SpecClaw — Spec-Driven Development#

Overview#

SpecClaw brings structured, spec-driven development to OpenClaw agents. It manages the full lifecycle: propose → plan → build → verify → archive.

Directory Structure#

When initialized ( .specclaw/ exists in project root):

text

.specclaw/
├── config.yaml          # Project configuration
├── STATUS.md            # Project dashboard (auto-generated)
├── patterns.md          # Recurring pattern registry (cross-change)
└── changes/
    ├── <change-name>/
    │   ├── proposal.md  # Problem + solution + scope
    │   ├── spec.md      # Requirements + acceptance criteria
    │   ├── design.md    # Technical approach + file map
    │   ├── tasks.md     # Ordered tasks with status markers
    │   ├── status.md    # Progress tracking
    │   ├── errors.md    # Build error journal (auto-generated on failures)
    │   ├── learnings.md # Build learnings (spec gaps, patterns, insights)
    │   └── verify-report.md # Verification results (auto-generated)
    └── archive/         # Completed changes

Commands#

The user triggers commands conversationally. Recognize these patterns:

specclaw init#

Trigger: "specclaw init", "initialize specclaw", "set up spec-driven development"

1. Create .specclaw/ directory structure
2. Generate config.yaml from template (see templates/config.yaml)
3. Ask user for project name/description
4. Create initial STATUS.md
5. Add .specclaw/ tracking to git

specclaw propose "<idea>"#

Trigger: "specclaw propose", "propose a change", "new feature proposal"

1. Create .specclaw/changes/<slugified-name>/
2. Generate proposal.md from template
3. Include: problem statement, proposed solution, scope, impact, open questions
4. Present proposal to user for review
5. Update STATUS.md
6. GitHub sync (if github.sync is true): Run bash skill/scripts/gh-sync.sh create .specclaw <change> to create a GitHub Issue for the proposal. (gh-sync.sh create requires proposal.md — validation is enforced by validate-change.sh.)

specclaw plan <change>#

Trigger: "specclaw plan", "plan the feature", "generate spec for"

1. Validate: Run bash skill/scripts/validate-change.sh .specclaw <change> plan. If it fails, report missing prerequisites and stop.
2. Read the proposal
3. Analyze existing codebase (file structure, patterns, dependencies)
4. Generate:
   • spec.md — functional requirements, acceptance criteria, edge cases
   • design.md — technical approach, architecture, file changes map
   • tasks.md — ordered implementation tasks with dependencies
5. Present plan summary to user
6. Update status
7. GitHub sync (if enabled): Run bash skill/scripts/gh-sync.sh update .specclaw <change> to add the task checklist to the GitHub Issue.

specclaw build <change>#

Trigger: "specclaw build", "implement the feature", "start building"

This is where OpenClaw shines. Follow this execution flow exactly:

Step 0 — Validate

Run bash skill/scripts/validate-change.sh .specclaw <change> build. If it fails, report missing prerequisites and stop.

Step 1 — Setup

Run the setup script to parse config, create a git branch, and get build configuration:

bash

bash skill/scripts/build.sh setup .specclaw <change_name>

This returns JSON config including parallel_tasks, models.coding, git.strategy, and notifications.channel. Capture this output — you'll need parallel_tasks and model values throughout the build.

Worktree strategy: When git.strategy is "worktree-per-change", setup creates an isolated worktree at .specclaw/worktrees/<change>/. The worktree_path from the config JSON should be used as the cwd parameter when spawning coding agents via sessions_spawn, ensuring each change's agents work in complete isolation.

Parallel changes: With worktree-per-change strategy, multiple changes can be built simultaneously since each has its own worktree. No branch switching required.

Send a build started notification:

text

🦞 **Build Started**
**Change:** <change_name>
**Branch:** specclaw/<change_name>
**Tasks:** <total_count> across <wave_count> waves

Step 2 — Parse Tasks

Get all actionable tasks:

bash

bash skill/scripts/parse-tasks.sh --status pending .specclaw/changes/<change>/tasks.md

This outputs JSON: [{"id": "T1", "title": "...", "wave": 1, "depends": [], "files": [...], "estimate": "small"}, ...]

For retries (re-running build on a change with prior failures):

bash

bash skill/scripts/parse-tasks.sh --status failed .specclaw/changes/<change>/tasks.md

Reset failed tasks to pending before re-executing:

bash

bash skill/scripts/update-task-status.sh .specclaw/changes/<change>/tasks.md <TASK_ID> pending

Then re-parse with --status pending and continue from the appropriate wave.

