arc-prd

name	arc:prd
description	Create and update Product Requirements Documents with Acceptance Criteria. PRD lives in the repository as source of truth. AC written in Given/When/Then format. Use when starting a new feature, creating requirements, writing AC scenarios, or updating existing requirements. Triggers on "arc:prd create", "arc:prd update", "create PRD", "new feature", "write requirements", "update PRD", "requirements changed".
user-invocable	true
argument-hint	create|update {feature-name} [-y]
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"supa-magic","version":"1.0.0","category":"workflow","tags":["prd","requirements","acceptance-criteria","bdd","feature-planning"]}

/arc:prd $ARGUMENTS

Create and update Product Requirements Documents with Acceptance Criteria.

Usage

/arc:prd create checkout           Interactive PRD creation for "checkout" feature
/arc:prd update checkout           Cascade update when requirements change
/arc:prd update checkout -y        Update, skip confirmations

Argument	Format	Default	Effect
create | update	Subcommand (first token)	—	Determines workflow (required)
feature-name	Positional	—	Feature identifier — used for directory and file naming
-y, --yes	Flag	false	Skip confirmation gates (NOT available for create — always pair mode)

Instructions

Step 1: Parse Arguments

1. First non-flag token → subcommand (create or update). If missing or not one of these → error: "Subcommand required. Usage: /arc:prd create|update {feature-name}" and stop.
2. Next non-flag token(s) → feature-name. If missing → error: "Feature name required. Usage: /arc:prd {subcommand} {feature-name}" and stop.
3. -y or --yes anywhere → skip_confirmations = true
4. If subcommand = create and skip_confirmations = true → ignore the flag. /arc:prd create is always pair mode — requirements need human input.

Step 2: Route to Subcommand

Read the corresponding sub-instruction file and follow all steps:

Subcommand	File	Purpose
create	create.md	Interactive PRD + AC creation (always pair mode)
update	update.md	Cascade update of PRD + AC + ticket marking

Shared Context

Project context: .arcana/project-context.md — read first for project structure, conventions, and external skill configuration (tracker, git).

PRD and AC structure (actual paths from project-context). See references/prd-structure.md for templates and conventions:

{features-directory}/{feature}/
  prd.md                ← PRD (permanent, in git)
  ac/
    happy-path.md       ← main scenarios
    validation.md       ← input validation
    error-states.md     ← external failures
    edge-cases.md       ← boundary conditions

External skill dependencies:

• Tracker skill (Jira, GitHub Issues, Linear) — for creating Epic + tickets. Delegated via external skill configured in project-context.
• If tracker skill not installed → warn and skip ticket creation. PRD + AC still written to repo.

Troubleshooting

Error: Tracker skill not configured

Cause: No tracker skill installed or configured in .arcana/project-context.md. Solution: Run /arc:project init to install and configure a tracker skill. PRD and AC can still be created without a tracker — tickets are skipped.

Error: Feature already exists (create mode)

Cause: PRD directory for this feature already exists. Solution: Use /arc:prd update {feature-name} instead, or choose a different feature name.