conditions
Adding custom fields	Machine parsing breaks	Only the 7 defined fields
Multi-line RECOMMENDATION	Parsing breaks on newlines	One line only
TESTS_STATUS without running tests	False confidence	Actually run the test suite
STATUS: COMPLETE with tasks remaining	Contradictory signal	Check IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md
Skipping RECOMMENDATION	No guidance for next iteration	Always include actionable recommendation
EXIT_SIGNAL: true when BLOCKED	Contradictory — blocked is not complete	BLOCKED always has EXIT_SIGNAL: false
Changing the delimiter format	Machine parsing depends on exact delimiters	Use ---RALPH_STATUS--- exactly
Guessing FILES_MODIFIED	Inaccurate metrics	Count actual changes

Anti-Rationalization Guards

If you catch yourself thinking:

"The status block is just overhead..." — It is the exit gate mechanism. Never skip.
"Everything is done, EXIT_SIGNAL: true..." — Verify ALL four conditions first.
"I'll add an extra field for more detail..." — No. Use RECOMMENDATION for details.
"Tests probably pass, TESTS_STATUS: PASSING..." — Run them. Verify. Then report.

Integration Points

Skill	Relationship	When
`autonomous-loop`	Parent — invokes this skill at end of each iteration	Every iteration
`circuit-breaker`	Consumer — monitors for stagnation patterns	Reads status blocks
`verification-before-completion`	Upstream — provides test results	Before status block production
Monitoring dashboard	Consumer — displays real-time progress	Reads status blocks
Log aggregation	Consumer — historical performance analysis	Stores status blocks

Concrete Examples

Example: Typical IN_PROGRESS Status

---RALPH_STATUS---
STATUS: IN_PROGRESS
TASKS_COMPLETED_THIS_LOOP: 1
FILES_MODIFIED: 3
TESTS_STATUS: PASSING
WORK_TYPE: IMPLEMENTATION
EXIT_SIGNAL: false
RECOMMENDATION: Next: implement user authentication middleware
---END_RALPH_STATUS---

Example: Completion Status

---RALPH_STATUS---
STATUS: COMPLETE
TASKS_COMPLETED_THIS_LOOP: 1
FILES_MODIFIED: 2
TESTS_STATUS: PASSING
WORK_TYPE: DOCUMENTATION
EXIT_SIGNAL: true
RECOMMENDATION: All tasks complete, tests passing, documentation updated
---END_RALPH_STATUS---

Example: Blocked Status

---RALPH_STATUS---
STATUS: BLOCKED
TASKS_COMPLETED_THIS_LOOP: 0
FILES_MODIFIED: 0
TESTS_STATUS: PASSING
WORK_TYPE: IMPLEMENTATION
EXIT_SIGNAL: false
RECOMMENDATION: Blocked: need database credentials for integration test setup
---END_RALPH_STATUS---

Example: Test Failure Status

---RALPH_STATUS---
STATUS: IN_PROGRESS
TASKS_COMPLETED_THIS_LOOP: 1
FILES_MODIFIED: 4
TESTS_STATUS: FAILING
WORK_TYPE: TESTING
EXIT_SIGNAL: false
RECOMMENDATION: 3 tests failing in auth module — investigating root cause next iteration
---END_RALPH_STATUS---

Process Summary

Complete the iteration's work (implementation, testing, docs, or refactoring)
Count tasks completed and files modified
Run the test suite and record result
Evaluate STATUS value
Evaluate EXIT_SIGNAL conditions (all 4 must be true for true)
Write the RALPH_STATUS block in exact format
Include a clear, actionable RECOMMENDATION

Skill Type

RIGID — The status block format must be followed exactly. Machine parsing depends on consistent structure. No field additions, no format changes, no skipped blocks.

ralph-status