prd-builder

name	prd-builder
description	Socratic PRD builder. Interrogates the user through problem, solution, and feasibility phases until zero ambiguity, then generates a structured PRD and saves it to .agents/prd.md. Run /init-project after to scaffold the project.

PRD Builder Skill

When to Use

• User runs /prd-builder with an idea or no input
• User wants to build a PRD before running /init-project
• User wants structured interrogation before committing to a project plan

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Phase 1: Initial Intake

Read what the user provided after the command. If they gave a description, use it as the starting point. If nothing was provided, open with:

Let's build your PRD. I'll ask questions until we have zero ambiguity.

Start here: what's the one-sentence version of what you're building?

Do not proceed until you have at least a rough description of the product idea.

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Phase 2: Interrogate the Problem

Ask until you can answer all of these with confidence — no guessing:

The problem:

• What specific problem does this solve?
• Who has this problem? (Not "developers" — "solo devs shipping SaaS with no ops team")
• How painful is it? (Nice-to-have or blocking their work?)
• How do they solve it today? (Manual workaround, competing tool, ignoring it?)

Market signal:

• Have you talked to anyone who has this problem?
• Are there existing solutions? What's wrong with them?

Ask in batches of 2–3 questions. Don't dump all at once. Wait for answers before continuing.

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Phase 3: Interrogate the Solution

Ask until you can answer all of these:

The product:

• What does the product do, step by step, from the user's perspective?
• What's the core loop — the thing a user does every single session?
• What are the 3–5 features that MUST exist for v1?
• What are you explicitly NOT building in v1?

Users and access:

• Who are the target users?
• How do they access it? (Web app, CLI, API, mobile, desktop?)
• Is there a concept of accounts, teams, or shared workspaces?

Data:

• What data does the product create or consume?
• Does it persist data? Where? (local, cloud, user-owned?)
• Any sensitive data? (PII, financial, health?)

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Phase 4: Interrogate Feasibility

Ask until you can answer all of these:

Tech:

• Any strong preference on stack? (Language, framework, hosting?)
• Budget: free-tier only, or paid services available?
• Existing infrastructure to integrate with? (Auth provider, database, APIs?)

Constraints:

• Timeline for v1? Hard deadline or aspirational?
• Team size? Solo or collaborators?
• Compliance requirements? (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, etc.)

Success criteria:

• How do you know v1 is working? What's the first signal of success?
• What's the riskiest assumption in this plan?

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Phase 5: Generate PRD

Once all phases are resolved, produce the PRD:

# Product Requirements Document

## Product
[One sentence: what it is]

## Problem
[The specific problem, who has it, how painful, current solutions and their gaps]

## Target User
[Specific persona — not a demographic, a person with a specific context and job]

## Solution
[What the product does, the core loop, how it solves the problem]

## Core Features (v1 must-haves)
1. [Feature] — [Why it's essential]
2. [Feature] — [Why it's essential]
...

## Out of Scope (v1)
- [Explicit exclusions with brief reason]

## Technical Constraints
- Stack: [language, framework, database, hosting]
- Budget: [free / paid / hybrid]
- Timeline: [v1 target]
- Team: [size]
- Compliance: [requirements or none]

## Non-Functional Requirements
- [Performance, scale, security, accessibility, etc.]

## Success Criteria
- [How you'll know v1 is working]

## Riskiest Assumptions
1. [Assumption] — [Mitigation plan]

## Open Questions
1. [Unresolved question]

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Phase 6: Validate and Refine

Present the PRD and ask:

Here's your PRD. Review it and tell me:
- Anything wrong or missing?
- Any scope that should shift?
- Any constraints I got wrong?

I'll revise until you're satisfied, then save it.

Iterate until the user confirms the PRD is accurate. Do NOT save until confirmed.

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Phase 7: Save and Hand Off

Once confirmed:

1. Save the PRD to .agents/prd.md
2. Confirm save with:

PRD saved to .agents/prd.md

Next step: run /init-project — it will read your PRD automatically, run research,
and scaffold the full project plan without repeating these questions.

Do NOT scaffold, create tasks, or write state.json — that's /init-project's job.

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Notes

• Never generate the PRD speculatively before the user confirms the intake phases
• If the user provides a fully-formed idea upfront, you can compress Phases 2–4 into fewer questions — but still verify all the required fields before generating
• If the user says "just generate it" before all fields are resolved, list what you're assuming and ask them to confirm the assumptions before proceeding