Spec-Driven Development vs Vibe Coding: When Each One Wins
Vibe coding is fast for throwaways and dangerous for production. Here is an honest comparison with spec-driven development, why autonomous agents need a spec, and how to pick per task.
Ralph Loop Blog
Docker Sandboxes vs Plain Containers for AI Agents
A plain Docker container is a start, not a boundary. Here is how Docker Sandboxes microVMs compare to a hand-rolled container for isolating an autonomous coding agent.
Task Lookup Tables: Scaling Autonomous Agents to Hundreds of Tasks
A flat task list stops working past a few dozen entries. A lookup table that indexes per-task spec files lets an autonomous agent grind through hundreds of tasks without losing track.
Why You Should Sandbox Every Autonomous Coding Agent
An autonomous coding agent runs with your full user permissions, which means it can read your SSH keys and push to your remotes. A sandbox is the only blast radius cheap enough to lose.
One Task Per Iteration: The Rule That Makes Autonomous Agents Reliable
The most reliable rule for autonomous coding is one task per invocation, commit, then stop. Here is why batching tasks wrecks an agent loop and how Ralph enforces the rule.
Breaking a PRD Into Atomic Agent Tasks
A PRD is too big for an agent to build in one shot. Here is how to decompose it into atomic, independently verifiable task packets the loop finishes one at a time.
How to Steer a Running AI Agent Without Stopping the Loop
You do not have to kill a Ralph loop to redirect it. Edit .agent/STEERING.md mid-run and the agent reads it at the top of the next iteration, handles the critical work first, then resumes the task list.
Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor vs Gemini: Best CLI for Long-Running Agent Loops
There is no single best agentic CLI. Here is how Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, Copilot, and opencode hold up over a long autonomous loop, and how to pick per task.
Ralph Loop Failure Modes (Context Rot, Runaway Cost) and How to Avoid Them
A Ralph loop fails in a handful of predictable ways. Here is each failure mode, why it happens, and the specific guardrail that stops it.
How to Write a PRD an AI Agent Can Actually Build From
A PRD for an AI coding agent needs goals, constraints, and verifiable acceptance criteria, not a feature wishlist. Here is what goes in PRD.md and SUMMARY.md and how to draft it.