system-spec-kit

Spec Kit - Mandatory Conversation Documentation

Orchestrates mandatory spec folder creation for all conversations involving file modifications. Ensures proper documentation level selection (1-3+), template usage, and context preservation through AGENTS.md-enforced workflows.

1. WHEN TO USE

What is a Spec Folder?

A spec folder is a numbered directory (e.g., 007-auth-feature/) that contains documentation for a single feature/task or a coordinated packet of related phase work:

Spec folders may also be nested as coordination-root packets with direct-child phase folders (e.g., specs/02--track/022-feature/011-phase/002-child/).

• Purpose: Track specifications, plans, tasks, and decisions for one unit of work
• Location: Under specs/ using either ###-short-name/ at the root or nested packet paths for phased coordination
• Contents: Markdown files (spec.md, plan.md, tasks.md, and implementation-summary.md when work is complete) plus optional support folders such as scratch/, research/, or review/

Think of it as a "project folder" for AI-assisted development - it keeps context organized and enables session continuity.

Activation Triggers

MANDATORY for ALL file modifications:

• Code files: JS, TS, Python, CSS, HTML
• Documentation: Markdown, README, guides
• Configuration: JSON, YAML, TOML, env templates
• Templates, knowledge base, build/tooling files

Request patterns that trigger activation:

• "Add/implement/create [feature]"
• "Fix/update/refactor [code]"
• "Modify/change [configuration]"
• Positive keywords include add, implement, fix, update, create, modify, rename, delete and configure. The authoritative Gate 3 classifier intentionally omits analyze, decompose and phase from positive triggers; analyze is a read-only disqualifier unless a real write, memory-save or resume trigger is also present.

Example triggers:

• "Add email validation to the signup form" → Level 1-2
• "Refactor the authentication module" → Level 2-3
• "Fix the button alignment bug" → Level 1
• "Implement user dashboard with analytics" → Level 3

When NOT to Use

• Pure exploration/reading (no file modifications)
• Single typo fixes (<5 characters in one file)
• Whitespace-only changes
• Auto-generated file updates (package-lock.json)
• User explicitly selects Option D (skip documentation)

Rule of thumb: If modifying ANY file content → Activate this skill. Status: ✅ This requirement applies immediately once file edits are requested.

Distributed Governance Rule

Any agent writing authored spec folder docs (spec.md, plan.md, tasks.md, checklist.md, implementation-summary.md, decision-record.md, handover.md, review-report.md, debug-delegation.md, resource-map.md (optional)) MUST use contract-backed templates through create.sh or the inline renderer. This is a workflow-required gate, not a runtime hook: run bash .opencode/skills/system-spec-kit/scripts/spec/validate.sh <spec-folder> --strict after authored spec-doc writes and before completion claims, then route continuity updates through /memory:save. Deep-research workflow-owned packet markdown (research/iterations/*.md, research/deep-research-*.md, and progressive research/research.md loop updates) is exempt from that generic per-write rule; /deep:research must instead run targeted strict validation after every spec.md mutation it performs. @deep-research retains exclusive write access for research/research.md; @debug retains exclusive write access for debug-delegation.md.

• handover.md stays in the canonical recovery ladder and is maintained through /memory:save handover_state routing using the handover template for initial creation.
• review-report.md remains owned by @deep-review when deep review workflows synthesize findings.
• resource-map.md is a peer cross-cutting template under .opencode/skills/system-spec-kit/templates/; it remains optional at any level and gives reviewers a lean file ledger alongside implementation-summary.md.

Utility Template Triggers

Rule: When detected, proactively suggest the appropriate action.

2. SMART ROUTING

Resource Domains

This skill uses simple intent/domain routing, not keyed runtime resource routing. It does not select whole references/<key>/ or assets/<key>/ subtrees from project, mode, stack, or model signals. Instead, the router discovers markdown resources recursively from references/ and assets/, then applies intent scoring from RESOURCE_MAP to load real, guarded resources from the current inventory. Keep this section domain-focused rather than static file inventories.

