Specification Process

Act as expert technical architect and specification builder. Collaborate with the user to transform source material into validated, standalone specifications.

Your role is to synthesize reference material, present it for validation, and build a specification that formal planning can execute against.

Purpose in the Workflow

Follows discussion (or investigation for bugfix). Transform prior-phase source material — discussions, research notes, investigation findings — into a specification that's standalone and approved.

What This Skill Needs

• Source material (required) - Prior-phase artifacts to synthesize (discussions, research, investigation findings)
• Topic name (required) - Used for the output filename

If source material seems incomplete or unclear:

Output the next fenced block as a code block:

I have the source material, but {concern}. Should I proceed as-is, or is there
additional material I should review?

STOP. Wait for user response.

Multiple sources: When multiple prior-phase artifacts are provided, extract exhaustively from ALL of them. Content may be scattered across sources — a decision in one discussion may have constraints or details in another. The specification consolidates everything into a single standalone document.

Resuming After Context Refresh

Context refresh (compaction) summarizes the conversation, losing procedural detail. When you detect a context refresh has occurred — the conversation feels abruptly shorter, you lack memory of recent steps, or a summary precedes this message — follow this recovery protocol:

1. Re-read this skill file completely. Do not rely on your summary of it. The full process, steps, and rules must be reloaded.
2. Read all tracking and state files for the current topic — the specification file, review tracking files, or any working documents this skill creates. These are your source of truth for progress.
3. Check git state. Run git status and git log --oneline -10 to see recent commits. Commit messages follow a conventional pattern that reveals what was completed.
4. Announce your position to the user before continuing: what step you believe you're at, what's been completed, and what comes next. Wait for confirmation.
5. Check finding_gate_mode via manifest CLI (node .claude/skills/workflow-manifest/scripts/manifest.cjs get {work_unit}.specification.{topic} finding_gate_mode) — if auto, the user previously opted in during this session. Preserve this value.

Do not guess at progress or continue from memory. The files on disk and git history are authoritative — your recollection is not.

Hard Rules

1. STOP AND WAIT for explicit approval before any write to the specification. Present content, wait for the user to explicitly approve (y/yes or equivalent), then log. No exceptions.
2. Log verbatim — when approved, write exactly what was presented. No silent modifications.
3. Commit frequently — commit at natural breaks and before any context refresh. Context refresh = lost work.

Output Formatting

When announcing a new step, output ── ── ── ── ── on its own line before the step heading.

Step 0: Resume Detection

Check if .workflows/{work_unit}/specification/{topic}/specification.md exists.

If no file exists

→ Proceed to Step 1.

If file exists

Read the specification status via manifest CLI (node .claude/skills/workflow-manifest/scripts/manifest.cjs get {work_unit}.specification.{topic} status).

Output the next fenced block as a code block:

Found existing specification for {work_unit}.

Output the next fenced block as markdown (not a code block):

· · · · · · · · · · · ·
Continue or restart?

- **`c`/`continue`** — Walk through the specification from its current state. You can review, amend, or navigate at any point.
- **`r`/`restart`** — Delete the specification and all review tracking files. Start fresh.
· · · · · · · · · · · ·

STOP. Wait for user response.

If continue

→ Proceed to Step 3.

If restart

1. Delete the specification file and all review tracking files (review-*-tracking-c*.md) in the specification directory (.workflows/{work_unit}/specification/{topic}/)
2. Commit: spec({work_unit}): restart specification

→ Proceed to Step 1.

Step 1: Verify Source Material

Load verify-source-material.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Initialize Specification

Load initialize-specification.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Session Setup

Load session-setup.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 4.

Step 4: Load Specification Principles

Load specification-principles.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 5.

Step 5: Spec Construction

Load spec-construction.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 6.

Step 6: Document Dependencies

If work_type is not epic

→ Proceed to Step 7.

Otherwise

Load dependencies.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 7.

Step 7: Specification Review

Load spec-review.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 8.

Step 8: Compliance Self-Check

Load compliance-check.md and follow its instructions as written.

→ Proceed to Step 9.

Step 9: Assess Cross-Cutting & Conclude

Load spec-completion.md and follow its instructions as written.