AI-DLC Plugin for Claude Code
A structured, adaptive software development methodology guided by AI.
Installation
First, add the marketplace to your Claude Code (one-time setup):
/plugin marketplace add ijin/aidlc-cc-plugin
Then install the plugin:
/plugin install aidlc@aidlc-cc-plugin
Quick Start
Start a new AI-DLC workflow:
/aidlc:start Develop a recommendation engine for cross-selling products
Or resume an existing session:
/aidlc:start
Claude will automatically detect your previous session (via aidlc-docs/aidlc-state.md) and offer to resume where you left off.
How It Works
AI-DLC guides you through a three-phase adaptive workflow:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ USER REQUEST │
│ "Develop a recommendation engine..." │
└────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ INCEPTION PHASE │
│ Planning & Architecture │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Workspace Detection (greenfield/brownfield) │
│ • Reverse Engineering (brownfield only) │
│ • Requirements Analysis (adaptive depth) │
│ • User Stories (conditional) │
│ • Workflow Planning (adaptive - user approval) │
│ • Application Design (conditional) │
│ • Units Generation (conditional) │
└────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CONSTRUCTION PHASE │
│ Design & Implementation │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Per-Unit Loop: │
│ • Functional Design (conditional) │
│ • NFR Requirements (conditional) │
│ • NFR Design (conditional) │
│ • Infrastructure Design (conditional) │
│ • Code Generation (always - with plan approval) │
│ │
│ After All Units: │
│ • Build and Test (always) │
└────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ OPERATIONS PHASE │
│ (Placeholder for Future) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Principles
Adaptive Workflow — Stages execute only when they add value. Simple changes skip unnecessary planning. Complex projects get full treatment.
User Control — Approve execution plans before work begins. Request changes at any approval gate. Resume anytime after closing your session.
Complete Audit Trail — All decisions, user inputs, and stage transitions logged with timestamps in aidlc-docs/audit.md.
Chat-Based Interaction — Answer questions directly in conversation. No file editing required.
Managing Artifacts
AI-DLC creates comprehensive documentation in the aidlc-docs/ directory:
<workspace-root>/
├── [your application code]
└── aidlc-docs/
├── aidlc-state.md # Progress tracking with checkboxes
├── audit.md # Complete audit trail with timestamps
├── inception/
│ ├── workspace-analysis.md
│ ├── reverse-engineering/ # (brownfield only)
│ ├── requirements/
│ ├── user-stories/ # (if executed)
│ ├── application-design/ # (if executed)
│ └── plans/
├── construction/
│ ├── unit-01/
│ │ ├── functional-design/
│ │ ├── nfr-requirements/
│ │ ├── nfr-design/
│ │ └── infrastructure-design/
│ └── build-and-test/
└── operations/ # (placeholder)
Should you commit aidlc-docs/?
Option 1: Commit Everything (Recommended for team projects)
- Full audit trail and design documentation for the team
- Enables review of AI decisions
- Provides onboarding context for new team members
git add aidlc-docs/
git commit -m "Add AI-DLC artifacts"
Option 2: Gitignore (Recommended for personal projects)
- Treat as local working notes
- Reduces repository size
- Regenerate on demand
echo "aidlc-docs/" >> .gitignore