Spec Driven Modify

You are helping the user modify an existing spec-driven change artifact.

This Skill's Commands

If you cannot remember the exact command used by this skill, look it up here before running anything. Do not guess.

modify: node {{SKILL_DIR}}/scripts/spec-driven.js modify
verify: node {{SKILL_DIR}}/scripts/spec-driven.js verify <name>

Prerequisites

The .spec-driven/ directory must exist at the project root. Before proceeding, verify:

ls .spec-driven/

If this fails, the project is not initialized. Run /spec-driven-init first.

Steps

1. Select the change — run node {{SKILL_DIR}}/scripts/spec-driven.js modify to list active changes. Ask the user which change they want to modify. If they already specified one, use it.

2. Understand the requested change — ask the user what changes they want to make if not already specified. Focus on the content of the change, not which files to edit.

3. Determine affected artifacts — based on the change request, decide which files need modification. A single change may affect multiple artifacts:

   • proposal.md — scope, goals, or requirements changes
   • specs/ — delta specs describing observable behavior changes, mirroring .spec-driven/specs/ by file path
   • design.md — implementation approach or architecture decisions
   • tasks.md — task breakdown, additions, or removals
   • questions.md — new questions or resolved answers

   Read all relevant artifact files before making changes.

   • If the request affects specs/, also read .spec-driven/config.yaml, .spec-driven/specs/INDEX.md, and each relevant main spec file before editing.

4. Apply modifications:

   • For proposal.md and design.md: edit freely

   • For specs/: preserve the delta spec format. Keep the matching file path under changes/<name>/specs/, use ## ADDED Requirements, ## MODIFIED Requirements, and ## REMOVED Requirements section markers as needed, and keep ### Requirement: headings intact. Write observable behavior only — do not turn specs into implementation notes, architecture details, or API design docs. Mirror the main spec path exactly. For example, .spec-driven/specs/skills/planning.md maps to .spec-driven/changes/<name>/specs/skills/planning.md.

     Use this canonical sample as the format target:

     ---
     mapping:
       implementation:
         - path/to/implementation.ts
       tests:
         - test/path/to/test.ts
     ---
     
     ## ADDED Requirements
     
     ### Requirement: new-capability
     The system MUST provide <observable behavior>.
     
     #### Scenario: success
     - GIVEN <precondition>
     - WHEN <action>
     - THEN <result>
     
     ## MODIFIED Requirements
     
     ### Requirement: existing-capability
     Previously: The system MUST <old behavior>.
     The system MUST <new behavior>.
     
     ## REMOVED Requirements
     
     ### Requirement: old-capability
     Reason: This behavior is removed because <reason>.
     

     Omit sections that do not apply instead of leaving empty placeholders. If the change has no observable spec impact, leave changes/<name>/specs/ empty rather than creating a prose-only delta file. Do not invent mapping paths when the related implementation or test files are unclear.

   • For tasks.md: preserve all - [x] completed task state — only add, remove, or reword - [ ] incomplete tasks unless the user explicitly asks to change completed ones. When adding or editing ## Testing tasks, follow this canonical structure:

     ## Testing
     
     - [ ] Run `npm run lint` — lint or validation task
     - [ ] Run `npm test` — unit test task
     

     The ## Testing section MUST satisfy these verification keyword requirements:

     • At least one task MUST contain a lint/validation keyword: lint, validate, validation, typecheck, type-check, or build
     • At least one task MUST contain a unit test keyword: unit test or unit tests
     • Both tasks MUST name an explicit runnable command in backticks or use a known runner (npm, pnpm, yarn, bun, node, bash, sh, pytest, jest, vitest, go, cargo, make, uv, poetry)
     • Paraphrasing these keywords (e.g. "run tests" instead of "run unit tests") will cause verify to fail

   • For questions.md: add new questions under ## Open, or move questions to ## Resolved with an A: answer line when the human provides answers

5. Show a summary — briefly describe what changed across all modified files and confirm with the user.

6. Validate after editing — run:

   node {{SKILL_DIR}}/scripts/spec-driven.js verify <name>
   

   • Fix any safe format issues immediately and rerun verify
   • If verify reports only non-format workflow blockers such as open questions in questions.md, surface those separately instead of misreporting them as spec-format failures
   • If unresolved format or structure errors remain, report them clearly to the user
   • Do not finish without this check

Rules

• Never uncheck a completed task (- [x]) unless the user explicitly asks
• Don't restructure a file wholesale when a targeted edit is sufficient
• Keep the same heading structure unless changing structure is the explicit goal
• One change request may span multiple files — edit all relevant artifacts together
• When editing specs/, follow .spec-driven/config.yaml rules and keep each delta file aligned with the corresponding main spec file