Spec Generator

Spec Generator

Structured specification document generator producing a complete specification package (Product Brief, PRD, Architecture, Epics, Issues) through 7 sequential phases with multi-CLI analysis, Codex review gates, and interactive refinement. Heavy document phases are delegated to doc-generator agents to minimize main context usage. Document generation only - execution handoff via issue export to team-planex or existing workflows.

Architecture Overview

Phase 0:   Specification Study (Read specs/ + templates/ - mandatory prerequisite)      [Inline]
           |
Phase 1:   Discovery               -> spec-config.json + discovery-context.json         [Inline]
           |                           (includes spec_type selection)
Phase 1.5: Req Expansion           -> refined-requirements.json                         [Inline]
           |                           (interactive discussion + CLI gap analysis)
Phase 2:   Product Brief            -> product-brief.md + glossary.json                 [Agent]
           |                           (3-CLI parallel + synthesis)
Phase 3:   Requirements (PRD)      -> requirements/  (_index.md + REQ-*.md + NFR-*.md)  [Agent]
           |                           (Gemini + Codex review)
Phase 4:   Architecture            -> architecture/  (_index.md + ADR-*.md)             [Agent]
           |                           (Gemini + Codex review)
Phase 5:   Epics & Stories         -> epics/  (_index.md + EPIC-*.md)                   [Agent]
           |                           (Gemini + Codex review)
Phase 6:   Readiness Check         -> readiness-report.md + spec-summary.md             [Inline]
           |                           (Gemini + Codex dual validation + per-req verification)
           +-- Pass (>=80%): Handoff or Phase 7
           +-- Review (60-79%): Handoff with caveats or Phase 7
           +-- Fail (<60%): Phase 6.5 Auto-Fix (max 2 iterations)
                 |
Phase 6.5: Auto-Fix               -> Updated Phase 2-5 documents                       [Agent]
                 |
                 +-- Re-run Phase 6 validation
                       |
Phase 7:   Issue Export            -> issue-export-report.md                            [Inline]
                                      (Epic->Issue mapping, ccw issue create, wave assignment)

Key Design Principles

1. Document Chain: Each phase builds on previous outputs, creating a traceable specification chain from idea to executable issues
2. Agent-Delegated: Heavy document phases (2-5, 6.5) run in doc-generator agents via spawn_agent, keeping main context lean (summaries only)
3. Multi-Perspective Analysis: CLI tools (Gemini/Codex/Claude) provide product, technical, and user perspectives in parallel
4. Codex Review Gates: Phases 3, 5, 6 include Codex CLI review for quality validation before output
5. Interactive by Default: Each phase offers user confirmation points; -y flag enables full auto mode
6. Resumable Sessions: spec-config.json tracks completed phases; -c flag resumes from last checkpoint
7. Template-Driven: All documents generated from standardized templates with YAML frontmatter
8. Pure Documentation: No code generation or execution - clean handoff via issue export to execution workflows
9. Spec Type Specialization: Templates adapt to spec type (service/api/library/platform) via profiles for domain-specific depth
10. Iterative Quality: Phase 6.5 auto-fix loop repairs issues found in readiness check (max 2 iterations)
11. Terminology Consistency: glossary.json generated in Phase 2, injected into all subsequent phases

Agent Registry

COMPACT PROTECTION: Agent files are execution documents. When context compression occurs and agent instructions are reduced to summaries, you MUST immediately Read the corresponding agent file to reload before continuing execution.

Fork Context Strategy

Why all fork_turns: "none": This is a Pipeline pattern (2.5) — each phase produces files on disk and the next phase reads them. No agent needs the orchestrator's conversation history; all context is explicitly passed via file paths in the spawn message.

Mandatory Prerequisites

Do NOT skip: Before performing any operations, you must completely read the following documents. Proceeding without reading the specifications will result in outputs that do not meet quality standards.

