Ralph Preflight

/ralph.preflight

Validate all required services before workflow execution.

CRITICAL: Run Before Any Ralph Command

This command MUST pass before /ralph.spawn, /ralph.integrate, or /ralph.cleanup. If pre-flight fails, the workflow is BLOCKED until issues are resolved.

Process

1. Check Linear MCP (REQUIRED)

   # Attempt to list teams - if this fails, Linear is not authenticated
   mcp__plugin_linear_linear__list_teams({})
   

   If empty or error: BLOCK immediately

   # Verify floe team access
   mcp__plugin_linear_linear__get_team({"query": "floe"})
   

   If no access: BLOCK - user must fix Linear authentication

2. Check Git (REQUIRED)

   git status --porcelain
   

   If fails: BLOCK - not in a git repository

3. Check Cognee (OPTIONAL)

   Check if .cognee/config.yaml exists and COGNEE_API_KEY is set.

   If unavailable: WARN - memories will buffer locally via .ralph/memory-buffer/

4. Check Memory Buffer

   ls .ralph/memory-buffer/pending/*.json 2>/dev/null | wc -l
   ls .ralph/memory-buffer/failed/*.json 2>/dev/null | wc -l
   

   If failed entries: WARN - review .ralph/memory-buffer/failed/

5. Check Manifest

   Verify .ralph/manifest.json is valid JSON.

Output: PASS

==================================================
RALPH WIGGUM PRE-FLIGHT CHECK: PASS
==================================================

[OK] linear: Connected to Linear MCP
[OK] git: Git repository valid
[OK] cognee: Cognee configuration found
[OK] manifest: Manifest valid (v1.0.0)
[OK] memory_buffer: Buffer empty - ready for use

--------------------------------------------------
Status: Ready to proceed

Output: BLOCKED

==================================================
RALPH WIGGUM PRE-FLIGHT CHECK: BLOCKED
==================================================

[!!] linear: Linear MCP not authenticated
    Action: Re-authenticate Linear in Claude Code settings
[OK] git: Git repository valid
[??] cognee: COGNEE_API_KEY not set - using local buffer
    Action: Set COGNEE_API_KEY environment variable

--------------------------------------------------
Status: BLOCKED - Fix required issues before proceeding

Recovery:
  1. Fix the blocked service(s) above
  2. Run: /ralph.preflight to verify
  3. Resume with: /ralph.resume

Linear Authentication Recovery

If Linear MCP authentication fails:

1. Check MCP server status in Claude Code settings
2. Re-authenticate if token expired
3. Verify team access - must have access to "floe" team
4. Run /ralph.preflight again to verify

Cognee Degraded Mode

When Cognee is unavailable:

1. Memories are written to .ralph/memory-buffer/pending/
2. Format: {timestamp}-{type}-{id}.json
3. Auto-sync when Cognee reconnects (see /ralph.memory-sync)
4. No context is lost - all decisions recorded locally

Pre-Flight Script

For programmatic access:

python .ralph/scripts/preflight.py           # Check all
python .ralph/scripts/preflight.py -s linear # Check Linear only
python .ralph/scripts/preflight.py --json    # JSON output

Configuration

From .ralph/config.yaml:

resilience:
  preflight_checks:
    linear: required   # BLOCK if unavailable
    cognee: optional   # WARN + continue with buffer
    git: required      # BLOCK if unavailable

Related Commands

• /ralph.spawn - Start agents (requires preflight PASS)
• /ralph.resume - Resume from saved session
• /ralph.memory-sync - Sync buffered memories
• /ralph.memory-status - Check buffer status