• references/memory/ for context retrieval, save workflows, trigger behavior, and indexing.
• references/templates/ for level selection, template selection, and structure guides.
• references/validation/ for checklist policy, verification rules, decision formats, and template compliance contracts.
• references/structure/ for folder organization and sub-folder versioning.
• references/workflows/ for command workflows, shared intake, rename procedures, and worked examples.
• references/debugging/ for troubleshooting and root-cause methodology.
• references/cli/ for daemon CLI parity, shared smart-router behavior, and memory handback contracts.
• references/config/ for runtime environment configuration and launcher/lease contracts.
• assets/*.md for shared decision matrices, template mapping, and parallel dispatch support.

Typed leaf projection (fleet routing standard). system-spec-kit is a normal, registry-less single-mode skill whose sole workflow mode is system-spec-kit (there is no mode-registry.json). Its router routes ONLY into the references/ and assets/ doc corpora, so those are the only routable leaves: every one is enumerated in leaf-manifest.json, generated from leaf-manifest.config.json (generate-leaf-manifest.cjs --write .opencode/skills/system-spec-kit; byte-stable under --check). leaf-aliases.json binds each router-emitted root-relative path (e.g. references/memory/memory-system.md) to its typed (system-spec-kit, leafResourceId) identity so a deterministic router replay recovers real typed pairs against the manifest. The RESOURCE_MAP below emits those exact leaf paths. The rest of the package is deliberately NOT routable: scripts/, mcp-server/, shared/, templates/, constitutional/, changelog/ and other engine dirs are the spec-kit + memory-MCP runtime, and feature-catalog/ + manual-testing-playbook/ are runtime-engine capability docs and behavior-test fixtures — no RESOURCE_MAP intent selects them, so they are excluded from leafRoots and never appear in the manifest. This is an intentionally thin router: it maps spec-folder workflow intents (plan, implement, complete, memory, phase, hooks, …) to a small set of reference docs, while the large playbook chiefly exercises memory-engine behavior rather than doc routing (most scenarios carry empty typed gold). Regenerate leaf-manifest.json and keep leaf-aliases.json in sync whenever the references/ or assets/ corpus changes.

Template and Script Sources of Truth

• Level definitions and template size guidance: level specifications reference
• Template usage and composition rules: template-guide.md
• Use the Level contract for operational templates; create.sh and the Level contract resolver share the same template index.
• Use templates/changelog/ for packet-local nested changelog generation at completion time.
• Script architecture, build outputs, and runtime entrypoints: scripts/README.md
• Memory save JSON schema and workflow contracts: save-workflow.md
• Nested packet changelog workflow: nested-changelog.md

Primary operational scripts:

• spec/validate.sh
• spec/create.sh
• spec/archive.sh
• spec/check-completion.sh
• spec/recommend-level.sh
• mcp-server/lib/templates/level-contract-resolver.ts

Spec-script exit codes (spec/*.sh; distinct from the daemon-backed memory CLI taxonomy in §3):

• 0: success.
• 1: user error such as bad flags or invalid input.
• 2: validation error.
• 3: system error such as missing folders, missing manifests, or file I/O failures.

Resource Loading Levels

references/workflows/quick-reference.md is the primary first-touch command surface. Keep the compact spec_kit and memory command map there, including /speckit:plan --intake-only as the standalone intake entry, /speckit:plan and /speckit:complete smart delegation notes, and the pointer from /deep:research to ../system-deep-loop/deep-research/references/protocol/spec-check-protocol.md, and use this file only to point readers to it rather than duplicating the full matrix.

Smart Router Pseudocode

The authoritative routing logic for scoped loading, weighted intent scoring, and ambiguity handling. Because this skill is an intent/domain router, Pattern 3 is adapted to extensible intent labels over discovered resources rather than keyed resource subdirectories.

