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Agent skill

Specification System

by mvschwarz in mvschwarz/openrig

A skill your agent uses when authoring rig specs, agent specs, workflow specs, startup/context fragments, operating-mode declarations, or designing the user spec library.

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Specification System

skills CLI
$ npx skills add mvschwarz/openrig --skill specification-system -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install mvschwarz/openrig specification-system --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/mvschwarz/openrig.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/_canonical/core/specification-system .claude/skills/specification-system && 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
specification-system
GitHub stars
5.5k
Token cost
~1.2k tokens
SKILL.md length
493 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
49
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when authoring rig specs, agent specs, workflow specs, startup/context fragments, operating-mode declarations, or designing the user spec library.

  • Works in 4 steps: A spec can instantiate a topology but… → A shared spec depends on local paths or… → Agents modify specs as one-off files… → …
  • Authoring rig specs
  • SKILL.md covers Use this when, Don't use this when, Failure modes (4) and Proof standard, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Specification System is an agent skill from mvschwarz/openrig. Use when authoring rig specs, agent specs, workflow specs, startup/context fragments, operating-mode declarations, or designing the user spec library. Covers the 4 failure modes (spec instantiates topology but not workflow/mode; spec depends on local paths and fails on another host; agents modify specs as one-off files instead of preserving reusable intent; validation proves YAML shape but not whether topology can run) and the validation-vs-runtime-realization distinction.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k 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 Agent Workflows. The repository describes itself as: Build your own network of agents from Claude Code, Codex and Pi: persistent teams with roles, shared context and owned work. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Authoring rig specs
  • Startup/context fragments
  • Operating-mode declarations
  • Designing the user spec library

Example prompts

  • “/specification-system”

Workflow steps

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

  1. A spec can instantiate a topology but not the workflow or operating mode needed to use it. Topology is necessary but not sufficient…
  2. A shared spec depends on local paths or hidden startup fragments and fails on another host. Specs must be self-describing for portability.
  3. Agents modify specs as one-off files instead of preserving reusable user/library intent. Specs are reusable; treating each instance as…
  4. Validation proves YAML shape but not whether the declared topology can actually run. Structural validation is not enough; runtime…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a7fed63. 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

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    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.

Context cost

Specification System loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 125 tokens; SKILL.md has 493 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~125
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.2k

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 mvschwarz/openrig at commit a7fed63, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© mvschwarz). 493 words, ~1,230 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/specification-system/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
specification-system
description
Use when authoring rig specs, agent specs, workflow specs, startup/context fragments, operating-mode declarations, or designing the user spec library. Covers the 4 failure modes (spec instantiates topology but not workflow/mode; spec depends on local paths and fails on another host; agents modify specs as one-off files instead of preserving reusable intent; validation proves YAML shape but not whether topology can run) and the validation-vs-runtime-realization distinction.
metadata.cli_surfaces_referenced
agent, bundle, spec, specs

Specification System

The declarative primitive family for OpenRig intent: rig specs, agent specs, workflow specs, startup/context fragments, operating-mode declarations, and the user spec library that stores and reuses them.

Specs are how humans and agents describe repeatable topology and behavior without re-explaining it in chat. They are also shareable artifacts: a user should be able to publish a spec or spec family so another user can instantiate the same rig shape, role structure, or workflow pattern.

Without a dependable spec primitive, OpenRig depends on manual startup prompts and tribal memory. That blocks repeatability, product demos, rig bundles, and autonomous rig construction.

Use this when

  • Authoring a RigSpec / AgentSpec / workflow spec
  • Designing a startup/context fragment
  • Reasoning about spec-library lifecycle (validation, sharing, upgrade semantics)
  • Auditing a spec for portability (does it run on another host?)
  • Distinguishing spec vs bundle vs extension cleanly

Don't use this when

  • The work is one-off and won't be reused. Manual rig assembly is fine for one-shot work.
  • The intent is to package a topology + workflow as a shareable artifact. That's rig-bundles-and-shareable-artifacts.
  • The intent is to add runtime behavior. That's extension-and-user-workspace.

