Ralph Mode

Ralph mode (named after Ralph Wiggum's single-minded persistence) makes the AI keep going until the task is verified complete. No stopping early, no "I've made progress", no partial results.

Activation

ralph fix all failing tests
ralph refactor the auth module
ralph until done

Or explicitly set the mode:

aide state set mode ralph

How It Works

When ralph mode is active:

1. The AI executes the task
2. After each step, it checks whether the task is truly complete
3. If not complete, it continues (no asking for permission)
4. Verification happens through actual commands (running tests, checking build output, etc.)
5. Only stops when verification passes

Platform Behavior

Platform	Mechanism
Claude Code	Stop-blocking — prevents the AI from ending the conversation early
OpenCode	Re-prompting — session.prompt() is called on idle to keep the AI going

When to Use

Ralph mode is ideal for:

• Fixing all test failures — "ralph fix all failing tests"
• Complete refactors — "ralph refactor all error handling to use Result types"
• Build fixes — "ralph make the build pass" (similar to build-fix but more persistent)
• Migration tasks — "ralph migrate all components to the new API"

When NOT to Use

Avoid ralph mode for:

• Exploratory tasks — "investigate why X happens" (no clear completion criteria)
• Design work — Use the design skill instead
• Tasks requiring human judgment — Ralph will keep going based on automated checks

Combining with Other Skills

Ralph mode works well in combination:

ralph fix the build errors       # ralph + build-fix behavior
ralph make all tests pass        # ralph + implement behavior

In swarm mode, individual agents can run in ralph mode to ensure each story is fully complete before signaling completion.