SpecDDInstall and setup
Procedural setup guides for installing SpecDD tooling and preparing projects for specification-driven development.
- How to install the SpecDD CLI
Install the SpecDD CLI with a supported package path, verify `specdd --help`, and choose the next setup step for a new or existing project.
Read guide - How to install or upgrade Node.js 22+ for SpecDD
Check your Node.js version, install Node.js 22 or newer with your operating system package path, and use nvm only when system packages cannot provide a new enough runtime.
Read guide - How to initialize SpecDD in a new project
Run `specdd init`, review the generated bootstrap and agent files, commit the shared setup files, add a root spec, and verify the new project is ready.
Read guide - How to add SpecDD to an existing project
Initialize SpecDD in a live repository, review skipped or generated files, keep local preferences out of Git, and start adoption around one real area.
Read guide - How to update your SpecDD framework files
Check whether a SpecDD framework update is available, run `specdd update`, and review the bootstrap changes while preserving local project files.
Read guide - How to structure a SpecDD project layout
Place SpecDD bootstrap files, agent entrypoints, the root spec, directory specs, and local same-basename specs so humans and agents can resolve context reliably.
Read guide - How to verify your SpecDD setup is correct
Run a practical SpecDD setup checklist covering CLI availability, generated files, bootstrap load order, root spec naming, linting, local ignores, and a smoke test.
Read guide - How to uninstall SpecDD from a project
Remove SpecDD project setup cleanly while deciding whether existing .sdd files still contain useful project knowledge worth preserving.
Read guide - How to upgrade from an older SpecDD project layout
Move an older SpecDD setup to the current layout by updating the bootstrap, preserving project rules, checking agent entrypoints, and verifying spec resolution.
Read guide
More How-To categories
- Getting started
Start with spec-driven development, write your first local SpecDD spec, and run a small end-to-end change with human-and-agent-friendly guardrails.
11 guides - Set up your agent
Set up Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Junie, Cline, Antigravity, and universal Agent Skills for SpecDD.
15 guides - Editor setup
Install SpecDD editor support, validate .sdd files, resolve path warnings, and use completions and section hints while writing specs.
4 guides - Agent workflows
Use SpecDD with agents by keeping prompts short, plans spec-bound, file changes authorized, context durable, and reviews tied to local .sdd contracts.
15 guides - Write specs by level
Write SpecDD specs at the right level: root specs for project context, module specs for area boundaries, and focused specs for local behavior and contracts.
14 guides - Use spec sections
Use SpecDD sections correctly: write only sections that add local value, keep authority clear, and express behavior, boundaries, tasks, scenarios, paths, and examples.
25 guides - Spec-writing technique
Improve SpecDD craft with techniques for small specs, right-level placement, naming, splitting, explicit rules, draft review, edge cases, and compatibility.
16 guides - Spec-driven workflows
Use SpecDD workflows to draft, review, implement, synchronize, and evolve local specs without losing source-of-truth context.
11 guides - Work with SpecDD skills
Use SpecDD skills deliberately: choose the right skill for the phase, keep authority clear, chain skills safely, and verify each result against local specs.
17 guides - Software design practices
Use SpecDD to make software design decisions operational: responsibility, boundaries, layers, cohesion, debt prevention, public APIs, and dependency direction.
20 guides - Adopt SpecDD on existing projects
Adopt SpecDD gradually in live codebases by starting with active areas, reviewing generated specs, expanding folder by folder, and measuring practical review and delivery signals.
10 guides - Testing and quality
Turn SpecDD specs into practical quality work: TDD and BDD loops, acceptance criteria, coverage tracing, CI checks, regression tests, and testability review.
11 guides - Code review and governance
Use SpecDD in code review and governance by checking local authority, behavior, boundaries, spec updates, agent output, and high-risk contract changes.
9 guides - Refactoring and maintenance
Use SpecDD to keep maintenance safe: preserve specified behavior, maintain authority while moving code, keep specs current, and delete obsolete contracts carefully.
9 guides - Security and risk
Use SpecDD to make security and risk constraints local, explicit, reviewable, and hard for humans or agents to weaken accidentally.
13 guides - Teams and process
Use SpecDD as a team process by keeping durable behavior in specs, project planning in tickets, conventions in bootstrap.project.md, and reviews lightweight but consistent.
13 guides - Troubleshooting
Fix common SpecDD problems: agent setup, .sdd highlighting, CLI and Node errors, ambiguous specs, unresolved paths, vague specs, stale criteria, and skill installs.
12 guides