spec-driven-development-template

<div align="center">

<img src="./docs/assets/social-preview.svg" alt="Spec-Driven Development Template" width="720">

# 🌱 Spec-Driven Development Template

**Learn Spec-Driven Development, then use it on real projects.<br>One rule, and a gate that stays shut until you approve a spec — and tells you on every run exactly what it checked.**

🇺🇸 **English** · [🇪🇸 Español](./README.es.md)

<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/version-v2.2.1-3b82f6?style=for-the-badge" alt="Version">
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-8b5cf6?style=for-the-badge" alt="License">
<a href="https://github.com/juanklagos/spec-driven-development-template/releases/tag/v2.2.1"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/release-latest-10b981?style=for-the-badge" alt="Latest release"></a>

<a href="https://juanklagos.github.io/spec-driven-development-template/"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/📖_Docs_Site-Browse-0ea5e9?style=for-the-badge" alt="Documentation site"></a>
<a href="https://github.com/juanklagos/aprende-sdd"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/🎓_Course-Learn_by_doing-16a34a?style=for-the-badge" alt="Interactive course"></a>
<a href="https://github.com/marketplace/actions/sdd-validate"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/✅_Action-Marketplace-2088FF?style=for-the-badge&logo=githubactions&logoColor=white" alt="SDD Validate on GitHub Marketplace"></a>
<a href="https://codespaces.new/juanklagos/spec-driven-development-template"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/⚡_Codespaces-Open-181717?style=for-the-badge&logo=github" alt="Open in GitHub Codespaces"></a>

[Non-technical start](./START_HERE_NON_TECH.md) · [Quickstart](./QUICKSTART.md) · [AI agent start](./AI_START_HERE.md) · [Commands](#built-in-commands-for-your-ai-agent) · [Community](#community)

</div>

---

## What is this?

**Spec-Driven Development (SDD)** means writing and approving a clear specification *before* any code exists, so that scope and decisions outlive the chat window they were born in. By 2026 it is how most people build software with AI agents.

This repo does double duty.

It is a school: a bilingual (EN/ES) path that starts from zero, with guides, an interactive course and a tutor you can talk to. You do not need to know how to program to get through it.

It is also a toolkit for real work: enforcement scripts, rules your agent reads, an MCP server, and a compact `spec/` sidecar you drop into a codebase that already exists.

The workflow engine underneath is [GitHub Spec Kit](https://github.com/github/spec-kit). This repo is the practical layer around it.

<div align="center">

**The flow in action** — create a spec, validate, pass the gate *(regenerated on every release)*:

<img src="./docs/assets/demo.gif" alt="SDD flow demo: create a spec, validate the structure, pass the gate" width="720">

</div>

What changes in practice: decisions stop living in chat history and move into `specs/`. The gate stays closed until `spec.md` and `plan.md` exist, agree, and you record your consent — a script checks that, not somebody's memory. A new teammate or a new agent lands in a folder layout they already recognize. And `bitacora/` keeps the session log, so six months later you can still find out why something was done the way it was.

> Want the industry map? Read [SDD in 2026: state of the art and how this template compares](./docs/en/50-sdd-state-of-the-art-2026.md).

## Choose your door

- **Non-technical** (founder, PM, curious): [START_HERE_NON_TECH.md](./START_HERE_NON_TECH.md) — a guided start with no jargon in it.
- **Developer**: [QUICKSTART.md](./QUICKSTART.md) — the commands to scaffold and validate, about five minutes.
- **AI agent**, or you pasting into one: [AI_START_HERE.md](./AI_START_HERE.md) — operating rules plus copy/paste prompts for each level.

Then pick your learning level. Every guide on the [docs site](https://juanklagos.github.io/spec-driven-development-template/) carries its level badge:

- 🟢 Beginner: [quick guide for non-programmers](./docs/en/13-quick-guide-non-programmers.md)
- 🟡 Intermediate: [team discipline guide](./docs/en/14-intermediate-guide.md)
- 🔴 Advanced: [governance and standardization](./docs/en/15-advanced-guide.md)

> [!TIP]
> If you would rather learn by doing, take the **[interactive course](https://github.com/juanklagos/aprende-sdd)** (GitHub Skills format): 4 steps, ~35 min, auto-graded by Actions. Your exam is the real SDD gate.

