ralph

Ralph PRD Conversion Skill

This skill converts a markdown PRD into the JSON format that Ralph needs to run autonomously.

Usage

Load this skill and say: "Convert [path/to/prd.md] to prd.json"

Process

1. Read the Markdown PRD

Parse the PRD document and extract:

• Feature name
• User stories with their acceptance criteria
• Technical context
• Quality check commands

2. Generate Branch Name

Create a branch name following the pattern: ralph/[feature-name-kebab-case]

3. Determine Priority Order

Order stories by:

1. Explicit priority if specified
2. Dependencies (stories that others depend on come first)
3. Order they appear in the document

4. Output JSON Format

Generate this structure:

{
  "featureName": "Feature Name",
  "branchName": "ralph/feature-name",
  "description": "Brief description from PRD overview",
  "userStories": [
    {
      "id": "US-001",
      "title": "Story title",
      "priority": 1,
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Criterion 1",
        "Criterion 2",
        "typecheck passes",
        "tests pass"
      ],
      "passes": false,
      "notes": "Any additional context"
    }
  ],
  "qualityChecks": {
    "typecheck": "npm run typecheck",
    "test": "npm test",
    "lint": "npm run lint"
  },
  "techStack": {
    "framework": "detected or specified",
    "database": "detected or specified",
    "testing": "detected or specified"
  }
}

5. Save to prd.json

Save the output to: scripts/ralph/prd.json (or the ralph directory in your project)

Critical Conversion Rules

Story Size

• Each story must be small enough to complete in one context window
• If a story seems too large, suggest breaking it down
• Rule of thumb: If you need more than ~1000 tokens to explain it, it's too big

Acceptance Criteria

• Convert checkbox items to string array
• Always include quality checks:
  • "typecheck passes" for TypeScript projects
  • "tests pass" if tests are mentioned
  • "lint passes" if linting is mentioned
• For UI stories, include "Verify in browser"