spec-review

name	spec-review
description	Reviews and enriches story specifications with codebase-verified technical sub-tasks, architecture alignment checks, design simplification suggestions, and API test plans. Dynamically discovers project architecture at runtime. Use when: (1) a new story spec needs review before implementation, (2) a spec has high-level tasks but lacks implementation-ready detail, (3) need to verify spec assumptions against actual codebase, (4) a spec references API changes but has no test plan, (5) reviewing specs that reference data shapes or pipeline ordering, (6) spec subtasks mention add field X to object Y or call function at line N.
metadata	{"version":"2.2.2"}

Spec Review

Path convention: ./scripts/… and ./references/… below are relative to this skill's own base directory — announced as "Base directory for this skill" when the skill is invoked. A Bash tool call's working directory is the user's project, not the skill directory, so prefix these with that base directory when running them. Paths written without the leading ./ (for example scripts/ or tests/ inside a search over the codebase) refer to the target project being worked on, not to this skill.

Comprehensive spec review combining codebase verification and implementation planning. Discovers project architecture at runtime — works with any codebase structure.

1. Codebase Verification — 8-category checklist for verifying spec sub-tasks against code
2. Full Planning Workflow — 4-phase parallel analysis producing enriched specs

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Part 1: Codebase Verification Checklist

Problem

Story specs with technical subtasks frequently contain incorrect assumptions about the codebase — fields on the wrong object, wrong data shapes, incorrect pipeline ordering, unnecessary wrapper functions. These look plausible but cause confusion during implementation.

Pre-Commit Verification Checklist

For every spec subtask that references code, verify these 8 categories:

1. Field Location — "Which object actually has this field?"

# Don't assume a field is on the object you expect
grep -rn "fieldName" <service-directory> --include="*.ts" --include="*.js"

Common trap: Enrichment/transform services copy SOME fields from source items but not ALL.

2. Data Shape — "What type is this field really?"

grep -A5 "fieldName" <service-file>
# May reveal { value: number, unit: string } not just a number

Common trap: Duration/time fields are often objects {value, unit} not plain numbers.

3. Pipeline Ordering — "What data is available at this point?"

# Trace the processing pipeline to verify what data exists at each stage
grep -n "extract\|enrich\|transform\|validate\|process" <orchestrator-file>

Common trap: Integration points may be BEFORE enrichment/transform runs.

4. Function Signatures — "What params does this actually take?"

grep -A3 "function targetFunction\|const targetFunction" <file>

Common trap: Functions may infer values from their inputs rather than accepting explicit params.

5. Conditional Fields — "Is this field always present?"

grep -B2 -A2 "fieldName =" <config-or-service-file>
# May reveal: field only set under certain conditions

6. Existing Delegation — "Does a wrapper already handle this?"

grep -n "buildDynamic\|delegate\|dispatch\|forward" <relevant-files>

7. Automation Integration — "Will this run during CI/maintenance?"

# Find pipeline agents/scripts that run build/enrichment steps
grep -rn "script-name\|task-name" .claude/agents/ scripts/ .github/

8. ID/Data Contract Consistency — "Do producer and consumer use the same resolution?"

# When spec says "function A returns IDs that function B uses for lookup"
# Verify both use the same ID resolution/normalization
grep -A10 "function producer\|function consumer" <service-files>

Common trap: A producer resolves IDs to canonical form but the consumer expects raw values.

Verification Output

After applying the checklist, the spec should have:

• Exact function signatures with parameter types and return types
• Correct file paths and line numbers (verified by reading the file)
• Accurate data shapes (object vs primitive, with field names)
• Correct pipeline ordering (verified by reading the orchestration code)
• Conditional field handling noted where fields may be absent
• No unnecessary wrapper functions
• ID resolution consistency verified between producer and consumer functions

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Part 2: Full Planning Workflow

Quick Check

# Discover project architecture (layers, services, test tools)
./scripts/discover-project-architecture.sh "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
./scripts/discover-project-architecture.sh "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)" --json

# Extract spec sections for analysis
./scripts/extract-spec-sections.sh <spec-file>
./scripts/extract-spec-sections.sh <spec-file> --json

# Task checklist for full review
./scripts/task-manifest.sh full-review

Progress Tracking (MANDATORY)

Before starting a full review, create the task checklist from ./scripts/task-manifest.sh full-review:

#	subject	activeForm
1	Discover architecture and extract spec	Discovering project architecture
2	Launch 4 parallel analysis agents	Analyzing spec with 4 parallel agents
3	Synthesize findings into enrichments	Synthesizing review findings
4	Calculate readiness score	Calculating implementation readiness
5	Present report and apply enrichments	Presenting review report

Update rules:

• Mark each task in_progress (TaskUpdate) immediately before starting it
• Mark each task completed immediately after it succeeds
• Task 2 launches 4 parallel agents — mark completed after ALL agents return
• If any task fails, keep it as in_progress and report the error
• On abort, mark remaining tasks as deleted

Phase 1: Discover and Extract (Scripts)

1.1 Discover project architecture:

PROJECT_ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
ARCH=$(./scripts/discover-project-architecture.sh "$PROJECT_ROOT" --json)

This returns: packages with layer classification (frontend/backend/mcp/tooling), frameworks per package, test frameworks, API test tools, Bruno folders (if any), E2E framework, data flow patterns, i18n approach, and security patterns.

