A skill your agent uses when a user or project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source, fenced Gherkin specifications as executable acceptance tests, or acceptance-test-first OpenSpec tasks.

MITAuto-check passedTesting & QA

Install Spec As Source

skills CLI
$ npx skills add intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template --skill spec-as-source -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template spec-as-source --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/intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/spec-as-source .claude/skills/spec-as-source && 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-as-source
GitHub stars
160
Token cost
~746 tokens
SKILL.md length
369 words
Files
3 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
10
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when a user or project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source, fenced Gherkin specifications as executable acceptance tests, or acceptance-test-first OpenSpec tasks.

  • Works in 6 steps: Code is written only for an active… → A unit of work edits either the specs… → Before crossing zones, finish and commit… → …
  • Project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, Activation, Artifact References and BDD Zone Rules, plus 2 more sections
  • Calls git

What it does

Spec As Source is an agent skill from intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template. Use when a user or project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source, fenced Gherkin specifications as executable acceptance tests, or acceptance-test-first OpenSpec tasks.

Its SKILL.md is about 750 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 3 other files, including reference files (for example `references/spec.md` and `references/tasks.md`).

It sits in Testing & QA, covering End-to-end testing. The repository describes itself as: OpenSpec and OpenCode template for intent-driven development with specs, ADRs, C4 diagrams, Gherkin, TDD, Multi-Model Adversarial Spec Authoring, Glossary for Domain Terms, and… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source
  • Fenced Gherkin specifications as executable acceptance tests
  • Acceptance-test-first OpenSpec tasks

Example prompts

  • “/spec-as-source”

Workflow steps

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

  1. Code is written only for an active change under openspec/changes/ whose scenarios describe the behavior.
  2. A unit of work edits either the specs zone (openspec/) or the code zone (everything else), never both while changes are uncommitted.
  3. Before crossing zones, finish and commit or stash the current zone.
  4. Never commit openspec/ files and code-zone files together.
  5. Any file named tasks.md is exempt and may be edited from either zone.
  6. Never revert or discard user-owned changes without explicit permission.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 73f54d5. 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:

    • 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

Spec As Source loads about 746 tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.3k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 47 tokens; SKILL.md has 369 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~47
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~746
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~1.3k

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

The full file from intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template at commit 73f54d5, republished under its MIT licence (© intent-driven-dev). 369 words, ~746 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/spec-as-source/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
spec-as-source
description
Use when a user or project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source, fenced Gherkin specifications as executable acceptance tests, or acceptance-test-first OpenSpec tasks.

Spec As Source

Overview

Use OpenSpec spec.md files as the executable source of truth. When this skill is active, fenced-Gherkin authoring, acceptance-first task ordering, spec-first implementation, and BDD zone isolation are one workflow.

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use gherkin-authoring when drafting or modifying fenced Gherkin.

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use acceptance-test-authoring when configuring or modifying the acceptance runner, extractor, linting, step definitions, or page objects.

Activation

This workflow is opt-in. Apply it only when the user or project instructions explicitly require spec-as-source.

Once active, the BDD zone rules below are mandatory. Do not activate or disable zone isolation separately.

Artifact References

  • When this skill is active, its artifact references override the corresponding templates from the configured OpenSpec schema.
  • Draft each spec.md from references/spec.md, not from openspec/schemas/intent-driven/templates/spec.md.
  • Draft tasks.md from references/tasks.md, not from the schema task template, preserving acceptance-test-first ordering.

BDD Zone Rules

  1. Code is written only for an active change under openspec/changes/ whose scenarios describe the behavior.
  2. A unit of work edits either the specs zone (openspec/) or the code zone (everything else), never both while changes are uncommitted.
  3. Before crossing zones, finish and commit or stash the current zone.
  4. Never commit openspec/ files and code-zone files together.
  5. Any file named tasks.md is exempt and may be edited from either zone.
  6. Never revert or discard user-owned changes without explicit permission.

Use git status --porcelain before editing. Non-tasks.md paths under openspec/ select the specs zone; other changed paths select the code zone.

Show full SKILL.md (126 more words)Show less

Workflow

  1. Draft and validate the proposal and fenced-Gherkin delta specs.
  2. Commit or stash specs-zone work before touching code.
  3. Establish the failing acceptance scenario or pending step before implementation.
  4. Implement the smallest change that makes the scenario pass.
  5. Keep the effective acceptance suite green with no pending or undefined steps.
  6. Commit or stash code-zone work before returning to specifications for sync or archive.

Red Flags

  • Implementing behavior with no active spec change.
  • Editing openspec/ and code-zone files in the same uncommitted unit of work.
  • Writing implementation tasks before acceptance-test tasks.
  • Treating generated .feature files as the source instead of spec.md.
  • Running source-of-truth specs without active deltas when validating a change.

Stop and restore the workflow boundary when any red flag occurs.

© intent-driven-dev, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 2 other files (references) in .agents/skills/spec-as-source of intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/spec.md
  • references/tasks.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 73f54d5

Compare with similar skills

Spec As Source 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 As Source compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Spec As Source this skillintent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template160—~746Automated safety check: PassMIT
RStudio Selenium to Playwright Migrationrstudio/rstudio5.1k—~3.6kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Add Full Slicefullstackhero/dotnet-starter-kit6.8k—~783Automated safety check: PassMIT
Codex E2E Trace Validationliaohch3/claude-tap3.3k—~3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Interactive CLI Testing With tui-testslopus/happy24k—~603Automated safety check: PassMIT
Verifymorapelker/hive470—~709Automated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Spec As Source

What does Spec As Source do?

A skill your agent uses when a user or project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source, fenced Gherkin specifications as executable acceptance tests, or acceptance-test-first OpenSpec tasks. Spec As Source is an agent skill from intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template. Use when a user or project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source, fenced Gherkin specifications as executable acceptance tests, or acceptance-test-first OpenSpec tasks.

When should I use Spec As Source?

Spec As Source fits situations like: project explicitly adopts OpenSpec spec-as-source; fenced Gherkin specifications as executable acceptance tests; acceptance-test-first OpenSpec tasks.

How do I install Spec As Source in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template --skill spec-as-source -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/spec-as-source in intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template) into .claude/skills/spec-as-source in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Spec As Source in Codex?

Run `npx skills add intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template --skill spec-as-source -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/spec-as-source in intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template) into .agents/skills/spec-as-source in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Spec As Source 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 intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template --skill spec-as-source -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-as-source, .gemini/skills/spec-as-source, .github/skills/spec-as-source and .opencode/skills/spec-as-source in your project.

What does Spec As Source need to run?

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

Does Spec As Source 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 Spec As Source 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 As Source use?

Spec As Source 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 Spec As Source use?

About 746 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 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 547 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Spec As Source?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Spec As Source: RStudio Selenium to Playwright Migration (rstudio/rstudio, 5.1k stars), Add Full Slice (fullstackhero/dotnet-starter-kit, 6.8k stars), Codex E2E Trace Validation (liaohch3/claude-tap, 3.3k stars) and Interactive CLI Testing With tui-test (slopus/happy, 24k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Spec As Source?

intent-driven-dev (a GitHub organization) maintains it in intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template, which has 160 GitHub stars. The repository holds 10 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 4, 2026.

Source: intent-driven-dev/intent-driven-template on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.