Specification Documents (Required Reading)

Template Files (Must read before generation)

Execution Flow

Input Parsing:
   |- Parse $ARGUMENTS: extract idea/topic, flags (-y, -c, -m)
   |- Detect mode: new | continue
   |- If continue: read spec-config.json, resume from first incomplete phase
   |- If new: proceed to Phase 1

Phase 0 → 1: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-0",status:"completed"},{id:"phase-1",status:"in_progress"}])

Phase 1: Discovery & Seed Analysis
   |- Ref: phases/01-discovery.md
   |- Generate session ID: SPEC-{YYYY-MM-DD}-{slug}
   |- Parse input (text or file reference)
   |- Gemini CLI seed analysis (problem, users, domain, dimensions)
   |- Codebase exploration (conditional, if project detected)
   |  |- spawn_agent({ task_name: "spec-explorer", fork_turns: "none", message: ... })
   |  |- wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 1800000 })
   |  |- close_agent({ target: "spec-explorer" })
   |- Spec type selection: service|api|library|platform (interactive, -y defaults to service)
   |- User confirmation (interactive, -y skips)
   |- Output: spec-config.json, discovery-context.json (optional)

Phase 1 → 1.5: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-1",status:"completed"},{id:"phase-1.5",status:"in_progress"}])

Phase 1.5: Requirement Expansion & Clarification
   |- Ref: phases/01-5-requirement-clarification.md
   |- CLI gap analysis: completeness scoring, missing dimensions detection
   |- Multi-round interactive discussion (max 5 rounds)
   |  |- Round 1: present gap analysis + expansion suggestions
   |  |- Round N: follow-up refinement based on user responses
   |- User final confirmation of requirements
   |- Auto mode (-y): CLI auto-expansion without interaction
   |- Output: refined-requirements.json

Phase 1.5 → 2: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-1.5",status:"completed"},{id:"phase-2",status:"in_progress"}])

Phase 2: Product Brief  [AGENT: doc-generator]
   |- spawn_agent({ task_name: "doc-gen-p2", fork_turns: "none", message: <context envelope> })
   |- Agent reads: phases/02-product-brief.md
   |- Agent executes: 3 parallel CLI analyses + synthesis + glossary generation
   |- Agent writes: product-brief.md, glossary.json
   |- wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 1800000 })
   |- close_agent({ target: "doc-gen-p2" })
   |- Orchestrator validates: files exist, spec-config.json updated

Phase 2 → 3: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-2",status:"completed"},{id:"phase-3",status:"in_progress"}])

Phase 3: Requirements / PRD  [AGENT: doc-generator]
   |- spawn_agent({ task_name: "doc-gen-p3", fork_turns: "none", message: <context envelope> })
   |- Agent reads: phases/03-requirements.md
   |- Agent executes: Gemini expansion + Codex review (Step 2.5) + priority sorting
   |- Agent writes: requirements/ directory (_index.md + REQ-*.md + NFR-*.md)
   |- wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 1800000 })
   |- close_agent({ target: "doc-gen-p3" })
   |- Orchestrator validates: directory exists, file count matches

Phase 3 → 4: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-3",status:"completed"},{id:"phase-4",status:"in_progress"}])

Phase 4: Architecture  [AGENT: doc-generator]
   |- spawn_agent({ task_name: "doc-gen-p4", fork_turns: "none", message: <context envelope> })
   |- Agent reads: phases/04-architecture.md
   |- Agent executes: Gemini analysis + Codex review + codebase mapping
   |- Agent writes: architecture/ directory (_index.md + ADR-*.md)
   |- wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 1800000 })
   |- close_agent({ target: "doc-gen-p4" })
   |- Orchestrator validates: directory exists, ADR files present

Phase 4 → 5: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-4",status:"completed"},{id:"phase-5",status:"in_progress"}])

Phase 5: Epics & Stories  [AGENT: doc-generator]
   |- spawn_agent({ task_name: "doc-gen-p5", fork_turns: "none", message: <context envelope> })
   |- Agent reads: phases/05-epics-stories.md
   |- Agent executes: Gemini decomposition + Codex review (Step 2.5) + validation
   |- Agent writes: epics/ directory (_index.md + EPIC-*.md)
   |- wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 1800000 })
   |- close_agent({ target: "doc-gen-p5" })
   |- Orchestrator validates: directory exists, MVP epics present