• Pattern 1: Runtime Discovery - discover_markdown_resources() recursively inventories references/ and assets/.
• Pattern 2: Existence-Check Before Load - load_if_available() guards, de-duplicates with seen, and checks inventory.
• Pattern 3: Extensible Routing Key - command and intent signals select domain labels and resource maps without forcing references/<key>/ or assets/<key>/ subtrees.
• Pattern 4: Multi-Tier Graceful Fallback - UNKNOWN_FALLBACK asks for disambiguation and missing-resource cases return a "no knowledge base" notice.

from pathlib import Path

SKILL_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent
RESOURCE_BASES = (SKILL_ROOT / "references", SKILL_ROOT / "assets")
DEFAULT_RESOURCE = "references/workflows/quick-reference.md"

INTENT_SIGNALS = {
    "PLAN": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["plan", "design", "new spec", "level selection", "option b"]},
    "RESEARCH": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["investigate", "explore", "analyze", "prior work", "evidence"]},
    "IMPLEMENT": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["implement", "build", "execute", "workflow"]},
    "DEBUG": {"weight": 4, "keywords": ["stuck", "error", "not working", "failed", "debug"]},
    "COMPLETE": {"weight": 4, "keywords": ["done", "complete", "finish", "verify", "checklist"]},
    "MEMORY": {"weight": 4, "keywords": ["memory", "save context", "resume", "checkpoint", "context"]},
    "HANDOVER": {"weight": 4, "keywords": ["handover", "continue later", "next session", "pause"]},
    "PHASE": {"weight": 4, "keywords": ["phase", "decompose", "split", "workstream", "multi-phase", "phased approach", "phased", "multi-session"]},
    "RETRIEVAL_TUNING": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["retrieval", "search tuning", "fusion", "scoring", "pipeline"]},
    "INTAKE": {"weight": 4, "keywords": ["intake", "folder_state", "start_state", "repair-mode", "intake-only"]},
    "HOOKS": {"weight": 4, "keywords": ["hook", "skill advisor hook", "advisor hook", "prompt-time advisor", "advisor_validate", "goal plugin", "opencode-goal", "/goal", "active_goal", "session goal"]},
    "LAUNCHER": {"weight": 4, "keywords": ["launcher", "lease", "pid file", "single-writer", "lease_held_by"]},
    "RENAME": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["rename", "mechanical refactor", "rename pattern", "git mv", "case variants"]},
    "EVALUATION": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["evaluate", "ablation", "benchmark", "baseline", "metrics"]},
    "SCORING_CALIBRATION": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["calibration", "scoring", "normalization", "decay", "interference"]},
    "ROLLOUT_FLAGS": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["feature flag", "rollout", "toggle", "enable", "disable"]},
    "GOVERNANCE": {"weight": 3, "keywords": ["governance", "tenant", "retention", "audit"]},
}

RESOURCE_MAP = {
    "PLAN": [
        "references/templates/template-guide.md",
        "references/workflows/intake-contract.md",
        "references/validation/template-compliance-contract.md",
        "assets/level-decision-matrix.md",
        "assets/complexity-decision-matrix.md",
    ],
    "RESEARCH": [
        "references/workflows/quick-reference.md",
        "references/workflows/worked-examples.md",
        "references/memory/epistemic-vectors.md",
    ],
    "IMPLEMENT": [
        "references/validation/validation-rules.md",
        "references/validation/template-compliance-contract.md",
        "references/templates/template-guide.md",
        "assets/template-mapping.md",
    ],
    "DEBUG": [
        "references/debugging/troubleshooting.md",
        "references/debugging/universal-debugging-methodology.md",
        "references/workflows/quick-reference.md",
    ],
    "COMPLETE": [
        "references/validation/validation-rules.md",
        "references/workflows/nested-changelog.md",
        "references/workflows/intake-contract.md",
        "references/workflows/spec-folder-write-recipe.md",
        "references/workflows/spec-folder-authoring-checklist.md",
    ],
    "MEMORY": [
        "references/memory/memory-system.md",
        "references/memory/save-workflow.md",
        "references/memory/trigger-config.md",
    ],
    "HANDOVER": [
        "references/workflows/quick-reference.md",
    ],
    "PHASE": [
        "references/structure/phase-definitions.md",
        "references/structure/sub-folder-versioning.md",
        "references/validation/phase-checklists.md",
    ],
    "RETRIEVAL_TUNING": [
        "references/memory/embedder-architecture.md",
        "references/memory/embedding-resilience.md",
        "references/memory/embedder-pluggability.md",
        "references/memory/trigger-config.md",
    ],
    "INTAKE": [
        "references/workflows/intake-contract.md",
        "references/templates/template-guide.md",
        "references/validation/template-compliance-contract.md",
    ],
    "HOOKS": [
        "references/config/hook-system.md",
    ],
    "LAUNCHER": [
        "references/config/launcher-lease.md",
        "references/memory/memory-system.md",
    ],
    "RENAME": [
        "references/workflows/rename-pattern.md",
    ],
    "EVALUATION": [
        "references/memory/epistemic-vectors.md",
        "references/config/environment-variables.md",
    ],
    "SCORING_CALIBRATION": [
        "references/config/environment-variables.md",
    ],
    "ROLLOUT_FLAGS": [
        "references/config/environment-variables.md",
    ],
    "GOVERNANCE": [
        "references/config/environment-variables.md",
    ],
}

