serhiileniv · Jul 23, 2026
diff --git a/plugins/ralph-wiggum/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/plugins/ralph-wiggum/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "ralph-wiggum",
-  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "version": "1.0.1",
   "description": "Implementation of the Ralph Wiggum technique - continuous self-referential AI loops for interactive iterative development. Run Claude in a while-true loop with the same prompt until task completion.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Daisy Hollman",

diff --git a/plugins/ralph-wiggum/commands/ralph-loop.md b/plugins/ralph-wiggum/commands/ralph-loop.md
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ hide-from-slash-command-tool: "true"
 Execute the setup script to initialize the Ralph loop:
 
 ```!
-"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/setup-ralph-loop.sh" $ARGUMENTS
+"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/setup-ralph-loop.sh" <<'RALPH_LOOP_ARGS_EOF'
+$ARGUMENTS
+RALPH_LOOP_ARGS_EOF
 ```
 
 Please work on the task. When you try to exit, the Ralph loop will feed the SAME PROMPT back to you for the next iteration. You'll see your previous work in files and git history, allowing you to iterate and improve.

diff --git a/plugins/ralph-wiggum/scripts/setup-ralph-loop.sh b/plugins/ralph-wiggum/scripts/setup-ralph-loop.sh
@@ -2,19 +2,16 @@
 
 # Ralph Loop Setup Script
 # Creates state file for in-session Ralph loop
+#
+# Arguments arrive as raw text on stdin (fed via a quoted heredoc from
+# ralph-loop.md) so prompt text is never parsed as shell code. Quotes,
+# semicolons, $(), and newlines in the prompt are all treated literally.
+# Direct invocation with positional arguments still works for manual use.
 
 set -euo pipefail
 
-# Parse arguments
-PROMPT_PARTS=()
-MAX_ITERATIONS=0
-COMPLETION_PROMISE="null"
-
-# Parse options and positional arguments
-while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
-  case $1 in
-    -h|--help)
-      cat << 'HELP_EOF'
+show_help() {
+  cat << 'HELP_EOF'
 Ralph Loop - Interactive self-referential development loop
 
 USAGE:
@@ -56,61 +53,101 @@ MONITORING:
   # View full state:
   head -10 .claude/ralph-loop.local.md
 HELP_EOF
-      exit 0
-      ;;
-    --max-iterations)
-      if [[ -z "${2:-}" ]]; then
-        echo "❌ Error: --max-iterations requires a number argument" >&2
-        echo "" >&2
-        echo "   Valid examples:" >&2
-        echo "     --max-iterations 10" >&2
-        echo "     --max-iterations 50" >&2
-        echo "     --max-iterations 0  (unlimited)" >&2
-        echo "" >&2
-        echo "   You provided: --max-iterations (with no number)" >&2
-        exit 1
-      fi
-      if ! [[ "$2" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
-        echo "❌ Error: --max-iterations must be a positive integer or 0, got: $2" >&2
-        echo "" >&2
-        echo "   Valid examples:" >&2
-        echo "     --max-iterations 10" >&2
-        echo "     --max-iterations 50" >&2
-        echo "     --max-iterations 0  (unlimited)" >&2
-        echo "" >&2
-        echo "   Invalid: decimals (10.5), negative numbers (-5), text" >&2
-        exit 1
-      fi
-      MAX_ITERATIONS="$2"
-      shift 2
-      ;;
-    --completion-promise)
-      if [[ -z "${2:-}" ]]; then
-        echo "❌ Error: --completion-promise requires a text argument" >&2
-        echo "" >&2
-        echo "   Valid examples:" >&2
-        echo "     --completion-promise 'DONE'" >&2
-        echo "     --completion-promise 'TASK COMPLETE'" >&2
-        echo "     --completion-promise 'All tests passing'" >&2
-        echo "" >&2
-        echo "   You provided: --completion-promise (with no text)" >&2
-        echo "" >&2
-        echo "   Note: Multi-word promises must be quoted!" >&2
-        exit 1
-      fi
-      COMPLETION_PROMISE="$2"
-      shift 2
-      ;;
-    *)
-      # Non-option argument - collect all as prompt parts
-      PROMPT_PARTS+=("$1")
-      shift
-      ;;
-  esac
-done
+}
+
+# Read raw argument text: positional arguments when invoked directly,
+# otherwise stdin (the heredoc from ralph-loop.md)
+if [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; then
+  RAW="$*"
+elif [[ ! -t 0 ]]; then
+  RAW="$(cat)"
+else
+  RAW=""
+fi
+
+# Normalize Windows line endings
+RAW="${RAW//$'\r'/}"
+
+if [[ "$RAW" =~ (^|[[:space:]])(-h|--help)([[:space:]]|$) ]]; then
+  show_help
+  exit 0
+fi
 