Phase 5 → 6: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-5",status:"completed"},{id:"phase-6",status:"in_progress"}])

Phase 6: Readiness Check  [INLINE + ENHANCED]
   |- Ref: phases/06-readiness-check.md
   |- Gemini CLI: cross-document validation (completeness, consistency, traceability)
   |- Codex CLI: technical depth review (ADR quality, data model, security, observability)
   |- Per-requirement verification: iterate all REQ-*.md / NFR-*.md
   |  |- Check: AC exists + testable, Brief trace, Story coverage, Arch coverage
   |  |- Generate: Per-Requirement Verification table
   |- Merge dual CLI scores into quality report
   |- Output: readiness-report.md, spec-summary.md
   |- Handoff options: Phase 7 (issue export), lite-plan, req-plan, plan, iterate

Phase 6.5: Auto-Fix (conditional)  [AGENT: doc-generator]
   |- spawn_agent({ task_name: "doc-gen-fix", fork_turns: "none", message: <context envelope> })
   |- Agent reads: phases/06-5-auto-fix.md + readiness-report.md
   |- Agent executes: fix affected Phase 2-5 documents
   |- wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 1800000 })
   |- close_agent({ target: "doc-gen-fix" })
   |- Re-run Phase 6 validation
   |- Max 2 iterations, then force handoff

Phase 6 → 7: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-6",status:"completed"},{id:"phase-7",status:"in_progress"}])

Phase 7: Issue Export  [INLINE]
   |- Ref: phases/07-issue-export.md
   |- Read EPIC-*.md files, assign waves (MVP->wave-1, others->wave-2)
   |- Create issues via ccw issue create (one per Epic)
   |- Map Epic dependencies to issue dependencies
   |- Generate issue-export-report.md
   |- Update spec-config.json with issue_ids
   |- Handoff: team-planex, wave-1 only, view issues, done

Phase 7 complete: functions.update_plan([{id:"phase-7",status:"completed"}])

Complete: Full specification package with issues ready for execution

Phase 6/7 -> Handoff Bridge (conditional, based on user selection):
   +- team-planex: Execute issues via coordinated team workflow
   +- lite-plan: Extract first MVP Epic description -> direct text input
   +- plan / req-plan: Create WFS session + .brainstorming/ bridge files
   |   +- guidance-specification.md (synthesized from spec outputs)
   |   +- feature-specs/feature-index.json (Epic -> Feature mapping)
   |   +-- feature-specs/F-{num}-{slug}.md (one per Epic)
   +- context-search-agent auto-discovers .brainstorming/
       -> context-package.json.brainstorm_artifacts populated
       -> action-planning-agent consumes: guidance_spec (P1) -> feature_index (P2)

Directory Setup

// Session ID generation
const slug = topic.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9\u4e00-\u9fff]+/g, '-').slice(0, 40);
const date = new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10);
const sessionId = `SPEC-${date}-${slug}`;
const workDir = `.workflow/.spec/${sessionId}`;

Bash(`mkdir -p "${workDir}"`);

// Initialize progress tracking (MANDATORY)
functions.update_plan([
  { id: "phase-0", title: "Phase 0: Specification Study", status: "in_progress" },
  { id: "phase-1", title: "Phase 1: Discovery", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-1.5", title: "Phase 1.5: Req Expansion", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-2", title: "Phase 2: Product Brief", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-3", title: "Phase 3: Requirements (PRD)", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-4", title: "Phase 4: Architecture", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-5", title: "Phase 5: Epics & Stories", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-6", title: "Phase 6: Readiness Check", status: "pending" },
  { id: "phase-7", title: "Phase 7: Issue Export", status: "pending" }
])

