Ralph PRD Converter

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

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The Job

Take a PRD (markdown file or text) and convert it to prd.json in your ralph directory.

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Output Format

{
  "project": "[Project Name]",
  "branchName": "ralph/[feature-name-kebab-case]",
  "description": "[Feature description from PRD title/intro]",
  "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": ""
    }
  ]
}

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Story Size: The Number One Rule

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

Ralph spawns a fresh Claude Code 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: MACHINE-VERIFIABLE Required

Every criterion must be MACHINE-VERIFIABLE. If Ralph cannot verify it with a command, file check, or automated test, it is not a valid criterion.

Verification Types

Each criterion should be checkable by one of these methods:

Type	How to Verify	Example Criterion
Command exit code	Run command, check exit 0	"Typecheck passes" → npm run build
File check	Check file exists or has content	"File docs/API.md exists" → ls docs/API.md
Grep/content match	Search file for pattern	"Contains 'export default'" → grep -q 'export default' file.ts
Database query	Query returns expected result	"User table has email column" → \d users shows column
Browser automation	Dev-browser skill verifies visually	"Button is visible" → navigate and screenshot

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"

FORBIDDEN Criteria

Never use these vague terms — they cannot be machine-verified:

Forbidden Term	Why It Fails
"Works correctly"	What does "correctly" mean? No verification command.
"Good UX"	Subjective. Cannot be automated.
"Handles edge cases"	Which edge cases? Unspecified = unverifiable.
"Is performant"	What threshold? No measurable target.
"User-friendly"	Subjective opinion, not a testable state.
"Clean code"	Style preference, not machine-checkable.
"Properly implemented"	Circular definition, no verification method.

Vague to Specific Conversion

When you encounter vague requirements, convert them:

Vague (FORBIDDEN)	Specific (VERIFIABLE)
"Works correctly"	"Returns 200 status code for valid input"
"Good UX"	"Form shows inline validation errors within 100ms"
"Handles edge cases"	"Returns 400 error when email is empty"
"Is performant"	"Query completes in under 100ms for 1000 rows"
"User-friendly error messages"	"Error div contains text 'Invalid email format'"
"Secure authentication"	"Password is hashed with bcrypt before storage"
"Responsive design"	"Component renders at 320px, 768px, and 1024px widths"

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, kebab-case, prefixed with ralph/
6. Always add: "Typecheck passes" to every story's acceptance criteria

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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.

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Example

Input PRD:

# 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 prd.json:

{
  "project": "TaskApp",
  "branchName": "ralph/task-status",
  "description": "Task Status Feature - Track task progress with status indicators",
  "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": ""
    }
  ]
}

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Archiving Previous Runs

Before writing a new prd.json, check if there is an existing one from a different feature:

1. Read the current prd.json if it exists
2. Check if branchName differs from the new feature's branch name
3. If different AND progress.txt has content beyond the header:
   • Create archive folder: archive/YYYY-MM-DD-feature-name/
   • Copy current prd.json and progress.txt to archive
   • Reset progress.txt with fresh header

The ralph.sh script handles this automatically when you run it, but if you are manually updating prd.json between runs, archive first.

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Checklist Before Saving

Before writing prd.json, verify:

• Previous run archived (if prd.json exists with different branchName, archive it first)
• 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