User Story Writer
deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills
Writes user stories in Mike Cohn's format with Gherkin acceptance criteria, turning user needs into development-ready work with testable conditions.
A skill your agent uses when the user says 'spec this', 'scope this slice', 'lock requirements', 'what are we building', or before any planning / execution call where requirements are ambiguous.
Install Ijfw Spec Phase
$ npx skills add FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install FerroxLabs/ijfw ijfw-spec-phase --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase .claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "ijfw-spec-phase" agent skill from https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw/tree/main/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase into .claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ijfw-spec-phase", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw/tree/main/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phaseType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install FerroxLabs/ijfw ijfw-spec-phase --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase .agents/skills/ijfw-spec-phase && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "ijfw-spec-phase" agent skill from https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw/tree/main/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase into .agents/skills/ijfw-spec-phase/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ijfw-spec-phase", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install FerroxLabs/ijfw ijfw-spec-phase --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase .cursor/skills/ijfw-spec-phase && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "ijfw-spec-phase" agent skill from https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw/tree/main/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase into .cursor/skills/ijfw-spec-phase/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ijfw-spec-phase", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw.git --path claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install FerroxLabs/ijfw ijfw-spec-phase --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase .gemini/skills/ijfw-spec-phase && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "ijfw-spec-phase" agent skill from https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw/tree/main/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase into .gemini/skills/ijfw-spec-phase/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ijfw-spec-phase", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install FerroxLabs/ijfw ijfw-spec-phaseInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase .github/skills/ijfw-spec-phase && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "ijfw-spec-phase" agent skill from https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw/tree/main/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase into .github/skills/ijfw-spec-phase/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ijfw-spec-phase", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install FerroxLabs/ijfw ijfw-spec-phase --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase .opencode/skills/ijfw-spec-phase && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "ijfw-spec-phase" agent skill from https://github.com/FerroxLabs/ijfw/tree/main/claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase into .opencode/skills/ijfw-spec-phase/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "ijfw-spec-phase", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
ijfw-spec-phase- GitHub stars
- 212
- Token cost
- ~1.3k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 404 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 38
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
A skill your agent uses when the user says 'spec this', 'scope this slice', 'lock requirements', 'what are we building', or before any planning / execution call where requirements are ambiguous.
- Works in 6 steps: Locate the active phase → Load context → Identify ambiguities (gray areas) → …
- The user says spec this
- SKILL.md covers When to fire, Process, Anti-patterns (do not do) and Success criteria
- Calls git
What it does
Ijfw Spec Phase is an agent skill from FerroxLabs/ijfw. Use when the user says 'spec this', 'scope this slice', 'lock requirements', 'what are we building', or before any planning / execution call where requirements are ambiguous. Produces a falsifiable SPEC.md that locks WHAT before HOW.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Product & Project Management. The repository describes itself as: IJFW — It Just Fcking Works. Ferrox Labs' local-first infrastructure for AI coding agents: shared memory, smart routing, multi-AI cross-audits, disciplined workflow. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- The user says spec this
- Scope this slice
- Lock requirements
- What are we building
Example prompts
- “spec this”
- “scope this slice”
- “lock requirements”
- “/ijfw-spec-phase”
Requirements
- Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob, AskUserQuestion, Agent
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit eda62f3. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:
ReadWriteBashGrepGlobAskUserQuestionAgent
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
git
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, 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
Ijfw Spec Phase loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 62 tokens; SKILL.md has 404 words of instructions outside code blocks.
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: notes
The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.
- NotePre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: Bash)SKILL.md
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob, AskUserQuestion, Agent
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
The full file from FerroxLabs/ijfw at commit eda62f3, republished under its MIT licence (© FerroxLabs). 404 words, ~1,258 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- ijfw-spec-phase
- description
- Use when the user says 'spec this', 'scope this slice', 'lock requirements', 'what are we building', or before any planning / execution call where requirements are ambiguous. Produces a falsifiable SPEC.md that locks WHAT before HOW.
