build-spec-from-code

build-spec-from-code — Code-to-Spec Generator

Analyzes existing code and produces a rewrite spec. Extracts functionalities as user stories with edge cases and acceptance criteria. For UI code: requests screenshots/designs, extracts colors, fonts, spacing. For non-UI code: captures API contracts, performance constraints, threading model. Builds an integration map of consumers, dependencies, and connection points.

Execution Rules

• Sub-skill returns are internal values — when a skill invocation produces JSON output, capture it silently and proceed immediately. Do NOT present the result to the user or pause for confirmation.
• Only pause for user input at explicit AskUserQuestion steps — all other steps run to completion without stopping.

Interview Rules

• Mark the inferred default with [default].
• For choice questions, always include a free-text fallback as the last option (e.g. other: <describe>).

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Phase 0: Validate Input

• 0.1 Parse $ARGUMENTS — extract file paths or directory path. If no argument provided, fail with: "Usage: /build-spec-from-code <file-or-directory-path>"
• 0.2 Verify the path(s) exist. If directory, collect all source files within it (recursive). If the target has 50+ files, ask using AskUserQuestion: "This target has N files. Consider narrowing to a specific module or type. Continue anyway or provide a narrower path?"
• 0.3 Read all target files. Hold contents in context as code_context.

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Phase 1: Analyze Code

• 1.1 Extract functionalities as user stories — read the code and identify what it does (not how it's structured):

  • User-facing behaviors → As a [user], I want [goal] so that [reason]
  • System behaviors → As the system, when [trigger], [outcome]
  • For each story, derive acceptance criteria from observable code behavior
  • Extract edge cases (error paths, guard statements, fallbacks, boundary conditions) as acceptance criteria within the relevant stories

• 1.2 Build integration map — extract how the code connects to the rest of the codebase:

  • Protocols it conforms to — which protocols, where they're defined
  • Protocols it exposes — public APIs other code depends on
  • Dependencies it consumes — injected or constructed, concrete or abstract
  • Consumers — use Grep to find callers of public methods/types across the codebase. Record: who calls, via what mechanism (direct, protocol, environment)
  • Integration points — delegates, notifications, closures, environment values All this information will be used to connect the new rewritten component with the rest of the code.

• 1.3 Generate diagrams — treat the current component as a black box. The component is a single opaque node. Diagrams show ONLY what crosses the boundary.

  • 1.3.1 Generate diagrams of the component - abstract diagrams for the component as black box
    • What to show: abstraction it requires (what capability the component requires — described by purpose, not by type name)
    • Dependencies as abstract needs: name the capability the component needs, not the type that currently provides it. The rewrite decides concrete types — the spec captures what is needed, not how it was solved.
    • Flow diagram: Entry points → [Component] → Outputs. One box for the component, labeled arrows for what goes in and what comes out.
    • Sequence diagram: Consumer ↔ Component boundary only. Consumer calls component, component returns results/callbacks. No internal sequences between sub-components.
    • Connection diagram: Consumers on one side, abstract needs on the other, component in the middle.
    • What to EXCLUDE: internal types, internal method calls, internal architecture patterns, concrete dependency names, singletons, anything that happens inside the component.
    • Generate as Mermaid markdown.
  • 1.3.2 Generate diagrams of the current state — concrete diagrams showing how the code actually works today. These go into the Current State section and are used to build the bridge subtask.
    • What to show: actual type names, concrete dependencies, real call chains, singletons, internal architecture patterns — everything the bridge needs to know to wire old ↔ new.
    • Flow diagram: How data flows through the current implementation — which types create which, what calls what internally.
    • Connection diagram: Concrete dependency graph — actual type names, how they're obtained (injected, singleton, constructed), who consumes what.
    • These are the opposite of 1.3.1 — 1.3.1 abstracts away the implementation for the rewrite spec. 1.3.2 documents it for the bridge.
    • Generate as Mermaid markdown.

• 1.4 Detect mixed concerns — if the code has multiple unrelated responsibilities, note them. These may become separate rewrite specs.

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Phase 2: Present Analysis

• 2.1 Present extracted user stories to the user. Ask using AskUserQuestion: "Here's what the code does. Confirm, adjust, or add stories?"

• 2.2 Present generated diagrams. Ask using AskUserQuestion: "Here's how the code works. Keep, revise, or describe what to change?"

• 2.3 Present integration map summary: "Found N consumers, M dependencies, K integration points." If mixed concerns detected, ask: "This code has multiple unrelated responsibilities. Should we create one rewrite spec or split into multiple?"

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Phase 3: Interview — Target State

• 3.1 UI requirements — if code includes UI elements, request design or screenshots for every UI element you need using AskUserQuestion.

  • You will move those into resources folder later.

• 3.2 What to keep vs change — ask using AskUserQuestion: "What should stay the same and what needs to change? Think about: behaviors to preserve, pain points to fix, patterns to adopt or drop." Free-text.

