/prd - Manage Product Requirements Document

Create, edit, and manage your Ralph Loop PRD (Product Requirements Document).

Usage

Create a New PRD

/prd create

Interactive prompt asks:

• •Project name
• •Stories (one per line, priority-based)

Generates prd.json with your specifications.

View Current PRD

/prd show

Pretty-prints the current prd.json:

• •All stories
• •Status of each
• •Priority order
• •Description

Edit a Story

/prd edit TASK-001

Opens editor for that story. Edit:

• •title
• •description
• •acceptance_criteria
• •files
• •priority

Add a Story

/prd add "Feature Title" "Description" "file1.ts,file2.ts"

Adds new story to prd.json with next available ID.

Remove a Story

/prd remove TASK-001

Removes story from prd.json (confirmation required).

Reset PRD

/prd reset

Creates fresh default PRD:

• •Wipes current prd.json
• •Creates 4 default stories
• •Fresh progress.txt
• •Confirmation required

Validate PRD

/prd validate

Checks prd.json for:

• •Valid JSON
• •Required fields per story
• •No duplicate IDs
• •At least one story
• •Proper status values

Returns errors and warnings.

Convert to JSON

/prd export

Exports prd.json in formatted JSON to stdout. Useful for piping to other tools.

Story Format

Each story should have:

{
  "id": "TASK-001",
  "title": "User Authentication",
  "description": "Implement JWT-based login system",
  "priority": 1,
  "status": "pending",
  "acceptance_criteria": [
    "Users can login with email/password",
    "JWT tokens are issued",
    "Protected routes require token"
  ],
  "files": [
    "src/auth.ts",
    "tests/auth.test.ts"
  ]
}

Status Values

• •pending - Not yet started
• •in_progress - Currently being worked on
• •done - Completed and committed
• •blocked - Unable to complete, needs intervention

Priority

Lower number = higher priority. Ralph processes stories in priority order:

priority: 1  → Runs first
priority: 2  → Runs second
priority: 10 → Runs last

Best Practices

Story Titles

• •Use active verbs: "Implement X", "Add Y", "Fix Z"
• •Be specific: "Add user registration" not "User stuff"
• •One task per story

Descriptions

• •Explain the "why" and "what"
• •Reference related stories if dependencies exist
• •Mention any constraints or gotchas

Acceptance Criteria

• •Write testable criteria
• •Include edge cases
• •Be specific: "Returns 401 if token expired"
• •3-5 criteria per story

Files

• •List only files that will change
• •Include tests alongside implementation
• •Path from repo root

Integration with start-work

/prd create          # Create PRD
/start-work          # start-work reads your PRD and runs Ralph Loop

Or for quick start with defaults:

/start-work          # Auto-creates default PRD if missing

Examples

Create PRD for REST API

/prd create
# Prompts:
# Project name: REST API Service
# Story: 1 GET /users endpoint: Fetch all users
# Story: 2 POST /users endpoint: Create new user
# Story: 3 Authentication middleware: Protect endpoints
# Story: (blank to finish)

Edit acceptance criteria

/prd edit TASK-001
# Editor opens with TASK-001 story
# Edit acceptance_criteria array
# Save and close

Quick view

/prd show
# See all stories, priorities, and status

Check validity

/prd validate
# Returns any errors or warnings
# Green light to proceed with /start-work

Workflow

Typical workflow:

1. •prd create - Define your stories
2. •Review each story's acceptance criteria
3. •prd validate - Ensure PRD is valid
4. •start-work - Ralph Loop handles the rest
5. •Stories complete automatically
6. •Check progress.txt for learnings

See Also

• •/start-work - Begin work session with auto-init
• •/ralph - Raw Ralph Loop control
• •prd.json - The actual file (edit directly if needed)
• •library/guides/ralph-loop-guide.md - Detailed architecture docs

Philosophy: Your PRD is your work plan. Make it clear, detailed, and testable. Ralph Loop handles execution. You focus on requirements and reviewing results.