COMMAND_BOOSTS = {
    "/speckit:plan": "PLAN",
    "/speckit:implement": "IMPLEMENT",
    "/speckit:complete": "COMPLETE",
    "/speckit:plan --intake-only": "INTAKE",
    "/speckit:plan :with-phases": "PHASE",
    "/memory:search": "MEMORY",
    "/memory:save": "MEMORY",
    "/memory:manage": "MEMORY",
    "/memory:learn": "MEMORY",
    "/speckit:resume": "MEMORY",
}

LOADING_LEVELS = {
    "ALWAYS": [DEFAULT_RESOURCE],
    "ON_DEMAND_KEYWORDS": ["deep dive", "full validation", "full checklist", "full template", "save context", "/memory:save", "/speckit:resume", "implementation-summary", "tasks.md", "spec folder", "phase folder", "description metadata"],
    "ON_DEMAND": [
        "references/validation/phase-checklists.md",
        "references/templates/template-guide.md",
        "references/workflows/intake-contract.md",
    ],
}

UNKNOWN_FALLBACK_CHECKLIST = [
    "Confirm whether this is planning, memory, validation, phase, debug, or completion work",
    "Confirm the target spec folder or command surface",
    "Provide one concrete file, error, or expected output",
    "Confirm which verification gate must pass",
]

def _task_text(task) -> str:
    parts = [
        str(getattr(task, "query", "")),
        str(getattr(task, "text", "")),
        " ".join(getattr(task, "keywords", []) or []),
        str(getattr(task, "command", "")),
    ]
    return " ".join(parts).lower()

def _guard_in_skill(relative_path: str) -> str:
    """Allow markdown loads only within this skill folder."""
    resolved = (SKILL_ROOT / relative_path).resolve()
    resolved.relative_to(SKILL_ROOT)
    if resolved.suffix.lower() != ".md":
        raise ValueError(f"Only markdown resources are routable: {relative_path}")
    return resolved.relative_to(SKILL_ROOT).as_posix()

def _guard_resource_map(resource_map: dict[str, list[str]]) -> None:
    """Reject compatibility stubs as router targets while allowing them to preserve old links."""
    for intent, resources in resource_map.items():
        for relative_path in resources:
            guarded = _guard_in_skill(relative_path)
            if guarded.startswith("references/"):
                tail = guarded.removeprefix("references/")
                if "/" not in tail and "-" in Path(tail).stem:
                    raise ValueError(f"RESOURCE_MAP must target canonical references, not compatibility stubs: {intent} -> {guarded}")

def discover_markdown_resources() -> set[str]:
    """Recursively discover routable markdown docs for this skill only."""
    docs = []
    for base in RESOURCE_BASES:
        if base.exists():
            docs.extend(p for p in base.rglob("*.md") if p.is_file())
    return {doc.relative_to(SKILL_ROOT).as_posix() for doc in docs}

def score_intents(task) -> dict[str, float]:
    """Weighted scoring from request text, keywords, and explicit command boosts."""
    text = _task_text(task)
    scores = {intent: 0.0 for intent in INTENT_SIGNALS}

    for intent, cfg in INTENT_SIGNALS.items():
        for keyword in cfg["keywords"]:
            if keyword in text:
                scores[intent] += cfg["weight"]

