ralph

name	ralph
description	Convert PRDs to prd.json format for the Ralph autonomous agent system. Use when you have an existing PRD and need to convert it to Ralph's JSON format.

Ralph PRD Converter

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

The Job

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

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",
        "Automated checks pass"
      ],
      "priority": 1,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    }
  ]
}

Story Size: The Number One Rule

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

Ralph spawns a fresh Claude Code/OpenCode 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 backend logic for a feature
• 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.

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. 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

Acceptance Criteria: Must Be Verifiable

Each criterion must be something Ralph can CHECK, not something vague.

Good criteria (verifiable):

• "Add status column to tasks table with default 'pending'"
• "Filter dropdown has options: All, Active, Completed"
• "Clicking delete shows confirmation dialog"
• "Automated checks pass"
• "Tests pass"

Bad criteria (vague):

• "Works correctly"
• "User can do X easily"
• "Good UX"
• "Handles edge cases"

Always include verification steps:

For every story, include criteria to verify the work, such as:

"Automated checks pass"
"Tests pass"
"Manual verification complete"

Frontend stories are NOT complete until visually verified.

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: Verification steps (e.g., "Automated checks pass") to every story's acceptance criteria
7. Final Story: Always include a final story for documentation (README, Build scripts) and verification.

The Final Documentation Story

Every prd.json must end with a story dedicated to documentation and cleanup.

Requirements for the final story:

• Update README.md (if necessary) to document new features
• Update build scripts (if necessary) with new commands
• Document how to execute and test the new code
• Verify all tests and automated checks pass

Example acceptance criteria:

"Update README.md with instructions for [feature]",
"Update build scripts if new build/test steps are needed",
"Document how to run and test the changes",
"Automated checks pass",
"All tests pass"

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.

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",
        "Automated checks pass"
      ],
      "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",
        "Automated checks pass",
        "Manual verification complete"
      ],
      "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",
        "Automated checks pass",
        "Manual verification complete"
      ],
      "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",
        "Automated checks pass",
        "Manual verification complete"
      ],
      "priority": 4,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    },
    {
      "id": "US-005",
      "title": "Documentation and Cleanup",
      "description": "Ensure code is well-documented and buildable.",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Update README.md with status feature instructions",
        "Update build scripts if necessary",
        "Document how to test status filtering",
        "Automated checks pass",
        "All tests pass"
      ],
      "priority": 5,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    }
  ]
}

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.

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 "Automated checks pass" as criterion
• UI stories have "Manual verification complete" as criterion
• Acceptance criteria are verifiable (not vague)
• No story depends on a later story
• Final story covers README, build scripts, and documentation