Apex Spec Workflow

A specification-driven workflow system for AI-assisted development that breaks
large projects into manageable 2-4 hour sessions with 12-25 tasks each.

Core Philosophy

1 session = 1 spec = 2-4 hours (12-25 tasks)

Break large projects into manageable, well-scoped implementation sessions that
fit within AI context windows and human attention spans.

A collection of sessions is a phase. A collection of phases is a mature/late
technical PRD.

Session Scope Rules

Hard Limits (Reject if Exceeded)

Limit	Value
Maximum tasks	25
Maximum duration	4 hours
Objectives	Single clear objective

Ideal Targets

Target	Value
Task count	12-25 (sweet spot: 20)
Duration	2-3 hours
Focus	Stable/late MVP

Command Structure

The skill exposes 24 commands total: 14 staged workflow commands and 10 utility
commands. The staged workflow drives the spec lifecycle; utility commands are
listed separately and run outside the session workflow.

Autonomous Command Contract

Every command runs autonomously. Commands must not ask questions, request
approval, wait for feedback, or insert an interactive review stop into the
workflow. When information is incomplete, choose the safest evidence-backed
default, record the assumption, and continue. When an external requirement such
as credentials, sudo access, billing, or a third-party dashboard action makes
progress impossible, stop after preserving all completed work and report the
blocker as a fact; do not ask for a decision.

Every command response must end with an explicit handoff that another agent can
follow without interpretation:

Summary:
- [facts about what changed or why no change was made]

Next command: `command-name` OR `none`
Reason: [why that command is the correct next workflow step]

Use none only when the project is complete or the command is a utility that
does not participate in the staged workflow.

The 14-Command Workflow

The workflow has 3 distinct stages:

Stage 1: INITIALIZATION (One-Time Setup)

initspec           ->  Set up spec system in project
      |
      v
createprd          ->  Generate PRD from requirements doc (optional)
      |
      v
createuxprd        ->  Generate UX PRD from design docs (optional)
      |
      v
phasebuild         ->  Create first phase structure (session stubs)

Stage 2: SESSIONS WORKFLOW (Repeat Until Phase Complete)

plansession    ->  Analyze project, create spec + task checklist
      |
      v
implement      ->  AI-led task-by-task implementation
      |
      v
creview        ->  Review and repair all uncommitted changes
      |
      v
validate       ->  Verify session completeness
      |
      v
updateprd      ->  Sync PRD, mark session complete
      |
      +-------------> Loop back to plansession
                      until ALL phase sessions complete

After a successful plansession run that creates the session spec and task checklist, the next workflow command is always implement.

After a successful implement run, the next workflow command is always
creview. After a successful creview run, the next workflow command is
validate.

After a successful updateprd run, the next workflow command has two paths: return to plansession if the phase still has unfinished sessions; otherwise exit the session loop and begin Phase Transition at audit.

Stage 3: PHASE TRANSITION (After All Previous Phase Sessions Are Complete)

audit              ->  Local dev tooling (formatter, linter, types, tests)
      |
      v
pipeline           ->  CI/CD workflows (quality, build, security)
      |
      v
infra              ->  Production infrastructure (health, security, deploy)
      |
      v
carryforward       ->  Capture lessons learned
      |
      v
documents          ->  Audit and update documentation
      |
      v
phasebuild         ->  Create next phase structure
      |
      v
                   ->  Return to Stage 2 for new phase

carryforward does not jump directly to plansession. The usual handoff is
carryforward -> documents -> phasebuild; however, run phasebuild only if
PRD.md still defines another unfinished phase. If PRD.md has no remaining
phase, the workflow ends after documents and the project is complete.

Utility Commands (Safe at Any Time)

These 10 commands are not part of the required staged workflow. They run outside
the session workflow and can be used for support tasks at any time:

Command	Purpose
copush	Pull, version-bump, commit all changes, push to origin
sculpt-ui	Guide AI-led creation of distinctive frontend interfaces
seshsplit	Insert or refresh a session split plan inside a text or Markdown plan file
dockbuild	Quick Docker Compose build and start
dockcleanbuild	Clean Docker environment and rebuild from scratch
up2imp	Audit upstream changes and curate implementation list
qimpl	Context-aware autonomous implementation session
qfrontdev	Autonomous frontend implementation session
qbackenddev	Autonomous backend/infrastructure development session
pullndoc	Git pull upstream repo and document imported changes

---

Command Dispatch

When the user requests a specific command or workflow step, read the corresponding
reference document from this skill's references/ directory and follow
its instructions exactly. Match the user's intent to the closest entry
in the table below.

