Repository Analysis

frankbria/ralph-claude-code

Autonomous AI development loop for Claude Code with intelligent exit detection

14.7 Low AI signal View on GitHub

Analysis Overview

This report presents the forensic synthetic code analysis of frankbria/ralph-claude-code, a Shell project with 9,535 GitHub stars. SynthScan v2.0 examined 30,648 lines of code across 84 source files, recording 227 pattern matches distributed across 12 syntactic categories. The overall adjusted score of 14.7 places this repository in the Low AI signal band.

The scanner applied 160+ deterministic lexical heuristics, multi-line block detectors, abstract syntax tree depth profilers, and a cross-file Jaccard similarity matrix to construct a statistically normalised synthetic code estimate. All matches are individually weighted by severity coefficient and contextual multiplier before summation, and the resulting headline score is temporally discounted to account for the repository's development history relative to the commercial emergence of large language model coding tooling (November 2022 onward).

14.7
Adjusted Score
14.7
Raw Score
100%
Time Factor
2026-07-11
Last Push
9.5K
Stars
Shell
Language
30.6K
Lines of Code
84
Files
227
Pattern Hits
2026-07-14
Scan Date
0.02
HC Hit Rate

What These Metrics Mean

Adjusted Score
Primary synthetic code indicator. Raw score normalised per 1,000 lines of code and multiplied by the temporal discount factor. This is the definitive comparative metric — use it to rank repositories by AI authorship density.
Raw Score
The unmodified sum of all severity-weighted, context-multiplied pattern match scores before temporal discounting. Reflects the absolute signal strength independent of when the repository was last active.
Time Factor
The temporal discount multiplier (0–100%) applied to the raw score. Repositories last updated before ChatGPT's launch (Nov 2022) receive a 5% factor. Full signal is only assigned to repositories active in the post-adoption era (Jan 2024+).
Pattern Hits
Total count of individual pattern matches across all files and categories. A high hit count with a low score may indicate a very large codebase with isolated AI snippets; a low count with a high score indicates dense, concentrated AI signatures.
HC Hit Rate
High+Critical pattern hits per file, averaged across the repository. This orthogonal signal catches repositories where a few files are densely packed with high-severity AI tells — a strong indicator even when the normalised score appears moderate due to codebase size.
Lines of Code / Files
Total lines and files analysed. The scanner examines 94 file extensions. These denominators are used to normalise the score, enabling fair comparison between repositories of vastly different sizes.

Score History

This chart maps the temporal evolution of the adjusted synthetic code score across successive scan runs. An upward trajectory indicates ongoing incorporation of AI-generated code or expanding LLM-assisted scaffolding; a stable or declining trajectory may reflect active human refactoring, code removal, or the adoption of stricter authorship policies. The dashed secondary line (right axis) independently tracks total raw pattern hit count, which can diverge from the normalised score when codebase size changes significantly between scans.

Severity Breakdown

Classifies detected patterns by their diagnostic confidence and structural impact. CRITICAL patterns (coefficient 10) represent definitive synthetic signatures — hallucinated imports, explicit LLM attribution metadata — virtually never produced by human authors. HIGH (5) indicates strong structural tells such as cross-file repetition or cross-linguistic idioms. MEDIUM (2) covers recognisable conversational padding and AI-specific vocabulary. LOW (1) captures subtle indicators like tautological comments and generic boilerplate that require density to carry independent signal.

CRITICAL 0HIGH 2MEDIUM 97LOW 128

Directory Score Breakdown

This horizontal bar chart decomposes the repository's raw synthetic code score by top-level directory, allowing you to pinpoint precisely which modules or components carry the highest AI authorship density. Directories with disproportionately high scores relative to their size warrant targeted manual review: concentrated AI signatures often trace back to mass-generated configuration layers, auto-ported test suites, LLM-scaffolded boilerplate classes, or entire subsystems authored under heavy copilot assistance. Use this view to prioritise your human code-review effort.

Pattern Findings

The scanner identified 227 distinct pattern matches across 12 syntactic categories. Each entry below represents a discrete location in the source code where the engine recorded a statistically significant AI authorship indicator. Expand any category row to inspect the individual file paths, line numbers, code snippets, and the lexical context (CODE, COMMENT, or STRING) in which each match was detected.