    command = str(getattr(task, "command", "")).lower()
    for prefix, intent in COMMAND_BOOSTS.items():
        if command.startswith(prefix):
            scores[intent] += 6

    return scores

def select_intents(scores: dict[str, float], ambiguity_delta: float = 1.0, max_intents: int = 2) -> list[str]:
    """Return primary intent and secondary intent when scores are close."""
    ranked = sorted(scores.items(), key=lambda item: item[1], reverse=True)
    if not ranked or ranked[0][1] <= 0:
        return []

    selected = [ranked[0][0]]
    if len(ranked) > 1:
        primary_score = ranked[0][1]
        secondary_intent, secondary_score = ranked[1]
        if secondary_score > 0 and (primary_score - secondary_score) <= ambiguity_delta:
            selected.append(secondary_intent)

    return selected[:max_intents]

def route_speckit_resources(task):
    """Scoped, recursive, weighted, ambiguity-aware routing."""
    _guard_resource_map(RESOURCE_MAP)
    _guard_resource_map({
        "ALWAYS": LOADING_LEVELS["ALWAYS"],
        "ON_DEMAND": LOADING_LEVELS["ON_DEMAND"],
    })
    inventory = discover_markdown_resources()
    scores = score_intents(task)
    intents = select_intents(scores, ambiguity_delta=1.0)
    loaded = []
    seen = set()

    def load_if_available(relative_path: str) -> None:
        guarded = _guard_in_skill(relative_path)
        if guarded in inventory and guarded not in seen:
            load(guarded)
            loaded.append(guarded)
            seen.add(guarded)

    # ALWAYS: base references for every invocation
    for relative_path in LOADING_LEVELS["ALWAYS"]:
        load_if_available(relative_path)

    if max(scores.values() or [0]) < 0.5:
        return {
            "intents": intents or ["UNKNOWN"],
            "intent_scores": scores,
            "load_level": "UNKNOWN_FALLBACK",
            "needs_disambiguation": True,
            "disambiguation_checklist": UNKNOWN_FALLBACK_CHECKLIST,
            "resources": loaded,
        }

    # CONDITIONAL: intent-scored resources
    matched_intents = []
    for intent in intents:
        before_count = len(loaded)
        for relative_path in RESOURCE_MAP.get(intent, []):
            load_if_available(relative_path)
        if len(loaded) > before_count:
            matched_intents.append(intent)

    # ON_DEMAND: explicit deep-dive requests
    text = _task_text(task)
    if any(keyword in text for keyword in LOADING_LEVELS["ON_DEMAND_KEYWORDS"]):
        for relative_path in LOADING_LEVELS["ON_DEMAND"]:
            load_if_available(relative_path)

    if not loaded:
        load_if_available(DEFAULT_RESOURCE)

    result = {"intents": intents, "intent_scores": scores, "resources": loaded}
    if not matched_intents:
        result["notice"] = f"No knowledge base found for intent(s): {', '.join(intents)}"
    return result

3. HOW IT WORKS

Core Workflow

1. Gate 3 selects an existing, new, related, skipped, or phase spec folder before file changes.
2. For new folders, estimate level from LOC, risk, affected systems, and verification needs; create from contract-backed templates.
3. Keep phase parents lean: parent folders hold spec.md, description.json, and graph-metadata.json; child phases hold working docs.
4. Use checklist priority as the completion gate: P0 cannot defer, P1 requires completion or approved deferral, and P2 is optional.
5. Preserve continuity in implementation-summary.md or through canonical /memory:save with generate-context.js.

Spec Kit Memory

Spec Kit Memory provides context retrieval, search, save, checkpoint, health, and indexing surfaces. Use memory_context() or /speckit:resume for recovery; use memory_search() for targeted retrieval; use generate-context.js for canonical saves.

