spec-kit

name	spec-kit
description	Drives spec-first feature development using GitHub Spec-Kit (specify-cli) — enforces constitution → specify → plan → tasks → implement workflow, manages extensions and presets, and applies the Spec-Driven Development lifecycle. Use when starting a new feature, writing spec or plan files, breaking work into tasks, or installing extensions/presets.
tools	Bash, Read, Write, Grep, Glob
user-invocable	false
metadata	{"author":"Ryan Loiselle","version":"1.0"}
compatibility	Requires specify-cli from github/spec-kit. Supports --ai copilot (prompt files) or --ai copilot --ai-skills (SKILL.md). See https://github.com/github/spec-kit

GitHub Spec-Kit Agent

Enforces Spec-Driven Development: constitution → specify → plan → tasks → implement. No implementation code before spec, plan, and tasks exist.

This is the generic template version. Project-specific feature tables and spec IDs live in the project's own spec-kit.agent.md or .specify/ configuration.

---

Core Rule

Follow the SDD workflow in order. No skipping phases.

constitution  →  specify  →  (clarify)  →  plan  →  (analyze)  →  tasks  →  implement

---

Installation

# Install specify-cli (pin to a stable release — check https://github.com/github/spec-kit/releases)
uv tool install specify-cli --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git@v0.7.4

# Verify
specify version
specify check

# Upgrade
uv tool install specify-cli --force --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git@vX.Y.Z

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Project Initialisation

# Default: creates slash-command prompt files at .github/prompts/speckit.*
specify init --here --ai copilot

# Alternative: installs SKILL.md files for VS Code auto-discovery
specify init --here --ai copilot --ai-skills

# Commit initialisation artifacts
git add .specify/ .github/prompts/
git commit -m "chore: initialise github spec-kit"

Add to .gitignore:

__pycache__/
*.pyc
*.pyo

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Core Slash Commands (SDD Workflow)

Command	Purpose
/speckit.constitution	Create or update project governing principles and dev guidelines — run once per project
/speckit.specify	Define what to build: requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria
/speckit.plan	Generate a technical implementation plan (provide tech stack and architecture choices)
/speckit.tasks	Break the plan into an actionable task list
/speckit.implement	Execute all tasks and build the feature

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Optional Enhancement Commands

Command	When to use
/speckit.clarify	After /speckit.specify — surfaces underspecified areas before planning
/speckit.analyze	After /speckit.tasks, before /speckit.implement — cross-artifact consistency check
/speckit.checklist	Generate custom quality checklists for requirements completeness and clarity
/speckit.optimize.run	Audit constitution for token bloat, stale rules, ambiguity, and governance echo — see sakitA/spec-kit-optimize

---

Typical Feature Workflow

1.  /speckit.constitution   ← once per project
2.  /speckit.specify        ← describe the feature (what + why, not the tech)
3.  /speckit.clarify        ← (recommended) surface gaps
4.  /speckit.plan           ← provide tech stack and architectural constraints
5.  /speckit.analyze        ← verify consistency before task generation
6.  /speckit.tasks          ← generate task list
7.  /speckit.implement      ← build it

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Directory Structure (post-init)

.specify/                     ← specify-cli config and templates
  templates/
    overrides/                ← project-local template overrides
  extensions/                 ← installed extensions
  presets/                    ← installed presets
.github/
  prompts/
    speckit.constitution.prompt.md
    speckit.specify.prompt.md
    speckit.plan.prompt.md
    speckit.tasks.prompt.md
    speckit.implement.prompt.md
    speckit.clarify.prompt.md
    speckit.analyze.prompt.md
    speckit.checklist.prompt.md

---

Extensions

Extensions add new commands or workflow phases:

# Discover
specify extension search

# Install
specify extension add <extension-name>

# Examples of useful extensions
specify extension add spec-kit-verify       # post-implementation quality gate
specify extension add spec-kit-cleanup      # scout-rule fixes + issue triage
specify extension add spec-kit-bugfix       # structured bug-to-spec trace workflow
specify extension add spec-kit-ci-guard     # spec compliance gates for CI/CD
specify extension add spec-kit-brownfield   # bootstrap spec-kit into existing codebases
specify extension add spec-kit-pr-bridge-   # auto-generate PR descriptions from spec artifacts

See the full catalog at: https://github.com/github/spec-kit/blob/main/extensions/catalog.community.json

---

Presets

Presets customise how spec-kit behaves without adding new commands:

# Discover
specify preset search

# Install
specify preset add <preset-name>

Use presets to enforce BC Gov compliance formats, apply Agile terminology, or mandate test-first task ordering.

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Pre-Merge Checklist

1. All tasks in /speckit.tasks output marked complete
2. /speckit.analyze run — 0 consistency issues
3. All acceptance criteria checked off in spec
4. Implementation aligns with the plan phase structure
5. Unit tests passing
6. Run specify extension add spec-kit-verify if not already installed, then /speckit.verify

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Files to Commit

git add .specify/ .github/prompts/
# .gitignore must include: __pycache__/ *.pyc *.pyo

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Spec-Kitty vs Spec-Kit Quick Reference

Both tools implement Spec-Driven Development. Choose based on team/project preference:

Aspect	Spec-Kitty (spec-kitty CLI)	GitHub Spec-Kit (specify CLI)
Install	pip install spec-kitty	uv tool install specify-cli --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git
Config dir	.kittify/	.specify/
Feature dir	kitty-specs/{NNN}-{slug}/	Flexible — specify creates files in project root or designated folder
Task format	WP{NN}-title.md with YAML frontmatter	tasks.md list (AI-generated from /speckit.tasks)
Lane tracking	planned → in-progress → review → done	Phase-based (no formal lanes)
Validation	spec-kitty validate-tasks --all	/speckit.analyze + spec-kit-verify extension
Extensions	Not supported	40+ community extensions
Presets	Not supported	Multiple community presets
Agent support	CLI prompt files	30+ AI agent integrations
Stars	Custom/private	90k+ (github/spec-kit)

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SPEC_KIT_KNOWLEDGE

Append new spec-kit discoveries here. Format: YYYY-MM-DD: [project] <discovery>

• 2026-04-22: [rl-agents-n-skills] "GitHub Spec-Kit" and "Microsoft Spec-Kit" are the same tool — canonical repo is github/spec-kit (https://github.com/github/spec-kit, MIT). Both names are in use: "GitHub Spec-Kit" follows the repo org; "Microsoft Spec-Kit" is used in some community docs and MCP bridge projects because Microsoft owns GitHub. If you encounter either name, they refer to the same specify CLI and SDD workflow.
• 2026-04-22: [rl-agents-n-skills] --ai copilot creates .github/prompts/speckit.* files (slash commands for Copilot Chat). --ai copilot --ai-skills creates SKILL.md files for VS Code auto-discovery instead.