AI-DLC Flow Overview

Full AI-Driven Development Lifecycle with comprehensive traceability

What is AI-DLC?

AI-DLC (AI-Driven Development Lifecycle) is a complete methodology for AI-native software development, originally defined by AWS. It provides comprehensive traceability, DDD integration, and structured phases for complex projects.

AI proposes, human validates. Like Google Maps—humans set the destination, AI provides step-by-step directions, humans maintain oversight at every checkpoint.

Key Differentiators

Complete Methodology

Not just a tool—a full SDLC with defined phases, rituals, and artifacts based on AWS research.

DDD Integration

Domain-Driven Design is core, not optional. Model business logic before writing code.

Comprehensive Checkpoints

10-26 human validation points per bolt. Every decision is reviewed.

Four Specialized Agents

Master, Inception, Construction, and Operations agents with clear responsibilities.

Walkthrough Generation

Every change documented automatically. Review what AI did without digging through code.

AI-DLC vs Other Flows

Aspect	AI-DLC	FIRE	Simple
Philosophy	Full methodology	Adaptive execution	Spec generation
Hierarchy	Intent → Unit → Story → Bolt → Stages	Intent → Work Item → Run	Feature → Phases
Checkpoints	Comprehensive (10-26 per bolt)	Adaptive (0-2)	3 phase gates
Agents	4 (Master, Inception, Construction, Operations)	3 (Orchestrator, Planner, Builder)	1
Design Approach	DDD or Simple bolt types	Adaptive	Basic
Phases	Inception → Construction → Operations	Plan → Execute	Req → Design → Tasks
Artifacts	memory-bank/	.specs-fire/	specs/
Optimized For	Full traceability, complex domains	Teams who hate friction	Quick prototypes

Shared philosophy: All flows use intents, structured artifacts, and human validation. They differ in ceremony level and traceability depth.

When to Use AI-DLC

You need comprehensive traceability

Every decision, every change, every artifact is tracked. Perfect for regulated environments or audit requirements.

You're building complex domain logic

AI-DLC integrates DDD from the start. Model your business domain before writing code.

You have multi-team coordination

Clear phases and artifacts make handoffs explicit. Teams know exactly what’s expected.

You want predictable ceremony

Unlike adaptive flows, AI-DLC has fixed checkpoints. You always know what’s coming next.

You're in a regulated environment

Healthcare, finance, government—where documentation requirements are strict.

When to Consider Other Flows

Consider FIRE if:

• You want adaptive checkpoints based on complexity
• You’re working on brownfield projects
• You have a monorepo with multiple tech stacks
• You prefer less ceremony for simple changes

Consider Simple if:

• You just need specs, not execution tracking
• You’re prototyping or creating handoff documents
• You want minimal overhead

Three Phases

AI-DLC follows three sequential phases:

Phase	Agent	Ritual	Output
Inception	Inception Agent	Mob Elaboration	Intents, Units, Stories, Bolt Plans
Construction	Construction Agent	Mob Construction	Domain Models, Code, Tests
Operations	Operations Agent	Continuous	Deployments, Monitoring

Core Concepts

Intent

A high-level business objective. The starting point for all work.

intent:
  id: 001-user-authentication
  title: User Authentication System
  status: in_progress

Unit

A loosely-coupled module that can be developed independently.

Story

A user story within a unit, with acceptance criteria.

Bolt

A time-boxed execution cycle (hours or days) that implements stories through validated stages.

Learn more in Core Concepts.

Four-Agent Architecture

Agent	Phase	Responsibility
Master	All	Orchestrates flow, routes requests, maintains awareness
Inception	Inception	Captures intents, elaborates requirements, plans bolts
Construction	Construction	Executes bolts through DDD stages
Operations	Operations	Builds, deploys, verifies, monitors

Learn more in Agents Overview.

Project Structure

memory-bank/                   # AI-DLC artifacts
├── intents/                   # Captured intents
│   └── {intent-id}/
│       ├── requirements.md
│       ├── system-context.md
│       └── units/
│           └── {unit-id}/
│               ├── unit-brief.md
│               └── stories/
├── bolts/                     # Bolt execution records
├── standards/                 # Project standards
│   ├── tech-stack.md
│   ├── coding-standards.md
│   ├── system-architecture.md
│   └── ...
└── operations/                # Deployment context

Get Started

1. Install specs.md

   npx specsmd@latest install
   
2. Select AI-DLC during init

   Choose “AI-DLC” when prompted for flow selection

3. Initialize project standards

   /specsmd-master-agent project-init
   
4. Create your first intent

   /specsmd-inception-agent intent-create
   

Quick Start Guide

Step-by-step guide to building with AI-DLC