Output Structure

.workflow/.spec/SPEC-{YYYY-MM-DD}-{slug}/
+-- spec-config.json              # Session configuration + phase state
+-- discovery-context.json        # Codebase exploration results (optional)
+-- refined-requirements.json     # Phase 1.5: Confirmed requirements after discussion
+-- glossary.json                 # Phase 2: Terminology glossary for cross-doc consistency
+-- product-brief.md              # Phase 2: Product brief
+-- requirements/                 # Phase 3: Detailed PRD (directory)
|   +-- _index.md                 #   Summary, MoSCoW table, traceability, links
|   +-- REQ-NNN-{slug}.md         #   Individual functional requirement
|   +-- NFR-{type}-NNN-{slug}.md  #   Individual non-functional requirement
+-- architecture/                 # Phase 4: Architecture decisions (directory)
|   +-- _index.md                 #   Overview, components, tech stack, links
|   +-- ADR-NNN-{slug}.md         #   Individual Architecture Decision Record
+-- epics/                        # Phase 5: Epic/Story breakdown (directory)
|   +-- _index.md                 #   Epic table, dependency map, MVP scope
|   +-- EPIC-NNN-{slug}.md        #   Individual Epic with Stories
+-- readiness-report.md           # Phase 6: Quality report (+ per-req verification table)
+-- spec-summary.md               # Phase 6: One-page executive summary
+-- issue-export-report.md        # Phase 7: Issue mapping table + spec links

State Management

spec-config.json serves as core state file:

{
  "session_id": "SPEC-xxx-2026-02-11",
  "seed_input": "User input text",
  "input_type": "text",
  "timestamp": "ISO8601",
  "mode": "interactive",
  "complexity": "moderate",
  "depth": "standard",
  "focus_areas": [],
  "spec_type": "service",
  "iteration_count": 0,
  "iteration_history": [],
  "seed_analysis": {
    "problem_statement": "...",
    "target_users": [],
    "domain": "...",
    "constraints": [],
    "dimensions": []
  },
  "has_codebase": false,
  "refined_requirements_file": "refined-requirements.json",
  "issue_ids": [],
  "issues_created": 0,
  "phasesCompleted": [
    { "phase": 1, "name": "discovery", "output_file": "spec-config.json", "completed_at": "ISO8601" },
    { "phase": 1.5, "name": "requirement-clarification", "output_file": "refined-requirements.json", "discussion_rounds": 2, "completed_at": "ISO8601" },
    { "phase": 3, "name": "requirements", "output_dir": "requirements/", "output_index": "requirements/_index.md", "file_count": 8, "completed_at": "ISO8601" }
  ]
}

Resume mechanism: -c|--continue flag reads spec-config.json.phasesCompleted, resumes from first incomplete phase.

Core Rules

1. Start Immediately: First action is functions.update_plan initialization, then Phase 0 (spec study), then Phase 1
2. Progressive Phase Loading: Read phase docs ONLY when that phase is about to execute
3. Auto-Continue: All phases run autonomously; proceed to next phase after current completes
4. Parse Every Output: Extract required data from each phase for next phase context
5. DO NOT STOP: Continuous 7-phase pipeline until all phases complete or user exits
6. Respect -y Flag: When auto mode, skip all user interaction calls, use recommended defaults
7. Respect -c Flag: When continue mode, load spec-config.json and resume from checkpoint
8. Inject Glossary: From Phase 3 onward, inject glossary.json terms into every CLI prompt
9. Load Profile: Read templates/profiles/{spec_type}-profile.md and inject requirements into Phase 2-5 prompts
10. Iterate on Failure: When Phase 6 score < 60%, auto-trigger Phase 6.5 (max 2 iterations)
11. Agent Delegation: Phase 2-5 and 6.5 MUST be delegated to doc-generator agents via spawn_agent — never execute inline
12. Lean Context: Orchestrator only sees agent return summaries from wait_agent, never the full document content
13. Validate Agent Output: After each wait_agent returns, verify files exist on disk and spec-config.json was updated
14. Lifecycle Balance: Every spawn_agent MUST have a matching close_agent after wait_agent retrieves results

Agent Delegation Protocol

For Phase 2-5 and 6.5, the orchestrator delegates to a doc-generator agent via spawn_agent. The orchestrator builds a lean context envelope — passing only paths, never file content.