Step 3 — Wave Loop

Execute tasks wave-by-wave. For each wave number (1, 2, 3...):

a. Filter tasks for this wave:

bash

bash skill/scripts/parse-tasks.sh --wave N --status pending .specclaw/changes/<change>/tasks.md

If no tasks returned for this wave, the build is complete — skip to Step 4.

Skip waves with blocked tasks: If a task's dependency failed in a prior wave, skip it and mark it failed:

bash

bash skill/scripts/update-task-status.sh .specclaw/changes/<change>/tasks.md <TASK_ID> failed

b. For each task in the wave (up to parallel_tasks from config):

1. Mark in-progress: bash

   bash skill/scripts/update-task-status.sh .specclaw/changes/<change>/tasks.md <TASK_ID> in_progress
   
   

2. Build context payload: bash

   bash skill/scripts/build-context.sh .specclaw <change> <TASK_ID>
   
   

   This outputs a complete context string containing: spec sections, design sections, task details, relevant source file contents, and constraints. Use this output directly as the agent's task.

3. Spawn coding agent: text

   sessions_spawn(
     task: <output from build-context.sh>,
     label: "specclaw-<change>-<task_id>",
     mode: "run",
     model: <models.coding from config>
   )
   
   

c. Yield and wait:

After spawning all tasks in the wave batch, call sessions_yield to wait for agent completions. Results auto-announce back to you.

d. Process completed agents:

For each agent that succeeded:

1. Mark complete: bash

   bash skill/scripts/update-task-status.sh .specclaw/changes/<change>/tasks.md <TASK_ID> complete
   
   

   If this task previously failed (was [!] before): Run bash skill/scripts/log-error.sh .specclaw <change> --resolve <task_id>

2. Git commit the changes: bash

   bash skill/scripts/build.sh commit .specclaw <change> <TASK_ID> "<task_title>" <files...>
   
   

3. Send a task complete notification: text

   ✅ **Task Complete:** <TASK_ID> — <task_title>
   **Change:** <change_name> | **Wave:** <N>/<total_waves>
   
   

e. Process failed agents:

For each agent that failed:

1. Mark failed: bash

   bash skill/scripts/update-task-status.sh .specclaw/changes/<change>/tasks.md <TASK_ID> failed
   
   

2. Log error: Run bash skill/scripts/log-error.sh .specclaw <change> <task_id> <wave> <agent_label> "<failure summary>" — pipe agent error output if available

3. Log the error in status.md with the failure reason

4. Send a task failed notification: text

   ❌ **Task Failed:** <TASK_ID> — <task_title>
   **Change:** <change_name> | **Wave:** <N>/<total_waves>
   **Error:** <brief failure reason>
   
   

5. Mark all dependent tasks in later waves as skipped/failed — they cannot proceed

6. GitHub sync (if enabled): Run bash skill/scripts/gh-sync.sh comment .specclaw <change> "❌ Task <task_id> failed: <summary>" to log the error on the issue.

f. GitHub sync (if enabled): Run bash skill/scripts/gh-sync.sh update .specclaw <change> to update task checkboxes.

g. Repeat for the next wave number until no pending tasks remain.

Step 4 — Finalize

Run the finalize script to execute tests and merge the branch:

bash

bash skill/scripts/build.sh finalize .specclaw <change_name>

This runs the configured test_command (if any) and merges the branch per git.strategy.

Step 5 — Post-Build Review

If automation.post_build_review is true in config, run an automated review before updating the dashboard:

a. Scope deviation check:

Compare files actually changed against files declared in tasks:

bash

# Get files changed since pre-build commit (branch point)
git diff --name-only main...HEAD

Cross-reference with files listed in each task in tasks.md. Flag any files changed but not declared in any task's Files: field.

b. Review prompt:

Evaluate the build and auto-log findings (~150 words max):

text

🦞 Post-Build Review — <change-name>
Results: X/Y tasks passed, Z failed

Evaluate:
1. Were any spec requirements ambiguous or incomplete?
2. Did the design need adjustment during implementation?
3. Were any files modified outside declared task scope?
4. Did any agents struggle with context or instructions?
5. Any reusable patterns discovered?

For each finding, log with:
  bash skill/scripts/log-learning.sh .specclaw <change> <category> <priority> "<detail>" "<action>"

c. Auto-log scope deviations:

For any files changed outside declared task scope, automatically log as design_gap:

bash

bash skill/scripts/log-learning.sh .specclaw <change> design_gap medium "File <path> modified but not declared in any task" "Review task file declarations for completeness"

d. Pattern scan: Run bash skill/scripts/detect-patterns.sh .specclaw scan <change> to check for recurring patterns across changes.

e. If any patterns have recurrence >= 3, alert the user: "⚠️ Pattern PAT-XXX has N occurrences — consider promoting its prevention rule to agent context."

