Writing a PRD that developers actually read, with Claude as the editor
Devs skip PRDs that read like essays. A tight structure plus Claude as a harsh editor got mine opened.
My first PRDs came back with 'can you just say what to build.' So I stopped writing documents and started writing specs a tired engineer would tolerate. Claude's job in this is to cut, not to invent.
Structure first: one line on the problem, one line on the user, a short list of what 'done' means, and the edge cases devs actually hit. No background novel. If it needs a paragraph of context, it belongs in a linked thread.
Draft it plain, then paste it to Claude with one instruction: 'remove every sentence a developer can infer, and flag any requirement with no acceptance test.' That single prompt kills the fluff that makes PRDs skippable.
Then I add the acceptance tests Claude flagged as missing. A requirement without a test is a opinion. Devs read specs they can verify; they skim the rest.
The habit that changed everything: I write the PRD assuming the reader has context and no patience. Claude helps me hold that line by deleting the courtesy prose.
Claude (claude.ai)
Best for: long-form writing, editing, and reasoning through structure.
Key features: document mode, long context, artifacts for drafts, careful editing.
Free plan: a free tier with daily limits.
Pricing: Pro around $20 a month for higher usage.
Pros: strong at trimming and restructuring, stays on brief.
Cons: it will soften a blunt point unless you tell it not to.
My verdict: I write the bones, Claude removes the fat, I re-add the edge cases. The doc that results is short enough to read and specific enough to build.
Frequently asked questions:
Q: Should Claude write the PRD from scratch?
A: I write the structure; Claude edits. Full generation drifts from what the team actually needs.
Q: How short is too short?
A: If a dev can build it and test it from the doc, it is long enough. Longer is usually padding.
Q: Do I need acceptance tests for every line?
A: For anything a QA person will check, yes. Vague requirements become blame later.