Failure modes (4)

  1. A spec can instantiate a topology but not the workflow or operating mode needed to use it. Topology is necessary but not sufficient — workflow and operating mode must be declared too.
  2. A shared spec depends on local paths or hidden startup fragments and fails on another host. Specs must be self-describing for portability.
  3. Agents modify specs as one-off files instead of preserving reusable user/library intent. Specs are reusable; treating each instance as one-off destroys the primitive's value.
  4. Validation proves YAML shape but not whether the declared topology can actually run. Structural validation is not enough; runtime realization is the real proof.
Show full SKILL.md (202 more words)Show less

Proof standard

Proof should:

  1. Author a spec
  2. Validate it (structural)
  3. Install it (into spec library)
  4. Instantiate it on a clean OpenRig environment
  5. Show both structural validation AND runtime realization

Validation alone is insufficient.

Spec / bundle / extension boundary

ConceptDeclaresExample
SpecTopology / role / workflow shape (declarative intent)rig.yaml, agent.yaml, workflow.yaml
BundleSpec(s) + supporting fragments packaged for shareable instantiationA Velocity Team bundle
ExtensionRuntime behavior added to user workspaceRigX command, custom view

Don't conflate them. The contract should distinguish spec, bundle, and extension cleanly.

Currently shipped surfaces

OpenRig already has:

  • RigSpec / AgentSpec authoring (agent.yaml, rig.yaml formats; see openrig-architect skill)
  • Workflow specs (markdown/YAML files, daemon read-through cache via workflow_specs table; see workflow-runtime skill)
  • Bundle/spec command surface (rig bundle / spec / agent / specs ls/show/preview/add/sync/remove/rename)
  • Spec library (filesystem-backed at packages/daemon/specs/ + ~/.openrig/specs/ per cli-reference.md)

Not yet shipped:

  • Spec library lifecycle (validation, sharing, upgrade) treated as a first-class primitive
  • Cross-host spec sharing
  • Marketplace / public registry

See also

  • openrig-architect skill — RigSpec / AgentSpec authoring discipline
  • workflow-runtime skill — workflow spec authoring + transactional-scribe contract
  • rig-bundles-and-shareable-artifacts skill — bundle is the packaged form of specs
  • extension-and-user-workspace skill — extensions add runtime behavior; specs declare intent
  • openrig/docs/reference/rig-spec.md (product reference doc) — RigSpec format specification
  • openrig/docs/reference/agent-spec.md (product reference doc) — AgentSpec format specification

© mvschwarz, Apache-2.0. 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 skills/_canonical/core/specification-system of mvschwarz/openrig.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit a7fed63

Compare with similar skills

Specification System 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.

Specification System compared with similar skills
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Specification System this skillmvschwarz/openrig5.5k—~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
MCP Server Builderanthropics/skills180k62 repos~2.3kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Hook Development for Claude Code Pluginsanthropics/claude-plugins-official37k11 repos~4.1kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Using Superpowersfarm-fe/farm5.6k34 repos~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Executing Plans Inlineobra/superpowers296k2 repos~5.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Claude Code Agent Developmentanthropics/claude-plugins-official37k8 repos~2.8kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0

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Categories

Questions about Specification System

What does Specification System do?

A skill your agent uses when authoring rig specs, agent specs, workflow specs, startup/context fragments, operating-mode declarations, or designing the user spec library. Specification System is an agent skill from mvschwarz/openrig. Use when authoring rig specs, agent specs, workflow specs, startup/context fragments, operating-mode declarations, or designing the user spec library.

When should I use Specification System?

Specification System fits situations like: authoring rig specs; startup/context fragments; operating-mode declarations; designing the user spec library.

How do I install Specification System in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add mvschwarz/openrig --skill specification-system -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/_canonical/core/specification-system in mvschwarz/openrig) into .claude/skills/specification-system in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Specification System in Codex?

Run `npx skills add mvschwarz/openrig --skill specification-system -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/_canonical/core/specification-system in mvschwarz/openrig) into .agents/skills/specification-system in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Specification System 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 mvschwarz/openrig --skill specification-system -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/specification-system, .gemini/skills/specification-system, .github/skills/specification-system and .opencode/skills/specification-system in your project.

What does Specification System need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Specification System is instructions for the agent only.

Does Specification System 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 Specification System 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 Specification System use?

Specification System is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Specification System use?

About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.9k 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 Specification System?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Specification System: MCP Server Builder (anthropics/skills, 180k stars), Hook Development for Claude Code Plugins (anthropics/claude-plugins-official, 37k stars), Using Superpowers (farm-fe/farm, 5.6k stars) and Executing Plans Inline (obra/superpowers, 296k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Specification System?

mvschwarz (a GitHub user) maintains it in mvschwarz/openrig, which has 5,542 GitHub stars. The repository holds 49 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

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