Prpm Development

Individual package

Use when developing PRPM (Prompt Package Manager) - comprehensive knowledge base covering architecture, format conversion, package types, collections, quality standards, testing, and deployment

Mission

Build the npm/cargo/pip equivalent for AI development artifacts. Enable developers to discover, install, share, and manage prompts across Cursor, Claude Code, Continue, Windsurf, and future AI editors.

Core Architecture

• Canonical Format: All packages stored in normalized JSON structure
• Smart Conversion: Server-side format conversion with quality scoring
• Zero Lock-In: Users convert between any format without data loss
• Format-Specific Optimization: IDE-specific variants (e.g., Claude with MCP)
• Semantic Versioning: Strict semver for all packages
• Dependency Resolution: Smart conflict resolution like npm/cargo
• Lock Files: Reproducible installs (prpm-lock.json)
• Registry-First: All operations through central registry API
• Caching: Redis caching for converted packages (1-hour TTL)
• One Command Install: prpm install @collection/nextjs-pro gets everything
• Auto-Detection: Detect IDE from directory structure (.cursor/, .claude/)
• Format Override: --as claude to force specific format
• Telemetry Opt-Out: Privacy-first with easy opt-out
• Beautiful CLI: Clear progress indicators and colored output

Package Types

• Knowledge and guidelines for AI assistants
• .claude/skills/, .cursor/rules/
• @prpm/pulumi-troubleshooting, @typescript/best-practices
• Autonomous AI agents for multi-step tasks
• .claude/agents/, .cursor/agents/
• @prpm/code-reviewer, @cursor/debugging-agent
• Specific instructions or constraints for AI behavior
• .cursor/rules/, .cursorrules
• @cursor/react-conventions, @cursor/test-first
• Extensions that add functionality
• .cursor/plugins/, .claude/plugins/
• Reusable prompt templates
• .prompts/, project-specific directories
• Multi-step automation workflows
• .workflows/, .github/workflows/
• Executable utilities and scripts
• scripts/, tools/, .bin/
• Reusable file and project templates
• templates/, project-specific directories
• Model Context Protocol servers
• .mcp/servers/

Format Conversion System

• Cursor (.mdc)
• MDC frontmatter with ruleType, alwaysApply, description
• Markdown body
• Simple, focused on coding rules
• No structured tools/persona definitions
• Claude (agent format)
• YAML frontmatter: name, description
• Optional: tools (comma-separated), model (sonnet/opus/haiku/inherit)
• Markdown body
• Supports persona, examples, instructions
• Continue (JSON)
• JSON configuration
• Simple prompts, context rules
• Limited metadata support
• Windsurf
• Similar to Cursor
• Markdown-based
• Basic structure
• Missing tools: -10 points
• Missing persona: -5 points
• Missing examples: -5 points
• Unsupported sections: -10 points each
• Format-specific features lost: -5 points
• Canonical ↔ Claude: Nearly lossless (95-100%)
• Canonical ↔ Cursor: Lossy on tools/persona (70-85%)
• Canonical ↔ Continue: Most lossy (60-75%)

Collections System

Collection Structure

{
  "id": "@collection/nextjs-pro",
  "name": "Next.js Professional Setup",
  "description": "Complete Next.js development setup",
  "category": "frontend",
  "packages": [
    {
      "packageId": "react-best-practices",
      "required": true,
      "reason": "Core React patterns"
    },
    {
      "packageId": "typescript-strict",
      "required": true,
      "reason": "Type safety"
    },
    {
      "packageId": "tailwind-helper",
      "required": false,
      "reason": "Styling utilities"
    }
  ]
}

Quality & Ranking System

• (0-30 points):
• Total downloads (weighted by recency)
• Stars/favorites
• Trending velocity
• (0-30 points):
• User ratings (1-5 stars)
• Review sentiment
• Documentation completeness
• (0-20 points):
• Verified author badge
• Original creator vs fork
• Publisher reputation
• Security scan results
• (0-10 points):
• Last updated date (<30 days = 10 points)
• Release frequency
• Active maintenance
• (0-10 points):
• Has README
• Has examples
• Has tags
• Complete metadata

