create-prd

PRD Creation Pipeline

Run the full PRD workflow for {argument}.

Arguments

{argument} is the initiative name, optionally followed by flags. Strip every flag before using {argument} as the initiative name — the initiative name is what remains, and it is what every file path, handoff name, and agent prompt uses.

Flag	Values	Effect
--tc	slim | full	Technical Contract mode for this run only. Overrides the project-context setting.

Anything else after the initiative name is initiative brief text, not a flag — pass it through to Phase 0.

Pre-flight

1. Resolve the Technical Contract mode and store it as TC_MODE, with TC_MODE_SOURCE recording where it came from. Precedence, highest first:

   1. --tc slim / --tc full on this invocation → TC_MODE_SOURCE = run-override
   2. .claude/project-context.md → PRD Configuration → Technical Contract → Mode → TC_MODE_SOURCE = project-context
   3. slim → TC_MODE_SOURCE = default (also the answer for an older project-context.md that predates the setting)

   Reject any --tc value other than slim or full: STOP and tell the user the two valid values. Announce the resolution once, before Phase 0 — e.g. "Technical Contract mode: full (run override; project-context says slim)" — so the user can correct it before research burns tokens. Then pass TC_MODE explicitly to the writer, the reviewer, and the senior PM: the mode a document was written in is not re-derivable from the document, and an agent that re-resolves it from project-context.md silently loses the override.

2. Read .claude/project-context.md — confirm it exists and is filled in. If it doesn't exist, STOP and tell the user: "You need to set up .claude/project-context.md first. Copy the template from the framework and fill it in for your project."

3. Confirm the initiative directory exists or create it at the output path specified in project-context.md. Also create the _artifacts/ subdirectory:

   mkdir -p "{initiative_dir}/_artifacts"
   

4. Read the Model Profile table from project-context.md. Extract the Model column for each agent row. Store as MODEL_MAP — a lookup from agent name to model (e.g., researcher → sonnet, prd-writer → opus, prd-senior-pm → fable). If the Model Profile section is missing, default all agents to opus — except prd-senior-pm, which defaults to fable. Pass every value through to the Agent spawn as-is: opus, sonnet, haiku, and fable are all valid tier names. Never rewrite fable to another tier because it looks unfamiliar.

5. Check if Run Logs are enabled in project-context.md. If enabled:

   RUN_ID=$(date -u +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
   LOG_FILE=".claude/prd-run-log.jsonl"
   STATE_FILE="{initiative_dir}/_artifacts/.run-state.json"
   TIMING_FILE="{initiative_dir}/_artifacts/.run-timing.tmp"
   echo "pipeline_start=$(date +%s) $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" > "$TIMING_FILE"
   

   Record the profile name (from the Profile field in Model Profile) for the run log.