AI Dev Tasks

Welcome to AI Dev Tasks! This repository provides a collection of markdown files designed to supercharge your feature development workflow with AI-powered IDEs and CLIs. These tools work with any AI coding assistant including Amp, Claude Code, Windsurf, and others. By leveraging these structured prompts, you can systematically approach building features, from ideation to implementation, with built-in checkpoints for verification.

Stop wrestling with monolithic AI requests and start guiding your AI collaborator step-by-step!

The Core Idea

Building complex features with AI can sometimes feel like a black box. This workflow aims to bring structure, clarity, and control to the process by:

1. Defining Scope: Clearly outlining what needs to be built with a Product Requirement Document (PRD).
2. Detailed Planning: Breaking down the PRD into a granular, actionable task list.
3. Iterative Implementation: Guiding the AI to tackle one task at a time, allowing you to review and approve each change.

This structured approach helps ensure the AI stays on track, makes it easier to debug issues, and gives you confidence in the generated code.

Workflow: From Idea to Implemented Feature

Here's the step-by-step process using the .md files in this repository:

1. Create a Product Requirement Document (PRD)

First, lay out the blueprint for your feature. A PRD clarifies what you're building, for whom, and why.

You can create a lightweight PRD directly within your AI tool of choice:

1. Ensure you have the create-prd.md file from this repository accessible.

2. In your AI tool, initiate PRD creation:

   Use @create-prd.md
   Here's the feature I want to build: [Describe your feature in detail]
   Reference these files to help you: [Optional: @file1.py @file2.ts]
   

   

2. Generate Your Task List from the PRD

With your PRD drafted (e.g., MyFeature-PRD.md), the next step is to generate a detailed, step-by-step implementation plan for your AI Developer.

1. Ensure you have generate-tasks.md accessible.

2. In your AI tool, use the PRD to create tasks:

   Now take @MyFeature-PRD.md and create tasks using @generate-tasks.md
   

   (Note: Replace @MyFeature-PRD.md with the actual filename of the PRD you generated in step 1.)

   

3. Examine Your Task List

You'll now have a well-structured task list, often with tasks and sub-tasks, ready for the AI to start working on. This provides a clear roadmap for implementation.

4. Instruct the AI to Work Through Tasks (and Mark Completion)

To ensure methodical progress and allow for verification, instruct the AI to work through the task list one sub-task at a time.

1. In your AI tool, tell the AI to start with the first task (e.g., 1.1):

   Please start on task 1.1 from the generated task list.
   

   The AI will attempt the task and then prompt you to review.

   

5. Progress

The AI will continue working through the remaining tasks in the list.

While it's not always perfect, this method has proven to be a very reliable way to build out larger features with AI assistance.

Video Demonstration

If you'd like to see this in action, I demonstrated it on Claire Vo's "How I AI" podcast.

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Files in this Repository

• create-prd.md: Guides the AI in generating a Product Requirement Document for your feature.
• generate-tasks.md: Takes a PRD markdown file as input and helps the AI break it down into a detailed, step-by-step implementation task list.

Benefits

• Structured Development: Enforces a clear process from idea to code.
• Step-by-Step Verification: Allows you to review and approve AI-generated code at each small step, ensuring quality and control.
• Manages Complexity: Breaks down large features into smaller, digestible tasks for the AI, reducing the chance of it getting lost or generating overly complex, incorrect code.
• Improved Reliability: Offers a more dependable approach to leveraging AI for significant development work compared to single, large prompts.
• Clear Progress Tracking: Provides a visual representation of completed tasks, making it easy to see how much has been done and what's next.

How to Use

1. Clone or Download: Get these .md files into your project or a central location where your AI tool can access them.

   git clone https://github.com/snarktank/ai-dev-tasks.git

2. Follow the Workflow: Systematically use the .md files in your AI assistant as described in the workflow above.
3. Adapt and Iterate:
   • Feel free to modify the prompts within the .md files to better suit your specific needs or coding style.
   • If the AI struggles with a task, try rephrasing your initial feature description or breaking down tasks even further.

Tips for Success

• Be Specific: The more context and clear instructions you provide (both in your initial feature description and any clarifications), the better the AI's output will be.
• Correct File Tagging: Always ensure you're accurately tagging the PRD filename (e.g., @MyFeature-PRD.md) when generating tasks.
• Patience and Iteration: AI is a powerful tool, but it's not magic. Be prepared to guide, correct, and iterate. This workflow is designed to make that iteration process smoother.

Contributing

Got ideas to improve these .md files or have new ones that fit this workflow? Contributions are welcome!

Please feel free to:

• Open an issue to discuss changes or suggest new features.
• Submit a pull request with your enhancements.

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Happy AI-assisted developing!