Spec Add Command
Overview
Unified command for adding specs one at a time. Supports both interactive wizard mode and direct CLI mode.
Key Features:
-
Supports both project specs and personal specs
-
Scope selection (global vs project) for personal specs
-
Category-based organization for workflow stages
-
Interactive wizard mode with smart defaults
-
Direct CLI mode with auto-detection of type and category
-
Auto-confirm mode (-y /--yes ) for scripted usage
Use Cases
-
During Session: Capture important decisions as they're made
-
After Session: Reflect on lessons learned before archiving
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Proactive: Add team conventions or architectural rules
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Interactive: Guided wizard for adding rules with full control over dimension, scope, and category
Usage
$spec-add # Interactive wizard (all prompts) $spec-add --interactive # Explicit interactive wizard $spec-add "Use async/await instead of callbacks" # Direct mode (auto-detect type) $spec-add -y "No direct DB access" --type constraint # Auto-confirm, skip confirmation $spec-add --scope global --dimension personal # Create global personal spec (interactive) $spec-add --dimension specs --category exploration # Project spec in exploration category (interactive) $spec-add "Cache invalidation requires event sourcing" --type learning --category architecture
Parameters
Parameter Type Required Default Description
rule
string Yes (unless --interactive )
The rule, convention, or insight to add
--type
enum No auto-detect Type: convention , constraint , learning
--category
string No auto-detect / general
Category for organization (see categories below)
--dimension
enum No Interactive specs (project) or personal
--scope
enum No project
global or project (only for personal dimension)
--interactive
flag No
Launch full guided wizard for adding rules
-y / --yes
flag No
Auto-categorize and add without confirmation
Type Categories
convention - Coding style preferences (goes to conventions section)
- Subcategories: coding_style , naming_patterns , file_structure , documentation
constraint - Hard rules that must not be violated (goes to constraints section)
- Subcategories: architecture , tech_stack , performance , security
learning - Session-specific insights (goes to learnings array)
- Subcategories: architecture , performance , security , testing , process , other
Workflow Stage Categories (for --category )
Category Use Case Example Rules
general
Applies to all stages "Use TypeScript strict mode"
exploration
Code exploration, debugging "Always trace the call stack before modifying"
planning
Task planning, requirements "Break down tasks into 2-hour chunks"
execution
Implementation, testing "Run tests after each file modification"
Execution Process
Input Parsing: |- Parse: rule text (positional argument, optional if --interactive) |- Parse: --type (convention|constraint|learning) |- Parse: --category (subcategory) |- Parse: --dimension (specs|personal) |- Parse: --scope (global|project) |- Parse: --interactive (flag) +- Parse: -y / --yes (flag)
Step 1: Parse Input
Step 2: Determine Mode |- If --interactive OR no rule text -> Full Interactive Wizard (Path A) +- If rule text provided -> Direct Mode (Path B)
Path A: Interactive Wizard |- Step A1: Ask dimension (if not specified) |- Step A2: Ask scope (if personal + scope not specified) |- Step A3: Ask category (if not specified) |- Step A4: Ask type (convention|constraint|learning) |- Step A5: Ask content (rule text) +- Continue to Step 3
Path B: Direct Mode |- Step B1: Auto-detect type (if not specified) using detectType() |- Step B2: Auto-detect category (if not specified) using detectCategory() |- Step B3: Default dimension to 'specs' if not specified +- Continue to Step 3
Step 3: Determine Target File |- specs dimension -> .ccw/specs/coding-conventions.md or architecture-constraints.md +- personal dimension -> ~/.ccw/personal/ or .ccw/personal/
Step 4: Validate and Write Spec |- Ensure target directory and file exist |- Check for duplicates |- Append rule to appropriate section +- Run ccw spec rebuild
Step 5: Display Confirmation +- If -y/--yes: Minimal output +- Otherwise: Full confirmation with location details
Implementation
Step 1: Parse Input
// Parse arguments const args = "$ARGUMENTS" const argsLower = args.toLowerCase()
// Extract flags const AUTO_YES = argsLower.includes('--yes') || argsLower.includes('-y') const isInteractive = argsLower.includes('--interactive')
// Extract named parameters const hasType = argsLower.includes('--type') const hasCategory = argsLower.includes('--category') const hasDimension = argsLower.includes('--dimension') const hasScope = argsLower.includes('--scope')
let type = hasType ? args.match(/--type\s+(\w+)/i)?.[1]?.toLowerCase() : null let category = hasCategory ? args.match(/--category\s+(\w+)/i)?.[1]?.toLowerCase() : null let dimension = hasDimension ? args.match(/--dimension\s+(\w+)/i)?.[1]?.toLowerCase() : null let scope = hasScope ? args.match(/--scope\s+(\w+)/i)?.[1]?.toLowerCase() : null
// Extract rule text (everything before flags, or quoted string) let ruleText = args .replace(/--type\s+\w+/gi, '') .replace(/--category\s+\w+/gi, '') .replace(/--dimension\s+\w+/gi, '') .replace(/--scope\s+\w+/gi, '') .replace(/--interactive/gi, '') .replace(/--yes/gi, '') .replace(/-y\b/gi, '') .replace(/^["']|["']$/g, '') .trim()
// Validate values
if (scope && !['global', 'project'].includes(scope)) {
console.log("Invalid scope. Use 'global' or 'project'.")