Technical Stack

• Commander.js: CLI framework
• Fastify Client: HTTP client for registry
• Tar: Package tarball creation/extraction
• Chalk: Terminal colors
• Ora: Spinners for async operations
• Fastify: High-performance web framework
• PostgreSQL: Primary database with GIN indexes
• Redis: Caching layer for converted packages
• GitHub OAuth: Authentication provider
• Docker: Containerized deployment
• Vitest: Unit and integration tests
• 100% Coverage Goal: Especially for format converters
• Round-Trip Tests: Ensure conversion quality
• Fixtures: Real-world package examples

Testing Standards

Key Testing Patterns

// Format converter test
describe('toCursor', () => {
  it('preserves data in roundtrip', () => {
    const result = toCursor(canonical);
    const back = fromCursor(result.content);
    expect(back).toEqual(canonical);
  });
});

// CLI command test
describe('install', () => {
  it('downloads and installs package', async () => {
    await handleInstall('test-pkg', { as: 'cursor' });
    expect(fs.existsSync('.cursor/rules/test-pkg.md')).toBe(true);
  });
});

Development Workflow

• Check Existing Patterns: Look at similar commands/routes
• Update Types First: TypeScript interfaces drive implementation
• Write Tests: Create test fixtures and cases
• Document: Update README and relevant docs
• Telemetry: Add tracking for new commands (with privacy)
• Write Failing Test: Reproduce the bug in a test
• Fix Minimally: Smallest change that fixes the issue
• Check Round-Trip: Ensure conversions still work
• Update Fixtures: Add bug case to test fixtures
• REST Best Practices: Proper HTTP methods and status codes
• Versioning: All routes under /api/v1/
• Pagination: Limit/offset for list endpoints
• Filtering: Support query params for filtering
• OpenAPI: Document with Swagger/OpenAPI specs

Security Standards

• No Secrets in DB: Never store GitHub tokens, use session IDs
• SQL Injection: Parameterized queries only
• Rate Limiting: Prevent abuse of registry API
• Content Security: Validate package contents before publishing

Performance Considerations

• Batch Operations: Use Promise.all for independent operations
• Database Indexes: GIN for full-text, B-tree for lookups
• Caching Strategy: Cache converted packages, not raw data
• Lazy Loading: Don't load full package data until needed
• Connection Pooling: Reuse PostgreSQL connections

Deployment

Publishing PRPM to NPM

npm version patch --workspace=prpm --workspace=@prpm/registry-client

npm version minor --workspace=prpm

Common Patterns

CLI Command Structure

export async function handleCommand(args: Args, options: Options) {
  const startTime = Date.now();
  try {
    const config = await loadUserConfig();
    const client = getRegistryClient(config);
    const result = await client.fetchData();
    console.log('✅ Success');
    await telemetry.track({ command: 'name', success: true });
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('❌ Failed:', error.message);
    await telemetry.track({ command: 'name', success: false });
    process.exit(1);
  }
}

Registry Route Structure

server.get('/:id', {
  schema: { /* OpenAPI schema */ },
}, async (request, reply) => {
  const { id } = request.params;
  if (!id) return reply.code(400).send({ error: 'Missing ID' });
  const result = await server.pg.query('SELECT...');
  return result.rows[0];
});

Format Converter Structure

export function toFormat(pkg: CanonicalPackage): ConversionResult {
  const warnings: string[] = [];
  let qualityScore = 100;
  const content = convertSections(pkg.content.sections, warnings);
  const lossyConversion = warnings.some(w => w.includes('not supported'));
  if (lossyConversion) qualityScore -= 10;
  return { content, format: 'target', warnings, qualityScore, lossyConversion };
}

Naming Conventions

• Files: kebab-case (registry-client.ts, to-cursor.ts)
• Types: PascalCase (CanonicalPackage, ConversionResult)
• Functions: camelCase (getPackage, convertToFormat)
• Constants: UPPER_SNAKE_CASE (DEFAULT_REGISTRY_URL)
• Database: snake_case (package_id, created_at)

Documentation Standards

• Inline Comments: Explain WHY, not WHAT
• JSDoc: Required for public APIs
• README: Keep examples up-to-date
• Markdown Docs: Use code blocks with language tags
• Changelog: Follow Keep a Changelog format

Overview

Complete knowledge base for developing PRPM - the universal package manager for AI prompts, agents, and rules.

Reference Documentation

• format-conversion.md - Complete format conversion specs
• package-types.md - All package types with examples
• collections.md - Collections system and examples
• quality-ranking.md - Quality and ranking algorithms
• testing-guide.md - Testing patterns and standards
• deployment.md - Deployment procedures