A structured autonomous coding agent that implements features story-by-story based on a project requirements document.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install better-ralph
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install better-ralph using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Better Ralph?
Better Ralph is a specialized workflow designed for the Openclaw Skills ecosystem that brings discipline and structure to autonomous coding. Instead of working on broad, undefined tasks, this skill operates on a strict PRD-driven (Project Requirements Document) model. It reads a structured JSON file of user stories, selects the highest priority task, implements the necessary code, and ensures all quality checks pass before committing the changes.
By integrating this tool into your suite of Openclaw Skills, you create a reliable loop for feature development. It bridges the gap between high-level requirements and low-level execution by managing state via local files, ensuring that the AI agent remains focused, test-oriented, and context-aware throughout the development lifecycle.
Better Ralph Use Cases
- Managing feature roadmaps through automated, incremental development iterations.
- Ensuring code quality in autonomous workflows by mandating passing tests before every git commit.
- Maintaining an automated audit trail of project progress and learned codebase patterns.
- Scaling development throughput by allowing an agent to work through a backlog of prioritized user stories independently.
How Better Ralph Works
- The agent reads the prd.json to identify the project scope and progress.txt for codebase patterns.
- It identifies the highest priority user story that has not yet been marked as passed.
- The skill ensures the workspace is on the correct git branch as specified in the PRD.
- The agent implements the code changes required to satisfy the story's specific acceptance criteria.
- Automated quality checks (linting, testing, type-checking) are executed to verify the implementation.
- If checks pass, the agent stages changes and creates a standardized git commit.
- The status in prd.json is updated to passed, and a summary is appended to the progress log.
Better Ralph Setup
To use this skill within your Openclaw Skills environment, create a prd.json file in your project root. You can initialize a new project by asking the agent to create the PRD for you or by manually creating the file:
touch prd.json
Ensure your prd.json follows the required schema including fields for project name, branchName, and an array of userStories. Once the file exists, you can trigger an iteration by saying: "run better ralph" or "implement next story from prd".
Better Ralph Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill relies on two primary data structures to maintain state across Openclaw Skills iterations:
prd.json
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| project | String | The name of the project. |
| branchName | String | The target git branch for feature work. |
| userStories | Array | List of objects containing id, title, description, acceptanceCriteria, priority, and passes. |
progress.txt
- Codebase Patterns: A section at the top of the file used to store persistent architectural rules and conventions.
- Log Entries: A chronological list of completed stories, including file changes and specific learnings.
Better Ralph Advanced Features
- Pattern Recognition: Automatically extracts and persists codebase patterns to progress.txt to maintain architectural consistency across stories.
- Atomic Commits: Enforces a strict one-story-per-commit rule with standardized feat: [ID] prefixes for clean repository history.
- Self-Healing Workflow: If quality checks fail, the agent halts the process and reports the error rather than committing broken code.
- Branch Awareness: Automatically manages git branch switching based on the configuration defined in the PRD.
SKILL.md
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