return
}
if (dimension && !['specs', 'personal'].includes(dimension)) {
console.log("Invalid dimension. Use 'specs' or 'personal'.")
return
}
if (type && !['convention', 'constraint', 'learning'].includes(type)) {
console.log("Invalid type. Use 'convention', 'constraint', or 'learning'.")
return
}
if (category) {
const validCategories = [
'general', 'exploration', 'planning', 'execution',
'coding_style', 'naming_patterns', 'file_structure', 'documentation',
'architecture', 'tech_stack', 'performance', 'security',
'testing', 'process', 'other'
]
if (!validCategories.includes(category)) {
console.log(Invalid category. Valid categories: ${validCategories.join(', ')})
return
}
}
Step 2: Determine Mode
const useInteractiveWizard = isInteractive || !ruleText
Path A: Interactive Wizard
if (useInteractiveWizard) {
// --- Step A1: Ask dimension (if not specified) --- if (!dimension) { if (AUTO_YES) { dimension = 'specs' // Default to project specs in auto mode } else { const dimensionAnswer = ASK_USER([ { id: "dimension", type: "select", prompt: "What type of spec do you want to create?", options: [ { label: "Project Spec", description: "Coding conventions, constraints, quality rules for this project (stored in .ccw/specs/)" }, { label: "Personal Spec", description: "Personal preferences and constraints that follow you across projects (stored in ~/.ccw/specs/personal/ or .ccw/specs/personal/)" } ] } ]) // BLOCKS (wait for user response) dimension = dimensionAnswer.dimension === "Project Spec" ? "specs" : "personal" } }
// --- Step A2: Ask scope (if personal + scope not specified) --- if (dimension === 'personal' && !scope) { if (AUTO_YES) { scope = 'project' // Default to project scope in auto mode } else { const scopeAnswer = ASK_USER([ { id: "scope", type: "select", prompt: "Where should this personal spec be stored?", options: [ { label: "Global (Recommended)", description: "Apply to ALL projects (~/.ccw/specs/personal/)" }, { label: "Project-only", description: "Apply only to this project (.ccw/specs/personal/)" } ] } ]) // BLOCKS (wait for user response) scope = scopeAnswer.scope.includes("Global") ? "global" : "project" } }
// --- Step A3: Ask category (if not specified) --- if (!category) { if (AUTO_YES) { category = 'general' // Default to general in auto mode } else { const categoryAnswer = ASK_USER([ { id: "category", type: "select", prompt: "Which workflow stage does this spec apply to?", options: [ { label: "General (Recommended)", description: "Applies to all stages (default)" }, { label: "Exploration", description: "Code exploration, analysis, debugging" }, { label: "Planning", description: "Task planning, requirements gathering" }, { label: "Execution", description: "Implementation, testing, deployment" } ] } ]) // BLOCKS (wait for user response) const categoryLabel = categoryAnswer.category category = categoryLabel.includes("General") ? "general" : categoryLabel.includes("Exploration") ? "exploration" : categoryLabel.includes("Planning") ? "planning" : "execution" } }
// --- Step A4: Ask type (if not specified) --- if (!type) { if (AUTO_YES) { type = 'convention' // Default to convention in auto mode } else { const typeAnswer = ASK_USER([ { id: "type", type: "select", prompt: "What type of rule is this?", options: [ { label: "Convention", description: "Coding style preference (e.g., use functional components)" }, { label: "Constraint", description: "Hard rule that must not be violated (e.g., no direct DB access)" }, { label: "Learning", description: "Insight or lesson learned (e.g., cache invalidation needs events)" } ] } ]) // BLOCKS (wait for user response) const typeLabel = typeAnswer.type type = typeLabel.includes("Convention") ? "convention" : typeLabel.includes("Constraint") ? "constraint" : "learning" } }
// --- Step A5: Ask content (rule text) --- if (!ruleText) { if (AUTO_YES) { console.log("Error: Rule text is required in auto mode. Provide rule text as argument.") return } const contentAnswer = ASK_USER([ { id: "content", type: "text", prompt: "Enter the rule or guideline text:" } ]) // BLOCKS (wait for user response) ruleText = contentAnswer.content }
