SpecDDSet up your agent
Setup guides for connecting SpecDD to file-aware coding agents, dedicated SpecDD plugins, and universal Agent Skills.
- How to choose between a dedicated plugin and universal Agent Skills
Pick a dedicated SpecDD plugin when your agent has one, universal Agent Skills for compatible clients, or plain file-aware setup when skills are unavailable.
Read guide - How to install SpecDD universal Agent Skills for any agent
Deploy SpecDD universal Agent Skills into `.agents/skills` or `~/.agents/skills`, then verify your Agent Skills-compatible client can use them.
Read guide - How to set up Claude Code for SpecDD
Install the Claude Code SpecDD plugin, confirm the project has SpecDD bootstrap files, and verify Claude can orient, plan, implement, and review against specs.
Read guide - How to set up OpenAI Codex for SpecDD
Install the SpecDD Codex plugin from the marketplace, open a SpecDD project, and verify Codex can orient, plan, implement, and review against local specs.
Read guide - How to set up GitHub Copilot for SpecDD
Install the SpecDD GitHub Copilot skills one at a time with GitHub CLI, or use universal Agent Skills as the documented alternative.
Read guide - How to set up Cursor for SpecDD
Deploy SpecDD universal Agent Skills for Cursor, open the SpecDD project root, and verify Cursor can orient and plan from local specs.
Read guide - How to set up Windsurf for SpecDD
Deploy SpecDD universal Agent Skills for Windsurf, open the SpecDD project root, and verify Cascade can orient and plan from local specs.
Read guide - How to set up Gemini CLI for SpecDD
Deploy SpecDD universal Agent Skills for Gemini CLI, confirm bootstrap files are present, and verify Gemini can orient and plan against local specs.
Read guide - How to set up OpenCode for SpecDD
Deploy SpecDD universal Agent Skills for OpenCode, open the project root, and verify OpenCode can orient, plan, and implement from local specs.
Read guide - How to set up JetBrains Junie for SpecDD
Install the SpecDD Junie skills globally, project-locally, with GitHub CLI, or with universal Agent Skills, then verify Junie can use local specs.
Read guide - How to set up Cline for SpecDD
Install the SpecDD Cline skills globally, project-locally, with GitHub CLI, or with universal Agent Skills, then verify Cline can work from local specs.
Read guide - How to set up Antigravity for SpecDD
Install the SpecDD Antigravity plugin, open a SpecDD project root, and verify Antigravity can orient, plan, implement, and review from local specs.
Read guide - How to switch your SpecDD setup to a different agent without losing context
Move from one agent to another by preserving .sdd specs and bootstrap files, installing the right plugin or Agent Skills path, and verifying spec-aware behavior.
Read guide - How to verify an agent has loaded SpecDD skills correctly
Use small orientation, explanation, planning, and review requests to confirm an agent is using SpecDD skills and project specs correctly.
Read guide - How to use SpecDD with agents that do not support skills
Set up a file-aware agent without skills by initializing SpecDD, keeping bootstrap files in the repository, opening the correct root, and verifying spec-aware behavior.
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 - Install and setup
Install the SpecDD CLI, prepare Node.js when needed, initialize or update projects, and verify the framework files are wired correctly.
9 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