- allowed-tools
- Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob, AskUserQuestion, Agent
- since
- 1.5.0
IJFW Spec-Phase -- lock WHAT before HOW
You are the orchestrator-facing trigger that produces
.planning/<milestone>/<phase>/SPEC.md for the active phase. SPEC.md captures
falsifiable acceptance criteria, explicit in-scope / out-of-scope boundaries,
and dependencies -- BEFORE plan-phase touches HOW to implement.
Domain-agnostic. Same flow for: software slice ("user auth"), book chapter ("Ch4 scope, POV lock, must-cover beats"), campaign slice ("launch week 1 channel mix"), research milestone ("literature review boundaries").
When to fire
- User explicitly asks: "spec this", "scope this", "lock requirements".
- plan-phase / execute-phase is requested but no SPEC.md exists for the
active slice under
.planning/<milestone>/<phase>/. - ijfw-workflow Deep path enters the Plan gate with unclear requirements.
Process
1. Locate the active phase
MILESTONE=$(cat .ijfw/state/active-milestone 2>/dev/null \
|| ls -1 .planning/ | grep -E '^[0-9]' | tail -1)
PHASE=$(cat .ijfw/state/active-phase 2>/dev/null || echo "$1")
PHASE_DIR=".planning/${MILESTONE}/${PHASE}"
mkdir -p "$PHASE_DIR"If $PHASE is unset and not supplied as argument, ASK the user which phase
to spec. Never guess.
2. Load context
Read in order, skipping any that don't exist:
.ijfw/memory/brief.md-- the original ask.planning/ROADMAP.md-- where this phase sits.planning/<milestone>/ROADMAP.md-- milestone-scoped roadmap- Any prior
SPEC.md/CONTEXT.mdfrom earlier phases in this milestone .planning/PROJECT.md-- non-negotiables
Extract: phase goal, declared boundaries, prior decisions that flow forward.
3. Identify ambiguities (gray areas)
For the phase, list:
- What's clear -- requirements with one obvious interpretation.
- What's gray -- decisions that could go multiple ways and would change the result. Each gray area is a single sentence.
- What's decided -- already locked in a prior phase's CONTEXT.md or SPEC.md.
If gray-area count is zero: skip Step 4 and write SPEC.md directly using captured-as-clear requirements.
Show full SKILL.md (166 more words)Show less
4. Dispatch ijfw-discuss-phase (if gray areas exist)
Task: ijfw-discuss-phase
Args:
milestone: $MILESTONE
phase: $PHASE
gray_areas: [list of one-line ambiguities]
prior_decisions_path: .planning/<milestone>/*/CONTEXT.mdThe agent will interrogate the user adaptively (AMBIGUITY SCORING -- top 3-5
gray areas by impact x uncertainty), capture decisions to
$PHASE_DIR/CONTEXT.md, and return when the user is satisfied OR escalates.
Wait for the agent. Do NOT proceed to SPEC.md until CONTEXT.md exists.
5. Write SPEC.md
After CONTEXT.md is locked (or skipped if no gray areas), write to
$PHASE_DIR/SPEC.md with these sections:
# SPEC -- <milestone> / <phase>
**Locked:** <ISO date> **Status:** Ready for plan-phase
## Goal
<One-sentence outcome -- what the user can do / see / read / receive
when this slice is shipped.>
## Acceptance Criteria
Each MUST be falsifiable (binary pass/fail; no "should" / "nice").
1. <Criterion>
2. <Criterion>
## In Scope
- <Capability / artifact / chapter section>
## Out of Scope (Deferred)
- <Mentioned but pushed to a later slice>
## Dependencies
- **Inputs:** <Required from prior slices / external>
- **Outputs:** <Handed to the next slice>
- **External:** <APIs, libraries, vendors, sources>
## Domain Notes
<Software: data shapes, contracts. Book: POV, tone, chapter beats.
Campaign: audience, channel mix, KPI target.>
## Canonical References
- CONTEXT.md (this slice's decisions)
- <Any ADRs / specs / prior SPEC.md cited>6. Commit + report
git add "$PHASE_DIR/SPEC.md"
git commit -m "spec($PHASE): lock requirements before plan-phase"Report to orchestrator:
SPEC.md ready: <path>
Acceptance criteria: <N>
Gray areas resolved: <M>
Deferred items: <K>
Next: /ijfw-plan-phase $PHASEAnti-patterns (do not do)
- Do NOT write SPEC.md without resolving gray areas first (defeats the point).
