specify-extend 1.5.3

Installation tool for spec-kit-extensions that works alongside specify init

👉 Claude Code users: Visit github.com/MartyBonacci/specswarm for the best experience

Using other AI tools? Continue with this repository - it's designed to work universally across AI coding assistants. Note that our development focus is shifting to SpecSwarm for Claude Code.

9 production-tested workflows that extend spec-kit to cover the complete software development lifecycle.

What Is This?

spec-kit provides excellent structured workflows for feature development (/speckit.specify → /speckit.plan → /speckit.tasks → /speckit.implement). These extensions add 9 additional workflows for the remaining ~75% of software development work:

• /speckit.baseline - Establish project baseline and track all changes by workflow type
• /speckit.bugfix - Fix bugs with regression-test-first approach
• /speckit.enhance - Make minor enhancements with streamlined single-doc workflow
• /speckit.modify - Modify existing features with automatic impact analysis
• /speckit.refactor - Improve code quality with metrics tracking
• /speckit.hotfix - Handle production emergencies with expedited process
• /speckit.deprecate - Sunset features with phased 3-step rollout
• /speckit.cleanup - Clean up codebase with automated scripts
• /speckit.review - Review completed work with structured feedback

Why Use These Extensions?

The Problem

With vanilla spec-kit, you get structure for ~25% of your work (new features), but the remaining 75% happens ad-hoc:

• Bugs: No systematic approach → regressions happen
• Feature changes: No impact analysis → breaking changes
• Code quality: No metrics → unclear if refactor helped
• Emergencies: No process → panic-driven development
• Feature removal: No plan → angry users
• Codebase Cleanup: No automation → manual effort
• Work Review: No structure → inconsistent feedback

The Solution

These extensions bring spec-kit's structured approach to all development activities:

Activity	Without Extensions	With Extensions
New Feature	✅ /speckit.specify workflow	✅ Same
Project Baseline	❌ Ad-hoc	✅ /speckit.baseline with comprehensive docs
Bug Fix	❌ Ad-hoc	✅ /speckit.bugfix with regression tests
Minor Enhancement	❌ Ad-hoc	✅ /speckit.enhance with streamlined planning
Modify Feature	❌ Ad-hoc	✅ /speckit.modify with impact analysis
Refactor Code	❌ Ad-hoc	✅ /speckit.refactor with metrics
Production Fire	❌ Panic	✅ /speckit.hotfix with post-mortem
Remove Feature	❌ Hope	✅ /speckit.deprecate with 3-phase sunset
Codebase Cleanup	❌ Manual	✅ /speckit.cleanup with automation
Work Review	❌ Inconsistent	✅ /speckit.review with structured feedback

Real-World Validation

These workflows are production-tested on a React Router v7 Twitter clone ("Tweeter") with:

• ✅ 14 features implemented
• ✅ 3 modifications (with impact analysis that caught dependencies)
• ✅ 2 bugfixes (regression tests prevented recurrence)
• ✅ 1 refactor (metrics showed 15% code duplication reduction)
• ✅ 100% build success rate across all workflows

See EXAMPLES.md for detailed real-world examples.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• spec-kit installed (installation guide)
• AI coding agent (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Cursor, etc.)
• Git repository with .specify/ directory

Installation

spec-kit-extensions works with any AI agent that supports spec-kit. Installation is a two-step process:

Step 1: Initialize spec-kit (creates .specify/ structure):

specify init --here --ai claude
# or for PowerShell: specify init --here --ai claude --script ps

Step 2: Install extensions:

specify-extend --all

This will:

• Detect your configured AI agent
• Install all 9 workflow extensions into .specify/
• Set up quality gates
• Configure branch naming patterns

Optional: Install GitHub integration:

specify-extend --all --github-integration

The --github-integration flag will interactively prompt you to select GitHub features:

• Review enforcement workflows - Automatically require reviews before merge
• Review reminder workflow - Auto-comment on PRs with instructions
• PR template - Structured PR template with review checklist
• Issue templates - 9 templates for all workflow types
• GitHub Copilot config - PR review configuration
• CODEOWNERS template - Automatic reviewer assignment
• Documentation - Complete guide for all features

You can select individual features or install all with all. Non-interactive: specify-extend --all --github-integration --no-interactive

For detailed installation instructions, see INSTALLATION.md.