Context Envelope Template

spawn_agent({
  task_name: "doc-gen-p<N>",
  fork_turns: "none",
  message: `
## Spec Generator - Phase <N>: <phase-name>

### MANDATORY FIRST STEPS (Agent Execute)
1. **Read role definition**: ~/.codex/agents/doc-generator.toml (MUST read first)
2. Read: <skill-dir>/phases/<phase-file>

---

### Session
- ID: <session-id>
- Work Dir: <work-dir>
- Auto Mode: <auto-mode>
- Spec Type: <spec-type>

### Input (read from disk)
<input-files-list>

### Instructions
Read: <skill-dir>/phases/<phase-file>
Apply template: <skill-dir>/templates/<template-file>

### Glossary (Phase 3+ only)
Read: <work-dir>/glossary.json

### Output
Write files to: <work-dir>/<output-path>
Update: <work-dir>/spec-config.json (phasesCompleted)
Return: JSON summary { files_created, quality_notes, key_decisions }
`
})

Orchestrator Post-Agent Validation

After each agent phase, the orchestrator validates output:

// 1. Wait for agent completion
const result = wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 1800000 })

// 2. Handle timeout (4-step cascade)
if (result.timed_out) {
  // Step 1: Status probe
  followup_task({
    target: "doc-gen-p<N>",
    message: "STATUS_CHECK: Report current progress, findings so far, and estimated remaining work."
  })
  const status = wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 180000 })  // 3 min
  if (status.timed_out) {
    // Step 2: Force finalize
    followup_task({
      target: "doc-gen-p<N>",
      message: "FINALIZE: Output all current findings immediately. Time limit reached.",
      interrupt: true
    })
    const forced = wait_agent({ timeout_ms: 180000 })  // 3 min
    if (forced.timed_out) {
      // Step 3: Close agent
      close_agent({ target: "doc-gen-p<N>" })
      // Step 4: Fall back to inline execution for this phase
    }
  }
}

// 3. Close agent (lifecycle balance)
close_agent({ target: "doc-gen-p<N>" })

// 4. Parse agent return summary
const summary = parseJSON(result.status["doc-gen-p<N>"].completed)

// 5. Validate files exist
summary.files_created.forEach(file => {
  const exists = Glob(`<work-dir>/${file}`)
  if (!exists.length) → Error: agent claimed file but not found
})

// 6. Verify spec-config.json updated
const config = JSON.parse(Read(`<work-dir>/spec-config.json`))
const phaseComplete = config.phasesCompleted.some(p => p.phase === N)
if (!phaseComplete) → Error: agent did not update phasesCompleted

// 7. Store summary for downstream context (do NOT read full documents)
phasesSummaries[N] = summary

Lifecycle Management

Timeout Protocol

Cleanup Protocol

At the end of each agent-delegated phase, close the agent immediately after retrieving results. Each phase spawns a fresh agent — no agent persists across phases.

// Standard per-phase cleanup (after wait_agent succeeds)
close_agent({ target: "doc-gen-p<N>" })

// On workflow abort / user cancellation
const activeAgents = ["doc-gen-p2", "doc-gen-p3", "doc-gen-p4", "doc-gen-p5", "doc-gen-fix", "spec-explorer"]
activeAgents.forEach(name => {
  try { close_agent({ target: name }) } catch { /* not active */ }
})

Reference Documents by Phase

Phase 1: Discovery

Phase 1.5: Requirement Expansion & Clarification

Phase 2: Product Brief

Phase 3: Requirements

Phase 4: Architecture

Phase 5: Epics & Stories

Phase 6: Readiness Check

Phase 6.5: Auto-Fix

Phase 7: Issue Export

Debugging & Troubleshooting

Error Handling

CLI Fallback Chain

Gemini -> Codex -> Claude -> degraded mode (local analysis only)