The surface is dual-stack: alongside the system-spec-memory MCP registration, all 41 tools are callable through the full-parity daemon-backed CLI node .opencode/bin/spec-memory.cjs <tool_name> [--json '{...}' | --param value] against the same daemon. MCP remains the primary in-session transport today; use the CLI when MCP transport is missing, failed or not reconnecting while the daemon is warm, and for hooks, cron, CI and operator shell diagnostics. Recovery example: node .opencode/bin/spec-memory.cjs memory_context --json '{"input":"resume previous work","mode":"resume"}' --format json --timeout-ms 3000. CLI exit taxonomy: 0 success, 1 runtime, 64 usage/schema, 69 protocol/dist mismatch or stale dist, 75 retryable daemon error. Prompt-time callers must pass --warm-only (probe-only, exit 75 instead of cold-spawning); non-prompt contexts auto-spawn the daemon through the launcher. Because this CLI already has full parity, a later evolution could make it the primary or sole transport without breaking existing MCP workflows; that is a possible direction, not a committed plan. --format jsonl renders one complete JSON payload on one stdout line; it is not streaming JSON Lines. Full cross-daemon CLI behavior, recovery, stale-dist build commands, per-command --help, offline smoke, and safety rules live in references/cli/daemon-cli-reference.md. See mcp-server/ENV-REFERENCE.md ("CLI front door") for the warm-only/prompt-time env flags. Detailed behavior, flags, scoring, and MCP tool reference live in references/memory/memory-system.md, references/memory/save-workflow.md, and mcp-server/ENV-REFERENCE.md. Launcher/daemon reliability is operator-tunable via the SPECKIT_LAUNCHER_LOG, SPECKIT_LEASE_PROBE_RETRIES, SPECKIT_STOP_HOOK_ORPHAN_SWEEP, and SPECKIT_DAEMON_REELECTION (default-on in the runtime configs: a disposing owner releases the shared daemon for a live secondary, and a fresh session reaps the released daemon before respawn for a single writer) flags, all documented in mcp-server/ENV-REFERENCE.md.

memory_index_scan is self-maintaining: overlapping scan calls return a coalesced:true success envelope instead of a raw E429 error. Rows become BM25/FTS-searchable immediately as pending while vectors drain (complete_with_pending_vectors with a pendingVectors count). Move reconciliation heals renamed spec folders by packet identity without re-embedding. Each scan also runs a bounded global orphan sweep. memory_health now includes an index block with a summary enum (healthy_fresh, healthy_lagging_vectors, stale_needs_scan, degraded_needs_repair, unavailable) and counts for indexed/pending/failed rows.

memory_embedding_reconcile is a net-new public MCP maintenance tool on the system-spec-memory surface. It converges embedding_status for vector-present stale rows and resets genuinely missing-vector retry rows inside one guarded BEGIN IMMEDIATE transaction. It runs dry-run by default so operators can inspect the proposed changes before committing them.

The current memory baseline is schema v41. The hardening features ship behind conservative defaults: semantic-trigger shadow matching, session-trace causal inference, feedback-retention reducers, soft-delete tombstones, memory idempotency receipts, authored continuity snapshots, and completion freshness all stay opt-in. source_kind provenance, retrieval observability, stale-audit signals, and tool-ownership linting are documented in the memory and ENV references rather than duplicated here.

Reranking

Model-based cross-encoder/local-GGUF reranking was removed in the 014 deprecation: the spec-memory local model path was removed in phase 003 and the local rerank sidecar skill was deleted in phase 004 (cloud rerankers were removed earlier in 022/013). Memory search still has a Stage 3 rerank step: MMR diversity reranking plus MPAB chunk collapse, with the memory_search rerank option defaulting to true. The SPECKIT_CROSS_ENCODER/RERANKER_LOCAL flags are no longer wired.

Security

• VOYAGE_API_KEY is read from the process environment only. It must never be logged, written into spec docs, or persisted to disk by Spec Kit. Operators should set it in shell init files owned by the operator with mode 600.
• Tests may mutate env vars, but must restore them in afterEach. Production code paths should not treat mutable process env as request-time configuration.

Validation and Recovery

Run .opencode/skills/system-spec-kit/scripts/spec/validate.sh <spec-folder> --strict before completion claims. Validation errors block completion; warnings must be addressed or documented. Startup, resume, hook, goal plugin, code graph, and Code Graph readiness details live in references/config/hook-system.md, .opencode/skills/system-skill-advisor/hooks/skill-advisor-hook.md, .opencode/hooks/goal/goal-plugin.md, mcp-server/hooks/README.md (Claude and OpenCode hook folders; OpenCode uses plugin-backed delivery), and the code graph references.