- Do NOT include implementation details (those belong in plan-phase output).
- Do NOT silently re-decide things already locked in prior CONTEXT.md files.
- Do NOT exceed phase boundary from ROADMAP.md -- scope creep gets deferred, not absorbed.
Success criteria
- SPEC.md exists at
.planning/<milestone>/<phase>/SPEC.md. - Every acceptance criterion is binary-falsifiable.
- In-scope / out-of-scope are explicit (no ambiguity at boundary).
- Dependencies cite concrete inputs and outputs.
- CONTEXT.md exists alongside if any gray areas were interrogated.
- Commit landed; orchestrator can hand off to plan-phase.
© FerroxLabs, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase of FerroxLabs/ijfw.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit eda62f3
Compare with similar skills
Ijfw Spec Phase 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.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ijfw Spec Phase this skillFerroxLabs/ijfw | 212 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| User Story Writerdeanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills | 7.2k | 2 repos | ~2.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Game Changing FeaturesopenstatusHQ/data-table-filters | 2.3k | 3 repos | ~2.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| CCPM Project Managementautomazeio/ccpm | 8.4k | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Convex Create Componentspokvulcan/poker-planning | 114 | 8 repos | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Self Improving Agentfarm-fe/farm | 5.6k | 2 repos | ~3.3k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT |
Similar skills
Game Changing Features
openstatusHQ/data-table-filters
Find 10x product opportunities and high-leverage improvements.
CCPM Project Management
automazeio/ccpm
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.
Convex Create Component
spokvulcan/poker-planning
Builds reusable Convex components with isolated tables and app-facing APIs.
Self Improving Agent
farm-fe/farm
A universal self-improving agent that learns from ALL skill experiences.
Weekly Engineering Retro
garrytan/gstack
Builds a weekly engineering retrospective from git history: commit counts, per-person contributions, work patterns and code quality numbers over a chosen window.
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Related
Categories
Questions about Ijfw Spec Phase
What does Ijfw Spec Phase do?
A skill your agent uses when the user says 'spec this', 'scope this slice', 'lock requirements', 'what are we building', or before any planning / execution call where requirements are ambiguous. Ijfw Spec Phase is an agent skill from FerroxLabs/ijfw. Use when the user says 'spec this', 'scope this slice', 'lock requirements', 'what are we building', or before any planning / execution call where requirements are ambiguous.
When should I use Ijfw Spec Phase?
Ijfw Spec Phase fits situations like: the user says spec this; scope this slice; lock requirements; what are we building.
How do I install Ijfw Spec Phase in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase in FerroxLabs/ijfw) into .claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Ijfw Spec Phase in Codex?
Run `npx skills add FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (claude/skills/ijfw-spec-phase in FerroxLabs/ijfw) into .agents/skills/ijfw-spec-phase in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Ijfw Spec Phase 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 FerroxLabs/ijfw --skill ijfw-spec-phase -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/ijfw-spec-phase, .gemini/skills/ijfw-spec-phase, .github/skills/ijfw-spec-phase and .opencode/skills/ijfw-spec-phase in your project.
What does Ijfw Spec Phase need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Ijfw Spec Phase needs the command-line tools its instructions call (git). Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob, AskUserQuestion, Agent.
Does Ijfw Spec Phase access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Ijfw Spec Phase safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (pre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: bash)), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Ijfw Spec Phase use?
Ijfw Spec Phase is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Ijfw Spec Phase use?
About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Ijfw Spec Phase?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Ijfw Spec Phase: User Story Writer (deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills, 7.2k stars), Game Changing Features (openstatusHQ/data-table-filters, 2.3k stars), CCPM Project Management (automazeio/ccpm, 8.4k stars) and Convex Create Component (spokvulcan/poker-planning, 114 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Ijfw Spec Phase?
FerroxLabs (a GitHub user) maintains it in FerroxLabs/ijfw, which has 212 GitHub stars. The repository holds 38 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 5, 2026.
Source: FerroxLabs/ijfw on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.