Add specs, conventions, constraints, or learnings to project guidelines interactively or automatically
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npx tessl skill review --optimize ./.codex/skills/spec-add/SKILL.mdUnified command for adding specs one at a time. Supports both interactive wizard mode and direct CLI mode.
Key Features:
-y/--yes) for scripted usage$spec-add # Interactive wizard (all prompts)
$spec-add --interactive # Explicit interactive wizard
$spec-add "Use async/await instead of callbacks" # Direct mode (auto-detect type)
$spec-add -y "No direct DB access" --type constraint # Auto-confirm, skip confirmation
$spec-add --scope global --dimension personal # Create global personal spec (interactive)
$spec-add --dimension specs --category exploration # Project spec in exploration category (interactive)
$spec-add "Cache invalidation requires event sourcing" --type learning --category architecture| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
rule | string | Yes (unless --interactive) | - | The rule, convention, or insight to add |
--type | enum | No | auto-detect | Type: convention, constraint, learning |
--category | string | No | auto-detect / general | Category for organization (see categories below) |
--dimension | enum | No | Interactive | specs (project) or personal |
--scope | enum | No | project | global or project (only for personal dimension) |
--interactive | flag | No | - | Launch full guided wizard for adding rules |
-y / --yes | flag | No | - | Auto-categorize and add without confirmation |
convention - Coding style preferences (goes to conventions section)
coding_style, naming_patterns, file_structure, documentationconstraint - Hard rules that must not be violated (goes to constraints section)
architecture, tech_stack, performance, securitylearning - Session-specific insights (goes to learnings array)
architecture, performance, security, testing, process, other--category)| Category | Use Case | Example Rules |
|---|---|---|
general | Applies to all stages | "Use TypeScript strict mode" |
exploration | Code exploration, debugging | "Always trace the call stack before modifying" |
planning | Task planning, requirements | "Break down tasks into 2-hour chunks" |
execution | Implementation, testing | "Run tests after each file modification" |
Input Parsing:
|- Parse: rule text (positional argument, optional if --interactive)
|- Parse: --type (convention|constraint|learning)
|- Parse: --category (subcategory)
|- Parse: --dimension (specs|personal)
|- Parse: --scope (global|project)
|- Parse: --interactive (flag)
+- Parse: -y / --yes (flag)
Step 1: Parse Input
Step 2: Determine Mode
|- If --interactive OR no rule text -> Full Interactive Wizard (Path A)
+- If rule text provided -> Direct Mode (Path B)
Path A: Interactive Wizard
|- Step A1: Ask dimension (if not specified)
|- Step A2: Ask scope (if personal + scope not specified)
|- Step A3: Ask category (if not specified)
|- Step A4: Ask type (convention|constraint|learning)
|- Step A5: Ask content (rule text)
+- Continue to Step 3
Path B: Direct Mode
|- Step B1: Auto-detect type (if not specified) using detectType()
|- Step B2: Auto-detect category (if not specified) using detectCategory()
|- Step B3: Default dimension to 'specs' if not specified
+- Continue to Step 3
Step 3: Determine Target File
|- specs dimension -> .ccw/specs/coding-conventions.md or architecture-constraints.md
+- personal dimension -> ~/.ccw/personal/ or .ccw/personal/
Step 4: Validate and Write Spec
|- Ensure target directory and file exist
|- Check for duplicates
|- Append rule to appropriate section
+- Run ccw spec rebuild
Step 5: Display Confirmation
+- If -y/--yes: Minimal output
+- Otherwise: Full confirmation with location details// Parse arguments
const args = "$ARGUMENTS"
const argsLower = args.toLowerCase()
// Extract flags
const AUTO_YES = argsLower.includes('--yes') || argsLower.includes('-y')
const isInteractive = argsLower.includes('--interactive')
// Extract named parameters
const hasType = argsLower.includes('--type')
const hasCategory = argsLower.includes('--category')
const hasDimension = argsLower.includes('--dimension')
const hasScope = argsLower.includes('--scope')
let type = hasType ? args.match(/--type\s+(\w+)/i)?.[1]?.toLowerCase() : null
let category = hasCategory ? args.match(/--category\s+(\w+)/i)?.[1]?.toLowerCase() : null
let dimension = hasDimension ? args.match(/--dimension\s+(\w+)/i)?.[1]?.toLowerCase() : null
let scope = hasScope ? args.match(/--scope\s+(\w+)/i)?.[1]?.toLowerCase() : null
// Extract rule text (everything before flags, or quoted string)
let ruleText = args
.replace(/--type\s+\w+/gi, '')
.replace(/--category\s+\w+/gi, '')
.replace(/--dimension\s+\w+/gi, '')
.replace(/--scope\s+\w+/gi, '')
.replace(/--interactive/gi, '')
.replace(/--yes/gi, '')
.replace(/-y\b/gi, '')
.replace(/^["']|["']$/g, '')
.trim()
// Validate values
if (scope && !['global', 'project'].includes(scope)) {
console.log("Invalid scope. Use 'global' or 'project'.")
