ralph-prd

Ralph PRD Converter

Converts existing PRDs to the prd.json format that Ralph uses for autonomous execution.

---

The Job

Take a PRD markdown file from docs/prds/ and convert it to a prd-<date>-<feature-name>.json in the same directory.

The suffix is derived from the source PRD filename. For example, prd-2026-03-15-task-status.md produces prd-2026-03-15-task-status.json.

Also initialize a corresponding progress-<date>-<feature-name>.txt file in the same directory.

---

Output Format

{
  "project": "[Project Name]",
  "branchName": "ralph/[feature-name-kebab-case]",
  "description": "[Feature description from PRD title/intro]",
  "dependsOn": [],
  "userStories": [
    {
      "id": "US-001",
      "title": "[Story title]",
      "description": "As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit]",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Criterion 1",
        "Criterion 2",
        "Typecheck passes"
      ],
      "priority": 1,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    }
  ]
}

---

Story Size: The Number One Rule

Each story must be completable in ONE Ralph iteration (one context window).

Ralph spawns a fresh Copilot instance per iteration with no memory of previous work. If a story is too big, the LLM runs out of context before finishing and produces broken code.

Right-sized stories:

• Add a database column and migration
• Add a UI component to an existing page
• Update a server action with new logic
• Add a filter dropdown to a list

Too big (split these):

• "Build the entire dashboard" - Split into: schema, queries, UI components, filters
• "Add authentication" - Split into: schema, middleware, login UI, session handling
• "Refactor the API" - Split into one story per endpoint or pattern

Rule of thumb: If you cannot describe the change in 2-3 sentences, it is too big.

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Story Ordering: Dependencies First

Stories execute in priority order. Earlier stories must not depend on later ones.

Correct order:

1. Schema/database changes (migrations)
2. Server actions / backend logic
3. UI components that use the backend
4. Dashboard/summary views that aggregate data

Wrong order:

1. UI component (depends on schema that does not exist yet)
2. Schema change

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Acceptance Criteria: Must Be Verifiable

Each criterion must be something Ralph can CHECK, not something vague.

Good criteria (verifiable):

• "Add status column to tasks table with default 'pending'"
• "Filter dropdown has options: All, Active, Completed"
• "Clicking delete shows confirmation dialog"
• "Typecheck passes"
• "Tests pass"

Bad criteria (vague):

• "Works correctly"
• "User can do X easily"
• "Good UX"
• "Handles edge cases"

Always include as final criterion:

"Typecheck passes"

For stories with testable logic, also include:

"Tests pass"

For stories that change UI, also include:

"Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"

Frontend stories are NOT complete until visually verified. Ralph will use the dev-browser skill to navigate to the page, interact with the UI, and confirm changes work.

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Conversion Rules

1. Each user story becomes one JSON entry
2. IDs: Sequential (US-001, US-002, etc.)
3. Priority: Based on dependency order, then document order
4. All stories: passes: false and empty notes
5. branchName: Derive from feature name (without date), kebab-case, prefixed with ralph/. For example, source file prd-2026-03-15-task-status.md → branchName: "ralph/task-status"
6. Always add: "Typecheck passes" to every story's acceptance criteria
7. dependsOn: Read the ## Dependencies section from the source PRD. Map each listed PRD filename to its corresponding branch name (e.g., prd-2026-03-15-friend-search.md → ralph/friend-search). If no dependencies, use an empty array [].
8. Output filename: prd-<date>-<feature-name>.json — matching the source PRD filename suffix (e.g., prd-2026-03-15-task-status.md → prd-2026-03-15-task-status.json)
9. Output location: Same directory as the source PRD (docs/prds/)

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Splitting Large PRDs

If a PRD has big features, split them:

Original:

"Add user notification system"

Split into:

1. US-001: Add notifications table to database
2. US-002: Create notification service for sending notifications
3. US-003: Add notification bell icon to header
4. US-004: Create notification dropdown panel
5. US-005: Add mark-as-read functionality
6. US-006: Add notification preferences page

Each is one focused change that can be completed and verified independently.

---

Example

Input PRD (docs/prds/prd-2026-03-15-task-status.md):

# Task Status Feature

Add ability to mark tasks with different statuses.

## Requirements
- Toggle between pending/in-progress/done on task list
- Filter list by status
- Show status badge on each task
- Persist status in database

Output (docs/prds/prd-2026-03-15-task-status.json):

{
  "project": "TaskApp",
  "branchName": "ralph/task-status",
  "description": "Task Status Feature - Track task progress with status indicators",
  "dependsOn": [],
  "userStories": [
    {
      "id": "US-001",
      "title": "Add status field to tasks table",
      "description": "As a developer, I need to store task status in the database.",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Add status column: 'pending' | 'in_progress' | 'done' (default 'pending')",
        "Generate and run migration successfully",
        "Typecheck passes"
      ],
      "priority": 1,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    },
    {
      "id": "US-002",
      "title": "Display status badge on task cards",
      "description": "As a user, I want to see task status at a glance.",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Each task card shows colored status badge",
        "Badge colors: gray=pending, blue=in_progress, green=done",
        "Typecheck passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "priority": 2,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    },
    {
      "id": "US-003",
      "title": "Add status toggle to task list rows",
      "description": "As a user, I want to change task status directly from the list.",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Each row has status dropdown or toggle",
        "Changing status saves immediately",
        "UI updates without page refresh",
        "Typecheck passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "priority": 3,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    },
    {
      "id": "US-004",
      "title": "Filter tasks by status",
      "description": "As a user, I want to filter the list to see only certain statuses.",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Filter dropdown: All | Pending | In Progress | Done",
        "Filter persists in URL params",
        "Typecheck passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "priority": 4,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    }
  ]
}

---

File Naming Convention

Each PRD gets its own uniquely-named files. The suffix matches the source PRD filename pattern <date>-<feature-name>:

• PRD JSON file: docs/prds/prd-<date>-<feature-name>.json
• Progress file: docs/prds/progress-<date>-<feature-name>.txt

Where <date> is YYYY-MM-DD and <feature-name> is kebab-case.

Example:

• Source PRD: docs/prds/prd-2026-03-15-task-status.md
• PRD JSON: docs/prds/prd-2026-03-15-task-status.json
• Progress: docs/prds/progress-2026-03-15-task-status.txt
• Branch: ralph/task-status

After saving the prd.json, initialize the progress file:

# Ralph Progress Log — <feature name>
Started: <current date>
---

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Checklist Before Saving

Before writing prd.json, verify:

• Each story is completable in one iteration (small enough)
• Stories are ordered by dependency (schema to backend to UI)
• Every story has "Typecheck passes" as criterion
• UI stories have "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill" as criterion
• Acceptance criteria are verifiable (not vague)
• No story depends on a later story
• dependsOn correctly maps PRD dependencies to branch names
• Output file is named prd-<date>-<feature-name>.json (matching source PRD suffix)
• Output file is in docs/prds/
• Progress file progress-<date>-<feature-name>.txt is initialized in docs/prds/