specify

/specify Command

Create formal specifications for system components, behaviors, and algorithms.

Usage

/specify "distributed lock protocol"
/specify "order lifecycle" format=state-machine
/specify "vehicle control system" format=sysml
/specify "consensus algorithm" format=tla+

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze Topic

Parse the specification topic and determine:

• What is being specified (protocol, lifecycle, system, algorithm)
• Key properties to capture (safety, liveness, structure)
• Appropriate formalism to use

Step 2: Select Specification Format

If format not specified, auto-detect based on topic:

Topic Pattern	Recommended Format
"protocol", "consensus", "distributed"	TLA+
"lifecycle", "status", "workflow"	State Machine
"system", "hardware", "embedded"	SysML
"interaction", "flow", "sequence"	UML

Step 3: Invoke Appropriate Skill

Load the relevant skill:

• tla-specification for TLA+ specs
• state-machine-design for state machines
• sysml-modeling for SysML models
• uml-modeling for UML diagrams

Step 4: Gather Requirements

If working in a project with specifications:

• Search for related requirements in docs/requirements/
• Check for existing domain models
• Look for related ADRs

Step 5: Generate Specification

Create the formal specification including:

• Core specification (TLA+ module, SysML diagram, state machine)
• Documentation and comments
• Verification approach (if applicable)
• Implementation guidance

Step 6: Output Result

Deliver:

1. Specification in chosen format
2. Diagram visualization (PlantUML/Mermaid)
3. Key properties documented
4. Usage notes

Format-Specific Output

TLA+

--------------------------- MODULE TopicName ---------------------------
EXTENDS Integers, Sequences
CONSTANTS ...
VARIABLES ...
Init == ...
Next == ...
Spec == Init /\ [][Next]_vars
Safety == ...
Liveness == ...
=============================================================================

State Machine

@startuml
[*] --> Initial
Initial --> Active : trigger
Active --> Completed : complete
Completed --> [*]
@enduml

SysML

@startuml
class "<<block>>\nSystemName" as System {
  values
  --
  parts
  --
  operations
}
@enduml

Examples

Distributed Lock

/specify "distributed lock with leader election" format=tla+

Output: TLA+ module with mutual exclusion safety property and eventual grant liveness property.

Order Lifecycle

/specify "e-commerce order lifecycle"

Output: State machine diagram showing Draft → Submitted → Paid → Shipped → Delivered states with transitions and guards.

Vehicle System

/specify "autonomous vehicle perception system" format=sysml

Output: SysML BDD showing sensors, processors, and data flows with parametric constraints.

Integration

The command integrates with:

• enterprise-architecture: Links to ADRs
• requirements-elicitation: Traces to requirements
• systems-design: Aligns with architecture