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Spec Kit Methodology (Library) reference
Spec Kit implements Spec-Driven Development, where specifications define what before how, with multi-step refinement rather than one-shot generation. The pipeline progressively refines intent into code: constitution -> specification -> plan -> tasks -> implementation, with quality gates and cross-artifact consistency analysis at each transition.
Spec Kit Methodology
**Source**: github/spec-kit by GitHub **Category**: Spec-Driven Development / Progressive Refinement **License**: See upstream repository
Overview
Spec Kit implements Spec-Driven Development, where specifications define **what** before **how**, with multi-step refinement rather than one-shot generation. The pipeline progressively refines intent into code: constitution -> specification -> plan -> tasks -> implementation, with quality gates and cross-artifact consistency analysis at each transition.
Core Principles
- **Specifications as first-class dev artifacts**: Specs are not throwaway documents; they govern the entire pipeline
- **Progressive refinement**: Intent -> spec -> plan -> tasks -> code, each stage adding precision
- **Technology independence**: Works across any tech stack, framework, or language
- **Multi-mode support**: Greenfield (0-to-1), brownfield (iterative enhancement), and creative exploration
- **Quality-gated convergence**: Checklist validation with remediation loops before completion
- **Human approval gates**: Explicit approval between every major phase transition
Process Files
| Process | File | Description | Task Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orchestrator | spec-kit-orchestrator.js | Full pipeline: constitution -> specify -> plan -> tasks -> implement | 8 |
| Specification | spec-kit-specification.js | Constitution + specification + clarification workflow | 7 |
| Planning | spec-kit-planning.js | Planning + task breakdown + analysis | 7 |
| Implementation | spec-kit-implementation.js | Implementation + quality validation + checklist | 7 |
Skills Catalog
| Skill | Directory | Description |
|---|---|---|
| constitution-creation | skills/constitution-creation/ | Establish project governing principles |
| specification-writing | skills/specification-writing/ | Write requirements and user stories |
| planning-design | skills/planning-design/ | Technical architecture and strategy design |
| task-decomposition | skills/task-decomposition/ | Convert plans into actionable dev tasks |
| implementation-execution | skills/implementation-execution/ | Execute tasks to build features |
| cross-artifact-analysis | skills/cross-artifact-analysis/ | Consistency and coverage assessment |
| quality-checklist | skills/quality-checklist/ | Custom quality validation checklists |
Agents Catalog
| Agent | Directory | Role |
|---|---|---|
| constitution-architect | agents/constitution-architect/ | Governing Principles Architect |
| specification-writer | agents/specification-writer/ | Requirements & User Stories Writer |
| technical-planner | agents/technical-planner/ | Architecture & Tech Stack Designer |
| task-analyst | agents/task-analyst/ | Task Decomposition Analyst |
| implementation-engineer | agents/implementation-engineer/ | Code Generation Engineer |
| consistency-analyzer | agents/consistency-analyzer/ | Cross-Artifact Consistency Analyzer |
| quality-auditor | agents/quality-auditor/ | Checklist Validation Auditor |
Workflow Lifecycle
Constitution -> Specification -> [Clarification] -> Planning -> Task Breakdown -> Analysis -> Implementation -> Checklist
| | | | | |
(review) (review) (review) (review) (review) (remediation loop)Quality gates applied throughout:
cross-artifact-analysis- Consistency and coverage checked before implementationquality-checklist- Custom validation with convergence loop after implementation- Human approval at every phase boundary
Development Modes
| Mode | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Greenfield | Full pipeline from scratch (0-to-1) | New projects, new features |
| Brownfield | Iterative enhancement with existing codebase | Enhancements, refactors |
| Creative | Exploratory specification with flexible constraints | Prototypes, experiments |
Output Artifacts
speckit.constitution- Project governing principlesspeckit.specification- Feature requirements and user storiesspeckit.plan- Technical architecture and implementation strategyspeckit.tasks- Actionable development task listspeckit.analysis- Cross-artifact consistency reportspeckit.checklist- Quality validation results
Philosophy
- **Define what before how** - Specifications precede implementation
- **Refine progressively** - Each phase adds precision to the previous
- **Validate continuously** - Cross-artifact analysis ensures consistency
- **Scale to any stack** - Technology-independent methodology
- **Preserve human judgment** - Quality gates are approval points, not blockers