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Agent skill

Spec Writing

by jeremylongshore in jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace

Execute this skill should be used when the user asks about "writing specs", "specs.md format", "how to write specifications", "sprint requirements", "testing configuration", "scope definition", or…

MITAuto-check passedTesting & QA

Install Spec Writing

skills CLI
$ npx skills add jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace --skill spec-writing -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace spec-writing --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/jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/.curated/spec-writing .claude/skills/spec-writing && 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-writing
GitHub stars
2.8k
Token cost
~1.4k tokens
SKILL.md length
496 words
Files
4 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
3,342
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Execute this skill should be used when the user asks about "writing specs", "specs.md format", "how to write specifications", "sprint requirements", "testing configuration", "scope definition", or…

  • Works in 7 steps: Open the generated specs.md file at… → Define explicit scope boundaries using… → Add the Testing section to control which… → …
  • Asks about writing specs
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, Prerequisites, Instructions and Output, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Spec Writing is an agent skill from jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace. Execute this skill should be used when the user asks about "writing specs", "specs.md format", "how to write specifications", "sprint requirements", "testing configuration", "scope definition", or needs guidance on creating effective sprint specifications for agentic development. Use when appropriate context detected. Trigger with relevant phrases based on skill purpose.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.4k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 4 other files, including reference files (for example `references/errors.md`, `references/examples.md` and `references/testing-configuration.md`). Compatibility notes: Designed for Claude Code

It sits in Testing & QA. The repository describes itself as: Model-agnostic agent-skills platform with a harness-free canonical layer, verified adapters, and the ccpi package manager. Explore at tonsofskills.com. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Asks about writing specs
  • Specs.md format
  • How to write specifications
  • Sprint requirements

Example prompts

  • “writing specs”
  • “specs.md format”
  • “how to write specifications”
  • “/spec-writing”

Requirements

  • Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Designed for Claude Code
  • Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Read

Workflow steps

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

  1. Open the generated specs.md file at .claude/sprint/[N]/specs.md and define a concise goal statement at the top. State what the sprint…
  2. Define explicit scope boundaries using In Scope and Out of Scope sections. List specific features, endpoints, or components in each…
  3. Add the Testing section to control which testing agents run and how. Configure three settings as documented in…
  4. Set QA to required for new API endpoints, business logic changes, and data validation rules. Set QA to skip for frontend-only changes…
  5. Set UI Testing to required for user-facing features, form submissions, and navigation flows. Choose automated mode for regression testing…
  6. Keep specifications minimal but precise. The architect expands high-level specs into detailed implementation files (backend-specs.md…
  7. For iterative sprints, review status.md from the previous iteration. Remove completed items from specs and add any new requirements or bug…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit cfae287. 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:

    • Read

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are markdown).

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

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    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.

  • Compatibility

    Designed for Claude Code

    From compatibility in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

Context cost

Spec Writing loads about 1.4k tokens when it runs, and up to ~3.8k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 97 tokens; SKILL.md has 496 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~97
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.4k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~3.8k

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 jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace at commit cfae287, republished under its MIT licence (© jeremylongshore). 496 words, ~1,359 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/spec-writing/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 3 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
spec-writing
description
Execute this skill should be used when the user asks about "writing specs", "specs.md format", "how to write specifications", "sprint requirements", "testing configuration", "scope definition", or needs guidance on creating effective sprint specifications for agentic development. Use when appropriate context detected. Trigger with relevant phrases based on skill purpose.
allowed-tools
Read
compatibility
Designed for Claude Code
version
1.20.0
author
Damien Laine <damien.laine@gmail.com>
license
MIT
tags
community, spec-writing

Spec Writing

Overview

Spec Writing provides guidance on authoring effective specs.md files that drive the Sprint plugin's autonomous development workflow. A well-written specification determines the quality of agent output by clearly defining goals, scope boundaries, and testing requirements.

Prerequisites

  • Sprint plugin installed (/plugin install sprint)
  • Project onboarding completed via /sprint:setup (creates project-goals.md and project-map.md)
  • Sprint directory created via /sprint:new (generates .claude/sprint/[N]/specs.md)
  • Understanding of the sprint phase lifecycle (see the sprint-workflow skill)

Instructions

  1. Open the generated specs.md file at .claude/sprint/[N]/specs.md and define a concise goal statement at the top. State what the sprint delivers in one sentence (e.g., "Add user authentication with email/password login").
  2. Define explicit scope boundaries using In Scope and Out of Scope sections. List specific features, endpoints, or components in each. Agents only implement what appears in scope; ambiguity leads to drift.
  3. Add the Testing section to control which testing agents run and how. Configure three settings as documented in ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/testing-configuration.md:
    • QA: required | optional | skip -- Controls API and unit test execution
    • UI Testing: required | optional | skip -- Controls browser-based E2E tests
    • UI Testing Mode: automated | manual -- Auto-run or user-driven testing
  4. Set QA to required for new API endpoints, business logic changes, and data validation rules. Set QA to skip for frontend-only changes, documentation updates, or configuration changes.
  5. Set UI Testing to required for user-facing features, form submissions, and navigation flows. Choose automated mode for regression testing and standard CRUD flows; choose manual mode for complex interactions, visual verification, or exploratory testing.
  6. Keep specifications minimal but precise. The architect expands high-level specs into detailed implementation files (backend-specs.md, frontend-specs.md, api-contract.md). Over-specifying implementation details in specs.md constrains the architect unnecessarily.
  7. For iterative sprints, review status.md from the previous iteration. Remove completed items from specs and add any new requirements or bug fixes discovered during testing.
Show full SKILL.md (196 more words)Show less

