subsy/ralph-tui/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)

Acceptance Criteria: Quality Gates + Story-Specific

Each story's acceptance criteria should include:

1. Story-specific criteria from the PRD (what this story accomplishes)
2. Quality gates from the PRD's Quality Gates section (appended at the end)

Good criteria (verifiable):

• "Add status column to tasks table with default 'open'"
• "Filter dropdown has options: All, Open, Closed"
• "Clicking delete shows confirmation dialog"

Bad criteria (vague):

• ❌ "Works correctly"
• ❌ "User can do X easily"
• ❌ "Good UX"
• ❌ "Handles edge cases"

Conversion Rules

1. Extract Quality Gates from PRD first
2. Each user story → one JSON entry
3. IDs: Sequential (US-001, US-002, etc.)
4. Priority: Based on dependency order (1 = highest)
5. dependsOn: Array of story IDs this story requires
6. All stories: passes: false and empty notes
7. branchName: Derive from feature name, kebab-case, prefixed with ralph/
8. Acceptance criteria: Story criteria + quality gates appended
9. UI stories: Also append UI-specific gates (browser verification)

Output Location

Default: ./tasks/prd.json (alongside the PRD markdown files)

This keeps all PRD-related files together in the tasks/ directory.

Or specify a different path - ralph-tui will use it with:

ralph-tui run --prd ./path/to/prd.json

Example

Input PRD:

# PRD: Task Priority System
 
Add priority levels to tasks.
 
## 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
 
## User Stories
 
### US-001: Add priority field to database
**Description:** As a developer, I need to store task priority.
 
**Acceptance Criteria:**
-[ ] Add priority column: 1-4 (default 2)
-[ ] Migration runs successfully
 
### US-002: Display priority badge on task cards
**Description:** As a user, I want to see task priority at a glance.
 
**Acceptance Criteria:**
-[ ] Badge shows P1/P2/P3/P4 with colors
-[ ] Badge visible without hovering
 
### US-003: Add priority filter dropdown
**Description:** As a user, I want to filter tasks by priority.
 
**Acceptance Criteria:**
-[ ] Filter dropdown: All, P1, P2, P3, P4
-[ ] Filter persists in URL

Output prd.json:

{
  "name": "Task Priority System",
  "branchName": "ralph/task-priority",
  "description": "Add priority levels to tasks",
  "userStories": [
    {
      "id": "US-001",
      "title": "Add priority field to database",
      "description": "As a developer, I need to store task priority.",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Add priority column: 1-4 (default 2)",
        "Migration runs successfully",
        "pnpm typecheck passes",
        "pnpm lint passes"
      ],
      "priority": 1,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": "",
      "dependsOn": []
    },
    {
      "id": "US-002",
      "title": "Display priority badge on task cards",
      "description": "As a user, I want to see task priority at a glance.",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Badge shows P1/P2/P3/P4 with colors",
        "Badge visible without hovering",
        "pnpm typecheck passes",
        "pnpm lint passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "priority": 2,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": "",
      "dependsOn": ["US-001"]
    },
    {
      "id": "US-003",
      "title": "Add priority filter dropdown",
      "description": "As a user, I want to filter tasks by priority.",
      "acceptanceCriteria": [
        "Filter dropdown: All, P1, P2, P3, P4",
        "Filter persists in URL",
        "pnpm typecheck passes",
        "pnpm lint passes",
        "Verify in browser using dev-browser skill"
      ],
      "priority": 3,
      "passes": false,
      "notes": "",
      "dependsOn": ["US-002"]
    }
  ]
}

Running with ralph-tui

After creating prd.json:

ralph-tui run --prd ./tasks/prd.json

Ralph-tui will:

1. Load stories from prd.json
2. Select the highest-priority story with passes: false and no blocking dependencies
3. Generate a prompt with story details + acceptance criteria
4. Run the agent to implement the story
5. Mark passes: true on completion
6. Repeat until all stories pass

Checklist Before Saving

• [ ] Extracted Quality Gates from PRD (or asked user if missing)
• [ ] Each story completable in one iteration
• [ ] Stories ordered by dependency (schema → backend → UI)
• [ ] dependsOn correctly set for each story
• [ ] Quality gates appended to every story's acceptance criteria
• [ ] UI stories have browser verification (if specified in Quality Gates)
• [ ] Acceptance criteria are verifiable (not vague)
• [ ] No circular dependencies