A spec-driven development workflow that enforces architectural planning and user approval before any code is written.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install spec-first-dev
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install spec-first-dev using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Spec-First Development?
Spec-First Development is a rigorous engineering workflow designed to eliminate the common problem of AI agents building incorrect features. By utilizing Openclaw Skills to force a specification-first approach, developers can ensure that data models, API contracts, and edge cases are fully defined and approved before implementation begins. This methodology significantly reduces technical debt and alignment errors in complex projects by prioritizing planning over immediate execution.
Spec-First Development Use Cases
- Starting any non-trivial development task involving multiple files or complex logic.
- Standardizing architecture planning across team-based AI development projects.
- Creating clear documentation for API contracts and data schemas using Openclaw Skills.
- Establishing an audit trail for architectural decisions before the implementation phase begins.
How Spec-First Development Works
- Analyze the user intent and project goals to identify key constraints and requirements.
- Perform a codebase exploration using Glob and Grep tools to understand existing patterns and reusable code.
- Generate a comprehensive SPEC.md file covering data models, user flows, file structures, and edge cases.
- Present the specification to the user and pause for explicit approval or modification requests.
- Implement the features against the approved spec, flagging any deviations or new edge cases encountered.
Spec-First Development Setup
To integrate this workflow into your project, use the following command within your development environment:
/spec-first-dev [brief description of what you want to build]
Ensure your agent is configured to handle Read, Write, Bash, and Glob tools to effectively leverage these Openclaw Skills.
Spec-First Development Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill manages information through structured documentation located in the project root:
| File | Description |
|---|---|
SPEC.md |
The core design document including entities, types, relationships, and logic flows. |
SPEC_APPROVED.md |
An optional snapshot of the agreed-upon specification for audit trails or version control. |
Spec-First Development Advanced Features
- Context-aware codebase exploration to ensure new features respect existing architecture and configurations.
- Gated execution mechanism that prevents coding until the user provides a 'go' signal for the proposed design.
- Comprehensive edge case and error handling mapping integrated directly into the specification phase.
- Native support for Openclaw Skills to streamline multi-agent development workflows and team handoffs.
SKILL.md
Loading
Related Openclaw Skills
Morning Coffee Briefing
A daily briefing agent that synthesizes your tasks and memory files into a prioritized action plan delivered via Telegram to eliminate decision fatigue.
Freelance Proposal Writer
Automate the creation of high-converting, problem-first freelance proposals to maximize your win rate and save connects on major platforms.
Client Onboard
Automatically transforms project descriptions into complete onboarding packages including briefs, tech stacks, milestones, and kickoff messages.
Shorten
A lightweight tool for generating permanent short URLs via is.gd without requiring authentication.
Workflow Migrate
A specialized migration tool that transforms fragile SaaS automations into production-grade, self-hosted scripts with built-in error handling.
BlueBubbles Plugin Skill
A comprehensive development toolkit for building, updating, and managing BlueBubbles messaging channel integrations within the Clawdbot framework.
Featured*