}
Path B: Direct Mode
Auto-detect type if not specified:
function detectType(ruleText) { const text = ruleText.toLowerCase();
// Constraint indicators if (/\b(no|never|must not|forbidden|prohibited|always must)\b/.test(text)) { return 'constraint'; }
// Learning indicators if (/\b(learned|discovered|realized|found that|turns out)\b/.test(text)) { return 'learning'; }
// Default to convention return 'convention'; }
function detectCategory(ruleText, type) { const text = ruleText.toLowerCase();
if (type === 'constraint' || type === 'learning') { if (/\b(architecture|layer|module|dependency|circular)\b/.test(text)) return 'architecture'; if (/\b(security|auth|permission|sanitize|xss|sql)\b/.test(text)) return 'security'; if (/\b(performance|cache|lazy|async|sync|slow)\b/.test(text)) return 'performance'; if (/\b(test|coverage|mock|stub)\b/.test(text)) return 'testing'; }
if (type === 'convention') { if (/\b(name|naming|prefix|suffix|camel|pascal)\b/.test(text)) return 'naming_patterns'; if (/\b(file|folder|directory|structure|organize)\b/.test(text)) return 'file_structure'; if (/\b(doc|comment|jsdoc|readme)\b/.test(text)) return 'documentation'; return 'coding_style'; }
return type === 'constraint' ? 'tech_stack' : 'other'; }
if (!useInteractiveWizard) { if (!type) { type = detectType(ruleText) } if (!category) { category = detectCategory(ruleText, type) } if (!dimension) { dimension = 'specs' // Default to project specs in direct mode } }
Step 3: Ensure Guidelines File Exists
Uses .ccw/specs/ directory (same as frontend/backend spec-index-builder)
bash(test -f .ccw/specs/coding-conventions.md && echo "EXISTS" || echo "NOT_FOUND")
If NOT_FOUND, initialize spec system:
Bash('ccw spec init') Bash('ccw spec rebuild')
Step 4: Determine Target File
const path = require('path') const os = require('os')
const isConvention = type === 'convention' const isConstraint = type === 'constraint' const isLearning = type === 'learning'
let targetFile let targetDir
if (dimension === 'specs') { // Project specs - use .ccw/specs/ (same as frontend/backend spec-index-builder) targetDir = '.ccw/specs' if (isConstraint) { targetFile = path.join(targetDir, 'architecture-constraints.md') } else { targetFile = path.join(targetDir, 'coding-conventions.md') } } else { // Personal specs - use .ccw/personal/ (same as backend spec-index-builder) if (scope === 'global') { targetDir = path.join(os.homedir(), '.ccw', 'personal') } else { targetDir = path.join('.ccw', 'personal') }
// Create type-based filename
const typePrefix = isConstraint ? 'constraints' : isLearning ? 'learnings' : 'conventions'
targetFile = path.join(targetDir, ${typePrefix}.md)
}
Step 5: Build Entry
function buildEntry(rule, type, category, sessionId) { if (type === 'learning') { return { date: new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0], session_id: sessionId || null, insight: rule, category: category, context: null }; }
// For conventions and constraints, just return the rule string return rule; }
Step 6: Write Spec
const fs = require('fs')
// Ensure directory exists if (!fs.existsSync(targetDir)) { fs.mkdirSync(targetDir, { recursive: true }) }
// Check if file exists const fileExists = fs.existsSync(targetFile)
if (!fileExists) { // Create new file with frontmatter const frontmatter = `--- title: ${dimension === 'specs' ? 'Project' : 'Personal'} ${isConstraint ? 'Constraints' : isLearning ? 'Learnings' : 'Conventions'} readMode: optional priority: medium category: ${category} scope: ${dimension === 'personal' ? scope : 'project'} dimension: ${dimension} keywords: [${category}, ${isConstraint ? 'constraint' : isLearning ? 'learning' : 'convention'}]
${dimension === 'specs' ? 'Project' : 'Personal'} ${isConstraint ? 'Constraints' : isLearning ? 'Learnings' : 'Conventions'}
` fs.writeFileSync(targetFile, frontmatter, 'utf8') }
// Read existing content let content = fs.readFileSync(targetFile, 'utf8')
// Deduplicate: skip if rule text already exists in the file
if (content.includes(ruleText)) {
console.log(Rule already exists in ${targetFile} Text: "${ruleText}")
