PRD Tracers

Convert an approved PRD into phased tracer bullets and a runnable execution plan.

When to Use

• •A PRD exists in docs/prd/<feature-slug>/PRD.md
• •Implementation needs an end-to-end tracer plan with demos and tasks

Inputs

• •Required: docs/prd/<feature-slug>/PRD.md
• •Treat the PRD as the source of truth for problem, goals, constraints, and non-goals
• •Do not re-litigate requirements unless the PRD is ambiguous or incomplete

Preflight

• •Search for existing tracer plans: docs/tracers/**/PROGRESS.md
• •If a plan exists, confirm whether to update or create a new slug
• •Confirm the feature slug (kebab-case) before writing files

Phase-Focused Questions

Ask only what is needed to translate the PRD into tracers.

• •"How should this ship in phases? What is the first usable slice?"
• •"What end-to-end demo proves Phase 1 works?"
• •"What must be explicitly deferred to later phases?"
• •"Which systems must be touched in Phase 1?"
• •"Are there phase-specific constraints or risks not in the PRD?"

Workflow

1. •Read the PRD and extract goals, constraints, risks, non-goals, dependencies, and demo path.
2. •Propose tracer phases that align with the PRD scope and phasing.
3. •For each tracer, define: proves, demo, expected output, deferred scope.
4. •Decompose each tracer into atomic, independently committable tasks.
5. •Add verification steps for every task.

Output

Create two files in docs/tracers/<feature-slug>/:

PROGRESS.md

# <Feature Name>

## Summary
<1-2 sentences describing what the feature does when complete>

## Scope From PRD
- Goals: <summary>
- Constraints: <summary>
- Non-goals: <summary>

## Tracer 1: <Name>

**Proves:** <what integration this validates>

**Demo:** `<exact command or action>`

**Expected:** <what user should see>

**Deferred:** <what's explicitly NOT in this tracer>

### Tasks
1.1. <task>
1.2. <task>

---

## Tracer 2: <Name>

**Proves:** <integration>

**Demo:** `<demo>`

**Expected:** <expected output>

**Deferred:** <scope exclusions>

### Tasks
2.1. <task>
2.2. <task>

state.json

{
  "feature": "<slug>",
  "status": "planning",
  "created": "<ISO date>",
  "currentTracer": 1,
  "lastReviewedTracer": 0,
  "context": {
    "nonGoals": ["<thing out of scope>"]
  },
  "tracers": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "<Name>",
      "status": "pending",
      "proves": "<what this tracer validates>",
      "demo": "<exact command>",
      "expected": "<expected output>",
      "deferred": ["<what's out>"],
      "tasks": [
        {
          "id": "1.1",
          "description": "<task>",
          "steps": ["<verification step>"],
          "passes": false,
          "commit": null
        }
      ],
      "learnings": [],
      "completed": null
    }
  ]
}

Review Checklist

• •PRD scope is reflected in tracer phases
• •First tracer is the thinnest end-to-end slice
• •Every tracer has a concrete demo and expected result
• •Tasks are atomic with verification steps

Handoff

When planning is complete, load the tracer-dev skill to execute the tracers.