Speckit.constitution

description: Create or amend the project constitution handoffs:

• label: Create Feature Spec agent: speckit.specify prompt: Create a spec for...
• label: Review Architecture agent: speckit.plan prompt: Review architecture alignment with constitution

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

You MUST consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty).

Outline

The constitution is the governing document for the project. It defines core principles, development workflow, and governance rules that all agents and engineers must follow. It lives at docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md and is symlinked from .specify/memory/constitution.md.

Step 1: Determine Mode

Check whether docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md exists:

• If it does NOT exist → Create mode (go to Step 2)
• If it exists → Amend mode (go to Step 3)

If the user input is empty:

• In create mode: ask the user to describe the project's purpose, core values, and any non-negotiable constraints
• In amend mode: ask the user what they want to change and why

Step 2: Create New Constitution

1. Load the template from templates/constitution-template.md to understand the required structure and sections.

2. Gather project context:

   • Read README.md (if it exists) for project purpose and scope
   • Read docs/plans/ARCHITECTURE.md (if it exists) for technical context
   • Use the user's input for principles and values

3. Fill the template by replacing all [PLACEHOLDER] tokens with concrete content derived from the project context and user input:

   • Replace [PROJECT_NAME] with the actual project name
   • Replace each [PRINCIPLE_N_NAME] and [PRINCIPLE_N_DESCRIPTION] with real principles
   • Add or remove principle sections as needed (the template shows 5 examples but the actual count depends on the project)
   • Replace [SECTION_2_NAME], [SECTION_3_NAME] and their content with appropriate sections for the project
   • Fill [GOVERNANCE_RULES] with concrete governance rules
   • Set [CONSTITUTION_VERSION] to 0.0.1, [RATIFICATION_DATE] and [LAST_AMENDED_DATE] to today's date

4. Quality checks before writing:

   • Every principle must be actionable (agents can verify compliance)
   • No placeholder text remains ([PLACEHOLDER] markers)
   • At least 3 core principles are defined
   • Governance section defines how amendments work
   • Version and dates are set

5. Write the constitution to docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md.

6. Ensure the symlink exists at .specify/memory/constitution.md pointing to ../../docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md:

   mkdir -p .specify/memory
   ln -sf ../../docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md .specify/memory/constitution.md
   

   Verify the symlink resolves correctly.

7. Go to Step 4.

Step 3: Amend Existing Constitution

1. Load the current constitution from docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md.

2. Parse the user's amendment request from the input. Identify:

   • Which section(s) the change affects
   • Whether this adds, modifies, or removes content
   • The rationale for the change

3. Validate the amendment against governance rules defined in the constitution itself:

   • If the constitution requires a specification for amendments, note this requirement to the user
   • If the amendment contradicts an existing principle, highlight the conflict and ask the user to confirm

4. Apply the amendment:

   • Modify only the affected sections
   • Preserve all unaffected content exactly as-is
   • Increment the version number (patch for clarifications, minor for new principles, major for fundamental changes)
   • Update [LAST_AMENDED_DATE] to today's date

5. Present a summary of changes to the user:

   ## Constitution Amendment Summary
   
   **Version**: X.Y.Z → X.Y.Z+1
   **Sections changed**: [list]
   **Changes**:
   - [description of each change]
   **Rationale**: [from user input]
   

6. Write the updated constitution to docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md.

7. Go to Step 4.

Step 4: Report Completion

Report the result with:

• Mode used (create or amend)
• Constitution file path (docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md)
• Symlink status (.specify/memory/constitution.md → valid/invalid)
• Version number
• Summary of principles defined
• Next steps: suggest /speckit.specify to create the first feature spec if this is a new constitution

References

• A Spec for Specs — Outshift Engineering guidance on specification standards and agentic software development

Key Rules

• The constitution is the highest-authority document in the project — it governs all other docs
• Never remove the Governance section; it defines how the constitution itself can change
• Keep principles concise and actionable; agents must be able to verify compliance
• Use numbered Roman numerals (I, II, III...) for principle headings to match convention
• The .specify/memory/constitution.md symlink must always point to docs/plans/CONSTITUTION.md