Planning Skills (Phase 1)

Phase 1 skills help you explore, define, and validate your project before writing any code. Run them in roughly this order, though you can revisit any skill as understanding deepens.

specsafe-brainstorm

Divergent exploration of ideas, constraints, and possibilities. Use this at the very start of a project or feature to generate a wide range of options before narrowing down.

Slash command: /specsafe-brainstorm

When to use: At project kickoff or when you need fresh thinking on a problem space.

Key output: A brainstorm document capturing ideas, themes, constraints, and open questions.

/specsafe-brainstorm "mobile payment app"

specsafe-principles

Define the product principles, non-goals, and quality priorities that guide every subsequent decision. Principles act as a filter: when two options conflict, principles break the tie.

Slash command: /specsafe-principles

When to use: After brainstorming, before writing a PRD. Revisit when the team debates trade-offs.

Key output: A principles document with explicit priorities and non-goals.

/specsafe-principles "mobile payment app"

specsafe-brief

Create a concise product and business framing document. The brief captures the problem, target users, success metrics, and high-level solution direction in a compact format.

Slash command: /specsafe-brief

When to use: When you need a shareable summary of what you are building and why.

Key output: A product brief document.

/specsafe-brief "mobile payment app for small merchants"

specsafe-prd

Write testable requirements with user journeys, acceptance criteria, and edge cases. The PRD is the single source of truth for what the product must do.

Slash command: /specsafe-prd

When to use: After principles and brief are established. This is the core planning artifact.

Key output: A PRD document with structured requirements and user journeys.

/specsafe-prd "mobile payment app"

specsafe-ux

Design UX tokens, components, interaction flows, and accessibility requirements. This skill produces a specification that developers and designers can both reference.

Slash command: /specsafe-ux

When to use: After the PRD is drafted. UX decisions should be informed by requirements, not the other way around.

Key output: A UX spec covering design tokens, component inventory, flows, and accessibility notes.

/specsafe-ux "mobile payment app checkout flow"

specsafe-architecture

Define the system architecture including technology choices, component boundaries, data flows, and Architecture Decision Records (ADRs). Each significant decision gets an ADR with context, options considered, and rationale.

Slash command: /specsafe-architecture

When to use: After UX and PRD are stable. Architecture should serve the user experience, not constrain it.

Key output: An architecture document with diagrams, ADRs, and component specifications.

/specsafe-architecture "mobile payment app"

specsafe-readiness

A pre-development coherence check that validates whether your planning artifacts are complete, consistent, and sufficient to begin implementation. This is a gate, not a formality.

Slash command: /specsafe-readiness

When to use: Before starting any development work. Run it after completing the planning skills above.

Key output: A gate decision: GO, NEEDS REVISION, or BLOCKED, with specific findings.

/specsafe-readiness

specsafe-party-mode

Launch a multi-persona review session where multiple SpecSafe personas discuss, debate, and critique a topic together. Each persona brings their unique expertise and perspective.

Slash command: /specsafe-party-mode

When to use: For complex decisions that benefit from diverse viewpoints. Architecture trade-offs, UX debates, and prioritization conflicts are good candidates.

Key output: A multi-perspective discussion with actionable recommendations.

/specsafe-party-mode "Should we use a monorepo or polyrepo for the payment platform?"

specsafe-context

Generate a project context file that gives AI agents the information they need to work effectively on your codebase. This captures conventions, architecture, dependencies, and project-specific knowledge.

Slash command: /specsafe-context

When to use: When onboarding a new AI agent to the project, or when context has drifted significantly.

Key output: A project-context.md file.

/specsafe-context

specsafe-skill-creator

Create custom SpecSafe skills tailored to your team's specific workflows. This skill walks you through defining a new skill with its trigger, persona, and behavior.

Slash command: /specsafe-skill-creator

When to use: When your team has a recurring workflow that would benefit from a dedicated skill.

Key output: A new custom skill definition.

/specsafe-skill-creator "database migration review"