name: speckit-01-specify
description: Create feature specification from natural language description

Spec-Kit Specify

Create or update a feature specification from a natural language feature description.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

You MUST consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty).

Constitution Loading (REQUIRED)

Before ANY action, load and internalize the project constitution:

1. Read constitution:
   bash cat .specify/memory/constitution.md 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_CONSTITUTION"

2. If file doesn't exist:
   ```
   WARNING: Project constitution not found at .specify/memory/constitution.md

Proceeding without constitution. Consider running /speckit-00-constitution first.
```

1. If exists, parse all principles, constraints, and governance rules.

Execution Flow

The text the user typed after /speckit-01-specify is the feature description.

1. Generate Branch Name

Analyze the feature description and create a 2-4 word short name:
- Use action-noun format when possible (e.g., "user-auth", "fix-payment-timeout")
- Preserve technical terms and acronyms (OAuth2, API, JWT, etc.)
- Keep it concise but descriptive

Examples:
- "I want to add user authentication" -> "user-auth"
- "Implement OAuth2 integration for the API" -> "oauth2-api-integration"
- "Create a dashboard for analytics" -> "analytics-dashboard"

2. Create Feature Branch and Directory

Run the feature creation script (choose based on platform):

Unix/macOS/Linux:

.specify/scripts/bash/create-new-feature.sh --json "$ARGUMENTS" --short-name "your-short-name"

Windows (PowerShell):

pwsh .specify/scripts/powershell/create-new-feature.ps1 -Json "$ARGUMENTS" -ShortName "your-short-name"

Parse the JSON output for BRANCH_NAME, SPEC_FILE, and FEATURE_NUM.

IMPORTANT: Only run this script ONCE per feature. The JSON output contains the paths you need.

3. Load Spec Template

Read .specify/templates/spec-template.md to understand required sections.

4. Generate Specification

Follow this execution flow:

1. Parse user description from Input

2. If empty: ERROR "No feature description provided"

3. Extract key concepts from description

4. Identify: actors, actions, data, constraints

5. For unclear aspects:

6. Make informed guesses based on context and industry standards
7. Only mark with [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: specific question] if:
   • The choice significantly impacts feature scope or user experience
   • Multiple reasonable interpretations exist with different implications
   • No reasonable default exists
8. LIMIT: Maximum 3 [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers total

9. Prioritize clarifications by impact: scope > security/privacy > user experience > technical details

10. Fill User Scenarios & Testing section

11. Each user story must be INDEPENDENTLY TESTABLE

12. Assign priorities (P1, P2, P3) to each story

13. Generate Functional Requirements

14. Each requirement must be testable

15. Use reasonable defaults for unspecified details

16. Define Success Criteria

17. Create measurable, technology-agnostic outcomes

18. Include quantitative and qualitative measures

19. Identify Key Entities (if data involved)

5. Write Specification

Write to SPEC_FILE using the template structure.

6. Phase Separation Validation (REQUIRED)

Before finalizing, scan the draft specification for implementation details that belong in /speckit-03-plan:

Check for violations - specification MUST NOT mention:
- Programming languages (Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java, C#, etc.)
- Frameworks (React, Django, Express, Spring, Rails, FastAPI, Next.js, etc.)
- Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, SQLite, Redis, DynamoDB, etc.)
- Infrastructure (Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, Azure, Terraform, etc.)
- Specific libraries or packages (lodash, pandas, axios, etc.)
- API implementation details (REST endpoints, GraphQL schemas, gRPC)
- File structures or code organization
- Data schemas or table definitions
- Architecture patterns (microservices, monolith, serverless)

Allowed technical terms (these describe WHAT, not HOW):
- Domain concepts (authentication, authorization, encryption)
- User-facing features (search, filter, export, import)
- Data concepts (user profile, order, transaction)
- Performance requirements (response time, throughput) - but not implementation

If violations found:

╭─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│  PHASE SEPARATION VIOLATION DETECTED                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Specification contains implementation details:                │
│  - [list each violation]                                       │
│                                                                 │
│  Implementation decisions belong in /speckit-03-plan.          │
│  Specification defines WHAT users need, not HOW to build it.   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ACTION: Removing implementation details...                    │
╰─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

Auto-fix: Rewrite violating sections to be implementation-agnostic:
- "Store in PostgreSQL database" → "Persist data reliably"
- "Build REST API endpoints" → "Expose functionality to external systems"
- "Use React for the frontend" → "Provide web-based user interface"
- "Response time under 200ms" → "Users experience responsive interactions"

Re-validate after fixes until no violations remain.