Reading the findings table: The Severity column indicates the diagnostic confidence level (CRITICAL / HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW). The Context column identifies whether the match occurred inside executable code, an inline comment, or a string literal — comment-context matches receive a ×1.5 weight because LLMs systematically over-annotate. The ⚡ bolt icon marks clustered matches: three or more patterns within a 10-line window, each receiving an additional ×1.5 density multiplier as dense clusters constitute far stronger evidence of synthetic authorship than isolated hits.

Decorative Section Separators80 hits · 240 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh36# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh38# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh53# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh55# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh113# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh115# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh185# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh187# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh266# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh268# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh349# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh351# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh403# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh405# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh477# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh479# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh552# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable.sh554# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_import.sh65# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_import.sh67# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_import.sh248# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_import.sh250# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_loop.sh1018# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_loop.sh1020# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_loop.sh1337# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_loop.sh1339# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh44# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh46# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh63# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh65# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh126# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh128# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh223# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh225# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh278# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMralph_enable_ci.sh280# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/helpers/fixtures.bash389# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMtests/helpers/fixtures.bash391# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh6# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh8# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh141# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh143# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh291# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh293# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh400# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh402# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh514# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh516# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh595# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/task_sources.sh597# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh14# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh16# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh161# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh163# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh369# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh371# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh462# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh464# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh495# =============================================================================COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/wizard_utils.sh497# =============================================================================COMMENT
20 more matches not shown…
Over-Commented Block68 hits · 64 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWralph_queue.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWmigrate_to_ralph_folder.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWralph_enable.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh61COMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh101 if command -v jq &>/dev/null && jq empty "$output_file" 2>/dev/null; thenCOMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh121# PARSED_HAS_ERRORS - "true"/"false" indicating errorsCOMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh181}COMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh281}COMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh561COMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh661 if [[ "$match_count" -eq 0 ]]; thenCOMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh841# $1 (json_file) - File containing issue JSON from fetch_github_issueCOMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh1021COMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh261 printf '0'COMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh281# - SESSION_EXPIRY_HOURS (mapped to CLAUDE_SESSION_EXPIRY_HOURS)COMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh1241 current_time=$(date +%s)COMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh1741 return 0COMMENT
