PRD Template for AI Apps (Free Download)

TL;DR: This PRD template prevents AI hallucinations by making scope, features, and non-goals explicit. Copy, fill in your project details, and feed to your AI tool.

Table of Contents

1. Why You Need a PRD for AI Coding
2. What Makes This Template Different
3. The Template
4. How to Use It
5. Common PRD Mistakes
6. Example: Filled PRD
7. Related Templates

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Why You Need a PRD for AI Coding

AI coding tools hallucinate features when scope is undefined. Without a PRD:

• Cursor adds "bonus" features you didn't ask for
• v0 creates UI for flows that aren't in your app
• Cline builds elaborate systems for edge cases that don't exist

The PRD Fix

A PRD tells AI tools exactly what to build—and what NOT to build. Key elements:

Section	Purpose	Prevents
Scope (In/Out)	Explicit boundaries	Feature creep
User Stories	Specific requirements	Vague implementations
Acceptance Criteria	Definition of "done"	Ambiguous completion
Non-Goals	What we're NOT building	Invented features

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What Makes This Template Different

Most PRD templates are written for human stakeholders. This one is designed for AI consumption:

1. Machine-readable structure: Consistent headings AI can parse
2. Explicit non-goals: AI tools specifically check against these
3. Acceptance criteria format: "Given/When/Then" for clear validation
4. Scope lock section: Hard boundary AI respects

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The Template

Copy this entire template and replace [PLACEHOLDERS]:

# [PROJECT NAME] — Product Requirements Document

**Version:** 1.0
**Last Updated:** [DATE]
**Author:** [NAME]
**Status:** [Draft / Review / Approved]

---

## 1. Executive Summary

### Problem Statement

[What specific problem are you solving? Who experiences it? What's the impact?]

### Solution Overview

[One paragraph describing your solution. What does the app DO?]

### Success Definition

[How will you know this is successful? Be specific: numbers, metrics, outcomes.]

---

## 2. Target Users

### Primary User

- **Who:** [Job title, role, persona name]
- **Problem they face:** [Their specific pain]
- **Goal:** [What they want to accomplish]
- **Current solution:** [What they do today without your app]

### Secondary Users (if any)

- **Who:** [Role]
- **Relationship to primary:** [How they interact]

---

## 3. Scope

### ✅ In Scope (MVP)

These features MUST be built:

- [ ] **[Feature Name]:** [One-line description]
  - [Sub-requirement if needed]
  - [Sub-requirement if needed]

- [ ] **[Feature Name]:** [One-line description]

- [ ] **[Feature Name]:** [One-line description]

### ❌ Out of Scope (NOT Building)

These features are EXPLICITLY excluded from this version:

- [ ] **[Feature Name]:** [Why excluded]
- [ ] **[Feature Name]:** [Why excluded]
- [ ] **[Feature Name]:** [Why excluded]

> ⚠️ **AI Tools:** If a prompt requests any feature in the "Out of Scope" list, reject it and reference this document.

### 🔮 Future Considerations (Post-MVP)

For later versions, may consider:

- [ ] [Feature idea]
- [ ] [Feature idea]

---

## 4. User Stories

### [Feature Area 1]

**US-001: [Story Title]**

As a **[user type]**, I want to **[action/goal]** so that **[outcome/benefit]**.

**Acceptance Criteria:**

- [ ] **Given** [precondition], **when** [action], **then** [expected result]
- [ ] **Given** [precondition], **when** [action], **then** [expected result]
- [ ] Edge case: [What happens when X]

**Priority:** [Must Have / Should Have / Nice to Have]

---

**US-002: [Story Title]**

As a **[user type]**, I want to **[action/goal]** so that **[outcome/benefit]**.

**Acceptance Criteria:**

- [ ] **Given** [precondition], **when** [action], **then** [expected result]

---

### [Feature Area 2]

**US-003: [Story Title]**

[Continue pattern for all user stories]

---

## 5. Functional Requirements

### [Requirement Category 1]

| ID     | Requirement   | Priority | Notes   |
| ------ | ------------- | -------- | ------- |
| FR-001 | [Requirement] | Must     | [Notes] |
| FR-002 | [Requirement] | Should   | [Notes] |

### [Requirement Category 2]

| ID     | Requirement   | Priority | Notes |
| ------ | ------------- | -------- | ----- |
| FR-003 | [Requirement] | Must     |       |

