How to set up Cline for SpecDD

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This guide shows you how to set up Cline for SpecDD.

The dedicated Cline integration packages the shared SpecDD skills for Cline’s skills directory. The documented install paths are global copy, project-local copy, GitHub CLI, and universal Agent Skills.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

Cline installed
Git, for cloning the plugin repository
GitHub CLI, if you use the gh skill install path
the SpecDD CLI, if you use universal Agent Skills
a project initialized with SpecDD

Steps

1. Initialize SpecDD

From the selected content root:

specdd init

Confirm that these files exist:

AGENTS.md
.specdd/
  bootstrap.md
  bootstrap.project.md

2. Install Cline skills globally

Source and install details: github.com/specdd/plugin-cline

Install the dedicated Cline plugin skills into Cline’s user skills directory:

git clone https://github.com/specdd/plugin-cline.git /tmp/specdd-plugin-cline
mkdir -p ~/.cline/skills
cp -R /tmp/specdd-plugin-cline/skills/* ~/.cline/skills/

Use a global install when you want Cline to use the SpecDD skills across multiple repositories.

3. Install project-locally instead

For a project-local install, copy the skills into:

.cline/skills/

Use this path when the repository should carry its own agent skills setup.

4. Use GitHub CLI instead

The SpecDD tools reference also documents GitHub CLI as an alternative for Cline.

Use gh skill install with Cline as the target agent and user scope:

gh skill install specdd/plugin-cline specdd-orient --agent cline --scope user

Replace specdd-orient with another SpecDD skill ID when you want to install a different skill.

5. Use universal Agent Skills instead

Universal Agent Skills are another documented alternative for Cline.

Install project-local Agent Skills:

specdd agentskills deploy

Install into another project directory:

specdd agentskills deploy path/to/project

Install user-level Agent Skills:

specdd agentskills deploy --user

For manual installation, clone the universal Agent Skills package and copy the specdd-* skill directories into the skills directory your Cline setup reads.

6. Open the SpecDD project root

Open the folder that contains:

AGENTS.md
.specdd/bootstrap.md
<root-name>.sdd

The root folder matters because SpecDD resolves inherited specs and / paths from the selected content root.

7. Verify Cline can use SpecDD

Use a small orientation request:

Orient in this SpecDD project.

Then ask about a feature spec:

Explain the Itinerary spec.

Cline should identify SpecDD context, constraints, and local authority before implementation.

Common mistakes

Copying the plugin repository itself instead of the skill folders inside skills.
Installing skills globally when your Cline setup expects project-local skills.
Installing through multiple paths without checking which skills Cline loads.
Opening a nested source folder instead of the selected content root.
Skipping the orientation check after installation.

How to verify the result

Cline is ready for SpecDD when:

the SpecDD skills exist in ~/.cline/skills, .cline/skills, or the Agent Skills directory Cline reads
the project contains .specdd/bootstrap.md
orientation and explanation requests mention .sdd specs
implementation plans describe allowed paths, constraints, and checks

Tools

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