name: ralph-tools
description: Use when managing runtime tasks or memories during Ralph orchestration runs

Ralph Tools

Quick reference for ralph tools task and ralph tools memory commands used during orchestration.

Two Task Systems

This skill covers runtime tasks. For code tasks, see /code-task-generator.

Task Commands

ralph tools task add "Title" -p 2 -d "description" --blocked-by id1,id2
ralph tools task list [--status open|in_progress|closed] [--format table|json|quiet]
ralph tools task ready                    # Show unblocked tasks
ralph tools task close <task-id>
ralph tools task show <task-id>

Task ID format: task-{timestamp}-{4hex} (e.g., task-1737372000-a1b2)

Priority: 1-5 (1 = highest, default 3)

Memory Commands

ralph tools memory add "content" -t pattern --tags tag1,tag2
ralph tools memory list [-t type] [--tags tags]
ralph tools memory search "query" [-t type] [--tags tags]
ralph tools memory prime --budget 2000    # Output for context injection
ralph tools memory show <mem-id>
ralph tools memory delete <mem-id>

Memory types:
- pattern (default) - How this codebase does things
- decision - Why something was chosen
- fix - Solution to a recurring problem
- context - Project-specific knowledge

Memory ID format: mem-{timestamp}-{4hex} (e.g., mem-1737372000-a1b2)

NEVER use echo/cat to write tasks or memories — always use CLI tools.

Output Formats

All commands support --format:
- table (default) - Human-readable
- json - Machine-parseable
- quiet - IDs only (for scripting)
- markdown - Memory prime only

Common Workflows

Track dependent work

ralph tools task add "Setup auth" -p 1
# Returns: task-1737372000-a1b2

ralph tools task add "Add user routes" --blocked-by task-1737372000-a1b2
ralph tools task ready  # Only shows unblocked tasks

Store a discovery

ralph tools memory add "Parser requires snake_case keys" -t pattern --tags config,yaml

Find relevant memories

ralph tools memory search "config" --tags yaml
ralph tools memory prime --budget 1000 -t pattern  # For injection