How to install the SpecDD CLI

How-To Install and setup Beginner 1011000HOWTO-1011000

HOWTO-1011000Install and setupBeginner

This guide shows you how to install the SpecDD CLI for spec-driven development and verify that the specdd command is ready to initialize or update a project.

The CLI is the tool that installs the SpecDD framework files, checks for framework updates, and deploys universal Agent Skills when you need them.

Prerequisites

Choose one install path:

Node.js 22 or newer, if you install with npm or Yarn
Docker, if you want to run the CLI without installing it locally
Homebrew on Linux, if that is how you manage this workstation

If Node.js is missing or too old, start with How to install or upgrade Node.js 22+ for SpecDD .

Steps

1. Check whether the CLI is already installed

Run:

specdd --help

If the command prints help output, the CLI is already on your PATH.

2. Install with npm

Use npm when Node.js 22 or newer is already installed:

npm install --global specdd

This is the simplest local install path for most Node-ready developer machines.

3. Install with Yarn

If your global JavaScript tooling is managed with Yarn, install the CLI with:

yarn global add specdd

The npm and Yarn paths both require Node.js 22 or newer.

4. Install with Linux Homebrew

If your Linux workstation already uses Homebrew, install the SpecDD formula:

brew tap specdd/cli
brew install specdd

Prefer your operating system package manager for system dependencies. Use this Homebrew path only when Linux Homebrew is already part of how you manage command-line tools.

5. Run with Docker instead

Use Docker when you do not want a local CLI install.

Check the CLI help from Docker Hub:

docker run --rm specdd/cli:latest --help

Or use GitHub Container Registry:

docker run --rm ghcr.io/specdd/cli:latest --help

When you run project commands with Docker, mount the project at /workspace:

docker run --rm -v "$PWD:/workspace" ghcr.io/specdd/cli:latest init

6. Verify the install

Run:

specdd --help
specdd init --help
specdd update --help
specdd check-update --help

The command is ready when each help command exits successfully.

Common mistakes

Installing with npm or Yarn while node -v is older than v22.
Installing the CLI in one shell, then testing in another shell before PATH has refreshed.
Running Docker commands without mounting the project directory.
Running specdd update in a directory that has not been initialized yet.

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