# Ralph Hats

Create, inspect, validate, explain, and improve Ralph hat collections.

- Repository: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator (3190 stars)
- Category: Testing
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-31
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill ralph-hats -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill ralph-hats -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill ralph-hats -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator --skill ralph-hats -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator`

## Description

Create, inspect, validate, explain, and improve Ralph hat collections. Use this skill whenever the user asks to make or refine a `.ralph/hats/*.yml` workflow, debug hat routing, explain event topology, or tune a multi-hat Ralph run.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Ralph Hats

Use this skill to operate the full Ralph hat lifecycle for user-authored hat
collections.

## Use This Skill For

- Creating a new hat collection in `.ralph/hats/`
- Inspecting an existing hat collection and explaining its topology
- Validating trigger routing, event flow, and completion behavior
- Improving or refactoring hats for clearer roles and safer routing
- Recommending better orchestration patterns for a Ralph workflow

## Core Assumptions

- Core runtime config already lives in `ralph.yml` or another `-c` source.
- User-authored hats are stored separately and passed with `-H`.
- This skill operates public hat collections, not Ralph built-in presets.

## Workflow

1. If a hats file already exists, read it first and explain the current
   topology before proposing changes.
2. If creating a new workflow, write it to `.ralph/hats/<name>.yml`.
3. Keep the hats file focused on hats-only data. Leave runtime limits and other
   core config in the main config file.
4. Validate with `ralph hats validate`.
5. Visualize topology with `ralph hats graph` when the event flow is not
   trivial.
6. Use `ralph hats show <hat>` when you need to inspect one hat's effective
   configuration.
7. When the user wants stronger confidence, run a targeted `ralph run -c ... -H
   ... -p "..."` exercise or provide the exact test command.

## Guardrails

The rest: https://github.com/mikeyobrien/ralph-orchestrator/blob/HEAD/skills/ralph-hats/SKILL.md