1.2 Extract spec sections:

SPEC_DATA=$(./scripts/extract-spec-sections.sh "$SPEC_FILE" --json)

This returns: title, acceptance criteria counts, referenced files and endpoints, sub-task count, and gap detection (missing codebase state, missing test plan).

1.3 Read CLAUDE.md and architecture docs from the project root. Look for:

• CLAUDE.md — project-level development rules and conventions
• docs/development/ARCHITECTURE.md or similar — architecture documentation
• docs/development/TESTING.md or similar — test strategy documentation

These provide project-specific context that the discovery script can't capture (business rules, data flow conventions, layer responsibility definitions).

Phase 2: Parallel Analysis (4 Agents)

Launch ALL four agents in a SINGLE Task tool message.

The feature-dev:* agent types below require the separately-installed feature-dev plugin. If it is not available, dispatch general-purpose instead and note the substitution in your output.

Agent	Type	Purpose	Key Output
Codebase Verifier	feature-dev:code-explorer	Verify every file path, function name, and data shape	Verified/corrected paths, signatures, shapes
Architecture Reviewer	feature-dev:code-explorer	Map spec to discovered architecture, identify boundary violations	Architecture alignment report
Design Simplifier	feature-dev:code-architect	Analyze for over-engineering, suggest simpler approaches	Simplification recommendations
Test Plan Extractor	general-purpose	Extract testable scenarios, design API/E2E test plan	Test plan using project's discovered test tools

Agent Prompt Templates

Codebase Verifier — Provide the spec's referenced files/functions/fields and ask:

You are verifying a story specification against the actual codebase.

SPEC TITLE: [title]
SPEC FILE: [path]

FILES REFERENCED IN SPEC:
[list from extraction]

FUNCTIONS REFERENCED:
[list of function names and claimed signatures]

YOUR TASK:
1. Verify each referenced file EXISTS at the claimed path
2. Verify each function has the claimed SIGNATURE
3. Verify each data shape matches reality (field names, types, nesting)
4. Check line number references are still accurate
5. Report DISCREPANCIES between spec claims and actual codebase

OUTPUT FORMAT:
- VERIFIED: [path/function] — matches spec
- CORRECTED: [path/function] — spec says X, actual is Y
- MISSING: [path/function] — does not exist in codebase

Architecture Reviewer — Inject discovered architecture into the prompt:

You are reviewing a story specification for architecture alignment.

SPEC TITLE: [title]
SOLUTION OVERVIEW: [paste solution section]
SUB-TASKS: [paste sub-task list]

PROJECT ARCHITECTURE (discovered at runtime):
[Paste the ARCH JSON from Phase 1 — layers, services, frameworks]

PROJECT RULES (from CLAUDE.md):
[Paste relevant architecture rules from CLAUDE.md]

YOUR TASK:
1. Identify the project's layer boundaries from the discovered architecture
2. Check each sub-task respects layer boundaries
3. Map spec requirements to EXISTING services that already handle similar work
4. Flag missing cross-cutting concerns (CSRF, caching, i18n — based on discovered patterns)
5. Check if data flow follows the project's established direction

OUTPUT FORMAT:
- ALIGNED: [sub-task] — correctly uses [layer/service]
- VIOLATION: [sub-task] — [description of violation and fix]
- REUSE: [sub-task] — existing [service/function] already handles this
- MISSING: [concern] — spec should address [security/cache/i18n/etc.]

Design Simplifier — Provide the spec's technical design:

You are reviewing a story specification for over-engineering.

SPEC TITLE: [title]
TECHNICAL DESIGN: [paste design section]
SUB-TASKS: [paste all sub-tasks with details]
SUB-TASK COUNT: [N]
NEW FILES PROPOSED: [list]

SIMPLIFICATION PATTERNS:
[Paste the full contents of ./references/design-simplification-checklist.md here — inline the content; do not pass the file path to the sub-agent]

YOUR TASK:
1. For each sub-task, ask: "Can this be done more simply?"
2. Check for unnecessary abstractions (wrappers, managers, helpers used once)
3. Check for redundant infrastructure (new cache when upstream caches exist)
4. Check for over-scoped changes (refactoring, observability, feature flags)
5. Propose concrete simplifications with rationale

OUTPUT FORMAT:
- KEEP: [sub-task] — appropriately scoped
- SIMPLIFY: [sub-task] — [current approach] → [simpler approach] because [reason]
- REMOVE: [sub-task] — unnecessary because [reason]
- MERGE: [sub-tasks X+Y] → single sub-task because [reason]

Test Plan Extractor — Use discovered test tools:

You are extracting testable use cases from a story specification.