Step 6 — Update Dashboard

Regenerate the project status dashboard:

bash

bash skill/scripts/update-status.sh .specclaw

Step 7 — Notify

Send the build summary via the message tool to the configured notification channel:

text

🦞 **Build Complete**
**Change:** <change_name>
**Status:** <succeeded|partial|failed>
**Tasks:** <completed>/<total> complete, <failed> failed, <skipped> skipped
**Branch:** specclaw/<change_name> → merged to <target_branch>
**Duration:** <elapsed time>

If any tasks failed, include a remediation section:

text

⚠️ **Failed Tasks:**
- <TASK_ID>: <brief error> — re-run with `specclaw build <change>` to retry

Retry Flow

When specclaw build is called on a change that has failed tasks:

1. Parse failed tasks: parse-tasks.sh --status failed
2. Reset each to pending: update-task-status.sh ... pending
3. Re-parse pending tasks and determine which waves need re-execution
4. Execute only the waves containing reset tasks (and their dependents)
   • Retried tasks automatically get previous error context via build-context.sh
5. Finalize and notify as normal

Key Principles

• Fresh context always — each agent gets ONLY what it needs via build-context.sh. No stale context from prior tasks. This is critical for quality.
• Parallel within waves — tasks in the same wave with no cross-dependencies spawn simultaneously, up to parallel_tasks limit.
• Sequential across waves — wave N+1 starts only after wave N completes.
• Fail-fast on dependencies — if a task fails, all tasks depending on it are immediately marked failed.

specclaw learn <change> "<insight>"#

Trigger: "specclaw learn", "log a learning", "what did we learn", "capture insight"

Capture build learnings — spec gaps, design misses, and patterns discovered during implementation.

Log a learning:

bash

bash skill/scripts/log-learning.sh .specclaw <change> <category> <priority> "<detail>" ["<action>"]

Categories: spec_gap | design_gap | pattern | best_practice | agent_issue Priorities: low | medium | high

List learnings for a change:

bash

bash skill/scripts/log-learning.sh .specclaw <change> --list

Promote a learning (mark for elevation to agent prompts/SKILL.md):

bash

bash skill/scripts/log-learning.sh .specclaw <change> --promote <id>

When to log:

• After a build reveals a spec gap (requirements were unclear or missing)
• When a design decision needed mid-build adjustment
• When agents discovered a useful pattern worth reusing
• When parallel tasks created conflicts (duplicate code, shared dependencies)
• When an agent struggled with the context or instructions

Learnings are stored in .specclaw/changes/<change>/learnings.md and feed into the pattern detection system for cross-change analysis.

specclaw patterns#

Trigger: "specclaw patterns", "check patterns", "recurring issues", "what keeps happening"

Track recurring patterns across changes — errors and learnings that repeat become prevention rules.

Scan a change for patterns:

bash

bash skill/scripts/detect-patterns.sh .specclaw scan <change>

Reads errors.md and learnings.md, matches against existing patterns, creates new or increments existing.

List all patterns:

bash

bash skill/scripts/detect-patterns.sh .specclaw list [--min-recurrence N]

Promote a pattern (mark for elevation to agent prompts):

bash

bash skill/scripts/detect-patterns.sh .specclaw promote <pat-id>

Auto-promotion: Patterns with 3+ occurrences are flagged ⚠️ — their prevention rules should be added to agent context templates or SKILL.md build instructions.

Pattern registry lives at .specclaw/patterns.md (global, not per-change).

specclaw verify <change>#

Trigger: "specclaw verify", "validate implementation", "check against spec"

Validate that the implementation satisfies the spec's acceptance criteria.

Step 0: Validate

Run bash skill/scripts/validate-change.sh .specclaw <change> verify. If it fails (tasks not all complete), report and stop.

Step 1: Collect Evidence

Run bash skill/scripts/verify.sh collect .specclaw <change> to gather:

• Acceptance criteria from spec.md
• Current content of all changed files
• Test/lint/build command results (if configured)

Step 2: Build Verify Context

Run bash skill/scripts/verify-context.sh .specclaw <change> to construct the verification agent's context payload from the evidence + Verify Agent prompt template.

Step 3: Spawn Verify Agent

Spawn a verification agent:

text

sessions_spawn(
  task: <verify context payload>,
  model: <config.yaml models.review>,  # default: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
  mode: "run",
  label: "specclaw-verify-<change>"
)

Wait for completion via sessions_yield.

Step 4: Save Report

Save the agent's output as .specclaw/changes/<change>/verify-report.md.

