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

json

{
  "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",
        "Typecheck 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 Amp 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:

Schema/database changes (migrations)
Server actions / backend logic
UI components that use the backend
Dashboard/summary views that aggregate data

Wrong order:

UI component (depends on schema that does not exist yet)
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"
"Typecheck passes"
"Tests pass"

Bad criteria (vague):

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

Always include as final criterion:

"Typecheck passes"

For stories with testable logic, also include:

"Tests pass"

For stories that change UI, also include:

"Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"

Frontend stories are NOT complete until visually verified. Ralph will use the dev-browser skill to navigate to the page, interact with the UI, and confirm changes work.

Conversion Rules

Each user story becomes one JSON entry
IDs: Sequential (US-001, US-002, etc.)
Priority: Based on dependency order, then document order
All stories:
```
passes: false
```
and empty
```
notes
```
branchName: Derive from feature name, kebab-case, prefixed with
```
ralph/
```
Always add: "Typecheck 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:

US-001: Add notifications table to database
US-002: Create notification service for sending notifications
US-003: Add notification bell icon to header
US-004: Create notification dropdown panel
US-005: Add mark-as-read functionality
US-006: Add notification preferences page

Each is one focused change that can be completed and verified independently.

Example

Input PRD:

markdown

# 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:

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",
        "Typecheck passes"
      ],
      "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",
        "Typecheck passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "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",
        "Typecheck passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "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",
        "Typecheck passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "priority": 4,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    }
  ]
}

Archiving Previous Runs

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

Read the current
```
prd.json
```
if it exists
Check if
```
branchName
```
differs from the new feature's branch name
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 "Typecheck passes" as criterion
UI stories have "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill" as criterion
Acceptance criteria are verifiable (not vague)
No story depends on a later story

ralph

NPX Install

Tags

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