/specify

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

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

Outline

The text the user typed after /speck:specify in the triggering message is the feature description. Assume you always have it available in this conversation even if $ARGUMENTS appears literally below. Do not ask the user to repeat it unless they provided an empty command.

Given that feature description, do this:

1. Generate a concise short name (2-4 words) for the branch:

   • Analyze the feature description and extract the most meaningful keywords
   • Create a 2-4 word short name that captures the essence of the feature
   • Use action-noun format when possible (e.g., "add-user-auth", "fix-payment-bug")
   • Preserve technical terms and acronyms (OAuth2, API, JWT, etc.)
   • Keep it concise but descriptive enough to understand the feature at a glance
   • 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"
     • "Fix payment processing timeout bug" → "fix-payment-timeout"

2. Get next feature number and detect mode:

   Run: speck next-feature --json --short-name "<short-name>"

   This single command handles all git branch checking internally and returns:

   • NEXT_NUMBER: The next available feature number
   • MODE: "single-repo" or "multi-repo"
   • SPECS_DIR: Path to the specs directory

   If MODE is "multi-repo":

   • Ask the user: "Create spec at parent (shared across repos) or local (this repo only)? (parent/local)"
   • Wait for user response
   • Store the answer as SPEC_LOCATION (either "parent" or "local")

   If MODE is "single-repo":

   • Set SPEC_LOCATION = "local" (no prompt needed)

3. Create the feature:

   Run the command speck create-new-feature --json --no-ide "$ARGUMENTS" with the number from step 2:

   • Pass --number NEXT_NUMBER and --short-name "your-short-name" along with the feature description
   • ALWAYS include --no-ide to defer IDE launch until after spec is fully written
   • If multi-repo mode and user chose "parent": Add --shared-spec flag
   • If multi-repo mode and user chose "local": Add --local-spec flag (or omit flag - local is default)
   • Bash example: speck create-new-feature --json --no-ide --number 5 --short-name "user-auth" --shared-spec "Add user authentication"
   • With custom branch: speck create-new-feature --json --no-ide --number 5 --short-name "user-auth" --branch "feature/user-auth" "Add user authentication"

   IMPORTANT:

   • You must only ever run the create-new-feature script once per feature
   • The JSON is provided in the terminal as output - always refer to it to get the actual content you're looking for
   • The JSON output will contain BRANCH_NAME, SPEC_FILE, and optionally WORKTREE_PATH
   • CRITICAL: The SPEC_FILE path is an absolute path - use it exactly as returned. In worktree mode, SPEC_FILE points to the worktree's specs/ directory (NOT the main repo).
   • For single quotes in args like "I'm Groot", use escape syntax: e.g 'I'''m Groot' (or double-quote if possible: "I'm Groot")
   • Worktree mode: If worktree.enabled is true in config, create-new-feature will create the worktree and write handoff artifacts, but NOT launch IDE yet (deferred to step 9)
   • Flag support (override config):
     • If user passed --branch <name> flag: Also pass it to create-new-feature to use a custom branch name
     • If user passed --no-worktree flag: Also pass it to create-new-feature to skip worktree creation
     • If user passed --worktree flag: Also pass it to force worktree creation
     • If user passed --no-deps flag: Also pass it to skip dependency installation

4. Read spec template from {TEMPLATE_DIR}/spec-template.md using Read tool to understand required sections.

5. Follow this execution flow:

   1. Parse user description from Input If empty: ERROR "No feature description provided"
   2. Extract key concepts from description Identify: actors, actions, data, constraints
   3. For unclear aspects:
      • Make informed guesses based on context and industry standards
      • 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
      • LIMIT: Maximum 3 [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers total
      • Prioritize clarifications by impact: scope > security/privacy > user experience > technical details
   4. Fill User Scenarios & Testing section If no clear user flow: ERROR "Cannot determine user scenarios"
   5. Generate Functional Requirements Each requirement must be testable Use reasonable defaults for unspecified details (document assumptions in Assumptions section)
   6. Define Success Criteria Create measurable, technology-agnostic outcomes Include both quantitative metrics (time, performance, volume) and qualitative measures (user satisfaction, task completion) Each criterion must be verifiable without implementation details
   7. Identify Key Entities (if data involved)
   8. Return: SUCCESS (spec ready for planning)

6. Write the specification to the absolute SPEC_FILE path from the JSON output using the template structure, replacing placeholders with concrete details derived from the feature description (arguments) while preserving section order and headings.

   IMPORTANT: Always use the exact SPEC_FILE path returned by create-new-feature. Do NOT construct a relative path like specs/NNN-name/spec.md - the script may have created the spec in a worktree directory, and SPEC_FILE contains the correct absolute path.