return
}
if (dimension && !['specs', 'personal'].includes(dimension)) {
console.log("Invalid dimension. Use 'specs' or 'personal'.")
return
}
if (type && !['convention', 'constraint', 'learning'].includes(type)) {
console.log("Invalid type. Use 'convention', 'constraint', or 'learning'.")
return
}
if (category) {
const validCategories = [
'general', 'exploration', 'planning', 'execution',
'coding_style', 'naming_patterns', 'file_structure', 'documentation',
'architecture', 'tech_stack', 'performance', 'security',
'testing', 'process', 'other'
]
if (!validCategories.includes(category)) {
console.log(`Invalid category. Valid categories: ${validCategories.join(', ')}`)
return
}
}const useInteractiveWizard = isInteractive || !ruleTextif (useInteractiveWizard) {
// --- Step A1: Ask dimension (if not specified) ---
if (!dimension) {
if (AUTO_YES) {
dimension = 'specs' // Default to project specs in auto mode
} else {
const dimensionAnswer = request_user_input({
questions: [{
header: "Dimension",
id: "dimension",
question: "What type of spec do you want to create?",
options: [
{ label: "Project Spec(Recommended)", description: "Coding conventions, constraints, quality rules for this project (stored in .ccw/specs/)" },
{ label: "Personal Spec", description: "Personal preferences and constraints that follow you across projects (stored in ~/.ccw/specs/personal/ or .ccw/specs/personal/)" }
]
}]
}) // BLOCKS (wait for user response)
dimension = dimensionAnswer.answers.dimension.answers[0] === "Project Spec(Recommended)" ? "specs" : "personal"
}
}
// --- Step A2: Ask scope (if personal + scope not specified) ---
if (dimension === 'personal' && !scope) {
if (AUTO_YES) {
scope = 'project' // Default to project scope in auto mode
} else {
const scopeAnswer = request_user_input({
questions: [{
header: "Scope",
id: "scope",
question: "Where should this personal spec be stored?",
options: [
{ label: "Global(Recommended)", description: "Apply to ALL projects (~/.ccw/specs/personal/)" },
{ label: "Project-only", description: "Apply only to this project (.ccw/specs/personal/)" }
]
}]
}) // BLOCKS (wait for user response)
scope = scopeAnswer.answers.scope.answers[0] === "Global(Recommended)" ? "global" : "project"
}
}
// --- Step A3: Ask category (if not specified) ---
if (!category) {
if (AUTO_YES) {
category = 'general' // Default to general in auto mode
} else {
const categoryAnswer = request_user_input({
questions: [{
header: "Category",
id: "category",
question: "Which workflow stage does this spec apply to?",
options: [
{ label: "General(Recommended)", description: "Applies to all stages (default)" },
{ label: "Exploration", description: "Code exploration, analysis, debugging" },
{ label: "Planning", description: "Task planning, requirements gathering" }
]
}]
}) // BLOCKS (wait for user response)
const categoryLabel = categoryAnswer.answers.category.answers[0]
category = categoryLabel.includes("General") ? "general"
: categoryLabel.includes("Exploration") ? "exploration"
: categoryLabel.includes("Planning") ? "planning"
: "execution"
}
}
// --- Step A4: Ask type (if not specified) ---
if (!type) {
if (AUTO_YES) {
type = 'convention' // Default to convention in auto mode
} else {
const typeAnswer = request_user_input({
questions: [{
header: "Rule Type",
id: "rule_type",
question: "What type of rule is this?",
options: [
{ label: "Convention", description: "Coding style preference (e.g., use functional components)" },
{ label: "Constraint", description: "Hard rule that must not be violated (e.g., no direct DB access)" },
{ label: "Learning", description: "Insight or lesson learned (e.g., cache invalidation needs events)" }
]
}]
}) // BLOCKS (wait for user response)
const typeLabel = typeAnswer.answers.rule_type.answers[0]
type = typeLabel.includes("Convention") ? "convention"
: typeLabel.includes("Constraint") ? "constraint"
: "learning"
}
}
// --- Step A5: Ask content (rule text) ---
if (!ruleText) {
if (AUTO_YES) {
console.log("Error: Rule text is required in auto mode. Provide rule text as argument.")
