How to use SpecDD with agents that do not support skills

How-To Set up your agent Beginner 1021014HOWTO-1021014

HOWTO-1021014Set up your agentBeginner

This guide shows you how to use SpecDD with an agent that does not support dedicated plugins or Agent Skills.

SpecDD still works when an agent can read repository files and follow project instructions. Skills improve the workflow, but the source of truth remains the bootstrap files and .sdd specs in Git.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure:

the agent can read files in your repository
the project has SpecDD initialized
the work area has a root or local .sdd spec

Steps

1. Initialize SpecDD

From the selected content root:

specdd init

This creates:

AGENTS.md
CLAUDE.md
.specdd/
  bootstrap.md
  bootstrap.project.md
  bootstrap.local.md

The generated AGENTS.md is the normal agent entrypoint. It points to the SpecDD bootstrap rules.

2. Keep project conventions in bootstrap.project.md

Put shared project rules in:

.specdd/bootstrap.project.md

Use it for command conventions, code style, local syntax choices, and team rules.

Do not scatter these conventions across root specs, module specs, or chat prompts. Keeping them in the project bootstrap makes the setup more portable across agents.

3. Open the selected content root

Start the agent from the folder that contains:

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

If your agent has project-level instruction settings, point those settings at the same repository instructions rather than duplicating a long custom prompt.

4. Use small spec-named prompts

Use prompts that name the work:

Explain the Itinerary spec.

Plan the Itinerary validation change.

Implement the open validation task.

The more limited the agent support is, the more important it is to keep each request narrow.

5. Verify every result against the spec

Before accepting changes, check:

the agent found the relevant spec
modified files are allowed by Can modify or Owns
required behavior in Must is satisfied
Must not and Forbids are preserved
checks ran or the agent explained why they did not
task status changed only after verification

Common mistakes

Starting the agent outside the folder that contains AGENTS.md and .specdd/bootstrap.md.
Testing with a project that has no root or local .sdd spec yet.
Using an agent mode that cannot read repository files.
Skipping the orientation or explanation check after setup.

How to verify the result

The setup is working when:

the agent can explain a local spec in concrete terms
plans mention allowed files and prohibited changes
implementation stays inside local authority
final reports include changed files, checks, and uncertainty

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