## Start in 30 seconds

Copy/paste this prompt into your AI assistant (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini...):

```text
Using https://github.com/juanklagos/spec-driven-development-template, guide me step by step with SDD for my project.
My project is: [describe your project in plain language].
If my project is new, initialize from this template and GitHub Spec Kit as the base workflow.
If it already exists, adapt it without breaking current behavior.
No code before approved spec and consistent plan.
```

## Built-in commands for your AI agent

If you use **Claude Code**, this repo ships slash commands out of the box. Start with `/sdd:help`:

| Command | What it does |
| :--- | :--- |
| `/sdd:help` | Tells you what stage you are in and the single next step |
| `/sdd:new` | Guided start: idea → first spec ready for approval |
| `/sdd:spec` | Create or refine a spec bundle with EARS criteria |
| `/sdd:gate` | Runs the gate — approval, plan consistency, consent — and records yours |
| `/sdd:decision` | One decision, written down in `bitacora/decisiones/`: what, why, what was rejected, when to revisit |
| `/sdd:close` | Validates and closes the session with the output contract |
| `/sdd:tutor` | A conversational SDD course by levels, graded by the real validation scripts |

**Install in any project as a plugin** (no cloning):

```text
/plugin marketplace add juanklagos/spec-driven-development-template
/plugin install sdd@sdd-template
```

- **VS Code / Copilot:** the same flows as prompt files in [`.github/prompts/`](./.github/prompts/).
- **Any agent (32+ tools):** portable Agent Skill at [skills/sdd-workflow/SKILL.md](./skills/sdd-workflow/SKILL.md).
- **AI context:** [llms.txt](./llms.txt) indexes all docs for coding agents (regenerate with `./scripts/generate-llms-txt.sh`).

## The golden rule

> [!IMPORTANT]
> **No code before an approved `spec.md` and a consistent `plan.md`.**
> A script enforces this, and implementation starts only once your consent is on record.

```bash
./scripts/check-sdd-policy.sh .   # multi-agent policy files are aligned
./scripts/check-sdd-gate.sh .     # spec approved + plan consistent + consent recorded
./scripts/confirm-user-consent.sh --spec 001-<slug> "User approved scope X"
```

(In sidecar projects the same scripts live under `./spec/scripts/`.)

Enforce it in CI too. This repo doubles as a GitHub Action, listed on the [GitHub Marketplace](https://github.com/marketplace/actions/sdd-validate):

```yaml
- uses: juanklagos/spec-driven-development-template@v2.2.1
  with:
    path: "."      # project root (sidecar or standalone auto-detected)
    strict: "true"
```

Reference files: [sdd.policy.yaml](./sdd.policy.yaml) · [INSTRUCTIONS.md](./INSTRUCTIONS.md) · [AGENT_OPERATING_SYSTEM.md](./template-context/core-instructions/AGENT_OPERATING_SYSTEM.md)

## How it works

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  A["💡 Idea in plain language"] --> B["📋 spec.md approved"]
  B --> C["🗺️ plan.md consistent"]
  C --> D["✅ tasks.md prioritized"]
  D --> E["🚦 Gate + explicit consent"]
  E --> F["⚙️ Implementation"]
  F --> G["🔍 Validation + logbook"]
```

Every feature gets a numbered spec bundle, and every session leaves a trace in `bitacora/` (the logbook):

1. `spec.md` — what and why *(approved by you)*
2. `plan.md` — how *(consistent with the spec)*
3. `tasks.md` — concrete steps
4. `history.md` — how it evolved

Full walkthrough example: [examples/002-mcp-end-to-end](./examples/002-mcp-end-to-end/README.md)

## Apply it to a real project

**Fastest start (no clone needed):**

```bash
npx @juanklagos/create-sdd-project@latest my-app
```

It asks a few questions and scaffolds the recommended `spec/` sidecar, or a full workspace, from the latest template.

Three ways to use the template, from lightest to heaviest:

| Mode | When | Command |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Compact `spec/` sidecar** ⭐ | Real or existing project: SDD artifacts in `./spec/`, code stays in your project root | `./scripts/install-spec-sidecar.sh /path/to/project --profile=recommended` |
| **Internal workspace `www/`** | The runnable project should live inside this template repo | `./scripts/create-www-project.sh my-project codex` |
| **Full standalone copy** | You explicitly want the whole framework as your workspace | `./scripts/init-project.sh /path/to/project --profile=full` |

> [!TIP]
> The professional default is the compact `spec/` sidecar and nothing else. Never copy the full framework into a real codebase unless you actually want standalone mode.

<details>
<summary><b>Everyday commands</b> (sidecar mode shown; the same scripts exist at root in standalone mode)</summary>

<br>

| Action | Command |
| :--- | :--- |
| New spec | `./spec/scripts/new-spec.sh "my-feature" "Owner"` |
| Validate structure | `./spec/scripts/validate-sdd.sh . --strict` |
| Policy check | `./spec/scripts/check-sdd-policy.sh .` |
| SDD gate | `./spec/scripts/check-sdd-gate.sh .` |
| Status dashboard | `./spec/scripts/generate-status.sh` |

Folder anatomy and layout details: [project organization map](./docs/en/42-project-organization-map.md)

```mermaid
flowchart TD
  A["Your project root (code)"] --> B["spec/"]
  B --> C["idea/"]
  B --> D["specs/ (numbered bundles)"]
  B --> E["bitacora/ (logbook)"]
  B --> F["scripts/ (gate + validation)"]
```

</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Connect via MCP</b> (optional, advanced)</summary>

<br>

If your AI client supports MCP, this repo ships a local `sdd-mcp` server that turns the SDD workflow into guided commands (`/start-project`, `/create-spec ...`).