7. Create Spec Quality Checklist

Generate a checklist file at FEATURE_DIR/checklists/requirements.md:

# Specification Quality Checklist: [FEATURE NAME]

**Purpose**: Validate specification completeness and quality before planning
**Created**: [DATE]
**Feature**: [Link to spec.md]

## Content Quality

- [ ] No implementation details (languages, frameworks, APIs)
- [ ] Focused on user value and business needs
- [ ] Written for non-technical stakeholders
- [ ] All mandatory sections completed

## Requirement Completeness

- [ ] No [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers remain
- [ ] Requirements are testable and unambiguous
- [ ] Success criteria are measurable
- [ ] Success criteria are technology-agnostic
- [ ] All acceptance scenarios are defined
- [ ] Edge cases are identified
- [ ] Scope is clearly bounded
- [ ] Dependencies and assumptions identified

## Feature Readiness

- [ ] All functional requirements have clear acceptance criteria
- [ ] User scenarios cover primary flows
- [ ] Feature meets measurable outcomes defined in Success Criteria
- [ ] No implementation details leak into specification

## Notes

- Items marked incomplete require spec updates before `/speckit-02-clarify` or `/speckit-03-plan`

8. Handle Clarifications

If [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers remain (max 3):

Present each question in this format:

## Question [N]: [Topic]

**Context**: [Quote relevant spec section]

**What we need to know**: [Specific question]

**Suggested Answers**:

| Option | Answer | Implications |
|--------|--------|--------------|
| A      | [First answer] | [Impact] |
| B      | [Second answer] | [Impact] |
| C      | [Third answer] | [Impact] |
| Custom | Provide your own | [Instructions] |

**Your choice**: _[Wait for user response]_

9. Report Completion

Output:
- Branch name
- Spec file path
- Checklist results
- Readiness for next phase (/speckit-02-clarify or /speckit-03-plan)

Guidelines

Quick Guidelines

• Focus on WHAT users need and WHY
• Avoid HOW to implement (no tech stack, APIs, code structure)
• Written for business stakeholders, not developers

Success Criteria Guidelines

Success criteria must be:
1. Measurable: Include specific metrics
2. Technology-agnostic: No frameworks, languages, databases
3. User-focused: Describe outcomes from user/business perspective
4. Verifiable: Can be tested without knowing implementation

Good examples:
- "Users can complete checkout in under 3 minutes"
- "System supports 10,000 concurrent users"
- "95% of searches return results in under 1 second"

Bad examples:
- "API response time is under 200ms" (too technical)
- "Database can handle 1000 TPS" (implementation detail)

Semantic Diff on Re-run (Skills Advantage)

If spec.md already exists, perform semantic diff before overwriting:

1. Detect Existing Artifact

test -f "$SPEC_FILE" && echo "EXISTING_SPEC_FOUND"

2. If Existing Spec Found

1. Read and parse existing spec.md
2. Extract semantic elements:
3. User story count and titles
4. Requirement IDs and descriptions
5. Success criteria

6. Key entities

7. Compare with new content:
   ╭─────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮ │ SEMANTIC DIFF: spec.md │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ User Stories: │ │ + Added: US4 "Export Tasks" │ │ ~ Changed: US2 title updated │ │ - Removed: None │ │ │ │ Requirements: │ │ + Added: FR-011, FR-012 │ │ ~ Changed: FR-003 description modified │ │ - Removed: FR-008 (verify intentional) │ │ │ │ Success Criteria: │ │ + Added: SC-008 │ │ ~ Changed: None │ │ - Removed: None │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ DOWNSTREAM IMPACT: │ │ ⚠ plan.md may need updates (new requirements) │ │ ⚠ tasks.md may need regeneration │ │ ⚠ checklists may be invalidated │ ╰─────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

8. Ask for confirmation:

9. "Proceed with these changes? (yes/no)"
10. If user declines, preserve existing spec

3. Downstream Impact Warning

If changes detected, warn about affected artifacts:
- Removed requirements → tasks may reference deleted items
- Changed requirements → plan may be inconsistent
- New requirements → tasks.md needs regeneration

Next Steps

After completing the specification:

1. Recommended: Run /speckit-02-clarify to resolve ambiguities
2. Identifies underspecified areas you may have missed
3. Asks targeted questions (max 5) to improve spec quality

4. Especially valuable for complex features

5. Required: Run /speckit-03-plan to create the technical implementation plan

Suggest to user:

Specification complete! Next steps:
- /speckit-02-clarify - (Recommended) Resolve any ambiguities and improve spec quality
- /speckit-03-plan - Create technical implementation plan