/speckit.specify

description: Create or update the feature specification from a natural language feature description.
handoffs: 
  - label: Build Technical Plan
    agent: speckit.plan
    prompt: Create a plan for the spec. I am building with...
  - label: Clarify Spec Requirements
    agent: speckit.clarify
    prompt: Clarify specification requirements
    send: true

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

You **MUST** consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty).

Outline

The text the user typed after `/speckit.specify` in the triggering message **is** the feature description. Assume you always have it available in this conversation even if `$ARGUMENTS` appears literally below. Do not ask the user to repeat it unless they provided an empty command.

Given that feature description, do this:

1. **Generate a concise short name** (2-4 words) for the branch:

• Analyze the feature description and extract the most meaningful keywords
• Create a 2-4 word short name that captures the essence of the feature
• Use action-noun format when possible (e.g., "add-user-auth", "fix-payment-bug")
• Preserve technical terms and acronyms (OAuth2, API, JWT, etc.)
• Keep it concise but descriptive enough to understand the feature at a glance
• Examples:
• "I want to add user authentication" → "user-auth"
• "Implement OAuth2 integration for the API" → "oauth2-api-integration"
• "Create a dashboard for analytics" → "analytics-dashboard"
• "Fix payment processing timeout bug" → "fix-payment-timeout"

2. **Check for existing branches before creating new one**:

a. First, fetch all remote branches to ensure we have the latest information:

      git fetch --all --prune

b. Find the highest feature number across all sources for the short-name:

• Remote branches: `git ls-remote --heads origin | grep -E 'refs/heads/[0-9]+-<short-name>$'`
• Local branches: `git branch | grep -E '^[* ]*[0-9]+-<short-name>$'`
• Specs directories: Check for directories matching `specs/[0-9]+-<short-name>`

c. Determine the next available number:

• Extract all numbers from all three sources
• Find the highest number N
• Use N+1 for the new branch number

d. Run the script `.specify/scripts/bash/create-new-feature.sh --json "$ARGUMENTS"` with the calculated number and short-name:

• Pass `--number N+1` and `--short-name "your-short-name"` along with the feature description
• Bash example: `.specify/scripts/bash/create-new-feature.sh --json "$ARGUMENTS" --json --number 5 --short-name "user-auth" "Add user authentication"`
• PowerShell example: `.specify/scripts/bash/create-new-feature.sh --json "$ARGUMENTS" -Json -Number 5 -ShortName "user-auth" "Add user authentication"`

**IMPORTANT**:

• Check all three sources (remote branches, local branches, specs directories) to find the highest number
• Only match branches/directories with the exact short-name pattern
• If no existing branches/directories found with this short-name, start with number 1
• You must only ever run this script once per feature
• The JSON is provided in the terminal as output - always refer to it to get the actual content you're looking for
• The JSON output will contain BRANCH_NAME and SPEC_FILE paths
• For single quotes in args like "I'm Groot", use escape syntax: e.g 'I'\''m Groot' (or double-quote if possible: "I'm Groot")

3. Load `.specify/templates/spec-template.md` to understand required sections.

4. Follow this execution flow:

1. Parse user description from Input If empty: ERROR "No feature description provided" 2. Extract key concepts from description Identify: actors, actions, data, constraints 3. For unclear aspects:

• Make informed guesses based on context and industry standards
• Only mark with [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: specific question] if:
• The choice significantly impacts feature scope or user experience
• Multiple reasonable interpretations exist with different implications
• No reasonable default exists
• **LIMIT: Maximum 3 [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers total**
• Prioritize clarifications by impact: scope > security/privacy > user experience > technical details

4. Fill User Scenarios & Testing section If no clear user flow: ERROR "Cannot determine user scenarios" 5. Generate Functional Requirements Each requirement must be testable Use reasonable defaults for unspecified details (document assumptions in Assumptions section) 6. Define Success Criteria Create measurable, technology-agnostic outcomes Include both quantitative metrics (time, performance, volume) and qualitative measures (user satisfaction, task completion) Each criterion must be verifiable without implementation details 7. Identify Key Entities (if data involved) 8. Return: SUCCESS (spec ready for planning)

5. Write the specification to SPEC_FILE using the template structure, replacing placeholders with concrete details derived from the feature description (arguments) while preserving section order and headings.

6. **Specification Quality Validation**: After writing the initial spec, validate it against quality criteria:

a. **Create Spec Quality Checklist**: Generate a checklist file at `FEATURE_DIR/checklists/requirements.md` using the checklist template structure with these validation items:

      # Specification Quality Checklist: [FEATURE NAME]
      
      **Purpose**: Validate specification completeness and quality before proceeding to planning
      **Created**: [DATE]
      **Feature**: [Link to spec.md]
      
      ## Content Quality
      
      - [ ] No implementation details (languages, frameworks, APIs)
      - [ ] Focused on user value and business needs
      - [ ] Written for non-technical stakeholders
      - [ ] All mandatory sections completed