I ask because I've tinkered with some Ralph loops and found I can achieve similar results by handing Claude (Opus 4.6, 1M context) a PLAN.md file with a long checklist of tasks and telling it to sequentially complete them.
I don't seem to have the problems that Ralph solves. But like any tool, it would be good to have a mental model for when to reach for Ralph in the future should a need arise.