LOWralph_enable_ci.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWtools/inspect-allowed-tools.sh1#!/usr/bin/env bashCOMMENT
LOWtests/test_error_detection.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWtests/test_stuck_loop_detection.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWtests/e2e/helpers/e2e_helper.bash1#!/usr/bin/env bashCOMMENT
LOW.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml1# Publish the default ralph-sandbox image to GHCR (Issue #298)COMMENT
LOW.github/workflows/triage-incoming-issues.lock.yml1# gh-aw-metadata: {"schema_version":"v4","frontmatter_hash":"a52f9dd3f548b72d0f16ca928d98958867378af0afe8f9b540d1ea6725eCOMMENT
LOW.github/workflows/triage-incoming-issues.lock.yml21# Not all edits will cause changes to this file.COMMENT
LOW.github/workflows/triage-incoming-issues.lock.yml781 # - EditCOMMENT
LOW.github/workflows/triage-incoming-issues.lock.yml801 # - Write(/tmp/gh-aw/agent/*)COMMENT
LOW.github/workflows/triage-incoming-issues.lock.yml821 # - mcp__github__get_release_by_tagCOMMENT
LOW.github/workflows/triage-incoming-issues.lock.yml841 # - mcp__github__list_starred_repositoriesCOMMENT
LOW.github/workflows/triage-incoming-issues.lock.yml1321 run: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@2.1.156COMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh1#!/usr/bin/env bashCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh21COMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh141# =============================================================================COMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh161COMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh181# 0 - SuccessCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh281# Newline-separated list of label namesCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh361}COMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh401# TASK NORMALIZATIONCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh521# $1 (sources) - Space-separated list of sources: beads, github, prdCOMMENT
LOWlib/issue_analyzer.sh1#!/usr/bin/env bashCOMMENT
LOWlib/issue_analyzer.sh21# +15 Implementation guidance keywords (implement/architecture/steps/...)COMMENT
LOWlib/queue_manager.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWlib/github_lifecycle.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWlib/wizard_utils.sh21# $1 (prompt) - The question to askCOMMENT
LOWlib/wizard_utils.sh61 echo -e "${WIZARD_YELLOW}Please answer yes (y) or no (n)${WIZARD_NC}" >&2COMMENT
LOWlib/wizard_utils.sh101#COMMENT
LOWlib/wizard_utils.sh161# =============================================================================COMMENT
LOWlib/wizard_utils.sh221#COMMENT
LOWlib/sync.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWlib/sync.sh21#COMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh81# `Bash(mvn *)` is configured.COMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh101# _base_command_in_allowed_tools — does CLAUDE_ALLOWED_TOOLS permit ARBITRARYCOMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh261COMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh661COMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh821COMMENT
LOWlib/sandbox_docker.sh1#!/bin/bashCOMMENT
LOWlib/sandbox_docker.sh21# logged). Without an API key, the host's ~/.claude/.credentials.json isCOMMENT
LOWlib/sandbox_docker.sh201 rm -f "$tmp"COMMENT
LOWlib/enable_core.sh61# =============================================================================COMMENT
LOWlib/enable_core.sh121is_ralph_enabled() {COMMENT
8 more matches not shown…
Redundant / Tautological Comments40 hits · 62 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWmigrate_to_ralph_folder.sh41# Check if project is already migratedCOMMENT
LOWmigrate_to_ralph_folder.sh45 # Check if .ralph/ directory exists with key filesCOMMENT
LOWmigrate_to_ralph_folder.sh55# Check if project needs migration (has old-style structure)COMMENT
LOWmigrate_to_ralph_folder.sh284 # Check if already migratedCOMMENT
LOWmigrate_to_ralph_folder.sh290 # Check if needs migrationCOMMENT
LOWuninstall.sh38# Check if Ralph is installed by verifying commands or home directory existCOMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh89 # Check if file starts with { or [ (JSON indicators)COMMENT
LOWralph_import.sh138 # Check if jq is availableCOMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh448# Check if tmux is availableCOMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh800# Check if we can make another callCOMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh905# Check if we should gracefully exitCOMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh1279 # Check if session has expiredCOMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh1554 # Check if prompt file existsCOMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh2263 # Check if commits were made (HEAD changed)COMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh2614 # Check if this is a Ralph project directoryCOMMENT
LOWralph_loop.sh2619 # Check if this looks like a partial Ralph projectCOMMENT
LOWcreate_files.sh114# Check if we can make another callCOMMENT
LOWcreate_files.sh170# Check if we should gracefully exitCOMMENT
LOWcreate_files.sh267 # Check if prompt file existsCOMMENT
LOWlib/circuit_breaker.sh37 # Check if state file exists and is valid JSONCOMMENT
LOWlib/circuit_breaker.sh139# Check if circuit breaker allows executionCOMMENT
LOWlib/circuit_breaker.sh193 # Check if Claude reported files modified (may differ from git diff if already committed)COMMENT
