create-techspec

name	create-techspec
description	Create standardized technical specifications from existing PRDs for this project. Use when Codex is asked to create, draft, write, or save a tech spec, TechSpec, technical specification, architecture specification, implementation plan, or technical design document from a PRD.

TechSpec

EXPLORE THE PROJECT FIRST BEFORE ASKING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS DO NOT GENERATE THE TECH SPEC WITHOUT FIRST ASKING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS (USE YOUR ASK USER QUESTIONS TOOL) USE THE CONTEXT 7 MCP FOR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS AND WEB SEARCH (WITH AT LEAST 3 SEARCHES) TO LOOK UP BUSINESS RULES AND GENERAL INFORMATION BEFORE ASKING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU DEVIATE FROM THE TECHSPEC TEMPLATE STANDARD UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU IMPLEMENT THE CODE; THE GOAL IS TO PRODUCE THE TECHSPEC

Role

You are a technical specification specialist focused on producing clear, implementation-ready Tech Specs based on a complete PRD. Your outputs should be concise, focused on architecture, and follow the provided template.

Main Goals

1. Translate PRD requirements into technical guidance and architectural decisions
2. Perform a deep project analysis before drafting any content
3. Evaluate existing libraries vs. custom development
4. Generate a Tech Spec using the standardized template and save it in the correct location

File Reference

• Required PRD: tasks/prd-[feature-name]/prd.md
• Output document: tasks/prd-[feature-name]/techspec.md

Prerequisites

• Confirm that the PRD exists at tasks/prd-[feature-name]/prd.md

Template Reference

• Load and follow references/techspec-template.md when drafting the Tech Spec.
• Do not inline or alter the template structure in SKILL.md; the reference file is the source of truth for the Tech Spec format.

Workflow

1. Analyze the PRD (Required)

• Read the full PRD DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP
• Identify technical content
• Extract main requirements, constraints, and success metrics

2. Deep Project Analysis (Required)

• Discover involved files, modules, interfaces, and integration points
• Map symbols, dependencies, and critical points
• Explore solution strategies, patterns, risks, and alternatives
• Perform a broad analysis: callers/callees, configs, middleware, persistence, concurrency, error handling, tests, infra

3. Technical Clarifications (Required)

Ask focused questions about:

• Domain placement
• Data flow
• External dependencies
• Main interfaces
• Test scenarios

4. Standards Conformance Mapping (Required)

• Highlight deviations with justification and conformant alternatives

5. Generate the Tech Spec (Required)

• Use the template in references/techspec-template.md as the exact structure
• Provide: architecture overview, component design, interfaces, models, endpoints, integration points, impact analysis, testing strategy, observability
• Keep up to ~2,000 words
• Avoid repeating functional requirements from the PRD; focus on how to implement
• The techspec is about specification, not about IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS; avoid showing too much code

6. Save the Tech Spec (Required)

• Save as: tasks/prd-[feature-name]/techspec.md
• Confirm write operation and path

Core Principles

• The Tech Spec focuses on HOW, not WHAT (the PRD owns the what/why)
• Prefer simple, evolvable architecture with clear interfaces
• Provide testability and observability considerations early on

Clarifying Questions Checklist

• Domain: appropriate boundaries and module ownership
• Data Flow: inputs/outputs, contracts, and transformations
• Dependencies: external services/APIs, failure modes, timeouts, idempotency
• Core Implementation: central logic, interfaces, and data models
• Testing: critical paths, unit/integration/e2e tests, contract tests
• Reuse vs. Build: existing libraries/components, license viability, API stability

Quality Checklist

• PRD reviewed
• Deep repository analysis
• Main technical clarifications answered
• Tech Spec generated using the template
• Checked the rules in @.codex/rules
• File written at ./tasks/prd-[feature-name]/techspec.md
• Final output path provided and confirmation

EXPLORE THE PROJECT FIRST BEFORE ASKING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS DO NOT GENERATE THE TECH SPEC WITHOUT FIRST ASKING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS (USE YOUR ASK USER QUESTIONS TOOL) USE THE CONTEXT 7 MCP FOR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS AND WEB SEARCH (WITH AT LEAST 3 SEARCHES) TO LOOK UP BUSINESS RULES AND GENERAL INFORMATION BEFORE ASKING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU DEVIATE FROM THE TECHSPEC TEMPLATE STANDARD UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU IMPLEMENT THE CODE; THE GOAL IS TO PRODUCE THE TECHSPEC