ralph-tui-prd - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: ralph-tui-prd description: "Generate a Product Requirements Document (PRD) for ralph-tui task orchestration. Creates PRDs with user stories that can be converted to beads for automated execution. Triggers on: create a prd, write prd for, plan this feature, requirements for, spec out."

Ralph TUI PRD Generator

Create detailed Product Requirements Documents optimized for AI agent execution via ralph-tui.

The Job

Receive a feature description from the user
Ask 3-5 essential clarifying questions (with lettered options) - one set at a time
Always ask about quality gates — classify into epic-level vs. story-level
After each answer, ask follow-up questions if needed (adaptive exploration)
Generate a structured PRD when you have enough context
Output the PRD wrapped in [PRD]...[/PRD] markers for TUI parsing

Important: Do NOT start implementing. Just create the PRD.

Step 1: Clarifying Questions (Iterative)

Ask questions one set at a time. Each answer should inform your next questions. Focus on:

Problem/Goal: What problem does this solve?
Core Functionality: What are the key actions?
Scope/Boundaries: What should it NOT do?
Success Criteria: How do we know it's done?
Integration: How does it fit with existing features?
Quality Gates: What commands validate success, and which tier? (REQUIRED)

Format Questions Like This:

1. What is the primary goal of this feature?
   A. Improve user onboarding experience
   B. Increase user retention
   C. Reduce support burden
   D. Other: [please specify]

2. Who is the target user?
   A. New users only
   B. Existing users only
   C. All users
   D. Admin users only

This lets users respond with "1A, 2C" for quick iteration.

Quality Gates Question (REQUIRED)

Always ask about quality gates with two-tier classification:

What commands validate the codebase? These run ONCE when all stories are done (epic-level):
   A. task ci (go-task runner)
   B. make ci
   C. bun typecheck && bun lint
   D. cargo test
   E. Other: [specify your commands]

For individual stories, what story-specific checks apply?
   A. UI stories: verify in browser using dev-browser skill
   B. UI stories: Playwright e2e test for that story
   C. Backend stories: curl/test the specific endpoint
   D. Other: [specify]

Why two tiers? Running bun typecheck after every single story wastes agent context and time. Intermediate stories may have temporary type errors that the next story fixes. General checks run once at the end.

Adaptive Questioning

After each response, decide whether to:

Ask follow-up questions (if answers reveal complexity)
Ask about a new aspect (if current area is clear)
Generate the PRD (if you have enough context)

Typically 2-4 rounds of questions are needed.

Step 2: PRD Structure

Generate the PRD with these sections:

1. Introduction/Overview

Brief description of the feature and the problem it solves.

2. Goals

Specific, measurable objectives (bullet list).

3. Quality Gates (Two Tiers)

CRITICAL: Split gates into two tiers. The conversion tool (ralph-tui-create-beads-rust / cn CLI) reads this section directly.

## Quality Gates

### Epic-Level (run once on epic completion)
General codebase checks. These validate the whole project and run ONCE when all stories are done:
- `task ci` — full CI pipeline (typecheck + lint + test)
- `bun typecheck` — type checking
- `bun lint` — linting

### Story-Level (checked per story)
Criteria checked on specific stories where relevant:
- **UI stories:** Verify in browser using dev-browser skill
- **Backend stories:** Verify endpoint returns expected response
- **Migration stories:** Verify column/table exists after migration

4. User Stories

Each story needs:

Title: Short descriptive name
Type tag: [Schema], [Backend], [UI], [Integration] — tells the conversion tool which story-level gates apply
Description: "As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit]"
Acceptance Criteria: Verifiable - [ ] checkboxes the agent marks as done
Mark-each-item instruction: Reminder to verify and check off each item

Each story should be small enough to implement in one focused AI agent session.

Format:

### US-001: [Title] [Schema]
**Description:** As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit].

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] Specific verifiable criterion
- [ ] Another criterion
- [ ] (story-level gate if applicable)

Mark each item [x] as you complete it. Only close when all are checked.

Important — writing verifiable criteria:

Every criterion must be something the agent can concretely verify:

Good (agent can check these):

- [ ] File apps/core/src/new_module.rs exists and compiles
- [ ] GET /api/v1/events returns 200 with JSON body
- [ ] Column investorType added with default 'cold' (check migration file)
- [ ] Component renders without errors (verify in browser)

Bad (agent cannot verify these):

- [ ] Works correctly
- [ ] Good UX
- [ ] Handles edge cases
- [ ] Performant

Note: Do NOT include epic-level gates (typecheck, lint, ci) in individual story criteria — they are defined once in the Quality Gates section and run on epic completion only. Story-level gates (browser verification, endpoint testing) DO belong in the relevant stories.

5. Functional Requirements

Numbered list of specific functionalities:

"FR-1: The system must allow users to..."
"FR-2: When a user clicks X, the system must..."

Be explicit and unambiguous.

6. Non-Goals (Out of Scope)

What this feature will NOT include. Critical for managing scope.

7. Technical Considerations (Optional)

Known constraints or dependencies
Integration points with existing systems
Performance requirements

8. Success Metrics

How will success be measured?

9. Open Questions

Remaining questions or areas needing clarification.

