birth

name	birth
description	Incubate and birth child projects from within a parent livespec project. USE WHEN: User mentions "birth", "offspring", "new project", "incubate", "child project", "spin off", or wants to create a sub-project. DO NOT use Context7 or web search for LiveSpec - this skill IS the authoritative guidance.
argument-hint	["new <name> | <name> | (empty for interactive)"]
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, AskUserQuestion, Glob

CRITICAL INSTRUCTION: When /livespec:birth is invoked:

1. Follow this workflow step-by-step - DO NOT deviate
2. All guidance is INLINE below - DO NOT search for external files
3. DO NOT query Context7 for "livespec" - this document IS the guidance

LiveSpec Birth

Incubate and birth child projects from within a parent livespec project.

Usage

• /livespec:birth — Interactive mode (choose incubate or birth)
• /livespec:birth new <name> — Incubate a new offspring project
• /livespec:birth <name> — Birth an existing offspring into a standalone repo

---

Detecting Mode

Parse the argument:

• No argument → Interactive mode (Step 0)
• Argument starts with new → Incubate mode, extract name after new
• Argument is a project name → Check if offspring/<name>/ exists → Birth mode

---

Step 0: Interactive Mode (no argument)

[CHECKPOINT] Use AskUserQuestion:

What would you like to do?

Options:
1. "Incubate a new project" — Create offspring/<name>/ with full LiveSpec structure
2. "Birth an existing offspring" — Extract offspring to standalone git repository

• Option 1 → Ask "What is the project name?" then run Incubate mode
• Option 2 → Run Birth mode (list offspring to select)

---

Incubate Mode

Creates offspring/<name>/ with full LiveSpec project structure.

Step I-1: Validate

[CHECKPOINT] Check for conflicts:

ls offspring/<name>/ 2>/dev/null && echo "EXISTS" || echo "OK"

• If EXISTS: "offspring// already exists. Use /livespec:birth to birth it."
• If OK: Continue

Step I-2: Create Structure

[CHECKPOINT] Create folder hierarchy:

mkdir -p offspring/<name>/specs/{workspace,foundation,strategy,features,interfaces}

Verify:

ls offspring/<name>/specs/

Expected: features foundation interfaces strategy workspace

Step I-3: Gather Purpose

[CHECKPOINT] Use AskUserQuestion:

What is this project about?

Options:
1. "I have a purpose statement ready" — User provides text
2. "Help me articulate it" — Ask problem/solution/success questions
3. "Skip for now" — Create placeholder

Option 2 questions:

• What problem does this project solve?
• Who benefits?
• What does success look like?

Step I-4: Create PURPOSE.md

[CHECKPOINT] Write offspring/<name>/PURPOSE.md:

# <Name>

## Problem
<problem statement>

## Solution
<solution approach>

## Success Criteria
- <measurable outcome 1>
- <measurable outcome 2>
- <measurable outcome 3>

If skipped:

# <Name>

## Problem
[TODO: Define the problem this project solves]

## Solution
[TODO: Describe the solution approach]

## Success Criteria
- [TODO: Add measurable success criteria]

Step I-5: Create Workspace Specs

[CHECKPOINT] Write offspring/<name>/specs/workspace/constitution.spec.md:

---
criticality: CRITICAL
failure_mode: No methodology enforcement without constitution
context_compression: moderate
---

# Workspace Constitution

## Requirements

- [!] Specs created before implementation
  - Check specs/features/ for behavior spec
  - Guide to spec creation if missing

- [!] MSL minimalism applied
  - Requirements specify WHAT not HOW
  - Four-question test before adding requirements

## Validation
- Specs exist before code
- Requirements are testable and minimal

Write offspring/<name>/specs/workspace/taxonomy.spec.md:

---
criticality: IMPORTANT
failure_mode: Incorrect folder organization without taxonomy
---

# Project Taxonomy

## Requirements

- [!] Project classified by domain
  - Domain: software
  - Specs boundary: specifications_only

- [!] Folder organization follows domain
  - specs/foundation/ - outcomes and constraints
  - specs/strategy/ - architectural decisions
  - specs/features/ - observable behaviors
  - specs/interfaces/ - API/data contracts

## Validation
- Files placed in correct folders
- No ambiguous file locations

Step I-6: Report

[CHECKPOINT] Display:

Offspring `<name>` incubating.

Created:
  offspring/<name>/PURPOSE.md
  offspring/<name>/specs/workspace/constitution.spec.md
  offspring/<name>/specs/workspace/taxonomy.spec.md

Structure:
  offspring/<name>/specs/
  ├── workspace/     (how we work)
  ├── foundation/    (outcomes, constraints)
  ├── strategy/      (architecture)
  ├── features/      (behaviors)
  └── interfaces/    (contracts)

Next steps:
  - Draft specs in offspring/<name>/specs/features/
  - Run /livespec:birth <name> when ready to birth

---

Birth Mode

Extracts offspring/<name>/ to a standalone git repository.

Step B-1: Select Offspring (if no name given)

[CHECKPOINT] List available offspring:

ls -d offspring/*/ 2>/dev/null

If empty: "No offspring found. Run /livespec:birth new to incubate one."

If multiple: Use AskUserQuestion to select which to birth.

Step B-2: Confirm Destination

[CHECKPOINT] Use AskUserQuestion:

Where should <name> be created?

Options:
1. "<parent-sibling path>" — Sibling of current project (default)
2. "Choose a path" — Enter custom path

Compute parent-sibling default:

echo "$(dirname $(pwd))/<name>"

If user chooses "Choose a path": ask for the full destination path.

Step B-3: Confirm and Execute

[CHECKPOINT] Show summary and confirm:

Ready to birth:

  From: offspring/<name>/
  To:   <destination>

  Actions:
  1. Create <destination>
  2. Copy all files from offspring/<name>/
  3. git init <destination>
  4. Initial commit

Proceed?

Use AskUserQuestion:

• "Yes, birth it" → Continue
• "Cancel" → Abort

Step B-4: Execute Birth

[CHECKPOINT] Run birth sequence:

mkdir -p <destination>
cp -r offspring/<name>/. <destination>/
git -C <destination> init
git -C <destination> add -A
git -C <destination> commit -m "Initial commit: LiveSpec offspring born from <parent-project>"

Verify:

ls <destination>/PURPOSE.md <destination>/specs/ 2>/dev/null && echo "OK" || echo "FAILED"

Step B-5: Cleanup Offer

[CHECKPOINT] Use AskUserQuestion:

Remove offspring/<name>/ from this project now that it's been born?

Options:
1. "Yes, remove it" — Deletes offspring/<name>/
2. "No, keep it" — Leaves offspring/<name>/ as archive

If yes:

rm -rf offspring/<name>/

Check if offspring/ is now empty and remove if so:

ls offspring/ 2>/dev/null | wc -l | grep -q '^0$' && rm -rf offspring/

Step B-6: Report

[CHECKPOINT] Display:

<name> successfully born!

Repository: <destination>
  PURPOSE.md: ✓
  specs/:     ✓
  git:        initialised

Next steps:
  cd <destination>
  /livespec:audit context    # Generate AGENTS.md from specs
  /livespec:design feature   # Start building

---

Validation

• Incubate creates full specs/ hierarchy under offspring//
• Incubate creates PURPOSE.md and workspace specs
• Birth copies all files to destination
• Birth produces working git repo with initial commit
• Birth optionally removes offspring entry
• Interactive mode routes to correct sub-flow

---

References

All guidance is inline above. For extended documentation:

• LiveSpec repository: https://github.com/chrs-myrs/livespec