Ralph Overnight Builds — Progressive Curriculum Entry
A graduated path to unattended Ralph runs: start with a single bounded task, add a PROMPT.md spec file, add verification, and only then remove the human from the loop for overnight builds.
Implementation note
When to use: you are tempted by overnight Ralph runs but have not run one before — this is the curriculum that gets you there without learning each failure mode the expensive way. How it works: a staged path where each stage adds one piece of rigor. Start with a single bounded task run under supervision. Then move the task definition into a PROMPT.md spec file. Then add verification, so done is machine-checked rather than asserted. Only after all three are solid do you remove the human from the loop and let it run overnight. Each stage exercises the discipline the next one depends on. Safety: the sequencing is the safety mechanism — unattended operation is earned last, after bounded scope, a written spec, and objective verification are already proven on supervised runs. Most overnight-loop disasters trace to a skipped stage. When you do go unattended, add the standard rails: iteration caps, budget limits, sandbox, branch.
Source: Claude Code Masterclass newsletter ↗
More planning loops
Ship verified code, one stage per agent
Run a multi-stage software factory pipeline where each agent handles one task in a fresh context, anchored to mechanical gates and held-out test suites.
Run flow until gate or timeout
Execute a flow step repeatedly until it signals DONE or GATE, or halt after 40 turns to proceed.
Draft a sprint plan from the backlog
Turn the open issue backlog into a proposed two-week sprint plan with estimates, a dependency ordering, and an explicit cut line, written as a document for the team to edit.