Alternative: Install the CLI tool manually

# 1. Initialize spec-kit in your project
cd your-project
specify init .

# 2. Install specify-extend tool from PyPI
pip install specify-extend

# Or use with uvx (no installation needed)
uvx specify-extend --all

# Or run directly with Python
python -m specify_extend --all

# 3. Install extensions (auto-detects your agent)
specify-extend --all
specify-extend --all --script ps  # Optional: install PowerShell workflows

# Or install specific extensions
specify-extend bugfix modify refactor

The specify-extend tool automatically:

• ✅ Downloads latest extensions from GitHub
• ✅ Detects your AI agent (Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Cursor, Qwen, opencode, Codex, Amazon Q, etc.)
• ✅ Installs extensions matching your setup
• ✅ Configures agent-specific commands
• ✅ Updates constitution with quality gates
• ✅ Patches spec-kit's common.sh to support extension branch patterns

Optional: LLM-Enhanced Constitution Updates

For intelligent merging of quality gates into your existing constitution (instead of simple appending):

specify-extend --all --llm-enhance

This creates a one-time prompt that uses your AI agent to intelligently merge quality gates while preserving your constitution's style and structure. The prompt/command includes instructions to delete itself after use.

GitHub Copilot: Reference .github/prompts/speckit.enhance-constitution.md in Copilot Chat (also creates matching agent file) Other agents: Run /speckit.enhance-constitution

See specify-extend documentation for details.

Manual install (copy files)

If you prefer manual installation or need more control:

Option 1: Copy into Existing Project

# Clone this repo
git clone https://github.com/pradeepmouli/spec-kit-extensions.git /tmp/extensions

# Copy files into your project
cd your-project
cp -r /tmp/extensions/extensions/* .specify/extensions/
cp -r /tmp/extensions/scripts/* .specify/scripts/bash/
# Optional (PowerShell): copy only if you want PowerShell workflows
mkdir -p .specify/scripts/powershell/
cp -r /tmp/extensions/scripts/powershell/* .specify/scripts/powershell/
cp -r /tmp/extensions/commands/* .claude/commands/

# Merge constitution sections
cat /tmp/extensions/docs/constitution-template.md >> .specify/memory/constitution.md

# Clean up
rm -rf /tmp/extensions

Option 2: Git Submodule (Team Projects)

cd your-project
git submodule add https://github.com/pradeepmouli/spec-kit-extensions.git .specify/extensions-source
# Create symlinks per INSTALLATION.md

See INSTALLATION.md for detailed manual installation instructions.

Verify Installation

# In your project, try:
/speckit.bugfix --help

# Should see:
# Usage: /speckit.bugfix "bug description"
# Creates a bugfix workflow with regression-test-first approach

Usage

Quick Decision Tree

What are you doing?

Starting with spec-kit?
└─ Use `/speckit.baseline` to establish project context

Building something new?
├─ Major feature (multi-phase, complex)?
│  └─ Use `/speckit.specify "description"`
└─ Minor enhancement (simple, quick)?
   └─ Use `/speckit.enhance "description"`

Fixing broken behavior?
├─ Production emergency?
│  └─ Use `/speckit.hotfix "incident description"`
└─ Non-urgent bug?
   └─ Use `/speckit.bugfix "bug description"`

Changing existing feature?
├─ Adding/modifying behavior?
│  └─ Use `/speckit.modify 014 "change description"`
└─ Improving code without changing behavior?
   └─ Use `/speckit.refactor "improvement description"`

Removing a feature?
└─ Use `/speckit.deprecate 014 "deprecation reason"`

Reviewing completed work?
└─ Use `/speckit.review [task-id]`

Example: Fix a Bug

# Step 1: Create bug report
/speckit.bugfix "profile form crashes when submitting without image upload"
# Creates: bug-report.md with initial analysis
# Shows: Next steps to review and investigate