7. Specification Quality Validation: After writing the initial spec, validate it against quality criteria:

   a. Create Spec Quality Checklist: Generate a checklist file at FEATURE_DIR/checklists/requirements.md using the checklist template structure with these validation items (FEATURE_DIR is the directory containing SPEC_FILE, e.g., if SPEC_FILE is /path/to/specs/001-auth/spec.md, then FEATURE_DIR is /path/to/specs/001-auth/):

   # Specification Quality Checklist: [FEATURE NAME]
   
   **Purpose**: Validate specification completeness and quality before proceeding to 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 (no implementation details)
   - [ ] 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 `/speck:clarify` or `/speck:plan`
   

   b. Run Validation Check: Review the spec against each checklist item:

   • For each item, determine if it passes or fails
   • Document specific issues found (quote relevant spec sections)

   c. Handle Validation Results:

   • If all items pass: Mark checklist complete and proceed to step 6

   • If items fail (excluding [NEEDS CLARIFICATION]):

     1. List the failing items and specific issues
     2. Update the spec to address each issue
     3. Re-run validation until all items pass (max 3 iterations)
     4. If still failing after 3 iterations, document remaining issues in checklist notes and warn user

   • If [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers remain:

     1. Extract all [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: ...] markers from the spec

     2. LIMIT CHECK: If more than 3 markers exist, keep only the 3 most critical (by scope/security/UX impact) and make informed guesses for the rest

     3. For each clarification needed (max 3), present options to user in this format:

        ## Question [N]: [Topic]
        
        **Context**: [Quote relevant spec section]
        
        **What we need to know**: [Specific question from NEEDS CLARIFICATION marker]
        
        **Suggested Answers**:
        
        | Option | Answer | Implications |
        |--------|--------|--------------|
        | A      | [First suggested answer] | [What this means for the feature] |
        | B      | [Second suggested answer] | [What this means for the feature] |
        | C      | [Third suggested answer] | [What this means for the feature] |
        | Custom | Provide your own answer | [Explain how to provide custom input] |
        
        **Your choice**: _[Wait for user response]_
        

     4. CRITICAL - Table Formatting: Ensure markdown tables are properly formatted:

        • Use consistent spacing with pipes aligned
        • Each cell should have spaces around content: | Content | not |Content|
        • Header separator must have at least 3 dashes: |--------|
        • Test that the table renders correctly in markdown preview

     5. Number questions sequentially (Q1, Q2, Q3 - max 3 total)

     6. Present all questions together before waiting for responses

     7. Wait for user to respond with their choices for all questions (e.g., "Q1: A, Q2: Custom - [details], Q3: B")

     8. Update the spec by replacing each [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] marker with the user's selected or provided answer

     9. Re-run validation after all clarifications are resolved

   d. Update Checklist: After each validation iteration, update the checklist file with current pass/fail status

8. Report completion with branch name, spec file path, checklist results, and readiness for the next phase (/speck:clarify or /speck:plan).

9. [SPECK-EXTENSION] Deferred IDE Launch (Only if worktree was created in step 3):

   • Check if WORKTREE_PATH was returned by create-new-feature (indicates worktree mode was used)
   • If WORKTREE_PATH exists AND user did NOT pass --no-ide flag:
     1. Run: speck launch-ide --worktree-path "$WORKTREE_PATH"
     2. If launch succeeds: Report "✓ Launched IDE at [WORKTREE_PATH]"
     3. If launch fails (non-fatal): Report "⚠ IDE launch failed: [error]"
   • This ensures the IDE opens AFTER the spec and checklists are fully written, allowing the handoff to work correctly

NOTE: The script creates and checks out the new branch and initializes the spec file before writing.

General 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.
• DO NOT create any checklists that are embedded in the spec. That will be a separate command.

Section Requirements

• Mandatory sections: Must be completed for every feature
• Optional sections: Include only when relevant to the feature
• When a section doesn't apply, remove it entirely (don't leave as "N/A")

For AI Generation

When creating this spec from a user prompt:

1. Make informed guesses: Use context, industry standards, and common patterns to fill gaps
2. Document assumptions: Record reasonable defaults in the Assumptions section
3. Limit clarifications: Maximum 3 [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers - use only for critical decisions that:
   • Significantly impact feature scope or user experience
   • Have multiple reasonable interpretations with different implications
   • Lack any reasonable default
4. Prioritize clarifications: scope > security/privacy > user experience > technical details
5. Think like a tester: Every vague requirement should fail the "testable and unambiguous" checklist item
6. Common areas needing clarification (only if no reasonable default exists):
   • Feature scope and boundaries (include/exclude specific use cases)
   • User types and permissions (if multiple conflicting interpretations possible)
   • Security/compliance requirements (when legally/financially significant)

Examples of reasonable defaults (don't ask about these):

• Data retention: Industry-standard practices for the domain
• Performance targets: Standard web/mobile app expectations unless specified
• Error handling: User-friendly messages with appropriate fallbacks
• Authentication method: Standard session-based or OAuth2 for web apps
• Integration patterns: RESTful APIs unless specified otherwise

Success Criteria Guidelines

Success criteria must be:

1. Measurable: Include specific metrics (time, percentage, count, rate)
2. Technology-agnostic: No mention of frameworks, languages, databases, or tools
3. User-focused: Describe outcomes from user/business perspective, not system internals
4. Verifiable: Can be tested/validated without knowing implementation details

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"
• "Task completion rate improves by 40%"

Bad examples (implementation-focused):

• "API response time is under 200ms" (too technical, use "Users see results instantly")
• "Database can handle 1000 TPS" (implementation detail, use user-facing metric)
• "React components render efficiently" (framework-specific)
• "Redis cache hit rate above 80%" (technology-specific)