return
}
// Format the new rule based on type
let newRule
if (isLearning) {
const entry = buildEntry(ruleText, type, category)
newRule = - [learning/${category}] ${entry.insight} (${entry.date})
} else {
newRule = - [${category}] ${ruleText}
}
// Append the rule content = content.trimEnd() + '\n' + newRule + '\n' fs.writeFileSync(targetFile, content, 'utf8')
// Rebuild spec index Bash('ccw spec rebuild')
Step 7: Display Confirmation
If -y /--yes (auto mode):
Spec added: [${type}/${category}] "${ruleText}" -> ${targetFile}
Otherwise (full confirmation):
Spec created successfully
Dimension: ${dimension} Scope: ${dimension === 'personal' ? scope : 'project'} Category: ${category} Type: ${type} Rule: "${ruleText}"
Location: ${targetFile}
Use 'ccw spec list' to view all specs Use 'ccw spec load --category ${category}' to load specs by category
Target File Resolution
Project Specs (dimension: specs)
.ccw/specs/ |- coding-conventions.md <- conventions, learnings |- architecture-constraints.md <- constraints +- quality-rules.md <- quality rules
Personal Specs (dimension: personal)
Global (~/.ccw/personal/)
~/.ccw/personal/ |- conventions.md <- personal conventions (all projects) |- constraints.md <- personal constraints (all projects) +- learnings.md <- personal learnings (all projects)
Project-local (.ccw/personal/)
.ccw/personal/ |- conventions.md <- personal conventions (this project only) |- constraints.md <- personal constraints (this project only) +- learnings.md <- personal learnings (this project only)
Examples
Interactive Wizard
$spec-add --interactive
Prompts for: dimension -> scope (if personal) -> category -> type -> content
Add a Convention (Direct)
$spec-add "Use async/await instead of callbacks" --type convention --category coding_style
Result in .ccw/specs/coding-conventions.md :
- [coding_style] Use async/await instead of callbacks
Add an Architectural Constraint (Direct)
$spec-add "No direct DB access from controllers" --type constraint --category architecture
Result in .ccw/specs/architecture-constraints.md :
- [architecture] No direct DB access from controllers
Capture a Learning (Direct, Auto-detect)
$spec-add "Cache invalidation requires event sourcing for consistency" --type learning
Result in .ccw/specs/coding-conventions.md :
- [learning/architecture] Cache invalidation requires event sourcing for consistency (2026-03-06)
Auto-confirm Mode
$spec-add -y "No direct DB access from controllers" --type constraint
Auto-detects category as 'architecture', writes without confirmation prompt
Personal Spec (Global)
$spec-add --scope global --dimension personal --type convention "Prefer descriptive variable names"
Result in ~/.ccw/personal/conventions.md :
- [general] Prefer descriptive variable names
Personal Spec (Project)
$spec-add --scope project --dimension personal --type constraint "No ORM in this project"
Result in .ccw/personal/constraints.md :
- [general] No ORM in this project
Error Handling
-
Duplicate Rule: Warn and skip if exact rule text already exists in target file
-
Invalid Category: Suggest valid categories for the type
-
Invalid Scope: Exit with error - must be 'global' or 'project'
-
Invalid Dimension: Exit with error - must be 'specs' or 'personal'
-
Invalid Type: Exit with error - must be 'convention', 'constraint', or 'learning'
-
File not writable: Check permissions, suggest manual creation
-
Invalid path: Exit with error message
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File Corruption: Backup existing file before modification
Related Commands
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$spec-setup
-
Initialize project with specs scaffold
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$session-sync
-
Quick-sync session work to specs and project-tech
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$workflow-session-start
-
Start a session
-
$workflow-session-complete
-
Complete session (prompts for learnings)
-
ccw spec list
-
View all specs
-
ccw spec load --category <cat>
-
Load filtered specs
-
ccw spec rebuild
-
Rebuild spec index