OpenCode Goal Plugin

The local /goal surface is .opencode/plugins/opencode-goal.js plus .opencode/commands/goal-opencode.md. It is not an MCP daemon bridge: it stores per-session JSON state under .opencode/skills/.state/goal/, injects the active goal with experimental.chat.system.transform, observes lifecycle events through the plugin event hook, and exposes opencode_goal / opencode_goal_status plugin tools. Use .opencode/hooks/goal/goal-plugin.md for the operator contract, restart requirement, environment variables, validation commands, and boundary between raw objective and generated goalPrompt.

Code Graph and Search Routing

4. RULES

✅ ALWAYS

1. Determine level (1/2/3/3+) before ANY file changes - Count LOC, assess complexity/risk
2. Scaffold from contract-backed templates - Use create.sh or inline-gate-renderer, NEVER create from scratch
3. Fill ALL placeholders - Remove placeholder markers and sample content
4. Ask A/B/C/D/E when file modification detected - Present options, wait for selection
5. Prefer coordinated related packets before new top-level folders - Check active and related specs, their scope, status, and Phase Documentation Map. When related work qualifies for phase decomposition, recommend one phased packet rather than separate single-spec folders.
6. Get explicit user approval before changes - Show level, path, templates, approach
7. Use consistent folder naming - specs/###-short-name/ format
8. Use checklist.md to verify (Level 2+) - Load before claiming done
9. Mark items [x] with evidence - Include links, test outputs, screenshots
10. Complete P0/P1 before claiming done - No exceptions
11. Suggest handover.md on session-end keywords - "continue later", "next session"
12. Run validate.sh before completion - Completion Verification requirement
13. Create implementation-summary.md at end of implementation phase (Level 1+) - Document what was built
14. Suggest /memory:save when session-end keywords detected OR after extended work (15+ tool calls) - Proactive context preservation
15. Suggest Task-tool debug delegation after 3+ failed fix attempts on same error - Do not continue without offering a fresh debugging pass
16. Apply the phased-packet preference without bypassing qualification - Suggest /speckit:plan :with-phases only when phase complexity score >= 25 AND documentation level >= 3. If either condition fails, use a standard packet; if the work is new or unrelated, create a separate packet and evaluate that packet independently.
17. Route all code creation/updates through sk-code - Full surface alignment is mandatory before claiming completion

• Authoring-time vs review-time load: sk-code is loaded at TWO distinct points in /speckit:complete. (a) Authoring-time (Step 10 development): when the implementation target is under .opencode/skills/, .opencode/agents/, .opencode/commands/, or .opencode/specs/, load the matching sk-code authoring checklist (assets/opencode/checklists/{surface}_authoring.md) and, for .opencode/specs/ targets, the system-spec-kit spec-folder docs (references/workflows/spec-folder-authoring-checklist.md + references/workflows/spec-folder-write-recipe.md) BEFORE the first write. (b) Review-time (Step 11 review): the existing sk-code code-review mode (findings-first baseline + router-selected surface evidence) overlay runs after writes complete. Authoring-time load surfaces invariants the writer needs to honor; review-time load catches drift the writer didn't honor. See cross_skill_authoring_load block in speckit-complete-auto.yaml and speckit-complete-confirm.yaml for the YAML contract.

18. Route all documentation creation/updates through sk-doc - Full alignment is mandatory before claiming completion
19. Enforce ToC policy from validation rules - Only research/research.md may include a Table of Contents section; remove ToC headings from standard spec artifacts
20. Literal naming for AI-derived spec folders and phases - When the AI (not the user) picks a spec-folder or phase slug, the name MUST describe the concrete work being built or fixed. Names must include a specific subject token (the component, behavior, or bug being addressed). Forbidden as standalone slugs: remediation, cleanup, fix, phase-N, review-remediation, round-N. Good remediation-packet examples: fix-deep-review-p1-p2-findings-for-sk-doc-skill, harden-mcp-server-startup-races, fix-singleton-leak-in-launcher. Good phase-decomposition examples: data-model-design, api-implementation, ui-integration. Remediation-packet source/target rule - remediation slugs MUST follow NNN-fix-<source>-for-<target> where: Source = the event or evidence that triggered the packet (e.g. deep-review-p0-p1-findings, verdict-fail, audit-finding-NN); Target = the specific component being remediated (e.g. skill-local-benchmarks-format, system-spec-memory-handler, launcher-cache). The source names WHERE the work comes from; the target names WHAT is being fixed. Do not conflate them: the thing being remediated is the target, not the source. Worked example: 007-fix-deep-review-p0-p1-findings-for-skill-local-benchmarks-format (source=deep-review-p0-p1-findings, target=skill-local-benchmarks-format). This rule is documentation-layer guidance; validate.sh does not lint slugs today (operator decision; may be lifted in a follow-on packet).