Output

  • A complete specs.md file with goal, scope (in/out), and testing configuration
  • Clear scope boundaries that prevent agent drift during implementation
  • Testing configuration that selects appropriate QA and UI testing agents
  • Iteratively refined specs where completed work is removed and remaining work is focused

Error Handling

ErrorCauseSolution
Agents implement unintended featuresMissing "Out of Scope" sectionExplicitly list features excluded from this sprint
Tests not running during sprintTesting section omitted or set to skipAdd QA: required and UI Testing: required to the Testing section
Sprint iterates without convergingSpecs too broad for a single sprintBreak into smaller sprints targeting one domain boundary each
Architect produces conflicting spec filesAmbiguous or contradictory requirements in specs.mdReview for conflicting statements; each requirement should have a single interpretation
Manual tests not triggeredUI Testing Mode set to automatedChange to manual for scenarios requiring visual verification or exploratory testing

Examples

Minimal but effective spec:

markdown
# Sprint 1: User Authentication

## Goal
Add user authentication with email/password login

## Scope
### In Scope
- Registration endpoint (POST /auth/register)
- Login endpoint (POST /auth/login)
- JWT token generation and validation
- Password hashing with bcrypt

### Out of Scope
- OAuth providers (Google, GitHub)
- Password reset flow
- Email verification

## Testing
- QA: required
- UI Testing: required
- UI Testing Mode: automated

Frontend-only sprint (no QA needed):

markdown
# Sprint 3: Dashboard Redesign

## Goal
Redesign the admin dashboard with responsive layout

## Scope
### In Scope
- Responsive grid layout for dashboard widgets
- Dark mode toggle
- Mobile navigation drawer

### Out of Scope
- New API endpoints
- Database changes
- Authentication changes

## Testing
- QA: skip
- UI Testing: required
- UI Testing Mode: manual

Resources

  • ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/testing-configuration.md -- Testing section options with guidance on when to use each setting
  • Sprint workflow skill for understanding how specs feed into the phase lifecycle
  • API contract skill for designing endpoint contracts referenced by specs

© jeremylongshore, 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 3 other files (references) in skills/.curated/spec-writing of jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/errors.md
  • references/examples.md
  • references/testing-configuration.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit cfae287

Compare with similar skills

Spec Writing 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 Writing compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Spec Writing this skilljeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace2.8k—~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Web Application Testinganthropics/skills180k51 repos~966Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Diagnosing Bugsfossasia/eventyay-interpretation1.6k32 repos~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
TDDpietheinstrengholt/rssmonster56430 repos~906Automated safety check: PassMIT
TDD WorkflowhellangleZ/burn-in-cceverywhere-ralph11211 repos~2.4kAutomated safety check: PassNone
TDDsanity-io/sanity6.4k20 repos~1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Spec Writing

What does Spec Writing do?

Execute this skill should be used when the user asks about "writing specs", "specs.md format", "how to write specifications", "sprint requirements", "testing configuration", "scope definition", or…. Spec Writing is an agent skill from jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace.md format", "how to write specifications", "sprint requirements", "testing configuration", "scope definition", or needs guidance on creating effective sprint specifications for agentic development.

When should I use Spec Writing?

Spec Writing fits situations like: asks about writing specs; specs.md format; how to write specifications; sprint requirements.

How do I install Spec Writing in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace --skill spec-writing -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/.curated/spec-writing in jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace) into .claude/skills/spec-writing in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Spec Writing in Codex?

Run `npx skills add jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace --skill spec-writing -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/.curated/spec-writing in jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace) into .agents/skills/spec-writing in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Spec Writing 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 jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace --skill spec-writing -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-writing, .gemini/skills/spec-writing, .github/skills/spec-writing and .opencode/skills/spec-writing in your project.

What does Spec Writing need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Spec Writing is instructions for the agent only. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Read. Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Designed for Claude Code.

Does Spec Writing access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Spec Writing 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 Writing use?

Spec Writing is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Spec Writing use?

About 1.4k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.4k 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 2.4k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Spec Writing?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Spec Writing: Web Application Testing (anthropics/skills, 180k stars), Diagnosing Bugs (fossasia/eventyay-interpretation, 1.6k stars), TDD (pietheinstrengholt/rssmonster, 564 stars) and TDD Workflow (hellangleZ/burn-in-cceverywhere-ralph, 112 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Spec Writing?

jeremylongshore (a GitHub user) maintains it in jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace, which has 2,827 GitHub stars. The repository holds 3,342 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.

Source: jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.