Ralph Convert: PRD to JSON

Convert markdown Product Requirements Documents into the structured prd.json format required by Ralph Zero, with comprehensive validation and story optimization.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• User has a markdown PRD and needs prd.json
• User asks to "convert PRD to JSON" or "prepare PRD for Ralph"
• After using the prd generation skill
• Migrating from other PRD formats

Conversion Workflow

Step 1: Read the PRD

Ask for the PRD file path:

Please provide the path to your PRD markdown file
(e.g., tasks/prd-task-priority.md)

Or work with directly provided content.

Step 2: Extract Information

Parse the PRD to extract:

• Project name: From repo name or PRD title
• Feature name: From PRD title (for branch name)
• Description: Feature summary
• Requirements: All user stories or requirements

Step 3: Generate User Stories

Convert requirements into properly structured user stories.

Story Structure

Each story must have:

{
  "id": "US-001",
  "title": "Brief description (max 200 chars)",
  "description": "As a [user], I want [action], so that [benefit]",
  "acceptanceCriteria": [
    "Specific, verifiable criterion 1",
    "Specific, verifiable criterion 2",
    "Typecheck passes"
  ],
  "priority": 1,
  "passes": false,
  "notes": ""
}

Story Sizing Rules

CRITICAL: Each story MUST be completable in one iteration (30min - 2hrs)

✅ Right-sized stories:

• "Add status column to database with migration"
• "Create StatusBadge component"
• "Add filter dropdown to header"
• "Update TaskCard to display badge"

❌ Too large (MUST split):

• "Build entire dashboard" → Split into 5+ stories
• "Add authentication" → Split into 8+ stories
• "Refactor API" → Split by endpoint/pattern

Rule of thumb: If it needs >10 acceptance criteria or >500 char description, split it.

Acceptance Criteria Rules

1. Always include: "Typecheck passes" as final criterion
2. For UI stories: "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
3. Be specific: "Badge shows green for done" not "Badge has colors"
4. Avoid vague terms: No "works well", "good UX", "fast"

✅ Good criteria:

• "Add status column: 'pending' | 'in_progress' | 'done'"
• "Badge colors: gray=pending, blue=in_progress, green=done"
• "Filter dropdown has options: All, Pending, In Progress, Done"
• "Typecheck passes"

❌ Bad criteria:

• "Works correctly" (too vague)
• "Good UX" (not verifiable)
• "Handles edge cases" (not specific)

Dependency Ordering

Stories execute in priority order. No forward dependencies allowed.

Correct order:

1. Priority 1: Database schema/migrations
2. Priority 2: Backend logic/API
3. Priority 3: UI components (depend on backend)
4. Priority 4: Dashboards/views

Wrong: UI component at priority 1 that depends on API at priority 3

Step 4: Validate Stories

Before generating prd.json, validate each story:

Size Validation

if len(acceptanceCriteria) > 10:
    return "Too many criteria - split story"

if len(description) > 500:
    return "Description too long - split story"

complexity_keywords = ['entire', 'complete', 'all', 'full', 'refactor']
if any(keyword in description.lower()):
    return f"Story likely too broad (contains '{keyword}')"

Criteria Validation

if "Typecheck passes" not in acceptanceCriteria:
    return "Missing required 'Typecheck passes' criterion"

vague_phrases = ['works correctly', 'good ux', 'handles edge cases']
for criterion in acceptanceCriteria:
    if any(phrase in criterion.lower()):
        return f"Vague criterion: '{criterion}'"

Dependency Validation

Check that no story depends on features from later priority stories

Step 5: Generate prd.json

Create the JSON structure:

{
  "project": "TaskApp",
  "branchName": "ralph/task-priority",
  "description": "Task Priority System - Track priorities with visual indicators",
  "userStories": [
    {
      "id": "US-001",
      "title": "Add priority field to tasks table",
      "description": "As a developer, I need to store task priority in database",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Add priority column: 'high' | 'medium' | 'low' (default 'medium')",
        "Generate and run migration successfully",
        "Typecheck passes"
      ],
      "priority": 1,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    },
    {
      "id": "US-002",
      "title": "Display priority badge on task cards",
      "description": "As a user, I want to see task priority at a glance",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Each task card shows colored priority badge",
        "Badge colors: red=high, yellow=medium, gray=low",
        "Typecheck passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "priority": 2,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": ""
    }
  ]
}

Step 6: Archive Previous Run (if exists)

Before writing new prd.json, check for existing file:

if prd.json exists and has different branchName:
    date_str = today's date (YYYY-MM-DD)
    old_feature = old branchName without 'ralph/' prefix
    archive_dir = f"archive/{date_str}-{old_feature}"
    
    copy prd.json to archive_dir
    copy progress.txt to archive_dir (if exists)
    reset progress.txt with fresh header

Step 7: Initialize progress.txt

Create fresh progress.txt:

================================================================================
RALPH PROGRESS LOG
================================================================================
Project: TaskApp
Branch: ralph/task-priority
Started: 2026-01-18 12:00:00

================================================================================

Step 8: Save and Confirm

Save prd.json and inform user:

✅ Generated prd.json with [N] user stories
✅ All stories validated successfully  
✅ Initialized progress.txt

Story breakdown:
  - US-001: Add priority field to tasks table
  - US-002: Display priority badge on task cards
  - US-003: Add priority dropdown to task edit
  - US-004: Filter tasks by priority

Ready to run Ralph Zero! Execute:
  ralph-zero run --max-iterations 50

Or via agent:
  Load ralph-zero skill and run autonomous loop

Story Splitting Patterns

When a requirement is too large, use these patterns:

Pattern 1: By Layer (Backend → Frontend)

Original: "Add user authentication"

Split into:
- US-001: Add users table and auth schema
- US-002: Create login/signup API endpoints
- US-003: Add session management middleware
- US-004: Create login UI component
- US-005: Create signup UI component
- US-006: Add protected route handling

Pattern 2: By Component

Original: "Build dashboard"

Split into:
- US-001: Create dashboard layout component
- US-002: Add metrics summary card
- US-003: Add recent activity list
- US-004: Add quick actions panel
- US-005: Add filter/search controls

Pattern 3: By User Flow

Original: "Add task management"

Split into:
- US-001: Create task (form + API)
- US-002: View task list (query + display)
- US-003: Edit task (modal + API)
- US-004: Delete task (confirmation + API)
- US-005: Bulk operations (select + actions)

Validation Checklist

Before saving prd.json, verify:

• Each story completable in one iteration
• Stories ordered by dependency (no forward deps)
• Every story has "Typecheck passes" in criteria
• UI stories have "Verify in browser" in criteria
• All criteria specific and verifiable
• No story has >10 acceptance criteria
• Branch name follows format: ralph/[feature-name]
• All story IDs sequential (US-001, US-002, ...)
• All passes fields are false
• All notes fields are empty strings

Error Handling

If validation fails, report clearly:

❌ Validation failed:
- US-003 is too large (15 acceptance criteria)
- US-005 depends on feature from US-007
- US-002 missing "Typecheck passes" criterion

Please revise the PRD to address these issues, then try again.

Example Conversion

Input PRD (markdown)

# Task Status Feature

Add ability to mark tasks with different statuses.

## Requirements
- Toggle between pending/in-progress/done
- 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",
  "userStories": [
    {
      "id": "US-001",
      "title": "Add status field to tasks table",
      "description": "As a developer, I need to store task status",
      "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",
      "description": "As a user, I want to change status directly",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Each row has status dropdown",
        "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 by status",
      "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": ""
    }
  ]
}

Related Skills

• prd: Generate the markdown PRD
• ralph-zero: Run autonomous development loop

See Also

• [Validation Rules](references/VALIDATION.md)
• [Story Sizing Guide](references/STORY_SIZING.md)
• [Example Conversions](references/EXAMPLES.md)