prd-to-tasks

name	prd-to-tasks
description	Convert a Product Requirements Document (PRD) into a structured tasks.json file with tasks, dependencies, priorities, and estimated effort. Use when a PRD exists and the user wants to break it down into implementable tasks. Do NOT use when there is no PRD or when the user wants to skip planning.

PRD to Tasks

Break down a PRD into a tasks.json that drives implementation.

When to Use

• After PRD is approved
• Before delegating to implement-tasks

When NOT to Use

• No PRD exists (use grill-with-docs first)
• Trivially small task (use implement directly)

Prerequisites

• A PRD exists (created by grill-with-docs or manually)
• task-pipeline CLI available at $HOME/.pi/agent/scripts/task-pipeline/

tasks.json Format

{
  "$schema": "tasks/v1",
  "metadata": {
    "project": "Feature name",
    "prd": "PRD-feature.md",
    "created": "YYYY-MM-DD",
  },
  "phases": {
    "1-foundation": {
      "label": "Phase 1: Foundation",
      "description": "Setup and shared utilities",
      "tasks": ["T001", "T002"],
    },
    "2-core": {
      "label": "Phase 2: Core",
      "description": "Must-have features (P0)",
      "tasks": ["T003", "T004"],
    },
    "3-polish": {
      "label": "Phase 3: Polish",
      "description": "Edge cases, tests, hardening",
      "tasks": ["T005"],
    },
  },
  "tasks": [
    {
      "id": "T001",
      "title": "Set up project structure",
      "description": "Create directories and config files",
      "phase": "1-foundation",
      "priority": "critical",
      "estimatedHours": 2,
      "dependencies": [],
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Directory structure created",
        "Config files in place",
      ],
    },
  ],
}

Task Fields

Field	Required	Description
id	Yes	Unique ID (T001, T002...)
title	Yes	Verb phrase ("Implement X")
description	Yes	What and approach
phase	Yes	Must match a phase key
priority	Yes	critical, high, medium, low
estimatedHours	Yes	Conservative estimate
dependencies	Yes	IDs of prerequisite tasks
acceptanceCriteria	Yes	Verifiable pass/fail conditions

Workflow

1. Read the PRD - Extract user stories and requirements
2. Group into phases - Foundation → Core → Polish
3. Create tasks - One cohesive unit per task (2-8h)
4. Wire dependencies - Keep minimal, no cycles
5. Validate using the task-pipeline CLI:

bun "$HOME/.pi/agent/scripts/task-pipeline/src/cli.ts" validate tasks.json --summary

This checks: valid JSON, missing dependencies, circular dependencies, phase keys, unique IDs, and shows the topological execution order.

If validation fails, the CLI prints a specific error. Fix the issue before proceeding.

Output

Write tasks.json to the project root.