# Step 2: Investigate and update bug-report.md with root cause

# Step 3: Create fix plan
/speckit.plan
# Creates: Detailed fix plan with regression test strategy

# Step 4: Break down into tasks
/speckit.tasks
# Creates: Task list (reproduce, write regression test, fix, verify)

# Step 5: Execute fix
/speckit.implement
# Runs all tasks including regression-test-first approach

Example: Modify Existing Feature

# Step 1: Create modification spec with impact analysis
/speckit.modify 014 "make profile fields optional instead of required"
# Creates: modification-spec.md + impact-analysis.md
# Shows: Impact summary and next steps

# Step 2: Review modification spec and impact analysis
# - Check affected files and contracts
# - Assess backward compatibility
# - Refine requirements if needed

# Step 3: Create implementation plan
/speckit.plan
# Creates: Detailed plan for implementing changes

# Step 4: Break down into tasks
/speckit.tasks
# Creates: Task list (update contracts, update tests, implement)

# Step 5: Execute changes
/speckit.implement
# Runs all tasks in correct order

Workflow Cheat Sheet

Workflow	Command	Key Feature	Test Strategy
Feature	/speckit.specify "..."	Full spec + design	TDD (test before code)
Baseline	/speckit.baseline	Context tracking	No tests (doc only)
Bugfix	/speckit.bugfix "..."	Regression test	Test before fix
Enhance	/speckit.enhance "..."	Single-doc workflow	Tests for new behavior
Modify	/speckit.modify 014 "..."	Impact analysis	Update affected tests
Refactor	/speckit.refactor "..."	Baseline metrics	Tests unchanged
Hotfix	/speckit.hotfix "..."	Post-mortem	Test after (only exception)
Deprecate	/speckit.deprecate 014 "..."	3-phase sunset	Remove tests last
Review	/speckit.review [task-id]	Structured feedback	Verify tests
Cleanup	/speckit.cleanup	Automated scripts	Manual verification

• INSTALLATION.md - Step-by-step installation for all scenarios
• AI-AGENTS.md - Setup guides for different AI coding agents
• EXAMPLES.md - Real examples from Tweeter project
• QUICKSTART.md - 5-minute tutorial
• Extension README - Detailed workflow documentation
• Architecture - How the system works
• CONTRIBUTING.md - How to contribute improvements

Compatibility

AI Agents

These extensions work with any AI agent that supports spec-kit. Command files are installed per agent:

Agent	Command directory	Format
Claude Code	.claude/commands	Markdown
GitHub Copilot	.github/agents	Markdown
Cursor	.cursor/commands	Markdown
Windsurf	.windsurf/workflows	Markdown
Gemini CLI	.gemini/commands	TOML
Qwen Code	.qwen/commands	TOML
opencode	.opencode/commands	Markdown
Codex CLI	.codex/commands	Markdown
Amazon Q Developer CLI	.q/commands	Markdown
Manual/Generic	None (use scripts directly)	N/A

Detection also recognizes:

• Copilot: .github/copilot-instructions.md
• Cursor: .cursorrules

If no agent is detected, you can pass --agent explicitly or use the scripts directly.

See AI-AGENTS.md for detailed setup guides for each agent.

spec-kit Versions

• ✅ spec-kit v0.0.80+ (includes VS Code agent config support with handoffs)
• ✅ spec-kit v0.0.18+ (updated for new /speckit. prefix)
• ✅ Fully compatible with core spec-kit workflows
• ✅ Non-breaking (can be added/removed without affecting existing features)
• ⚠️ Breaking change from v0.0.17: All commands now use /speckit. prefix

Component Versions

This project has two independently versioned components:

• Extension Templates (v2.5.1) - Workflow templates, commands, and scripts
  • See CHANGELOG.md for template version history
• CLI Tool (v1.5.2) - specify-extend installation tool
  • Check version with specify-extend --version
  • See CHANGELOG.md for CLI version history

Both components are released together but versioned separately to allow independent updates.

Optional GitHub Integration

New in vX.Y.Z: spec-kit-extensions now includes optional GitHub workflows, issue templates, and AI agent configuration to enhance your development workflow.