Writing for AI Agents

The PRD will be executed by AI coding agents via ralph-tui. Therefore:

Be explicit and unambiguous
User stories should be small (completable in one agent context window)
Every acceptance criterion must be a - [ ] checkbox the agent can verify and mark - [x]
Include specific file paths if you know them
Reference existing code patterns in the project
Tag stories with type ([UI], [Schema], [Backend]) so story-level gates are unambiguous
Include "Mark each item [x]..." instruction in every story

Output Format

CRITICAL: Wrap the final PRD in markers for TUI parsing:

[PRD]
# PRD: Feature Name

## Overview
...

## Quality Gates

### Epic-Level (run once on epic completion)
...

### Story-Level (checked per story)
...

## User Stories
...
[/PRD]

File naming: The TUI will save to ./tasks/prd-[feature-name].md

Example Conversation Flow

User: Create a PRD for adding dark mode to the TUI

Assistant: I'll help you create a PRD for dark mode. Let me ask a few questions:

What is the primary goal? A. Reduce eye strain for long sessions B. Match system theme preference C. Provide visual customization D. Other
Should the setting persist? A. Yes, save to config file B. No, session only C. Follow system preference

User: 1A, 2A

Assistant: Great! A couple more questions:

Which components need dark mode support? A. All TUI components B. Only the main execution view C. Main view + settings D. Other
What commands validate the whole codebase? (epic-level, run once at the end) A. task ci B. bun typecheck && bun lint C. make ci D. Other: [specify]
For UI stories, what story-specific checks? A. Verify in browser using dev-browser skill B. Playwright e2e test per story C. Both A and B D. No story-level checks needed

User: 3A, 4B, 5A

Assistant: Perfect, I have enough to generate the PRD.

[PRD]

PRD: Dark Mode for Ralph TUI

Overview

Add dark mode support to ralph-tui to reduce eye strain during long orchestration sessions. The feature will apply to all TUI components and persist the user's preference in the config file.

Goals

Provide a comfortable viewing experience in low-light environments
Persist theme preference across sessions
Apply consistent styling to all TUI components

Quality Gates

Epic-Level (run once on epic completion)

General codebase checks that run ONCE when all stories are done:

bun typecheck — type checking passes with zero errors
bun lint — linting passes with zero warnings

Story-Level (checked per story)

UI stories: Verify in browser using dev-browser skill

User Stories

US-001: Add theme configuration [Schema]

Description: As a user, I want to set my preferred theme (light/dark) so that it persists across sessions.

Acceptance Criteria:

Add theme field to .ralph-tui.yaml schema
Support values: "light", "dark", "system"
Default to "light" for backwards compatibility
Verify field is read correctly by loading config in test

Mark each item [x] as you complete it. Only close when all are checked.

US-002: Create dark theme color palette [UI]

Description: As a user, I want a soft-contrast dark theme that's easy on the eyes.

Acceptance Criteria:

Define dark palette with gray tones (not pure black) in theme constants file
Ensure sufficient contrast ratios (WCAG AA) — check with contrast calculator
Colors defined for all UI states: default, selected, hover, disabled
Verify in browser using dev-browser skill

Mark each item [x] as you complete it. Only close when all are checked.

US-003: Apply theme to TUI components [UI]

Description: As a user, I want all TUI components to respect my theme preference.

Acceptance Criteria:

Header component uses theme colors (verify in browser)
Task list uses theme colors (verify in browser)
Detail panels use theme colors (verify in browser)
Progress bar uses theme colors (verify in browser)
Dialogs use theme colors (verify in browser)
Verify in browser using dev-browser skill

Mark each item [x] as you complete it. Only close when all are checked.

US-004: Add theme toggle in settings [UI]

Description: As a user, I want to toggle themes from within the TUI settings.

Acceptance Criteria:

Theme option visible in settings view
Changes apply immediately without restart (verify visually)
Changes persist to config file (verify by reading .ralph-tui.yaml after toggle)
Verify in browser using dev-browser skill

Mark each item [x] as you complete it. Only close when all are checked.

Functional Requirements

FR-1: Theme setting must be readable from .ralph-tui.yaml
FR-2: Theme must apply on TUI startup
FR-3: Theme changes in settings must apply immediately
FR-4: All text must maintain readability in both themes

Non-Goals

System theme auto-detection (future enhancement)
Custom color schemes beyond light/dark
Per-component theme overrides

Technical Considerations

Use existing OpenTUI theming capabilities if available
Consider creating a ThemeContext for React components
Minimize re-renders when theme changes

Success Metrics

All components render correctly in dark mode
No accessibility contrast issues
Theme persists across sessions

Open Questions

Should we detect system theme preference automatically in v2? [/PRD]

Checklist

Before outputting the PRD:

Asked clarifying questions with lettered options
Asked about quality gates with two-tier classification (REQUIRED)
Asked follow-up questions when needed
Quality Gates section has Epic-Level and Story-Level subsections
Epic-level gates are general commands (typecheck, lint, ci) — NOT in individual stories
Story-level gates are assigned to relevant stories (UI → browser, backend → endpoint check)
Stories tagged with type: [Schema], [Backend], [UI], [Integration]
Every acceptance criterion is a verifiable - [ ] checkbox
Every story includes "Mark each item [x]..." instruction
User stories are small and independently completable
Functional requirements are numbered and unambiguous
Non-goals section defines clear boundaries
PRD is wrapped in [PRD]...[/PRD] markers