Features Install Pipeline SDD IDEs Compare Docs
Specky

Stop vibe coding.
Start spec coding.

The complete SDD plugin that keeps your requirements, code, and tests in sync. 13 agents, 57 MCP tools, 22 prompts, 14 hooks, 10-phase enforced pipeline, six compliance frameworks. One install, everything works.

Created by Paula Silva · @paulasilvatech · @paulanunes85

$ apm install paulasilvatech/specky copy
SDD IDE · GitHub Copilot Agent Mode
> @sdd-init initialize spec for user auth
Scanning codebase...
Detected: TypeScript, React, PostgreSQL
Pipeline initialized at Specify phase
EARS patterns applied: 12 requirements
.specs/001-auth/SPECIFICATION.md created
 
> @implementer design the auth system
Architecture: 4 components, 3 interfaces
Diagrams: sequence, class, ERD, C4
.specs/001-auth/DESIGN.md created
 
> @test-verifier verify traceability
Coverage: 12/12 requirements traced
13
Agents
57
MCP Tools
10
Pipeline Phases
22
Prompts
14
Automation Hooks
Why Specky
Your specs should live next to your code
Not another code generator. The layer that makes sure what you build matches what you planned.
🧩

Complete Plugin

13 agents orchestrate the pipeline, 22 prompts for every phase, 8 skills with domain knowledge, 14 hooks guard transitions. One install.

🛡️

Six Compliance Frameworks

HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO 27001. Validate specs against regulatory controls before writing code.

🔒

Nothing Leaves Your Machine

Zero outbound calls. Two dependencies. No eval(). Works fully offline and in air-gapped environments.

🔀

MCP to MCP Routing

Push to GitHub, Terraform, Docker, Jira, Azure DevOps, Figma. Specky generates payloads, your client delivers.

📐

EARS Notation

Six patterns that guarantee every requirement is testable, traceable, and unambiguous.

🤖

14 Automation Hooks

Artifact validation, branch checks, phase gates, LGTM gates, security scan, spec sync, drift monitor. Pre and post on every phase.

Get Started
Install in 60 seconds
No signup. No new IDE. Choose your environment and follow the steps — you'll be writing specs in under a minute.
  1. Install the Specky plugin (recommended)

    The plugin bundles the MCP server, 13 agents, 22 prompts, 8 skills, and 14 hooks.

Terminal
$ apm install paulasilvatech/specky
💡

Alternative — MCP server only: npm install -g specky-sdd if you only need the 57 tools without agents, skills, and hooks.

  1. MCP server is auto-configured by the plugin

    The plugin creates .vscode/mcp.json automatically. For manual setup, add this:

.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specky-sdd": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "specky-sdd@latest"]
    }
  }
}
  1. Use Specky's 13 agents and 22 prompts

    Open Copilot Chat → Agent mode → type @specky-onboarding, @specky-orchestrator, @sdd-init, @implementer, or use prompts like /specky-onboarding.

  2. Initialize your first spec

    In Copilot Chat (Agent mode), type:

Copilot Chat — Agent Mode
@sdd-init initialize spec for user authentication
💡

Tip: Specky auto-detects your stack (TypeScript, Python, Java, Go…) and applies the right EARS patterns. No configuration needed for most projects. Full docs →

  1. Install the npm package globally

    Requires Node.js 18+.

Terminal
$ npm install -g specky-sdd
  1. Add to Claude Code MCP config

    Run this from your project root, or edit ~/.claude/mcp.json directly.

~/.claude/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specky": {
      "command": "specky-sdd",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}
  1. Use slash commands in Claude Code

    Specky adds 22 prompts. Start with:

Claude Code CLI
/sdd:spec write a spec for user auth
/sdd:design design the auth architecture
/sdd:review check traceability
💡

All 12 commands: /sdd:spec /sdd:design /sdd:tasks /sdd:implement /sdd:test /sdd:review /sdd:comply /sdd:diagram /sdd:sync /sdd:gate /sdd:changelog /sdd:report

  1. Install the npm package globally

Terminal
$ npm install -g specky-sdd
  1. Add Specky to Cursor MCP settings

    Open Cursor → Settings → MCP and add a new server, or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specky": {
      "command": "specky-sdd"
    }
  }
}
  1. Windsurf: add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

    Same JSON structure as above. Restart Windsurf after saving.

  2. Use Specky's 57 tools via natural language

    Ask your AI assistant: "Use specky to write a spec for [feature]" or call tools directly from the MCP panel.

💡

Works with any MCP-compatible IDE. The stdio transport is universal — if your editor supports MCP, Specky works out of the box.

  1. Install globally via npm

Terminal
$ npm install -g specky-sdd
  1. Create or update .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace

.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "specky-sdd": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "specky-sdd@latest"]
    }
  }
}
  1. Enable MCP support in VS Code

    Requires VS Code 1.99+ with GitHub Copilot extension. MCP is enabled by default in recent versions. Reload the window (Ctrl+Shift+P → Reload Window) after adding the config.

  2. Verify installation

    Open Copilot Chat → Agent mode → type @specky list tools to confirm 57 tools are registered.

🔒

Air-gapped mode: Specky makes zero outbound network calls. It runs entirely on localhost via stdio. No telemetry, no cloud sync, no external dependencies beyond Node.js.

