Ralph Tui Create JSON

Ralph TUI - Create JSON Tasks

Converts PRDs to prd.json format for ralph-tui autonomous execution.

Note: This skill is bundled with ralph-tui's JSON tracker plugin. Future tracker plugins (Linear, GitHub Issues, etc.) will bundle their own task creation skills.

⚠️ CRITICAL: The output MUST be a FLAT JSON object with "name" and "userStories" at the ROOT level. DO NOT wrap content in a "prd" object or use "tasks" array. See "Schema Anti-Patterns" section below.

The Job

Take a PRD (markdown file or text) and create a prd.json file:

1. Extract Quality Gates from the PRD's "Quality Gates" section
2. Parse user stories from the PRD
3. Append quality gates to each story's acceptance criteria
4. Set up dependencies between stories
5. Output ready for ralph-tui run --prd <path>

Step 1: Extract Quality Gates

Look for the "Quality Gates" section in the PRD:

## Quality Gates

These commands must pass for every user story:
- `pnpm typecheck` - Type checking
- `pnpm lint` - Linting

For UI stories, also include:
- Verify in browser using dev-browser skill

Extract:

• Universal gates: Commands that apply to ALL stories (e.g., pnpm typecheck)
• UI gates: Commands that apply only to UI stories (e.g., browser verification)

If no Quality Gates section exists: Ask the user what commands should pass, or use a sensible default like npm run typecheck.

Output Format

The JSON file MUST be a FLAT object at the root level:

{
  "name": "[Project name from PRD or directory]",
  "branchName": "ralph/[feature-name-kebab-case]",
  "description": "[Feature description from PRD]",
  "userStories": [
    {
      "id": "US-001",
      "title": "[Story title]",
      "description": "As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit]",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Criterion 1 from PRD",
        "Criterion 2 from PRD",
        "pnpm typecheck passes",
        "pnpm lint passes"
      ],
      "priority": 1,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": "",
      "dependsOn": []
    },
    {
      "id": "US-002",
      "title": "[UI Story that depends on US-001]",
      "description": "...",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "...",
        "pnpm typecheck passes",
        "pnpm lint passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "priority": 2,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": "",
      "dependsOn": ["US-001"]
    }
  ]
}

CRITICAL: Schema Anti-Patterns (DO NOT USE)

The following patterns are INVALID and will cause validation errors:

❌ WRONG: Wrapper object

{
  "prd": {
    "name": "...",
    "userStories": [...]
  }
}

This wraps everything in a "prd" object. DO NOT DO THIS. The "name" and "userStories" fields must be at the ROOT level.

❌ WRONG: Using "tasks" instead of "userStories"

{
  "name": "...",
  "tasks": [...]
}

The array is called "userStories", not "tasks".

❌ WRONG: Complex nested structures

{
  "metadata": {...},
  "overview": {...},
  "migration_strategy": {
    "phases": [...]
  }
}

Even if the PRD describes phases/milestones/sprints, you MUST flatten these into a single "userStories" array.

❌ WRONG: Using "status" instead of "passes"

{
  "userStories": [{
    "id": "US-001",
    "status": "open"  // WRONG!
  }]
}

Use "passes": false for incomplete stories, "passes": true for completed.

✅ CORRECT: Flat structure at root

{
  "name": "Android Kotlin Migration",
  "branchName": "ralph/kotlin-migration",
  "userStories": [
    {"id": "US-001", "title": "Create Scraper interface", "passes": false, "dependsOn": []},
    {"id": "US-002", "title": "Implement WeebCentralScraper", "passes": false, "dependsOn": ["US-001"]}
  ]
}

Story Size: The #1 Rule

Each story must be completable in ONE ralph-tui iteration (~one agent context window).

Ralph-tui spawns a fresh agent instance per iteration with no memory of previous work. If a story is too big, the agent runs out of context before finishing.

Right-sized stories:

• Add a database column + 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 can't describe the change in 2-3 sentences, it's too big.

Dependencies with dependsOn

Use the dependsOn array to specify which stories must complete first:

{
  "id": "US-002",
  "title": "Create API endpoints",
  "dependsOn": ["US-001"],  // Won't be selected until US-001 passes
  ...
}

Ralph-tui will:

• Show US-002 as "blocked" until US-001 completes
• Never select US-002 for execution while US-001 is open
• Include "Prerequisites: US-001" in the prompt when working on US-002

Correct dependency order:

1. Schema/database changes (no dependencies)
2. Backend logic (depends on schema)
3. UI components (depends on backend)
4. Integration/polish (depends on UI)