start

Generate prompt but don't start Ralph (preview mode)

/spec-to-ralph:start

Generate a Ralph prompt from your Spec Kit project and immediately start the autonomous loop.

What This Does

  1. Runs /spec-to-ralph:generate to create PROMPT.md
  2. Creates a git checkpoint for safety
  3. Starts Ralph with the generated prompt

This is the "one command to rule them all" for spec-driven autonomous development.

Feature Selection

All Features

/spec-to-ralph:start --feature all

Runs through every feature in your .specify/features/ directory sequentially.

Single Feature

/spec-to-ralph:start --feature 001
/spec-to-ralph:start --feature user-auth
/spec-to-ralph:start --feature 001-user-auth

Focus Ralph on just one feature. Matches by number prefix, name, or full directory name.

Multiple Specific Features

/spec-to-ralph:start --feature 001,002
/spec-to-ralph:start --feature user-auth,payment-flow

Run specific features in the order you specify. Useful for:

  • Dependent features that must be done in order
  • Skipping features that are already complete
  • Testing a subset before running all

Auto-Detection

/spec-to-ralph:start
  • Flat structure → uses root spec files
  • One feature → uses that feature
  • Multiple features → lists available and prompts for selection

Prerequisites

  • Spec Kit project with either:
    • Flat: .specify/tasks.md (minimum)
    • Features: .specify/features/*/tasks.md
  • Ralph Wiggum plugin installed (/plugin install ralph-wiggum@claude-plugins-official)
  • Clean git working directory (recommended)

Process

Step 1: Generate Prompt

Execute the full /spec-to-ralph:generate workflow with feature selection:

  • Detect project structure (flat vs features)
  • Resolve feature selection from --feature argument
  • Validate selected features exist
  • Extract constraints and tech stack
  • Generate PROMPT.md and ralph-config.md

Step 2: Safety Checkpoint

Before starting Ralph:

git add -A
git commit -m "checkpoint: pre-ralph state" --allow-empty

This creates a restore point if Ralph goes sideways.

Step 3: Display Summary

Show the user:

  • Number of tasks to complete
  • Max iterations configured
  • Backpressure commands that will run
  • Estimated cost range (rough)

Step 4: Start Ralph

Execute:

/ralph-loop "Follow PROMPT.md to complete all tasks in .specify/tasks.md. Read the spec files first, then work through tasks systematically." --max-iterations [CALCULATED] --completion-promise "ALL_TASKS_COMPLETE"

Dry Run Mode

Use --dry-run to preview without starting:

/spec-to-ralph:start --dry-run

This will:

  • Generate PROMPT.md
  • Show the Ralph command that WOULD run
  • NOT actually start the loop

Useful for reviewing the generated prompt before committing to an autonomous run.

Example Usage

Basic (auto-detect structure and features):

/spec-to-ralph:start

All features:

/spec-to-ralph:start --feature all

Single feature:

/spec-to-ralph:start --feature 001
/spec-to-ralph:start --feature user-auth

Multiple specific features:

/spec-to-ralph:start --feature 001,002,003
/spec-to-ralph:start --feature user-auth,payment-flow,dashboard

With iteration override:

/spec-to-ralph:start --feature all --max-iterations 100

Preview mode (generate but don't run):

/spec-to-ralph:start --feature 001 --dry-run

Safety Notes

Before running:

  • Review your .specify/tasks.md for well-defined tasks
  • Ensure test commands work manually
  • Consider running in a VM or container for isolation

During the loop:

  • Monitor token usage
  • Watch for repeated errors (sign of stuck loop)
  • Use Ctrl+C or /cancel-ralph to stop if needed

After the loop:

  • Review git diff before pushing
  • Run tests manually to verify
  • Check BLOCKED.md if created

Recovery

If Ralph gets stuck or produces bad output:

# Stop the loop
/cancel-ralph

# Review what changed
git diff

# Revert if needed
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# Or revert to checkpoint
git log --oneline  # Find checkpoint commit
git reset --hard <checkpoint-sha>

Cost Estimation

Rough estimates based on task count:

TasksIterationsEst. Cost (Opus)Est. Cost (Sonnet)
520-25$5-15$1-3
1040-50$15-40$3-8
2050+ (capped)$30-80$6-15

These are rough estimates. Actual costs vary based on:

  • Context size (codebase)
  • Task complexity
  • Number of retries needed

What Success Looks Like

When Ralph completes successfully:

  1. All tasks in .specify/tasks.md marked [x]
  2. Each task has a corresponding git commit
  3. All backpressure checks pass
  4. Output contains <promise>ALL_TASKS_COMPLETE</promise>

You'll wake up to:

  • Working code implementing your spec
  • Clean git history showing progress
  • Tests passing