Spec-Kit Plan

Generate comprehensive technical implementation plan from feature specification. Second step in spec-kit workflow.

When to Use

• After creating spec.md with speckit-specify
• Need technical architecture and design
• Ready to plan implementation details

Execution Workflow

1. Setup: Run .specify/scripts/bash/setup-plan.sh --json to get FEATURE_SPEC, IMPL_PLAN, SPECS_DIR, BRANCH paths
2. Load context: Read FEATURE_SPEC and .specify/memory/constitution.md, load IMPL_PLAN template
3. Execute plan workflow:
   • Fill Technical Context (mark unknowns as "NEEDS CLARIFICATION")
   • Fill Constitution Check section from constitution
   • Evaluate gates (ERROR if violations unjustified)
   • Phase 0: Research - Resolve all NEEDS CLARIFICATION before design
     • Extract unknowns from Technical Context
     • Research best practices for each unknown (web search, documentation)
     • Generate research.md with decision rationale and alternatives considered
     • MUST complete Phase 0 before Phase 1
   • Phase 1: Design - Generate technical artifacts
     • data-model.md: Extract entities from spec, define fields/relationships/validation
     • contracts/: Generate API contracts (OpenAPI/GraphQL) from functional requirements
     • quickstart.md: Create test scenarios and setup instructions
     • Update agent context: Run .specify/scripts/bash/update-agent-context.sh claude
       • Adds new technology from plan to agent-specific context
       • Preserves manual additions between markers
   • Re-evaluate Constitution Check post-design (verify no violations introduced)
4. Report: Command ends after planning. Report branch, IMPL_PLAN path, and generated artifacts

Key Points

• Research unknowns thoroughly before design
• Document decision rationale (why chosen, alternatives considered)
• Design for testability following project conventions
• Avoid over-engineering - only what's needed
• Follow semantic versioning and architecture patterns
• Constitution check is non-negotiable - must align with principles
• Update agent-specific context files with new technology

Next Steps

After creating plan.md:

• Generate tasks with speckit-tasks
• Analyze for consistency with speckit-analyze
• Create checklist for quality validation

See Also

• speckit-specify - Create feature specifications
• speckit-tasks - Break plan into actionable tasks
• speckit-analyze - Validate cross-artifact consistency
• speckit-checklist - Generate custom validation checklists