• 3.3 Subtask decision — if consumers were found in Phase 1.2, present them and ask using AskUserQuestion:

  Found N consumers of this code's public APIs:
  <list top consumers>
  
  Which subtasks do you need?
  1. Rebuild only (consumers handle their own migration)
  2. Rebuild + bridge (adapter between old and new interface)
  3. Rebuild + bridge + migrate consumers
  

  If no consumers found, default to rebuild only.

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Phase 4: Hierarchy Placement

• 4.1 Where does it belong? — use skill solid-coder:find-spec with --status draft,ready --action Select as parent. Returns selected spec. Store as parent_spec (or none if root).

• 4.2 "Give it a short title." — ask using AskUserQuestion free-text only. This becomes the epic slug.

• 4.3 Get next spec number — use skill solid-coder:find-spec with next-number. Store as parent_number.

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Phase 5: Generate Draft Specs

• 5.0 Load the spec rules — Read from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/spec-driven-development/specs/:
  • README.md — common frontmatter fields, section rules
  • epic/rule.md — used for the parent rewrite spec
  • feature/rule.md — used for the rebuild/bridge/migrate scaffolds

5.1 Parent Spec (Rewrite)

Follow epic/rule.md. Frontmatter requires mode: rewrite. Populate sections:

• ## Description — what this rewrite achieves
• ## User Stories — confirmed/adjusted stories from Phase 2.1 describing the TARGET behavior (carried forward from existing code's functionalities)
• ## Current State — summary from Phase 1 (types, responsibilities, integration map). Snapshot for reference, not a target.
• ## Technical Requirements — boundary/external constraints only. UI code: colors, fonts, spacing, padding, design file/screenshot links. Non-UI: API contracts, performance constraints, threading model, platform requirements. Do NOT carry forward internal implementation details — capture the underlying need, not the concrete type that currently provides it.
• ## Diagrams — current state diagrams from Phase 1.3 + target state diagrams generated from interview answers
• ## Connects To — from integration map
• ## Definition of Done — verifiable checklist

5.2 Rebuild Feature (scaffold)

Follow feature/rule.md frontmatter. Scaffold-only — full body deferred to /build-spec later.

• Frontmatter: number (next from find-spec), feature, type: feature, status: draft, mode: rewrite, parent: <parent_number>, blocked-by: [], blocking: []

5.3 Bridge Feature (conditional, scaffold)

Follow feature/rule.md frontmatter. No mode: rewrite — runs normal /implement (validator finds both old and new types).

• Frontmatter: number (next from find-spec), feature, type: feature, status: draft, parent: <parent_number>, blocked-by: [<rebuild_number>], blocking: []

5.4 Migrate Feature (conditional, scaffold)

Follow feature/rule.md frontmatter. No mode: rewrite. User stories describe updating consumers to use the new interface directly (removing the bridge).

• Frontmatter: number (next from find-spec), feature, type: feature, status: draft, parent: <parent_number>, blocked-by: [<bridge_number>], blocking: []

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Phase 6: Buildability Gate (max 3 rounds)

Use skill solid-coder:validate-spec with --interactive on each generated spec.

• 6.1 Run validate-spec on the parent spec. Incorporate user answers.

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Phase 7: User Review (max 2 rounds)

• 7.1 Present the draft specs (parent)
• 7.2 Ask using AskUserQuestion:

  1. Yes, write all specs
  2. Needs changes
  

• 7.3 If "needs changes": ask what to adjust, incorporate, re-present. Max 2 rounds.

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Phase 8: Write Spec Files

• 8.1 Derive slug for each spec: lowercase, spaces → hyphens, strip special chars.
• 8.2 Resolve output path for parent — run:

  python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/build-spec/scripts/build-spec-query.py resolve-path feature <SPEC-NNN> <slug> [--parent <parent-SPEC-NNN>]
  

  If non-zero exit: stop and report error.
• 8.3 Write parent spec first. Create Spec.md + empty resources/ directory at the resolved path. The parent folder must exist before subtask paths can be resolved.
• 8.4 Move provided resources into the parent's /resources folder.
• 8.5 For each subtask, resolve output path — run:

  python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/build-spec/scripts/build-spec-query.py resolve-path subtask <SPEC-NNN> <slug> --parent <parent-SPEC-NNN>
  

• 8.6 Write each subtask spec file. Create empty resources/ directory alongside each.
• 8.7 Confirm to user with list of all files written.

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Constraints

• This workflow always produces epic
• Do NOT modify the existing code — only read and analyze.
• Do NOT create module files — only spec files.
• Do NOT create criteria or requirements coupled with the code to be rewritten, exception how to connect with the legacy system
• Reuse build-spec-query.py for path resolution — do NOT inline path logic.
• Fully written specs: status: ready.
• blocked-by entries are permanent — never remove them.
• If any build-spec-query.py call exits non-zero, report and stop.