ralph

name ralph description Convert PRDs to prd.json format for the Ralph autonomous agent system. Use when you have an existing PRD and need to convert it to Ralph's JSON format. Triggers on: convert this prd, turn this into ralph format, create prd.json from this, ralph json. user-invocable true 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 { "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: # 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: { "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