return
}
const contentAnswer = request_user_input({
questions: [{
header: "Content",
id: "content",
question: "Enter the rule or guideline text:",
options: [
{ label: "Type in Other", description: "Enter your rule text via the Other input field" }
]
}]
}) // BLOCKS (wait for user response)
ruleText = contentAnswer.answers.content.answers[0]
}
}Auto-detect type if not specified:
function detectType(ruleText) {
const text = ruleText.toLowerCase();
// Constraint indicators
if (/\b(no|never|must not|forbidden|prohibited|always must)\b/.test(text)) {
return 'constraint';
}
// Learning indicators
if (/\b(learned|discovered|realized|found that|turns out)\b/.test(text)) {
return 'learning';
}
// Default to convention
return 'convention';
}
function detectCategory(ruleText, type) {
const text = ruleText.toLowerCase();
if (type === 'constraint' || type === 'learning') {
if (/\b(architecture|layer|module|dependency|circular)\b/.test(text)) return 'architecture';
if (/\b(security|auth|permission|sanitize|xss|sql)\b/.test(text)) return 'security';
if (/\b(performance|cache|lazy|async|sync|slow)\b/.test(text)) return 'performance';
if (/\b(test|coverage|mock|stub)\b/.test(text)) return 'testing';
}
if (type === 'convention') {
if (/\b(name|naming|prefix|suffix|camel|pascal)\b/.test(text)) return 'naming_patterns';
if (/\b(file|folder|directory|structure|organize)\b/.test(text)) return 'file_structure';
if (/\b(doc|comment|jsdoc|readme)\b/.test(text)) return 'documentation';
return 'coding_style';
}
return type === 'constraint' ? 'tech_stack' : 'other';
}
if (!useInteractiveWizard) {
if (!type) {
type = detectType(ruleText)
}
if (!category) {
category = detectCategory(ruleText, type)
}
if (!dimension) {
dimension = 'specs' // Default to project specs in direct mode
}
}Uses .ccw/specs/ directory (same as frontend/backend spec-index-builder)
bash(test -f .ccw/specs/coding-conventions.md && echo "EXISTS" || echo "NOT_FOUND")If NOT_FOUND, initialize spec system:
Bash('ccw spec init')
Bash('ccw spec rebuild')const path = require('path')
const os = require('os')
const isConvention = type === 'convention'
const isConstraint = type === 'constraint'
const isLearning = type === 'learning'
let targetFile
let targetDir
if (dimension === 'specs') {
// Project specs - use .ccw/specs/ (same as frontend/backend spec-index-builder)
targetDir = '.ccw/specs'
if (isConstraint) {
targetFile = path.join(targetDir, 'architecture-constraints.md')
} else {
targetFile = path.join(targetDir, 'coding-conventions.md')
}
} else {
// Personal specs - use .ccw/personal/ (same as backend spec-index-builder)
if (scope === 'global') {
targetDir = path.join(os.homedir(), '.ccw', 'personal')
} else {
targetDir = path.join('.ccw', 'personal')
}
// Create type-based filename
const typePrefix = isConstraint ? 'constraints' : isLearning ? 'learnings' : 'conventions'
targetFile = path.join(targetDir, `${typePrefix}.md`)
}function buildEntry(rule, type, category, sessionId) {
if (type === 'learning') {
return {
date: new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0],
session_id: sessionId || null,
insight: rule,
category: category,
context: null
};
}
// For conventions and constraints, just return the rule string
return rule;
}const fs = require('fs')
// Ensure directory exists
if (!fs.existsSync(targetDir)) {
fs.mkdirSync(targetDir, { recursive: true })
}
// Check if file exists
const fileExists = fs.existsSync(targetFile)
if (!fileExists) {
// Create new file with frontmatter
const frontmatter = `---
title: ${dimension === 'specs' ? 'Project' : 'Personal'} ${isConstraint ? 'Constraints' : isLearning ? 'Learnings' : 'Conventions'}
readMode: optional
