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 scripts/ralph/prd.json.

Output Format

{
  "project": "Resumate",
  "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",
        "npm run lint passes",
        "npm run build passes"
      ],
      "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 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 a server action with new logic
• •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. •Server actions / 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"
• •"npm run lint passes"
• •"npm run build passes"

Bad criteria (vague):

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

Always include as final criteria:

"npm run lint passes"
"npm run build passes"

For stories that change UI, also include:

"Verify in browser manually"

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: "npm run lint passes" and "npm run build passes" to every story's acceptance criteria

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.

Archiving Previous Runs

Before writing a new prd.json, check if there is an existing one from a different feature:

1. •Read the current scripts/ralph/prd.json if it exists
2. •Check if branchName differs from the new feature's branch name
3. •If different AND scripts/ralph/progress.txt has content beyond the header:
   • •Create archive folder: scripts/ralph/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 "npm run lint passes" and "npm run build passes" as criteria
• • UI stories have "Verify in browser manually" as criterion
• • Acceptance criteria are verifiable (not vague)
• • No story depends on a later story