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Agent skill

Spec Authoring

by bobmatnyc in bobmatnyc/claude-mpm

Standard for authoring engineering behavior-contract specs in docs/specs/: scope subsystems, assign stable IDs, structure docs, manage lifecycle.

Custom licenceAuto-check passedProduct & Project Management

Install Spec Authoring

skills CLI
$ npx skills add bobmatnyc/claude-mpm --skill spec-authoring -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install bobmatnyc/claude-mpm spec-authoring --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/bobmatnyc/claude-mpm.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/src/claude_mpm/skills/bundled/main/spec-authoring .claude/skills/spec-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
spec-authoring
GitHub stars
155
Token cost
~1.8k tokens
SKILL.md length
703 words
Files
6 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
51
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Custom licence

At a glance

Standard for authoring engineering behavior-contract specs in docs/specs/: scope subsystems, assign stable IDs, structure docs, manage lifecycle.

  • Works in 7 steps: Read the grammar. docs/specs/README.md §4 → Pick or create the subsystem file. One… → Apply the spec template. Copy… → …
  • Tasks that involve PRD writing
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, When to Use, Core Model (at a glance) and Quick Start, plus 2 more sections
  • Calls uv

What it does

Spec Authoring is an agent skill from bobmatnyc/claude-mpm. Standard for authoring engineering behavior-contract specs in docs/specs/: scope subsystems, assign stable IDs, structure docs, manage lifecycle.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.8k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 6 other files, including reference files (for example `references/authoring-workflow.md`, `references/category-taxonomy.md` and `references/granularity-guide.md`).

It sits in Product & Project Management, covering PRD writing. The repository describes itself as: Claude Multi-Agent Project Manager — multi-channel orchestration, GitHub-first SDK mode, and plugin system for Claude.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve PRD writing

Example prompts

  • “/spec-authoring”

Workflow steps

7 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Read the grammar. docs/specs/README.md §4
  2. Pick or create the subsystem file. One bounded subsystem = one file. See
  3. Apply the spec template. Copy references/spec-template.md;
  4. Get granularity right. One ID per independently-verifiable behavior. Use the litmus
  5. Cite the PRD requirement realized (if any) and your research. Non-obvious decisions
  6. Link implementing modules in each section's table; engineers then add SLD
  7. Run the CI check. uv run pytest tests/test_spec_traceability.py verifies the

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 25203d3. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • uv

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use uv, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Spec Authoring loads about 1.8k tokens when it runs, and up to ~9.6k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 40 tokens; SKILL.md has 703 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~40
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.8k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~9.6k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

Its licence (Custom licence) doesn't allow us to republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 703 words (~1,832 tokens).

“This skill is the agent-facing entry point to the Engineering Spec Authoring Standard: how to write engineering specifications in docs/specs/. A spec is a behavior contract (testable WHAT + WHY, linked to implementing modules), owned by Engineering / Architecture.”

— opening of SKILL.md by bobmatnyc, Custom licence
name
spec-authoring
version
1.0.0
category
documentation
agent_types
engineer, documentation
tags
specification, spec, authoring, engineering, standards
effort
medium
user-invocable
true
progressive_disclosure.references
spec-template.md, category-taxonomy.md, granularity-guide.md, research-conventions.md, authoring-workflow.md

Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub

Files

SKILL.md and 5 other files (references) in src/claude_mpm/skills/bundled/main/spec-authoring of bobmatnyc/claude-mpm.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/authoring-workflow.md
  • references/category-taxonomy.md
  • references/granularity-guide.md
  • references/research-conventions.md
  • references/spec-template.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 25203d3

Compare with similar skills

Spec Authoring next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Spec Authoring compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Spec Authoring this skillbobmatnyc/claude-mpm155—~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
CCPM Project Managementautomazeio/ccpm8.4k—~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Ralph Tui Create Beadssubsy/ralph-tui2.5k1 repos~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Trellis Brainstormanjiemo/SunnyBeach1787 repos~4kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Ralph Tui Create Beads Rustsubsy/ralph-tui2.5k1 repos~2.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Ralph Tui Create JSONsubsy/ralph-tui2.5k1 repos~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

Similar skills

  • CCPM Project Management

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    Runs a spec-driven workflow from PRD to epic to GitHub issues to parallel agents, with status, standup and blocked-work reports from bundled scripts.

    8.4k GitHub stars~1.1k tokensUpdated 6 mo ago
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  • Ralph Tui Create Beads

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    2.5k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~2.8k tokens
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Categories

Questions about Spec Authoring

What does Spec Authoring do?

Standard for authoring engineering behavior-contract specs in docs/specs/: scope subsystems, assign stable IDs, structure docs, manage lifecycle. Spec Authoring is an agent skill from bobmatnyc/claude-mpm. Standard for authoring engineering behavior-contract specs in docs/specs/: scope subsystems, assign stable IDs, structure docs, manage lifecycle.

When should I use Spec Authoring?

Spec Authoring fits situations like: tasks that involve PRD writing.

How do I install Spec Authoring in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add bobmatnyc/claude-mpm --skill spec-authoring -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (src/claude_mpm/skills/bundled/main/spec-authoring in bobmatnyc/claude-mpm) into .claude/skills/spec-authoring in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Spec Authoring in Codex?

Run `npx skills add bobmatnyc/claude-mpm --skill spec-authoring -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (src/claude_mpm/skills/bundled/main/spec-authoring in bobmatnyc/claude-mpm) into .agents/skills/spec-authoring in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Spec Authoring in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add bobmatnyc/claude-mpm --skill spec-authoring -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/spec-authoring, .gemini/skills/spec-authoring, .github/skills/spec-authoring and .opencode/skills/spec-authoring in your project.

What does Spec Authoring need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Spec Authoring needs the command-line tools its instructions call (uv).

Does Spec Authoring access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use uv, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Spec Authoring safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Spec Authoring use?

Spec Authoring has a licence file (the repository's licence) that doesn't match a standard licence. Read it on GitHub before reusing the skill.

How many tokens does Spec Authoring use?

About 1.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 7.8k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Spec Authoring?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Spec Authoring: CCPM Project Management (automazeio/ccpm, 8.4k stars), Ralph Tui Create Beads (subsy/ralph-tui, 2.5k stars), Trellis Brainstorm (anjiemo/SunnyBeach, 178 stars) and Ralph Tui Create Beads Rust (subsy/ralph-tui, 2.5k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Spec Authoring?

bobmatnyc (a GitHub user) maintains it in bobmatnyc/claude-mpm, which has 155 GitHub stars. The repository holds 51 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 31, 2026.

Source: bobmatnyc/claude-mpm on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.