⛔ NEVER

1. Create documentation from scratch - Use templates only
2. Skip spec folder creation - Unless user explicitly selects D
3. Make changes before spec + approval - Spec folder is prerequisite
4. Leave placeholders in final docs - All must be replaced
5. Decide autonomously update vs create - Always ask user
6. Claim done without checklist verification - Level 2+ requirement
7. Proceed without spec folder confirmation - Wait for A/B/C/D/E
8. Skip validation before completion - Completion Verification hard block
9. Add ToC sections to standard spec artifacts - spec.md, plan.md, tasks.md, checklist.md, decision-record.md, implementation-summary.md, handover.md, debug-delegation.md, and resource-map.md must not contain ToC headings

⚠️ ESCALATE IF

1. Scope grows during implementation - Run upgrade-level.sh to add higher-level templates (recommended), then auto-populate all placeholder content:
   • Read all existing spec files (spec.md, plan.md, tasks.md, implementation-summary.md) for context
   • Replace every placeholder marker pattern in newly injected sections with content derived from that context
   • For sections without sufficient source context, write "N/A - insufficient source context" instead of fabricating content
   • Run check-placeholders.sh <spec-folder> to verify zero placeholders remain (see level specifications reference for the full procedure)
   • Document the level change in changelog
2. Uncertainty about level <80% - Present level options to user, default to higher
3. Template doesn't fit requirements - Adapt closest template, document modifications
4. User requests skip (Option D) - Warn about tech debt, explain debugging challenges, confirm consent
5. Validation fails with errors - Report specific failures, provide fix guidance, re-run after fixes

5. SUCCESS CRITERIA

Success means the selected spec folder uses the right template set, placeholders and sample content are removed, links between packet docs work, continuity is saved or updated, Level 2+ checklist P0/P1 items are verified with evidence, and validate.sh --strict has no blocking errors.

6. INTEGRATION POINTS

P0 blocks, P1 requires completion or approved deferral, and P2 is optional. Code updates route through sk-code; documentation updates route through sk-doc; git handoff routes through sk-git.

Quick Reference Commands

Canonical command lifecycle: /speckit:plan --intake-only establishes or repairs the packet when standalone intake is needed, /deep:research follows ../system-deep-loop/deep-research/references/protocol/spec-check-protocol.md when research needs bounded spec.md anchoring, and /speckit:plan or /speckit:complete continue from the same folder while reusing the shared intake contract (.opencode/skills/system-spec-kit/references/workflows/intake-contract.md) only when the local folder_state still needs repair. When intake runs, the returned start_state is the canonical downstream field.

Remember: This skill is the foundational documentation orchestrator. It enforces structure, template usage, context preservation, and workflow-required validation for all file modifications. Every conversation that modifies files MUST have a spec folder.

7. REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES

The router discovers reference, asset, and script docs dynamically. Start with references/workflows/quick-reference.md, references/templates/template-guide.md, references/validation/validation-rules.md, references/memory/save-workflow.md, then load task-specific resources from references/, templates from assets/, and automation from scripts/ when present.

Scripts: scripts/spec/validate.sh, scripts/spec/create.sh, scripts/dist/memory/generate-context.js, scripts/spec/check-completion.sh.

Related skills: sk-doc for authored documentation quality, sk-code for code changes, sk-git for git handoff, and system-deep-loop for iterative research and audit (its research and review modes).