  1. Download the package tarball on a connected machine

Terminal (internet-connected machine)
$ npm pack specky-sdd
# produces: specky-sdd-3.2.2.tgz
  1. Transfer to air-gapped machine and install locally

Terminal (air-gapped machine)
$ npm install -g ./specky-sdd-3.2.2.tgz
  1. Configure your MCP host as usual

    The stdio transport works identically on air-gapped machines. Use the same mcp.json config as any other environment.

  2. Compliance frameworks work fully offline

    HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO 27001 validation runs locally against bundled rule sets — no external validation service required.

🛡️

Enterprise security features (RBAC, rate limiting, HMAC-SHA256 integrity, audit log with syslog export) are available as of v3.2.2. See Security docs →

10-Phase Pipeline
Enforced. Not suggested.
Every feature follows the same 10 phases. Gates prevent skipping steps. Each phase has model hints to get the best output from your AI assistant.
Phase 01
🔍

Discovery

Auto-scan codebase, detect stack, map existing patterns

Reasoning model
Phase 02
📋

Specify

EARS notation requirements — 6 patterns, fully testable

GPT-4o / Sonnet
Phase 03
🏗️

Design

Architecture, components, interfaces, 17 diagram types

o3 / Opus
Phase 04

Validate

Traceability matrix — every requirement linked to design

GPT-4o / Sonnet
Phase 05
📝

Plan Tasks

Sequenced task list with [P] parallel markers & gates

o3 / Opus
Phases 1–5 complete · Gate check passed · Continuing
Phase 06
⚙️

Implement

Code generation guided by spec, SRP enforced per file

GPT-4o / Sonnet
Phase 07
🧪

Test

Tests for 6 frameworks — unit, integration, e2e, property

GPT-4o / Sonnet
Phase 08
🔐

Secure

OWASP Top 10 scan, compliance framework validation

o3 / Opus
Phase 09
📚

Document

API docs, ADR, changelog, runbooks auto-generated

GPT-4o / Sonnet
Phase 10
🚀

Release Gate

Branch-aware PR (spec→develop→stage→main), blocking gates, sign-off

Reasoning model
SDD IDE Integrations
Works inside your existing SDD environment
No new editor. No new account. Specky plugs into what you already use as a first-class SDD layer.
🧠

GitHub Copilot

13 agents + 22 prompts

@specky-onboarding @specky-orchestrator @sdd-init +10

Claude Code

22 prompts + hooks

/specky-onboarding /specky-greenfield +20
🎯

Cursor / Windsurf

57 tools via MCP

stdio transport
🌐

Any MCP Host

stdio + HTTP transport

Future proof
Feature Comparison
How Specky compares
See how Specky stacks up against cloud-based spec-driven development tools.
Feature Specky Cloud SDD Tools Cursor / Windsurf / Kiro
Deployment & Privacy
Runs 100% locally ✓ Yes ✗ Cloud-only ✓ Yes
Air-gapped / offline support ✓ Full ✗ No ~ Partial
Open source (MIT) ✓ MIT ✗ Proprietary ✗ Proprietary
No signup required ✓ Yes ✗ Account needed ✗ Account needed
Spec-Driven Workflow
Enforced pipeline (not suggestions) ✓ 10 phases ~ Partial ~ Kiro only
EARS notation requirements ✓ 6 patterns ~ Basic ✗ No
Traceability matrix (req → code → test) ✓ Automated ~ Manual ✗ No
Spec-sync hooks (on save / on commit) ✓ 14 hooks ✗ No ✗ No
Compliance & Security
Compliance frameworks ✓ 6 frameworks ~ 1–2 ✗ No
OWASP Top 10 scan in pipeline ✓ Phase 08 ~ Add-on ✗ No
RBAC + audit log ✓ v3.2.2 ✓ Yes ✗ No
IDE & Tooling
MCP tools available ✓ 57 tools ✗ No MCP ✓ Via MCP
Diagram types ✓ 17 types ~ 3–5 ~ Basic
Works in any MCP-compatible IDE ✓ Universal ✗ IDE-specific ✓ Yes
IaC generation (Terraform, Bicep, Docker) ✓ Full ✗ No ✗ No
Pricing
Cost ✓ Free, MIT $$$ per seat ~ IDE subscription
What makes it different
Built different on purpose
Designed around what matters when shipping production software.

Open source, MIT license

Fork it, extend it, audit it. No vendor lock, no seat pricing.

10 enforced pipeline phases

Not suggestions. Actual gates that prevent skipping steps.

Works in any MCP host

No proprietary IDE. Use VS Code, Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.

Fully offline capable

Code never leaves your machine. Air-gapped environments fully supported.

17 diagram types

Sequence, class, ERD, state, C4, deployment and more from your specs.

Tests for 6 frameworks

Vitest, Jest, Playwright, Pytest, JUnit, xUnit. Plus property-based testing.

Infrastructure as Code

Terraform, Bicep, Dockerfiles generated from your design docs.

6 compliance frameworks

HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, PCI DSS, ISO 27001. Validate before you code.

Enterprise security (v3.2.0)

Opt-in RBAC, token-bucket rate limiting, HMAC-SHA256 state integrity, hash-chained audit log with syslog export.