Spec-Driven Development

Overview

Write a structured specification before writing any code. The spec is the shared source of truth between you and the human engineer — it defines what we're building, why, and how we'll know it's done. Code without a spec is guessing.

When to Use

Starting a new project or feature
Requirements are ambiguous or incomplete
The change touches multiple files or modules
You're about to make an architectural decision
The task would take more than 30 minutes to implement

When NOT to use: Single-line fixes, typo corrections, or changes where requirements are unambiguous and self-contained.

The Gated Workflow

Spec-driven development has four phases. Do not advance to the next phase until the current one is validated.

SPECIFY ──→ PLAN ──→ TASKS ──→ IMPLEMENT
   │          │        │          │
   ▼          ▼        ▼          ▼
 Human      Human    Human      Human
 reviews    reviews  reviews    reviews

Phase 1: Specify

Start with a high-level vision. Ask the human clarifying questions until requirements are concrete.

Surface assumptions immediately. Before writing any spec content, list what you're assuming:

ASSUMPTIONS I'M MAKING:
1. This is a web application (not native mobile)
2. Authentication uses session-based cookies (not JWT)
3. The database is PostgreSQL (based on existing Prisma schema)
4. We're targeting modern browsers only (no IE11)
→ Correct me now or I'll proceed with these.

Never silently fill in ambiguous requirements. The spec's entire purpose is to surface misunderstandings before code gets written — assumptions are the most dangerous form of misunderstanding.

Write a spec document covering these six core areas:

Objective — What are we building and why? Who is the user? What does success look like?

Commands — Full executable commands with flags, not just tool names.

Build: npm run build
Test: npm test -- --coverage
Lint: npm run lint --fix
Dev: npm run dev

Project Structure — Where source code lives, where tests go, where docs belong.

src/           → Application source code
src/components → React components
src/lib        → Shared utilities
tests/         → Unit and integration tests
e2e/           → End-to-end tests
docs/          → Documentation

Code Style — One real code snippet showing your style beats three paragraphs describing it. Include naming conventions, formatting rules, and examples of good output.
Testing Strategy — What framework, where tests live, coverage expectations, which test levels for which concerns.
Boundaries — Three-tier system:
- Always do: Run tests before commits, follow naming conventions, validate inputs
- Ask first: Database schema changes, adding dependencies, changing CI config
- Never do: Commit secrets, edit vendor directories, remove failing tests without approval

Spec template:

# Spec: [Project/Feature Name]

## Objective
[What we're building and why. User stories or acceptance criteria.]

## Tech Stack
[Framework, language, key dependencies with versions]

## Commands
[Build, test, lint, dev — full commands]

## Project Structure
[Directory layout with descriptions]

## Code Style
[Example snippet + key conventions]

## Testing Strategy
[Framework, test locations, coverage requirements, test levels]

## Boundaries
- Always: [...]
- Ask first: [...]
- Never: [...]

## Success Criteria
[How we'll know this is done — specific, testable conditions]

## Open Questions
[Anything unresolved that needs human input]

Reframe instructions as success criteria. When receiving vague requirements, translate them into concrete conditions:

REQUIREMENT: "Make the dashboard faster"

REFRAMED SUCCESS CRITERIA:
- Dashboard LCP < 2.5s on 4G connection
- Initial data load completes in < 500ms
- No layout shift during load (CLS < 0.1)
→ Are these the right targets?

This lets you loop, retry, and problem-solve toward a clear goal rather than guessing what "faster" means.

Phase 2: Plan

With the validated spec, generate a technical implementation plan:

Identify the major components and their dependencies
Determine the implementation order (what must be built first)
Note risks and mitigation strategies
Identify what can be built in parallel vs. what must be sequential
Define verification checkpoints between phases

The plan should be reviewable: the human should be able to read it and say "yes, that's the right approach" or "no, change X."

Phase 3: Tasks

Break the plan into discrete, implementable tasks:

Each task should be completable in a single focused session
Each task has explicit acceptance criteria
Each task includes a verification step (test, build, manual check)
Tasks are ordered by dependency, not by perceived importance
No task should require changing more than ~5 files

Task template:

- [ ] Task: [Description]
  - Acceptance: [What must be true when done]
  - Verify: [How to confirm — test command, build, manual check]
  - Files: [Which files will be touched]

Phase 4: Implement

Execute tasks one at a time following incremental-implementation and test-driven-development skills.

Keeping the Spec Alive

The spec is a living document, not a one-time artifact:

Update when decisions change — If you discover the data model needs to change, update the spec first, then implement.
Update when scope changes — Features added or cut should be reflected in the spec.
Commit the spec — The spec belongs in version control alongside the code.
Reference the spec in PRs — Link back to the spec section that each PR implements.

Common Rationalizations

Rationalization	Reality
"This is simple, I don't need a spec"	Simple tasks don't need long specs, but they still need acceptance criteria. A two-line spec is fine.
"I'll write the spec after I code it"	That's documentation, not specification. The spec's value is in forcing clarity before code.
"The spec will slow us down"	A 15-minute spec prevents hours of rework. Waterfall in 15 minutes beats debugging in 15 hours.
"Requirements will change anyway"	That's why the spec is a living document. An outdated spec is still better than no spec.
"The user knows what they want"	Even clear requests have implicit assumptions. The spec surfaces those assumptions.

Red Flags

Starting to write code without any written requirements
Asking "should I just start building?" before clarifying what "done" means
Implementing features not mentioned in any spec or task list
Making architectural decisions without documenting them
Skipping the spec because "it's obvious what to build"

Verification

Before proceeding to implementation, confirm:

The spec covers all six core areas
The human has reviewed and approved the spec
Success criteria are specific and testable
Boundaries (Always/Ask First/Never) are defined
The spec is saved to a file in the repository

spec-driven-development