PRD to Issues

Break a PRD into independently-grabbable issues using vertical slices (tracer bullets), written as local markdown files.

Process

1. Locate the PRD

Ask the user for the PRD file path (e.g. issues/prd.md).

If the PRD is not already in your context window, read it from the file.

2. Explore the codebase (optional)

If you have not already explored the codebase, do so to understand the current state of the code.

3. Draft vertical slices

Break the PRD into tracer bullet issues. Each issue is a thin vertical slice that cuts through ALL integration layers end-to-end, NOT a horizontal slice of one layer.

Slices may be 'HITL' or 'AFK'. HITL slices require human interaction, such as an architectural decision or a design review. AFK slices can be implemented and merged without human interaction. Prefer AFK over HITL where possible.

4. Quiz the user

Present the proposed breakdown as a numbered list. For each slice, show:

• Title: short descriptive name
• Type: HITL / AFK
• Blocked by: which other slices (if any) must complete first
• User stories covered: which user stories from the PRD this addresses
• Test rigor: standard / mutation (default standard; pick mutation for critical paths — payments, auth, data integrity)

Ask the user:

• Does the granularity feel right? (too coarse / too fine)
• Are the dependency relationships correct?
• Should any slices be merged or split further?
• Are the correct slices marked as HITL and AFK?
• Are the right slices marked Test rigor: mutation?

Iterate until the user approves the breakdown.

5. Create the issue files

For each approved slice, write a markdown file in issues/ using the naming pattern issues/NNN-short-title.md (e.g. issues/001-add-user-auth.md).

Number issues starting from the next available number (check what files already exist in issues/).

Create files in dependency order (blockers first) so you can reference real filenames in the "Blocked by" field.

Do NOT use gh issue create or any GitHub CLI commands. Do NOT reference GitHub issue numbers. Use local filenames for all cross-references.

When populating the Behaviors Under Test sections, copy the relevant rows from the parent PRD's Behaviors Under Test section verbatim — do NOT rewrite, summarize, or invent new rows. The PRD is the source of truth. If a row needs slice-specific framing, add it to the Slice-specific seam tests subsection instead.

Test rigor: standard (or mutation)

Parent PRD

issues/prd.md (or whichever PRD file was used)

What to build

A concise description of this vertical slice. Describe the end-to-end behavior, not layer-by-layer implementation. Reference specific sections of the parent PRD rather than duplicating content.

Acceptance criteria

• Criterion 1
• Criterion 2
• Criterion 3

Behaviors Under Test

The behaviors this slice must lock in with tests. Copy verbatim from the parent PRD's Behaviors Under Test section, including only the stories this slice covers. Do NOT add, remove, or rephrase rows.

Story N —

Happy path

• ...

Edge cases

• ...

Failure modes

• ...

Out of test scope

• ...

(repeat per story this slice covers)

Slice-specific seam tests

Tests that only make sense at the slice level, not the PRD level. Typically: integration tests at the boundary between this slice and a previously-shipped slice; tests for behavior that emerges from how layers compose. Use "none" if there are no seams.

Tests deliberately deferred to a later slice

Behaviors from the PRD that this slice's "What to build" implies but that are NOT tested here because they belong to a later issue. Each row names the behavior and the issue it's deferred to (e.g. "Concurrent-edit conflict resolution → deferred to issues/007-add-conflict-merge.md"). Use "none" if every behavior the slice implies is fully tested here.

The purpose of this section is symmetric to the PRD's "Out of test scope": it tells the subagent exactly which behaviors NOT to test in this slice, so it doesn't over-scope or invent decorative tests for behavior that another slice will cover.

Blocked by

• Blocked by issues/NNN-title.md (if any)

Or "None - can start immediately" if no blockers.

User stories addressed

Reference by number from the parent PRD:

• User story 3
• User story 7

Do NOT close or modify the parent PRD file.