-# Join all prompt parts with spaces
-PROMPT="${PROMPT_PARTS[*]}"
+MAX_ITERATIONS=0
+COMPLETION_PROMISE="null"
+
+# Extract --completion-promise <text> from the raw text.
+# Quotes are literal characters here, so recognize 'quoted', "quoted",
+# and bare single-word forms explicitly. Parsed before --max-iterations
+# so a quoted promise containing flag-like text is consumed first.
+RE_PROMISE_SQ="--completion-promise[[:space:]]+'([^']*)'"
+RE_PROMISE_DQ='--completion-promise[[:space:]]+"([^"]*)"'
+RE_PROMISE_BARE='--completion-promise[[:space:]]+([^[:space:]]+)'
+if [[ "$RAW" == *--completion-promise* ]]; then
+  if [[ "$RAW" =~ $RE_PROMISE_SQ ]] || [[ "$RAW" =~ $RE_PROMISE_DQ ]] || [[ "$RAW" =~ $RE_PROMISE_BARE ]]; then
+    PROMISE_MATCH="${BASH_REMATCH[0]}"
+    COMPLETION_PROMISE="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+  fi
+  if [[ -z "$COMPLETION_PROMISE" ]] || [[ "$COMPLETION_PROMISE" == "null" ]]; then
+    echo "❌ Error: --completion-promise requires a text argument" >&2
+    echo "" >&2
+    echo "   Valid examples:" >&2
+    echo "     --completion-promise 'DONE'" >&2
+    echo "     --completion-promise 'TASK COMPLETE'" >&2
+    echo "     --completion-promise 'All tests passing'" >&2
+    echo "" >&2
+    echo "   You provided: --completion-promise (with no text)" >&2
+    echo "" >&2
+    echo "   Note: Multi-word promises must be quoted!" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  RAW="${RAW/"$PROMISE_MATCH"/ }"
+fi
+
+# Extract --max-iterations <n> from the raw text
+if [[ "$RAW" == *--max-iterations* ]]; then
+  if [[ "$RAW" =~ --max-iterations[[:space:]]+([^[:space:]]+) ]]; then
+    MAX_ITER_MATCH="${BASH_REMATCH[0]}"
+    MAX_ITER_VALUE="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+    if ! [[ "$MAX_ITER_VALUE" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+      echo "❌ Error: --max-iterations must be a positive integer or 0, got: $MAX_ITER_VALUE" >&2
+      echo "" >&2
+      echo "   Valid examples:" >&2
+      echo "     --max-iterations 10" >&2
+      echo "     --max-iterations 50" >&2
+      echo "     --max-iterations 0  (unlimited)" >&2
+      echo "" >&2
+      echo "   Invalid: decimals (10.5), negative numbers (-5), text" >&2
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    MAX_ITERATIONS="$MAX_ITER_VALUE"
+    RAW="${RAW/"$MAX_ITER_MATCH"/ }"
+  else
+    echo "❌ Error: --max-iterations requires a number argument" >&2
+    echo "" >&2
+    echo "   Valid examples:" >&2
+    echo "     --max-iterations 10" >&2
+    echo "     --max-iterations 50" >&2
+    echo "     --max-iterations 0  (unlimited)" >&2
+    echo "" >&2
+    echo "   You provided: --max-iterations (with no number)" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+fi
+
+# Whatever remains is the prompt; trim surrounding whitespace
+PROMPT="$RAW"
+PROMPT="${PROMPT#"${PROMPT%%[![:space:]]*}"}"
+PROMPT="${PROMPT%"${PROMPT##*[![:space:]]}"}"
+
+# Strip one pair of surrounding quotes (shell used to consume these when
+# arguments were passed on the command line, e.g. /ralph-loop "Build X")
+if [[ ${#PROMPT} -ge 2 ]]; then
+  case "$PROMPT" in
+    \"*\") PROMPT="${PROMPT:1:${#PROMPT}-2}" ;;
+    \'*\') PROMPT="${PROMPT:1:${#PROMPT}-2}" ;;
+  esac
+fi
 
 # Validate prompt is non-empty
 if [[ -z "$PROMPT" ]]; then