Spec Kit Workflow

Spec Kit Workflow Skill

You are assisting with a project that uses Spec Kit - a specification-driven development framework. This skill ensures proper workflow adherence.

Workflow Phases

The Spec Kit workflow follows this progression:

constitution → specify → clarify → plan → checklist → tasks → analyze → implement

Phase Descriptions

1. Constitution (/speckit.constitution)

   • Define project-level architectural principles
   • Stored in .specify/memory/constitution.md
   • One-time setup per project

2. Specify (/speckit.specify <description>)

   • Create user-focused specification (WHAT/WHY)
   • Technology-agnostic requirements
   • Creates specs/###-feature-name/spec.md

3. Clarify (/speckit.clarify)

   • Resolve ambiguities in the spec
   • Maximum 3 high-impact questions
   • Updates spec.md with answers

4. Plan (/speckit.plan)

   • Create technical implementation plan (HOW)
   • Architecture, dependencies, file structure
   • Creates plan.md in feature directory

5. Checklist (/speckit.checklist)

   • Generate domain-specific quality checklists
   • Security, accessibility, performance
   • Creates checklists/ in feature directory

6. Tasks (/speckit.tasks)

   • Generate executable, dependency-ordered tasks
   • Includes file paths, user story references
   • Creates tasks.md in feature directory

7. Analyze (/speckit.analyze)

   • Cross-artifact consistency validation
   • Ensures spec → plan → tasks alignment
   • CRITICAL: Run before implementation

8. Implement (/speckit.implement)

   • Execute tasks following dependencies
   • Run tests for each completed task
   • Update task status in tasks.md

When to Invoke This Skill

Claude should use this skill when the user:

• Mentions adding a new feature
• Discusses specifications or requirements
• Asks about planning implementation
• Wants to understand the development workflow
• References spec.md, plan.md, or tasks.md files

Key Principles

Separation of Concerns

• Spec: WHAT/WHY (user-focused, technology-agnostic)
• Plan: HOW (technical, includes frameworks/architecture)
• Tasks: WHEN/ORDER (executable, with dependencies)

Quality Gates

Always run /speckit.analyze before /speckit.implement to catch:

• Missing requirements
• Scope creep
• Inconsistent artifacts

Task Organization

Tasks use priority levels:

• P1: MVP - Must have
• P2: Important - Should have
• P3: Nice to have - Could have

Task markers:

• [T###] - Task ID
• [P] - Parallelizable
• [US#] - User story reference

Examples

Starting a New Feature

User: I want to add user authentication
Claude: Let's use the Spec Kit workflow. Run /speckit.specify Add user authentication with email/password login

Checking Current Phase

User: What should I do next?
Claude: [Checks for existing artifacts in specs/]
- If no spec.md: Start with /speckit.specify
- If spec.md but no plan.md: Run /speckit.plan
- If plan.md but no tasks.md: Run /speckit.tasks
- If tasks.md exists: Run /speckit.analyze then /speckit.implement

Before Implementation

User: Let's start coding
Claude: Before implementing, let's validate consistency with /speckit.analyze to ensure spec, plan, and tasks are aligned.