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, preceded by a scope check (Phase 0) that activates only when one request bundles several independently testable capabilities. Do not advance to the next phase until the current one is validated.