ralph-loop

Spec-driven development loops coordinate bounded, operator-guided passes that implement one meaningful increment per cycle, preserving durable repo memory via AGENT.md, fix_plan.md, and spec files for continuous rehydration.

A bounded-pass workflow enforces a single implement-and-validate increment per cycle with explicit stop reasons, requiring search-before-change, focused validation, and updates to fix_plan.md before emitting a final watchdog status.

Yes, spec-driven iteration loops require AGENT.md, fix_plan.md, and a spec file like spec.md or a specs/ directory to exist in the repository before starting the loop for proper memory rehydration and planning.

Operator-guided development loops support greenfield or early-stage repositories requiring spec-driven iteration, applying durable repo memory to guide a human operator through one bounded increment per pass.

Repo memory preservation works by reading AGENT.md and fix_plan.md, loading relevant specs, implementing a bounded increment, running focused validation, and updating fix_plan.md to maintain context across development cycles.

Bounded development loops are limited to one meaningful increment per cycle with explicit stop reasons, requiring operator supervision and existing spec files, making them unsuitable for fully autonomous or unsupervised development workflows.