---
title: PRD Creation and Parsing
sidebarTitle: "PRD Creation and Parsing"
---

# Writing a PRD

A PRD (Product Requirements Document) is the starting point of every task flow in Task Master. It defines what you're building and why. A clear PRD dramatically improves the quality of your tasks, your model outputs, and your final product — so it’s worth taking the time to get it right.

<Tip>
You don’t need to define your whole app up front. You can write a focused PRD just for the next feature or module you’re working on.
</Tip>

<Tip>
You can start with an empty project or you can start with a feature PRD on an existing project.
</Tip>

<Tip>
You can add and parse multiple PRDs per project using the --append flag
</Tip>

## What Makes a Good PRD?

- Clear objective — what’s the outcome or feature?
- Context — what’s already in place or assumed?
- Constraints — what limits or requirements need to be respected?
- Reasoning — why are you building it this way?

The more context you give the model, the better the breakdown and results.

---

## Writing a PRD for Task Master

<Note>An example PRD can be found in .taskmaster/templates/example_prd.txt</Note>


You can co-write your PRD with an LLM model using the following workflow:

1. **Chat about requirements** — explain what you want to build.
2. **Show an example PRD** — share the example PRD so the model understands the expected format. The example uses formatting that work well with Task Master's code. Following the example will yield better results.
3. **Iterate and refine** — work with the model to shape the draft into a clear and well-structured PRD.

This approach works great in Cursor, or anywhere you use a chat-based LLM.

---

## Where to Save Your PRD

Place your PRD file in the `.taskmaster/docs` folder in your project.

- You can have **multiple PRDs** per project.
- Name your PRDs clearly so they’re easy to reference later.
  - Examples: `dashboard_redesign.txt`, `user_onboarding.txt`

---

# Parse your PRD into Tasks

This is where the Task Master magic begins.

In Cursor's AI chat, instruct the agent to generate tasks from your PRD:

```
Please use the task-master parse-prd command to generate tasks from my PRD. The PRD is located at .taskmaster/docs/<prd-name>.txt.
```

The agent will execute the following command which you can alternatively paste into the CLI:

```bash
task-master parse-prd .taskmaster/docs/<prd-name>.txt
```

This will:

- Parse your PRD document
- Generate a structured `tasks.json` file with tasks, dependencies, priorities, and test strategies

Now that you have written and parsed a PRD, you are ready to start setting up your tasks.