priority: medium
category: ${category}
scope: ${dimension === 'personal' ? scope : 'project'}
dimension: ${dimension}
keywords: [${category}, ${isConstraint ? 'constraint' : isLearning ? 'learning' : 'convention'}]
---
# ${dimension === 'specs' ? 'Project' : 'Personal'} ${isConstraint ? 'Constraints' : isLearning ? 'Learnings' : 'Conventions'}
`
fs.writeFileSync(targetFile, frontmatter, 'utf8')
}
// Read existing content
let content = fs.readFileSync(targetFile, 'utf8')
// Deduplicate: skip if rule text already exists in the file
if (content.includes(ruleText)) {
console.log(`
Rule already exists in ${targetFile}
Text: "${ruleText}"
`)
return
}
// Format the new rule based on type
let newRule
if (isLearning) {
const entry = buildEntry(ruleText, type, category)
newRule = `- [learning/${category}] ${entry.insight} (${entry.date})`
} else {
newRule = `- [${category}] ${ruleText}`
}
// Append the rule
content = content.trimEnd() + '\n' + newRule + '\n'
fs.writeFileSync(targetFile, content, 'utf8')
// Rebuild spec index
Bash('ccw spec rebuild')If -y/--yes (auto mode):
Spec added: [${type}/${category}] "${ruleText}" -> ${targetFile}Otherwise (full confirmation):
Spec created successfully
Dimension: ${dimension}
Scope: ${dimension === 'personal' ? scope : 'project'}
Category: ${category}
Type: ${type}
Rule: "${ruleText}"
Location: ${targetFile}
Use 'ccw spec list' to view all specs
Use 'ccw spec load --category ${category}' to load specs by category.ccw/specs/
|- coding-conventions.md <- conventions, learnings
|- architecture-constraints.md <- constraints
+- quality-rules.md <- quality rules# Global (~/.ccw/personal/)
~/.ccw/personal/
|- conventions.md <- personal conventions (all projects)
|- constraints.md <- personal constraints (all projects)
+- learnings.md <- personal learnings (all projects)
# Project-local (.ccw/personal/)
.ccw/personal/
|- conventions.md <- personal conventions (this project only)
|- constraints.md <- personal constraints (this project only)
+- learnings.md <- personal learnings (this project only)$spec-add --interactive
# Prompts for: dimension -> scope (if personal) -> category -> type -> content$spec-add "Use async/await instead of callbacks" --type convention --category coding_styleResult in .ccw/specs/coding-conventions.md:
- [coding_style] Use async/await instead of callbacks$spec-add "No direct DB access from controllers" --type constraint --category architectureResult in .ccw/specs/architecture-constraints.md:
- [architecture] No direct DB access from controllers$spec-add "Cache invalidation requires event sourcing for consistency" --type learningResult in .ccw/specs/coding-conventions.md:
- [learning/architecture] Cache invalidation requires event sourcing for consistency (2026-03-06)$spec-add -y "No direct DB access from controllers" --type constraint
# Auto-detects category as 'architecture', writes without confirmation prompt$spec-add --scope global --dimension personal --type convention "Prefer descriptive variable names"Result in ~/.ccw/personal/conventions.md:
- [general] Prefer descriptive variable names$spec-add --scope project --dimension personal --type constraint "No ORM in this project"Result in .ccw/personal/constraints.md:
- [general] No ORM in this project$spec-setup - Initialize project with specs scaffold$session-sync - Quick-sync session work to specs and project-tech$workflow-session-start - Start a session$workflow-session-complete - Complete session (prompts for learnings)ccw spec list - View all specsccw spec load --category <cat> - Load filtered specsccw spec rebuild - Rebuild spec index0f8e801
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