speckit-specify
A spec-first workflow tool to generate structured, testable feature requirements.
Install
mkdir -p .claude/skills/speckit-specify && curl -L -o skill.zip "https://agentskills.codes/api/skills/download/12888" && unzip -o skill.zip -d .claude/skills/speckit-specify && rm skill.zipInstalls to .claude/skills/speckit-specify
Activation
This is the description your AI agent reads to decide when to run this skill — the better it matches your request, the more reliably it fires.
Create or update feature specifications from natural-language requests for this Spec Kit workflow. Use when starting a new feature or re-baselining spec.md before clarify/plan.Key capabilities
- →Parse feature description from user input
- →Generate a concise short-name for the feature branch
- →Determine the next feature number from remote/local branches and directories
- →Fill required sections of `spec-template.md` with user-centered requirements
- →Create `FEATURE_DIR/checklists/requirements.md`
How it works
This skill parses a feature description, generates a feature branch and specification file, and creates a quality checklist to validate completeness.
Inputs & outputs
When to use speckit-specify
- →Defining new feature requirements
- →Generating spec files
- →Validating requirements against checklists
- →Setting up feature branches
About this skill
Speckit Specify
Overview
Create a feature branch and a specification file, then produce a quality checklist that validates specification completeness before planning.
Workflow
- Parse the feature description from user input. If missing, stop with an explicit error.
- Generate a concise short-name for the feature branch (2-4 words, action-noun style when possible).
- Determine next feature number by checking all three sources:
- Remote branches (
git ls-remote --heads originpattern match) - Local branches (
git branchpattern match) .specify/specs/directories ([0-9]+-short-name)
- Run
.specify/scripts/bash/create-new-feature.shexactly once with--json,--number, and--short-name. - Parse script JSON response and capture at minimum:
BRANCH_NAMESPEC_FILE
- Load
.specify/templates/spec-template.mdand fill required sections with user-centered, testable, technology-agnostic requirements. - Allow at most 3
[NEEDS CLARIFICATION: ...]markers for high-impact unknowns only. - Create
FEATURE_DIR/checklists/requirements.mdusing checklist structure from.specify/templates/checklist-template.md. - Validate spec quality against checklist. Iterate updates up to 3 passes when non-clarification issues remain.
- If clarification markers remain, ask up to 3 structured questions, apply answers to spec, and re-run validation.
- Report completion with branch name, spec path, checklist outcome, and next-skill recommendation (
$speckit-clarifyor$speckit-plan).
Hard Rules
- Focus on WHAT and WHY, not implementation HOW.
- Keep all functional requirements testable and unambiguous.
- Keep success criteria measurable and technology-agnostic.
- Run branch/spec initialization script once per feature request.
References
- Legacy prompt details:
references/legacy_prompt.md
When not to use it
- →When focusing on implementation details (HOW) instead of WHAT and WHY
- →When functional requirements are not testable or unambiguous
- →When success criteria are not measurable or technology-agnostic
Limitations
- →Focuses on WHAT and WHY, not implementation HOW
- →Functional requirements must be testable and unambiguous
- →Success criteria must be measurable and technology-agnostic
How it compares
This workflow automates the creation of a feature branch, a structured specification, and a validation checklist from a natural-language request, ensuring quality before planning, unlike manual documentation.
Compared to similar skills
speckit-specify side by side with the closest alternatives in the catalog.
| Skill | Installs | Updated | Safety | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| speckit-specify (this skill) | 0 | — | No flags | Intermediate |
| prd | 0 | 4mo | No flags | Intermediate |
| pmbok-project-management | 38 | 9mo | No flags | Intermediate |
| project-planner | 32 | 9mo | Review | Intermediate |
Try saying
Example prompts that trigger this skill in your AI assistant.
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