Speckit Init

Spec Kit — init

Initialize a spec-driven development project for GitHub Copilot with the Specify CLI (specify). This skill exposes the specify init command. You (the agent) run the CLI on the user's behalf via the shell; the CLI does the scaffolding.

Because this is the Copilot plugin, always scaffold Copilot in skills mode:

--integration copilot --integration-options="--skills"

This installs spec-kit commands (and any extensions added later) as Copilot Agent Skills — .github/skills/speckit-<cmd>/SKILL.md — rather than the default .github/agents/*.agent.md layout. Skills are what Copilot CLI discovers as SKILL.md, so this keeps the project consistent with how this plugin works. Do not omit --integration-options="--skills".

Prerequisite

This skill needs the specify CLI. Confirm it is available:

specify --version

If it is missing (command not found), use the speckit-cli-setup skill to install it first, then continue.

When to use

• The user wants to start a new spec-kit project.
• The user wants to add spec-driven development to the current directory.

How to invoke

specify init scaffolds templates, scripts, the spec-kit workflow, shared infrastructure, and the Copilot command files. It runs offline from assets bundled in the installed CLI.

Common forms (always Copilot + skills mode). Pick the --script flavor for the user's OS — sh on macOS/Linux, ps on Windows (the examples below use sh; swap in --script ps on Windows):

# New project directory
specify init <project-name> --integration copilot --integration-options="--skills" --script sh

# Initialize in the current directory
specify init . --integration copilot --integration-options="--skills" --script sh
specify init --here --integration copilot --integration-options="--skills" --script sh

# Current directory is non-empty: skip the confirmation prompt
specify init --here --integration copilot --integration-options="--skills" --script sh --force

# Install a preset at init time
specify init <project-name> --integration copilot --integration-options="--skills" --script sh --preset healthcare-compliance

On Windows, use --script ps instead:

specify init <project-name> --integration copilot --integration-options="--skills" --script ps

Key options

• --integration copilot — always use this in the Copilot plugin.
• --integration-options="--skills" — required; scaffolds spec-kit commands as Copilot Agent Skills (SKILL.md) instead of .agent.md files.
• --script <sh|ps|py> — choose the helper script flavor. Always pass this when running specify init for the user. When stdin is a TTY — which the agent shell allocates — omitting --script opens an interactive "Choose script type" chooser that blocks the command. (With genuinely non-interactive stdin, e.g. a closed pipe, the CLI instead auto-selects the OS default, but you can't rely on that from a PTY-backed agent session.) Use sh on macOS/Linux, ps on Windows; py is a cross-platform Python fallback.
• --ignore-agent-tools — skip checks for the agent's CLI tools. Recommended for the Copilot plugin so init doesn't fail on missing external agent CLIs.
• --here / . — initialize in the current directory instead of creating a new one.
• --force — skip the confirmation when --here targets a non-empty directory.
• --preset <id> — install a preset during initialization.

Notes

• Prefer non-interactive flags so the command does not block on prompts.
• Always pass --script (sh on macOS/Linux, ps on Windows, py anywhere). When specify init runs with a TTY on stdin — as it does in a PTY-backed agent session — omitting --script opens an interactive "Choose script type" chooser that blocks. (--integration copilot already suppresses the integration chooser, but the script-type chooser still appears.) The CLI only auto-selects the OS default when stdin is genuinely non-interactive (e.g. a closed pipe), which you can't count on here, so this is the most common cause of specify init appearing to freeze.
• Always pass both --integration copilot and --integration-options="--skills"; the skills layout is what makes spec-kit commands (and later-added extensions) show up as SKILL.md for Copilot.
• After init, point the user at the generated skills under .github/skills/ and the .specify/ directory. Newly generated skills are picked up in the current Copilot session with /skills reload, and automatically on the next session start. Suggest specify check to verify their environment.