Stage 1: Initialization Commands

User Keywords	Reference File	Description
"init", "initialize", "setup spec"	references/initspec.md	Set up spec system in project
"create PRD", "PRD", "requirements"	references/createprd.md	Generate master PRD from requirements
"UX PRD", "design PRD"	references/createuxprd.md	Generate UX PRD from design docs
"phase", "new phase", "phase build"	references/phasebuild.md	Create phase structure with session stubs

Stage 2: Session Workflow Commands

User Keywords	Reference File	Description
"plan session", "next session"	references/plansession.md	Analyze project, create spec and task checklist
"implement", "execute tasks"	references/implement.md	AI-led task-by-task implementation
"code review", "creview", "review and repair"	references/creview.md	Review and repair all uncommitted changes
"validate", "verify session"	references/validate.md	Verify session completeness
"update PRD", "mark complete"	references/updateprd.md	Sync PRD, mark session complete

Stage 3: Phase Transition Commands

User Keywords	Reference File	Description
"audit", "dev tools", "linting"	references/audit.md	Local dev tooling setup
"pipeline", "CI/CD", "workflows"	references/pipeline.md	CI/CD workflow configuration
"infra", "infrastructure"	references/infra.md	Production infrastructure setup
"carry forward", "lessons learned"	references/carryforward.md	Capture lessons and security posture
"documents", "documentation"	references/documents.md	Audit and update documentation

Utility Commands

User Keywords	Reference File	Description
"copush", "push", "bump version"	references/copush.md	Pull, bump, commit, push
"sculpt", "UI design", "frontend design"	references/sculpt-ui.md	Distinctive frontend interface design
"seshsplit", "session split", "split plan into sessions"	references/seshsplit.md	Insert or refresh a session split plan
"docker build"	references/dockbuild.md	Docker Compose build and start
"docker clean", "docker rebuild"	references/dockcleanbuild.md	Clean Docker rebuild
"upstream", "upstream changes"	references/up2imp.md	Audit upstream changes
"quick implement"	references/qimpl.md	Context-aware autonomous implementation
"quick frontend"	references/qfrontdev.md	Autonomous frontend development
"quick backend"	references/qbackenddev.md	Autonomous backend development
"pull upstream", "pull and document"	references/pullndoc.md	Pull and document upstream changes

Total: 24 command references: 14 staged workflow commands and 10 utilities.

---

Directory Structure

Projects using this system follow this layout:

project/
|-- .spec_system/               # All spec system files
|   |-- state.json              # Project state tracking
|   |-- CONSIDERATIONS.md       # Institutional memory (lessons learned)
|   |-- SECURITY-COMPLIANCE.md  # Security posture and compliance
|   |-- CONVENTIONS.md          # Project coding standards
|   |-- PRD/                    # Product requirements
|   |   |-- PRD.md              # Master PRD
|   |   \-- phase_NN/           # Phase definitions
|   |-- specs/                  # Implementation specs
|   |   \-- phaseNN-sessionNN-name/
|   |       |-- spec.md
|   |       |-- tasks.md
|   |       |-- implementation-notes.md
|   |       |-- code-review.md
|   |       |-- security-compliance.md
|   |       \-- validation.md
|   |-- scripts/                # Bash automation (copied during init)
|   \-- archive/                # Completed work
\-- (project source files)

Monorepo Support

The system auto-detects monorepo structures. Single .spec_system/ at the
repo root. Sessions reference their target package in metadata (spec.md
header and state.json), not in directory names. Sessions interleave across
packages within a phase.

---

Scripts

Project analysis scripts provide deterministic state facts and environment
verification. Scripts are copied to .spec_system/scripts/ during
initialization (via the initspec workflow step).

Script Locations

Scripts can be found in two places. Local scripts take precedence:

1. Local (per-project): .spec_system/scripts/ -- copied during init
2. Skill directory: scripts/ -- bundled with this skill

Available Scripts

Script	Purpose	Usage
analyze-project.sh	Deterministic project state	bash .spec_system/scripts/analyze-project.sh --json
check-prereqs.sh	Environment and tool verification	bash .spec_system/scripts/check-prereqs.sh --json --env
common.sh	Shared functions (sourced by other scripts)	Sourced automatically

Local-First Resolution Pattern

Commands that need scripts should check for local copies first:

if [ -d ".spec_system/scripts" ]; then
  bash .spec_system/scripts/analyze-project.sh --json
else
  bash scripts/analyze-project.sh --json
fi

---

Task Design

Task Format

- [ ] TNNN [SNNMM] [P] Action verb + what + where (`path/to/file`)

Components:

• TNNN: Sequential task ID (T001, T002, ...)
• [SNNMM]: Session reference (S0103 = Phase 01, Session 03)
• [P]: Optional parallelization marker
• Description: Action verb + clear description
• Path: File being created or modified

ASCII Encoding (Non-Negotiable)

All files must use ASCII-only characters (code points 0-127):

• NO Unicode characters, emoji, smart quotes, or em-dashes
• Use straight quotes (" ') and hyphens (-) only
• Unix LF line endings (no CRLF)

---

Staged Workflow Quick Reference

Command	Purpose	Input	Output
initspec	Initialize spec system	Project info	.spec_system/ structure
createprd	Generate master PRD	Requirements doc	PRD/PRD.md
createuxprd	Generate UX PRD	Design docs	PRD/PRD_UX.md
plansession	Analyze, spec, task list	state.json, PRD	spec.md + tasks.md
implement	Code implementation	spec.md, tasks.md	implementation-notes.md
creview	Review and repair	All uncommitted changes	code-review.md
validate	Verify completeness	All session files	validation.md
updateprd	Mark complete	validation.md	Updated state.json
audit	Local dev tooling	CONVENTIONS.md	Updated tools
pipeline	CI/CD workflows	CONVENTIONS.md	Workflow files
infra	Production infra	CONVENTIONS.md	Config files
documents	Audit/update docs	state.json, PRD	Updated docs
carryforward	Capture lessons	Phase artifacts	CONSIDERATIONS.md
phasebuild	Create new phase	PRD	PRD/phase_NN/