sspec 2.6.1

Lightweight AI collaboration spec for solo/small projects

sspec

简体中文

Spec-driven development for AI coding. Developer controls the agent. State lives in files, not chat.

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The Idea

AI coding agents can generate code cheaply and abundantly, but judging whether code is correct is the most expensive operation — it happens last, and is hard to undo.

sspec's core strategy: move verification forward from the expensive final artifact to a cheap, faithful proxy — the spec. You can predict what the code will look like from the spec, and make your judgment before writing begins.

The goal of collaboration is not for the agent to obey the user, but for both sides to converge on intent ∧ reality: what you genuinely want, combined with what the world actually permits.

Three principles:

• Verify early: The spec is the faithful proxy. You predict outcomes from the spec, not from the code.
• Externalize state: Intent and decisions live in repository files. Agents resume from files, not from chat history.
• Enforce alignment: Stop before irreversible investment. Confirm intent ∧ reality are aligned.

Is sspec for you?

Yes if you:

• can judge whether code is correct, and want the agent to accelerate you rather than decide for you
• are willing to invest time aligning direction before writing begins

Probably not if you:

• cannot judge code quality and need the agent to take full responsibility
• prefer rapid iteration without reviewing intermediate artifacts

How it works

Request — user intent

sspec request new add-password-reset                # directive (default)
sspec request new strange-logout-bug --kind observe
sspec request new async-refactor --kind idea

Change — atomic unit of work

A change is a cohesive, reviewable piece of work. It lives in .sspec/changes/<name>/ and contains:

File	Purpose
spec.md	Problem, approach, scope, and success criteria — the contract
tasks.md	File-level execution checklist with progress
memory.md	Current state, key decisions, milestones — continuity across sessions
design.md	(optional) Technical design for interfaces, data models, architecture
revisions/	(optional) Amendments after the design gate

Lifecycle

Clarify  →  Design  →  Plan  →  Implement  →  Review
              ■                   ■

■ = hard stop. The agent must wait for your review before proceeding.

• Design gate: Review spec.md (+ design.md). The solution contract is now fixed. Changes after this go into revisions/.
• Implementation gate: Review the code. Fix issues, amend scope, or approve as done.

Memory — continuity file

memory.md is how the agent resumes. Next session, the agent reads memory.md first — it knows exactly where the work stands, what files matter, and why past decisions were made. No reconstructing from chat history.

Spec-docs — long-lived knowledge

Architecture decisions, design patterns, platform constraints — things that outlive any single change. Live in .sspec/spec-docs/, referenced by the agent across all changes.

Folder layout

project/
├── AGENTS.md              ← the protocol (agent reads this first)
├── .agents/skills/        ← synced from .sspec/skills/
└── .sspec/
    ├── project.md         ← your stack, conventions, key paths
    ├── requests/          ← intent records (directive / observe / idea)
    ├── changes/           ← active and archived changes
    │   └── <name>/
    │       ├── spec.md
    │       ├── tasks.md
    │       └── memory.md
    ├── spec-docs/         ← architecture and design knowledge
    ├── skills/            ← agent-facing skill definitions
    ├── asks/              ← structured Q&A records
    ├── howto/             ← operational guides
    └── tmp/               ← scratch space

Quick Start

1. Install and initialize

pip install sspec
cd your-project
sspec project init

Then fill .sspec/project.md with your stack, key paths, and conventions.

2. Start work — two paths

Path A: Describe your need to the agent. Tell the agent what you want. A capable agent reads AGENTS.md and follows the sspec protocol — it clarifies, creates a change, writes the spec, and stops at the design gate for your review.

Path B: Write a request file. If you have clear ideas, create a request:

sspec request new add-dark-mode

Fill in background, problem, direction, and success criteria. The agent picks it up from there.

3. Review at gates

The agent stops at two points:

• Design gate: read spec.md, confirm the approach, then tell the agent to proceed.
• Implementation gate: review the code, request fixes, or approve.

4. Archive when done

sspec change archive --with-request <name>

Common commands

# Requests
sspec request new <name> [--kind directive|observe|idea]
sspec request list

# Changes
sspec change new <name> [--from <request>] [--root]
sspec change status <name>
sspec change list
sspec change archive <name> --with-request

# Project
sspec project status
sspec project update --dry-run

# Docs
sspec doc new "Architecture Overview"

# Tools
sspec tool now
sspec tool mdtoc README.md

Run sspec --help for the full command list.

License

AGPL-3.0