Features

• 🔒 Review Enforcement - Automatically require code reviews before merging spec-kit branches
• 💬 Review Reminders - Auto-comment on PRs with helpful review instructions
• 📝 PR Template - Structured PR template with review checklist
• 👥 CODEOWNERS - Automatic reviewer assignment based on workflow type
• 🤖 Copilot for PRs - GitHub Copilot integration for AI-assisted code review
• 📋 Issue Templates - Structured templates for all 9 workflow types
• ✅ Review Helper - Tools to check review status and validate branches

What's Included

1. GitHub Actions Workflows (3 workflows)

   • spec-kit-review-required.yml - Enforces review completion before merge
   • spec-kit-review-helper.yml - Manual tools for checking review status
   • spec-kit-review-reminder.yml - Auto-comments on PRs with review instructions

2. GitHub Code Review Integration

   • pull_request_template.md - Structured PR template with review checklist
   • CODEOWNERS.example - Automatic reviewer assignment configuration
   • copilot.yml - GitHub Copilot for PRs configuration with spec-kit awareness

3. Issue Templates (9 templates)

   • Feature Request, Bug Report, Enhancement Request
   • Modification Request, Refactoring Request, Hotfix Request
   • Deprecation Request, Cleanup Request, Baseline/Documentation Request

4. AI Agent Configuration

   • copilot-instructions.md - GitHub Copilot workflow guidance
   • Includes review requirements and best practices

Installation (Optional)

Option 1: Automated Installation (Recommended)

Use the --github-integration flag during installation:

specify-extend --all --github-integration

This will:

• Interactively prompt you to select which GitHub features to install
• Download and install selected features from the latest release
• Set up the .github/ directory automatically

Available features to select:

• review-enforcement - Review requirement enforcement workflow
• review-reminder - PR review reminder workflow
• review-helper - Manual review checking tools
• pr-template - Pull request template
• issue-templates - 9 issue templates for all workflows
• copilot-config - GitHub Copilot configuration
• codeowners - CODEOWNERS template
• documentation - Complete docs
• all - Install everything

Non-interactive mode (installs all features):

specify-extend --all --github-integration --no-interactive

Option 2: Manual Installation

If you prefer manual control, first obtain the spec-kit-extensions files:

# Clone the spec-kit-extensions repository
git clone https://github.com/pradeepmouli/spec-kit-extensions.git /tmp/spec-kit-extensions

# Or download a specific release
# wget https://github.com/pradeepmouli/spec-kit-extensions/archive/refs/tags/vX.Y.Z.tar.gz
# tar -xzf vX.Y.Z.tar.gz

Then copy the desired files to your project:

# Navigate to your project directory
cd /path/to/your/project

# Copy workflows (recommended for review enforcement)
cp /tmp/spec-kit-extensions/.github/workflows/spec-kit-review-*.yml .github/workflows/

# Copy PR template (recommended for structured PRs)
cp /tmp/spec-kit-extensions/.github/pull_request_template.md .github/

# Copy issue templates (optional)
cp -r /tmp/spec-kit-extensions/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE .github/

# Copy GitHub Copilot configuration (optional, for Copilot users)
cp /tmp/spec-kit-extensions/.github/copilot-instructions.md .github/
cp /tmp/spec-kit-extensions/.github/copilot.yml.example .github/
# NOTE: copilot.yml.example is instructional. Configure it for your GitHub Copilot
# setup according to the actual Copilot configuration schema, then rename to
# copilot.yml to activate (if applicable to your Copilot version).

# Copy CODEOWNERS template (optional, for teams)
cp /tmp/spec-kit-extensions/.github/CODEOWNERS.example .github/CODEOWNERS
# IMPORTANT: Edit .github/CODEOWNERS to replace placeholder values

# Commit the files
git add .github/
git commit -m "Add spec-kit GitHub workflows and code review integration"
git push

Usage

Complete Review Workflow:

1. Implement your work using spec-kit workflows
2. Run /speckit.review before creating a PR (REQUIRED)
3. Commit the review file to your branch
4. Create PR - fill out the PR template checklist
5. GitHub Actions automatically:
   • Post reminder comment with review instructions
   • Validate review file exists and is approved
   • Add appropriate labels
   • Request reviewers (via CODEOWNERS)
   • Block merge if review missing or not approved
6. GitHub Copilot assists with PR review (if configured)
7. Human reviewers perform additional review
8. Merge when both AI review + human review approved

Issue Templates:

1. Click "New Issue" → Select appropriate template
2. Fill out structured form
3. Use suggested workflow commands to start implementation

Review Helper:

• Go to Actions → Spec-Kit Review Helper → Run workflow
• Check status, list pending reviews, or validate branches

GitHub Copilot for PRs (if configured):

• Ask Copilot to "Review this PR for spec-kit workflow compliance"
• Copilot checks review completion, specification alignment, and code quality
• Works alongside /speckit.review for comprehensive coverage

Documentation

See .github/README.md for complete documentation including:

• Detailed workflow descriptions
• Configuration options
• Troubleshooting guide
• Examples and best practices

Benefits

• Consistent Quality - All code reviewed before merge
• Automated Enforcement - No manual checking needed
• Better Documentation - Reviews committed with code
• Structured Issues - Complete information from the start

Note: These are entirely optional. Use what helps your workflow!

Project Structure

After installation, your project will have:

your-project/
├── .specify/
│   ├── extensions/              # Extension workflows
│   │   ├── README.md
│   │   ├── QUICKSTART.md
│   │   ├── enabled.conf         # Enable/disable workflows
│   │   └── workflows/
│   │       ├── baseline/
│   │       ├── bugfix/
│   │       ├── enhance/
│   │       ├── modify/
│   │       ├── refactor/
│   │       ├── hotfix/
│   │       ├── deprecate/
│   │       ├── cleanup/
│   │       └── review/
│   ├── scripts/bash/            # Bash scripts (Linux/Mac/Git Bash)
│   │   ├── create-baseline.sh
│   │   ├── create-bugfix.sh
│   │   ├── create-enhance.sh
│   │   ├── create-modification.sh
│   │   ├── create-refactor.sh
│   │   ├── create-hotfix.sh
│   │   ├── create-deprecate.sh
│   │   ├── create-cleanup.sh
│   │   └── mark-task-status.sh
│   ├── scripts/powershell/      # PowerShell scripts (Windows)
│   │   ├── create-baseline.ps1
│   │   ├── create-bugfix.ps1
│   │   ├── create-enhance.ps1
│   │   ├── create-modification.ps1
│   │   ├── create-refactor.ps1
│   │   ├── create-hotfix.ps1
│   │   ├── create-deprecate.ps1
│   │   └── create-cleanup.ps1
│   └── memory/
│       └── constitution.md      # Updated with workflow quality gates
└── .claude/commands/            # Example: Claude Code command files
    ├── speckit.baseline.md
    ├── speckit.bugfix.md
    ├── speckit.enhance.md
    ├── speckit.modify.md
    ├── speckit.refactor.md
    ├── speckit.hotfix.md
    ├── speckit.deprecate.md
    ├── speckit.cleanup.md
    └── speckit.review.md

Note: specify-extend installs either bash or PowerShell scripts based on --script (default: bash). Bash scripts work on Linux, macOS, and Windows (via Git Bash or WSL).

FAQ

Do I need to use all 9 workflows?

No! Enable only what you need via .specify/extensions/enabled.conf. Common combinations:

• Minimal: Just /bugfix (most teams need this)
• Standard: /bugfix + /enhance + /modify (covers most scenarios)
• Complete: All 9 workflows (full lifecycle coverage + maintenance)

Can I customize the workflows?

Yes! See Extension Development Guide for creating custom workflows or modifying existing ones.

What if I pick the wrong workflow?

No problem! Create the correct workflow and copy your work over. The worst case is having the wrong template.

Do these work without Claude Code?

Yes! The workflows are agent-agnostic. They work with any AI agent that supports spec-kit, or even manually if you prefer following the templates yourself.

Will these be contributed to spec-kit?

That's the plan! We've opened an issue proposing these extensions be incorporated upstream. Until then, use this repo.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for:

• Bug reports
• Feature requests
• New workflow ideas
• Documentation improvements
• Real-world usage examples

License

MIT License - Same as spec-kit

See LICENSE for details.

Credits

Built with ❤️ for the spec-kit community by developers who wanted structured workflows for more than just new features.

Special Thanks:

• GitHub spec-kit team for the foundation
• Anthropic Claude Code team for excellent AI agent integration
• Early adopters who tested these workflows in production

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• spec-kit: Original spec-kit repo

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