SPEC TITLE: [title]
ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA: [paste all ACs]
ENDPOINTS AFFECTED: [list of API routes/tools]

PROJECT TEST INFRASTRUCTURE (discovered):
- API Test Tool: [e.g., Bruno, Postman, HTTP Client, or none]
- API Test Folders: [list from discovery, or "none detected"]
- Unit Test Framework: [e.g., Jest, Vitest, pytest per package]
- E2E Framework: [e.g., Playwright, Cypress, or none]

SCENARIO CATEGORIES:
  HP (Happy Path, P0) | VAL (Validation, P0) | EDGE (Edge Cases, P1)
  DC (Data Contract, P0) | REG (Regression, P1) | LOC (Localization, P1) | PERF (Performance, P2)

YOUR TASK:
1. For each acceptance criterion, identify testable API scenarios
2. Classify each scenario (HP/VAL/EDGE/DC/REG/LOC/PERF)
3. Determine the correct test location based on discovered folder structure
4. Identify shared fixtures/sessions that can be reused
5. Define key assertions for each test
6. Check for existing tests that might already cover scenarios
7. Note scenarios better suited for unit tests or E2E

OUTPUT FORMAT:
## API Test Plan
### Test Summary
| ID | Scenario | Category | File | Folder | Priority |

### Coverage Matrix
| Acceptance Criterion | Test(s) | Gap? |

### Test Specifications
1. **TEST.1** Create [folder/file] — [description with key assertions]

Team Mode (Optional)

When CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS is enabled, Phase 2 can use a team instead of 4 parallel Agent calls. Benefits:

• Cross-pollination: Codebase Verifier can alert Architecture Reviewer about missing files mid-review (via SendMessage), rather than discovering mismatches only during synthesis
• Iterative refinement: If Design Simplifier identifies a simplification that affects the Test Plan, the Test Plan Extractor adjusts in real-time

Team workflow:

1. TeamCreate("spec-review-{spec-name}")
2. Create 4 tasks (one per analysis dimension)
3. Spawn 4 teammates with specialized prompts
4. Teammates claim tasks, work independently, message each other with findings
5. Lead synthesizes all findings in Phase 3
6. TeamDelete cleanup

Default: Sub-agent mode (no teams). Teams are opt-in when enabled.

Phase 3: Synthesize and Generate Enrichments

After all agents return, synthesize findings into spec enrichments.

3.1 Current Codebase State Section

## Current Codebase State
**What EXISTS (verified):**
- `exact/path/to/file.ext` — functionName(params): ReturnType (line XX)

**What needs to be MODIFIED:**
- `exact/path/to/file.ext` — [specific change description]

**What needs to be CREATED:**
- `exact/path/to/new-file.ext` — [purpose and responsibility]

3.2 Design Simplification Notes

## Design Simplification Notes
1. **[Sub-task X]**: [Current approach] → [Simpler approach] — [rationale]

3.3 Detailed Technical Sub-Tasks

Each sub-task must have: File, Function, Change, Verification command, Dependencies, Estimated complexity (S/M/L).

3.4 API Test Plan

Formatted using the project's discovered test tool conventions (Bruno .bru files, Postman collections, plain HTTP files, or unit test specifications).

3.5 Implementation Readiness Score

Dimension	Score (1-5)	Notes
Codebase Accuracy	X	How many refs were correct vs corrected
Architecture Alignment	X	How many violations found
Design Simplicity	X	Complexity score from simplifier
Test Coverage	X	% of ACs mapped to tests
Sub-Task Completeness	X	Are all sub-tasks implementation-ready?
Overall Readiness	X/25

Readiness levels:

• 20-25: Ready for implementation
• 15-19: Minor gaps, review enrichments and proceed
• 10-14: Significant gaps, iterate on spec before implementing
• Below 10: Major rework needed

Phase 4: Present Report

Present findings as a structured report with:

1. Summary of issues found (Critical / Important / Suggestions)
2. Enriched sections ready to insert into the spec
3. Implementation readiness score
4. Recommended next steps

Ask the user whether to:

• Update the spec file with enrichments (recommended)
• Save as a companion document (e.g., specs/reviews/review-X.Y.md)
• Just report without modifying files

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Notes

• This skill is a PRE-implementation review. It enriches specs, not code.
• Feature-dev's code-explorer agents are reused for codebase verification when the feature-dev plugin is installed; otherwise general-purpose agents are substituted.
• Feature-dev's code-architect agents are reused for design analysis when the feature-dev plugin is installed; otherwise general-purpose agents are substituted.
• The test plan produced here is a SPECIFICATION — use appropriate tooling during implementation to create actual test files.
• Always verify spec claims with grep/read — never trust assumed file paths.
• The most common failure mode is field-on-wrong-object: a field exists in the codebase but on a different layer's object than the spec assumes.
• For multi-path systems (e.g., sync + async + streaming code paths), ensure the spec addresses ALL paths consistently.

See Also

• spec-creator — generates story specs (this skill reviews them)
• context-shield — use when a spec references many external docs that need reading