CORRECTION: After a direct side-by-side test, /goal is NOT better than Ralph Loop for production code. Ralph produces technically superior output. /goal is faster to start and good for specific migration tasks. Includes the decision matrix for goal vs ralph vs kanban.
Documented Correction
Nemanja previously implied /goal was roughly equivalent to Ralph Loop. After testing them side-by-side building the same app, he revised his position. Ralph produces better technical output. This correction is important for production planning.
What /goal Is
A 5-stage pipeline built into Hermes:
- Accept: receives the goal
- Plan: creates an internal plan
- Decompose: breaks plan into steps (similar to a PRD)
- Execute: runs each step
- Judge: pass/fail gate - "Is this done or are there blockers?"
Critical limitation: the judge is NOT a code reviewer. It is a simple yes/no check: "Did the task complete without blockers?" It does not review code quality, test coverage, or production readiness.
With Ralph Loop, you can have a proper code review stage - Claude CLI or another reviewer as a distinct step in the pipeline.
Side-by-Side Test: Same App, Both Methods
Task: Build Kanban app in Next.js + SQLite, Trello-style, dark mode. Both using GPT-5.5.
| Metric | /goal | Ralph Loop |
|---|---|---|
| Time to finish | Faster | ~1 hour |
| Drag and drop | Did NOT work | Worked |
| Visual design | Poor | Still poor (GPT limitation) |
| Card functionality | Basic | More complete |
| Context compactions | 7 (risk indicator) | N/A |
| Overall verdict | Working prototype | Better app |
Conclusion: Ralph did make a better app. /goal produced something faster.
Decision Matrix
| Method | Use When | Avoid When |
|---|---|---|
| /goal | Specific well-defined migrations (npm to pnpm, Supabase to local JSON), quick prototypes, fast first look | Production features, complex UX (drag-and-drop), when you need to review the PRD |
| Ralph | Production code, architecture-first builds, features needing PR review, when control and visibility matter | Quick throwaway prototypes, non-code tasks |
| Kanban | Non-code tasks (content, research, design, video production), multi-agent orchestration without GitHub | Pure code builds where GitHub issues are the right structure |
/goal Nesting (Advanced)
/goal can be used INSIDE Kanban or as a sub-step within Ralph. It is not either/or globally. Example: Kanban manages the overall content production pipeline. A specific "migrate component" card within that uses /goal for execution.
Token Efficiency Ranking
- Kanban (most efficient for complex multi-step work)
- /goal (efficient but can have many compactions on long runs)
- Ralph (less efficient but most controlled and reviewable)
Nemanja's Current Position
"I probably won't be replacing Ralph with /goal right now. I might implement /goal in some way for specific tasks. But for serious work - for architecture first coding, for actual features, for production - Ralph is my tool. I can check the PRD, edit it, see how it's broken into issues, stop it, resume it. More control."
For banging out a quick prototype to see how something looks: /goal is the right tool. For shipping to production: use Ralph.