LOWlib/circuit_breaker.sh210 # Check if Claude is asking questions (Issue #190 Bug 2)COMMENT
LOWlib/circuit_breaker.sh437# Check if loop should halt (used in main loop)COMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh22 # Check if bd command existsCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh49 # Check if beads is availableCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh157 # Check if authenticatedCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh162 # Check if in a git repo with GitHub remoteCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh197 # Check if GitHub is availableCOMMENT
LOWlib/task_sources.sh388 # Check if ralph-import is available for full conversionCOMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh160 # Check if file starts with { or [ (JSON indicators)COMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh215 # Check if JSON is an array (Claude CLI array format)COMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh578 # Check if commits were made (HEAD changed)COMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh772 # Check if commits were made (HEAD changed)COMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh988 # Check if same errors appear in all recent outputsCOMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh1103# Check if the stored session should be resumedCOMMENT
LOWlib/response_analyzer.sh1153 # Check if session is still valid (less than expiration time)COMMENT
LOWlib/enable_core.sh403 # Check if in git repoCOMMENT
LOWlib/enable_core.sh410 # Check if GitHubCOMMENT
LOWlib/timeout_utils.sh52# Check if a timeout command is available on this systemCOMMENT
Modern AI Meta-Vocabulary7 hits · 21 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMCLAUDE.md42- **github_lifecycle.sh** — GitHub issue lifecycle management backing `ralph --github-issue` (Issue #73). `parse_issue_rCODE
MEDIUMCLAUDE.md43- **sandbox_docker.sh** — Docker sandbox execution backing `ralph --sandbox docker` (Issue #74). Containerizes only the CODE
MEDIUMCLAUDE.md44- **sandbox_e2b.sh** + **e2b_helper.py** — E2B cloud sandbox execution backing `ralph --sandbox e2b` (Issue #75). Same hCODE
MEDIUMlib/github_lifecycle.sh16# permission) is logged and returns non-zero, but the orchestration helpersCOMMENT
MEDIUMlib/github_lifecycle.sh343# --- orchestration (always returns 0: graceful degradation) -----------------COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/sandbox_docker.sh5# on the host. Ralph's orchestration (loop control, rate limiting, circuitCOMMENT
MEDIUMlib/sandbox_e2b.sh5# the host. Ralph's orchestration (loop control, rate limiting, circuitCOMMENT
Self-Referential Comments6 hits · 16 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMinstall.sh138 # Create the main ralph commandCOMMENT
MEDIUMralph_loop.sh130CREATE_PR="${CREATE_PR:-false}" # Create a PR on completionCODE
MEDIUMralph_loop.sh132DRAFT_PR="${DRAFT_PR:-false}" # Create the PR as a draftCODE
MEDIUMcreate_files.sh13# Create main scriptsCOMMENT
MEDIUMtests/e2e/helpers/e2e_helper.bash36# Create a complete temp Ralph project + mock claude CLI, and cd into it.COMMENT
MEDIUMlib/queue_manager.sh47# Create the queue file if absent (idempotent); recreate it if corrupt.COMMENT
Excessive Try-Catch Wrapping11 hits · 12 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py63 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py81 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py97 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py114 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py154 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py179 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py212 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py229 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py245 except Exception as exc:CODE
LOWlib/e2b_helper.py255 except Exception as exc:CODE
MEDIUMlib/e2b_helper.py60def _connect(sandbox_id):CODE
AI Slop Vocabulary3 hits · 9 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
MEDIUMtests/e2e/helpers/e2e_helper.bash4# Unlike unit/integration tests (which source functions), this harness runsCOMMENT
MEDIUMtests/e2e/helpers/e2e_helper.bash25# (Linux: `timeout`; macOS: `gtimeout` from Homebrew coreutils). The harnessCOMMENT
MEDIUM.github/workflows/test.yml127 # Run all unit tests under kcov for comprehensive coverageCOMMENT
Structural Annotation Overuse6 hits · 9 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWdocs/user-guide/01-quick-start.md11## Step 1: Create Your ProjectCOMMENT
LOWdocs/user-guide/01-quick-start.md22## Step 2: Enable RalphCOMMENT
LOWdocs/user-guide/01-quick-start.md65## Step 3: Customize Your RequirementsCOMMENT
LOWdocs/user-guide/01-quick-start.md89## Step 4: Define Your TasksCOMMENT
LOWdocs/user-guide/01-quick-start.md113## Step 5: Start RalphCOMMENT
LOWdocs/user-guide/01-quick-start.md139## Step 6: Review the ResultsCOMMENT
Synthetic Comment Markers1 hit · 5 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
HIGHREADME.md489GitHub issues vary widely in detail. During import, Ralph scores the issue 0–100 for implementation readiness (acceptancCODE
Cross-Language Confusion1 hit · 5 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
HIGHlib/e2b_helper.py226 sandbox.commands.run("touch %s && rm -f %s %s %s" % (CODE
Example Usage Blocks3 hits · 4 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWralph_enable.sh6# Usage:COMMENT
LOWralph_enable_ci.sh6# Usage:COMMENT
LOWtools/inspect-allowed-tools.sh11# Usage:COMMENT
Slop Phrases1 hit · 1 pts
SeverityFileLineSnippetContext
LOWinstall.sh355 echo "⚠️ Don't forget to add $INSTALL_DIR to your PATH (see above)"CODE