---

## 6. Non-Functional Requirements

| Category          | Requirement       | Target       |
| ----------------- | ----------------- | ------------ |
| **Performance**   | API response time | < 200ms p95  |
| **Performance**   | Page load time    | < 2.5s LCP   |
| **Scalability**   | Concurrent users  | [Number]     |
| **Security**      | Authentication    | [Method]     |
| **Security**      | Data encryption   | [Standard]   |
| **Availability**  | Uptime SLA        | [Percentage] |
| **Accessibility** | WCAG compliance   | [Level]      |

---

## 7. Constraints

### Technical Constraints

- **Platform:** [Web / Mobile / Desktop]
- **Stack:** [Required technologies]
- **Integrations:** [Required external services]

### Business Constraints

- **Timeline:** [Deadline]
- **Budget:** [If applicable]
- **Compliance:** [GDPR / SOC2 / HIPAA / etc.]

### Resource Constraints

- **Team size:** [Number]
- **Available skills:** [What the team knows]

---

## 8. Success Metrics

| Metric     | Target         | Measurement Method |
| ---------- | -------------- | ------------------ |
| [Metric 1] | [Target value] | [How to measure]   |
| [Metric 2] | [Target value] | [How to measure]   |
| [Metric 3] | [Target value] | [How to measure]   |

---

## 9. Dependencies

| Dependency   | Type                | Owner | Status   |
| ------------ | ------------------- | ----- | -------- |
| [Dependency] | [Internal/External] | [Who] | [Status] |

---

## 10. Risks

| Risk     | Probability | Impact  | Mitigation |
| -------- | ----------- | ------- | ---------- |
| [Risk 1] | [H/M/L]     | [H/M/L] | [Strategy] |
| [Risk 2] | [H/M/L]     | [H/M/L] | [Strategy] |

---

## Revision History

| Version | Date   | Author | Changes       |
| ------- | ------ | ------ | ------------- |
| 1.0     | [Date] | [Name] | Initial draft |

---

## Appendix

### Glossary

| Term   | Definition   |
| ------ | ------------ |
| [Term] | [Definition] |

### References

- [Link to design docs]
- [Link to API spec]
- [Link to competitive analysis]

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How to Use It

Step 1: Copy Template

Copy the template above into a file called prd.md in your /docs folder.

Step 2: Fill In Placeholders

Replace every [PLACEHOLDER] with your project specifics. Don't leave any unfilled.

Step 3: Review Non-Goals

The Out of Scope section is the most important for AI coding. Be explicit.

Step 4: Reference in Prompts

Cursor:

Using @docs/prd.md, implement user story US-001.
Check acceptance criteria before marking complete.

Cline:

Reference the PRD in /docs/prd.md.
Implement the feature in Section 3 (In Scope), item 1.
Do NOT implement anything in "Out of Scope."

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Common PRD Mistakes

Mistake	Problem	Fix
Vague scope	"The app should be easy to use"	Specific: "Onboarding completes in < 2 minutes"
Missing non-goals	AI invents "helpful" features	Explicit: "NOT building: social features, chat, etc."
No acceptance criteria	"Done" is undefined	Use Given/When/Then format
Too many features	MVP becomes years of work	Cut to 3-5 core features
PRD not in repo	AI can't reference it	Store in /docs/prd.md

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Example: Filled PRD

Here's an abbreviated example for a "Task Manager" app:

# TaskFlow — Product Requirements Document

## 1. Executive Summary

### Problem Statement

Developers lose track of tasks across multiple projects.
Existing tools are bloated (Jira) or too simple (Notes).

### Solution Overview

TaskFlow is a minimal task manager for solo developers.
Create projects, add tasks, mark complete. That's it.

### Success Definition

100 daily active users within 3 months of launch.

---

## 3. Scope

### ✅ In Scope (MVP)

- [ ] **Projects:** Create, list, delete projects
- [ ] **Tasks:** Create, list, complete, delete tasks
- [ ] **Auth:** Email/password login

### ❌ Out of Scope (NOT Building)

- [ ] **Team features:** No sharing, collaboration, or permissions
- [ ] **Due dates:** No calendar, reminders, or scheduling
- [ ] **Labels/Tags:** No categorization beyond projects
- [ ] **Mobile app:** Web only for MVP

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Related Templates

• Spec-Driven Development Template Pack — Full SDD kit
• API Spec Template (OpenAPI) — Endpoint contracts
• Database Schema Template — Table definitions
• How to Build an App Without AI Hallucinations — The full workflow

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Last updated: January 2026