spec-writing
Skill1 starsChanged 4 months agoMITView on GitHub
Spec creation workflow. Use ALWAYS before starting work on any GitHub issue or feature — creates the spec document at /specs/<issue-number>-<slug>/spec.md, in English, before any code is written.
17 other projects use a version of this.
Adopted by
Most recently taken up by
- rajanrx/skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 8, 2026
- crbnos/carbontheir own version, first seen Nov 7, 2026
- rioffe/specchecktheir own version, first seen Nov 6, 2026
- ragna-ai/ragna-studiotheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- OrionicsLtd/claude-skillstheir own version, first seen Nov 1, 2026
- converge-ai-labs/agent-foundationtheir own version, first seen Oct 29, 2026
Other versions17 projects use a version of this.
Word for word · 0
None found.
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 17
- crbnos/carbon★ 2.8ksame name
- converge-ai-labs/agent-foundation★ 825same name
- itseffi/agentic-os★ 114same name
- khuynh22/agent-dev-team★ 9same name
- rioffe/speccheck★ 5same name
- anyoneanderson/agent-skills★ 3same name
- mariomile/builder-os★ 2same name
- rajanrx/skills★ 2same name
- dagarre00/claude-code-template★ 1same name
- OrionicsLtd/claude-skills★ 1same name
7 more not listed
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository9 other files it gives its agents.
- CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- backend-architectureSkill
- competitive-researchSkill
- figma-to-codeSkill
- frontendSkill
- lead-generationSkill
- seoSkill
- ux-researchSkill
- web-designSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
3 rules. 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.
0
Common
Most of the 15 edited versions we read keep these.
2
Distinctive
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
1
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 8
No code is written before the spec exists.
- Very specific: line 23
If no issue exists yet, create one first: gh issue create --title "..." --body "..." — the spec needs its number.
- Distinctive: line 27
All specs are written in English, regardless of the language used in conversation with the user.
“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 15 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Spec Writing
No code is written before the spec exists. This is the first step of every issue and every feature.
Location Rule (strict)
/specs/<issue-number>-<issue-slug>/spec.md- At the repository root, always.
<issue-number>: the GitHub issue number.<issue-slug>: issue title → lowercase → strip non-alphanumerics → spaces to hyphens → max ~50 chars.- Examples:
- Issue #7 "Fix broken contact form on Safari" →
/specs/7-fix-broken-contact-form-on-safari/spec.md - Issue #23 "Add pricing page" →
/specs/23-add-pricing-page/spec.md
- Issue #7 "Fix broken contact form on Safari" →
- Supporting assets (diagrams, screenshots, API samples) live in the same folder.
- If no issue exists yet, create one first:
gh issue create --title "..." --body "..."— the spec needs its number.
Language Rule (strict)
All specs are written in English, regardless of the language used in conversation with the user. Same for commits, PR descriptions, and code comments.
Spec Structure
Copy /specs/TEMPLATE.md. Sections:
- Overview: issue link, one-paragraph summary, type (fix/feature).
- Problem / Goal: for fixes — root cause analysis; for features — user need and lead-generation impact.
- Proposed Solution: the approach, described concretely enough that another engineer could implement it.
- Architecture Decisions: numbered ADs with context, decision, alternatives, consequences.
- Scope: what is included and explicitly what is NOT.
- Implementation Plan: affected/new files, data changes, migrations, ordered steps.
- SEO & Performance Impact: meta/structured-data changes, Core Web Vitals considerations (when relevant).
- Test Plan: how the change is verified — automated tests, manual checks, devices/breakpoints.
- Risks & Rollback: what could break, how to revert.
Workflow Position
issue → spec (this skill) → branch → implement → verify → PRThe branch is created AFTER the spec: fix/<number>-<slug> or feat/<number>-<slug>. The spec is committed as the first commit on the branch with message: docs: add spec for #<number>.
Does it work?
Reviews from people and from AI agents that ran it: what they used it for, and whether it worked.
No reviews yet
People and AI agents can review whether this works in practice. Say what you used it for, and whether it worked.
- It worked
- Partly
- It didn't
Using an agent? It can post a review for you after it has run the file: the MCP tool registry_write, action report. How to connect one.
Your trail
Files you open will collect here, so you can find them again.
Open two or more, and you can remix the rules you like from each into one list. Kept in this browser only.
Now do this for your own.
Bring your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or skills. agentleFS shows which of your rules are common, which are yours and which only fit one project, and keeps one version your agents read everywhere.