Ralph Prep - Full Preparation Workflow

Orchestrate complete Ralph preparation: spec creation, interview, and prd.json generation.

Arguments

The user provides a feature description. Extract a short kebab-case name from it for file naming.

Examples: auth-refactor, integration-tests, spotify-integration

User input: $ARGUMENTS

Steps

1. Check Existing State

Use AskUserQuestion:

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Do you have an existing spec, or should we create one?
Options:
- "Create new spec" (recommended)
- "Use existing spec" (provide path)

2. Create Spec Skeleton (if creating new)

Gather initial context with AskUserQuestion:

Round 1 - What:

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What feature/initiative is this?
Options:
- [User describes in "Other"]

Round 2 - Why & Scope:

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Questions (multi-select where appropriate):
1. What problem does this solve?
2. What's explicitly OUT of scope?
3. Any Jira ticket or reference doc?

3. Generate Spec Skeleton

Create specs/{FEATURE_NAME}.md with structure:

markdown

# {Feature Name} Spec

## Overview

**Jira:** [TICKET-ID](link)

{Problem statement from interview}

## Success Criteria

- [ ] {Extracted from answers}

## Out of Scope

- {From answers}

## Phase 1: {TBD}

### {Section}

{Placeholder - to be fleshed out}

### Phase 1 Checkpoint

- [ ] TBD

## Verification Commands

```bash
# TBD

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### 4. Call spec-interview

Invoke the spec-interview skill to flesh out the skeleton:

Skill: spec-interview Args: specs/{FEATURE_NAME}.md

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Wait for spec-interview to complete its interview process.

### 5. Verify Ralph Infrastructure

Check ralph setup exists:
- `ralph/ralph.sh` executable
- `ralph/RALPH_PROMPT.md` exists
- `ralph/scripts/` helpers exist

If missing, inform user:

Ralph infrastructure not found. See ralph/HOW_TO_RALPH.md for setup.

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### 6. Call prd-prep

Convert the completed spec to prd.json:

Skill: prd-prep Args: specs/{FEATURE_NAME}.md

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### 7. Final Summary

Ralph preparation complete!

Spec: specs/{FEATURE_NAME}.md PRD: ralph/prd.json ({N} stories)

First story: {id} - {title}

Commands:

•./ralph/scripts/prd-status.sh # View status
•./ralph/ralph.sh # Start loop
•./ralph/ralph.sh 20 # Run 20 iterations

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## Error Handling

If user cancels during spec creation:
- Save partial progress
- Inform user they can resume with `/spec-interview specs/{file}.md`

If prd.json already exists:

AskUserQuestion: ralph/prd.json already exists ({N} stories). What to do? Options:

•"Replace with new PRD"
•"Add stories to existing PRD"
•"Cancel"

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