Step 5: Update Status

Run bash skill/scripts/verify.sh update-status .specclaw <change> <verdict> where verdict is PASS, FAIL, or PARTIAL (extracted from the report).

Update status.md and run bash skill/scripts/update-status.sh .specclaw to refresh the dashboard.

Step 6: GitHub Sync (if enabled)

If github.sync is true, post verification summary as a comment: bash skill/scripts/gh-sync.sh comment .specclaw <change> "<verdict summary>"

Step 7: Notify

Send verification results via configured notification channel.

Auto-Verify

When automation.auto_verify: true in config.yaml, the build flow automatically triggers verification after a successful build (all tasks complete).

Remediation

If verdict is FAIL or PARTIAL:

1. List the failed acceptance criteria
2. Suggest creating remediation tasks (new tasks targeting the gaps)
3. The user can re-plan just the failed criteria or manually fix and re-verify

specclaw status#

Trigger: "specclaw status", "project status", "what's the progress"

For a specific change: bash skill/scripts/validate-change.sh .specclaw <change> status

1. Read all changes in .specclaw/changes/
2. Compile dashboard showing:
   • Active changes with progress %
   • Pending proposals
   • Recently archived
   • Overall project health
3. Update STATUS.md

specclaw archive <change>#

Trigger: "specclaw archive", "mark as done", "archive the change"

1. Validate: Run bash skill/scripts/validate-change.sh .specclaw <change> archive. If it fails, report and stop.
2. Verify change is complete (all tasks done, verification passed)
3. Move to .specclaw/changes/archive/YYYY-MM-DD-<change-name>/
4. Update STATUS.md
5. GitHub sync (if enabled): Run bash skill/scripts/gh-sync.sh close .specclaw <change> to close the issue.
6. Optionally create git tag

specclaw auto#

Trigger: "specclaw auto", "autonomous mode", "auto-build"

1. Check STATUS.md for next actionable item
2. If proposal exists without plan → generate plan
3. If plan exists without implementation → build
4. If built without verification → verify
5. Respect config.yaml limits (max_tasks_per_run)
6. Notify user of results

Task Format in tasks.md#

markdown

## Tasks

### Wave 1 (no dependencies)
- [ ] `T1` — Create theme context provider
  - Files: `src/contexts/ThemeContext.tsx`
  - Estimate: small
- [ ] `T2` — Add CSS custom properties
  - Files: `src/styles/variables.css`
  - Estimate: small

### Wave 2 (depends on Wave 1)
- [ ] `T3` — Create toggle component
  - Files: `src/components/ThemeToggle.tsx`
  - Depends: T1
  - Estimate: small

### Wave 3 (depends on Wave 2)
- [ ] `T4` — Integration tests
  - Files: `tests/theme.test.ts`
  - Depends: T1, T2, T3
  - Estimate: medium

Status markers:

• [ ] — pending
• [~] — in progress
• [x] — complete
• [!] — failed (needs remediation)

Agent Context Preparation#

Context construction is handled by the build-context.sh script:

bash

bash skill/scripts/build-context.sh .specclaw <change> <TASK_ID>

The script automatically assembles a complete context payload containing:

1. Task header — task ID, title, and estimate
2. Spec context — relevant sections from spec.md (requirements, acceptance criteria)
3. Design context — relevant sections from design.md (architecture, approach)
4. Task details — full task description, file list, and dependencies from tasks.md
5. Source files — current contents of files listed in the task's Files: field
6. Constraints — standard rules (follow patterns, write tests, stay in scope)

The output is a single string ready to pass directly as the task parameter to sessions_spawn. Do not manually construct context — always use the script to ensure consistency and freshness.

Configuration Reference#

See templates/config.yaml for the full config schema.

Key settings:

• models.planning — model for proposals, specs, design (default: opus)
• models.coding — model for implementation (default: codex)
• models.review — model for verification (default: sonnet)
• git.strategy — "branch-per-change", "direct", or "worktree-per-change"
• notifications.channel — where to send updates
• automation.max_tasks_per_run — limit for auto mode

Best Practices#

1. Keep proposals focused — one change per proposal, small scope
2. Review specs before building — garbage in, garbage out
3. Wave-based execution — group independent tasks, respect dependencies
4. Fresh context always — never let agents accumulate stale context
5. Verify early — run verification after each wave, not just at the end

GitHub Integration (Optional)#

When github.sync: true in config.yaml, SpecClaw creates a GitHub Issue per change and tracks progress as a task checklist. Requires gh CLI (authenticated) or GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable.

Run bash skill/scripts/gh-sync.sh setup to verify auth and create labels.