Installation

Install specs.md and select your development flow

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• An AI coding tool (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or Google Antigravity)

Install specs.md

Always use npx to get the latest version. Do not install globally with npm.

npx specsmd@latest install

Select Your Flow

During installation, you’ll be prompted to select a development flow:

? Select a development flow:
  Simple - Spec generation only (requirements, design, tasks)
❯ FIRE - Adaptive execution, brownfield & monorepo ready
  AI-DLC - Full methodology with DDD (comprehensive checkpoints)

Flow	Best For	Agents
Simple	Quick specs, prototypes, handoff	1
FIRE	Adaptive execution, brownfield, monorepos	3
AI-DLC	Full traceability, comprehensive documentation	4

Not sure which flow? Check out our Choose Your Flow guide.

The installer automatically detects your AI coding tools and sets up:

Agent Definitions

Specialized agents for your selected flow

Standards

Project guidelines and conventions

Slash Commands

Easy agent invocation commands

What Gets Installed

After installation, you’ll see the following structure based on your selected flow:

Simple Flow

.specsmd/
├── manifest.yaml              # Installation manifest
└── simple/                    # Simple flow
    └── agents/                # Single agent

specs/                         # Your specs will go here
└── (feature folders)

FIRE Flow

.specsmd/
├── manifest.yaml              # Installation manifest
└── fire/                      # FIRE flow
    ├── agents/                # Orchestrator, Planner, Builder
    └── skills/                # Agent capabilities

.specs-fire/                   # Project artifacts
├── state.yaml                 # Central state tracking
├── standards/                 # Project standards
├── intents/                   # Intent documentation
├── runs/                      # Run logs
└── walkthroughs/              # Generated documentation

AI-DLC Flow

.specsmd/
├── manifest.yaml              # Installation manifest
└── aidlc/                     # AI-DLC flow
    ├── agents/                # Master, Inception, Construction, Operations
    ├── skills/                # Agent capabilities
    ├── templates/             # Artifact templates
    └── memory-bank.yaml       # Memory bank schema

memory-bank/                   # Project artifacts
├── standards/                 # Project standards
├── intents/                   # Intent documentation
└── bolts/                     # Bolt tracking

Tool-Specific Setup

Claude Code

Slash commands are installed in .claude/commands/. Type / to see available commands:

Simple Flow:

• /specsmd-agent

FIRE Flow:

• /specsmd-fire
• /specsmd-fire-planner
• /specsmd-fire-builder

AI-DLC Flow:

• /specsmd-master-agent
• /specsmd-inception-agent
• /specsmd-construction-agent
• /specsmd-operations-agent

Cursor

Commands are installed in .cursor/commands/ as .md files. Invoke them by typing / followed by the command name:

Simple Flow:

• /specsmd-agent

FIRE Flow:

• /specsmd-fire
• /specsmd-fire-planner
• /specsmd-fire-builder

AI-DLC Flow:

• /specsmd-master-agent
• /specsmd-inception-agent
• /specsmd-construction-agent
• /specsmd-operations-agent

GitHub Copilot

Agents are installed in .github/agents/ using .agent.md format. Type / to see available commands:

Simple Flow:

• /specsmd-agent

FIRE Flow:

• /specsmd-fire
• /specsmd-fire-planner
• /specsmd-fire-builder

AI-DLC Flow:

• /specsmd-master-agent
• /specsmd-inception-agent
• /specsmd-construction-agent
• /specsmd-operations-agent

Google Antigravity

Workflows are installed in .agent/workflows/ as .md files. Type / to see available commands:

Simple Flow:

• /specsmd-agent

FIRE Flow:

• /specsmd-fire
• /specsmd-fire-planner
• /specsmd-fire-builder

AI-DLC Flow:

• /specsmd-master-agent
• /specsmd-inception-agent
• /specsmd-construction-agent
• /specsmd-operations-agent

Next Steps

Simple Quick Start

Generate specs in minutes

FIRE Quick Start

Ship your first feature fast

AI-DLC Quick Start

Full methodology walkthrough