pdd_skill

Overview

This skill transforms a rough idea into a complete design document and incremental implementation plan using Prompt-Driven Development. It guides an iterative workflow of requirements clarification, targeted research, architecture and design, and stepwise implementation planning. All artifacts are recorded into a project directory and iterated with user confirmation at each transition.

How this skill works

The skill creates a project structure, records the initial idea, and runs a disciplined loop: ask one requirement question at a time, append Q&A to requirements.md, run focused research tasks documented under research/, then produce a standalone design.md and a numbered plan.md. It enforces non-destructive project creation, derives a kebab-case task name, includes mermaid diagrams in research and design, and periodically checks user intent before moving phases.

When to use it

• You have a rough product or feature idea and need a runnable implementation plan.
• You want structured, auditable requirements captured live while you answer questions.
• You need research results and design sketches (including diagrams and citations) tied to requirements.
• You prefer iterative clarification and stepwise TDD-friendly implementation steps.
• You plan to hand off to an autonomous runner (like Ralph) and need crisp specs and acceptance criteria.

Best practices

• Provide the rough idea and preferred project_dir upfront so the skill can create files without blocking.
• Answer one clarifying question completely before the next is asked to keep the record coherent.
• Accept periodic research summaries to steer investigations and avoid wasted work.
• Keep the scope focused for the first design pass; break complex systems into phased components.
• Confirm before overwriting or changing a project directory if it already contains files.

Example use cases

• Turn a one-line feature request into a detailed spec, component diagrams, and an implementation checklist.
• Research and compare libraries for a backend task, capture findings, then produce a design that cites sources.
• Convert an internal automation idea into an incremental TDD-aligned plan with demoable steps.
• Prepare a machine-verifiable acceptance criteria set (Given-When-Then) and a PROMPT.md for autonomous execution.
• Archive and iterate on project artifacts in a structured specs/{task_name}/ layout for team handoff.