Closeout Ralph

---
name: closeout-ralph
description: "Use at end of a Ralph development session, or when the CIO says to save progress and prepare for next sprint."
---

# Ralph Session Closeout

End-of-session ritual for Ralph (autonomous dev agent). Saves all session knowledge so the next Ralph instance starts cold with full context.

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## The Job

Perform these steps in order. **Do NOT run any git commands.** Leave all modified files unstaged — the CIO reviews and commits. If anything needs merging, tagging, pushing, or branch reshaping, send a note to `offices/pm/inbox/` and let the CIO handle it.

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## Step 1: Gather Session Facts

Before writing anything, collect:
- What was worked on this session (stories, sprints, design work, reviews)
- What was completed (stories passed, files committed, decisions made)
- What's blocked or unfinished
- Key learnings that would help the next Ralph instance
- Current test baseline (`pytest tests/ --collect-only | tail -1` for fast suite count)
- Current sprint state (read `offices/ralph/sprint.json` or `offices/ralph/stories.json`)
- Agent assignment state (read `offices/ralph/ralph_agents.json`)

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## Step 2: Update Agent Note (`offices/ralph/ralph_agents.json`)

The richest session-handoff signal lives in each agent's `note` field. Update the agent entry that ran this session:
- `lastCheck` → today's date
- `note` → 4-8 line close summary covering: what shipped, what's blocked, test baseline, top 3 next actions
- `status` → `unassigned` (session is over)
- `taskid` → `""`

The next Ralph reads this via `python offices/ralph/agent.py list` (and `/init-ralph` surfaces it in its status report).

If the note balloons past ~10 lines, anchor it to a longer artifact (PM inbox note or a dated knowledge entry) and reference that artifact from the note.

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## Step 3: Update Progress Log (`offices/ralph/progress.txt`)

Append a session summary block:

YYYY-MM-DD — Session N

Task: [Brief description of session work]

What was accomplished:

• [Bullet points]

Files modified (unstaged — CIO to commit):

• [List of files changed this session]

Learnings for future iterations:

• [Transferable insights]

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**Rolling-archive rule:** if `progress.txt` grows past ~30 KB, roll older entries into `offices/ralph/archive/progress.archive.YYYY-MM-DD.txt` and reset `progress.txt` to the most-recent few sessions. Per-iteration prompt size depends on this — don't let it grow unbounded.

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## Step 4: Update Knowledge

### Local knowledge (`offices/ralph/knowledge/`)

This is Ralph's primary knowledge store. Update these files:

- **`session-learnings.md`** — append any new gotchas, CIO feedback, or code patterns learned this session
- **`sprint-contract.md`** — update if any contract rules changed
- **`codebase-architecture.md`** — update if code structure changed (new packages, renamed modules)
- **`README.md`** — update the index if new knowledge files were created

Create new knowledge files if a topic is substantial enough to warrant its own file. Index them in the README.

### Shared auto-memory (`C:\Users\mcorn\.claude\projects\Z--o-OBD2v2\memory\MEMORY.md`)

Update ONLY the cross-agent facts that all agents need:
- **Current State** — session number, test baseline, sprint state, commits ahead of origin
- **Shared Memory Index** — only if a new SHARED memory file was created

**Do NOT put Ralph-specific detail in shared memory.** Other agents (Marcus, Spool, Tester) load MEMORY.md too. Keep it under 60 lines.

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## Step 5: Branch Management via PM (if needed)

Ralph does NOT merge, push, tag, or reshape branches. If this session's work needs branch management (e.g., a sprint branch is ready to merge to main, a feature branch needs tagging, an old branch should be deleted), write a note to `offices/pm/inbox/` describing what and why. The CIO reviews and performs the git operation.

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## Step 6: Report to CIO

Print:
- Session number and 2-3 bullet accomplishments
- Files modified this session (unstaged, ready for CIO review)
- Top 3 next actions for the next session
- Any unresolved blockers or questions
- Any branch-management requests sent to PM inbox

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## What NOT to Do

- **Do NOT run any git commands** — no `git add`, no `git commit`, no `git push`, no merging, no tagging. Leave changes unstaged. CIO reviews and commits.
- Do NOT modify code files during closeout
- Do NOT delete or archive sprint.json / stories.json (Marcus decides lifecycle)
- Do NOT update specs/ files (that's a separate knowledge-update task)
- Do NOT make up accomplishments — only record what actually happened
- Do NOT create new backlog items (send a note to PM inbox instead)
- Do NOT do branch management yourself — send a PM inbox note instead

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