spec-fab: Conflict-Driven Specifications

🛑 Stop chatting. Start merging.

Forces LLM integration directly into your Unix pipeline, treating architectural decisions as Git merge conflicts—requiring you, the human, to resolve them.

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⭐️ GitHub newbie here. Your Star gives me enough motivation to skip dinner and code for 2 more hours.

⚡️ TL;DR

It's like spec-kit, but native to your Terminal.

# 1. Install
curl -sLf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/stephen9412/spec-fab/refs/heads/main/install.sh | sh

# 2. Init
mkdir my-project && cd my-project
spec_init

# 3. Constitution
spec_constitution "Principles: Rust, Clean Code, Zero-Cost Abstractions"

# 4. Drafting - Unleash the Power of Unix Pipes!
echo "Build a Tinder-like app for adopting cats" | spec_new
# 💥 Spec Conflicts! AI found ambiguities in your requirements. Open spec.md to resolve them.

# 5. Architecting
spec_plan
# 💥 Architecture Conflicts! AI provided different implementation strategies. Open plan.md to pick your tactics.

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Why Choose spec-fab?

The Unix-Philosophy alternative to Spec-Kit.

We threw out all the bloated dependencies. ❌ No Ruby required ❌ No Node.js required ❌ No complex state machines

We kept only the essentials: ✅ Fish Shell (Flow Control) ✅ Fabric AI (The Brain) ✅ Vim / Your Editor (The Decision Maker)

• ⚡️ Blazing Fast: It's just Shell Functions. It installs faster than you can type npm install.
• 🧠 AI Native: Powered by Fabric for architectural brainstorming and review.
• 📄 Pure Markdown: Your documentation is plain text. No hidden databases, no black magic.
• 🤝 Spec-Kit Compatible: We adopt the best practices and prompt logic from GitHub's official spec-kit, but implemented for the command line.

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🎭 Origin Story: A Lesson in Irony

"This is exactly why this project exists."

Ironically, when I was first developing SpecFab, I tried to use the "ultimate stack"—OpenCode + Claude 3.7 Sonnet—to run Spec-kit's official commands, just to generate a basic template for cross-validation.

The result? That "high-tech" combo kept erroring out, leaving me staring at my screen, questioning my life choices.

That was my epiphany: We shouldn't be wrestling with TUIs or debugging complex dependency trees just to capture a flash of inspiration. We need tools that are simpler, more brutal, and won't betray us.

And so, spec-fab was born.

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🚀 Installation

One command. Upgrade your Terminal to an architect's arsenal in 30 seconds.

curl -sLf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/stephen9412/spec-fab/refs/heads/main/install.sh | sh

🧹 Uninstallation (The "Clean Break" Promise)

We respect your system hygiene (I'm a clean freak too). spec-fab is disciplined: all core files stay strictly within ~/.specfab.

If you decide to leave, we provide a spec_uninstall command (nuclear option) that wipes spec-fab and its shell hooks instantly.

Our "Do No Harm" Policy:

• We won't delete your fish shell (it might be your default).
• We won't delete ~/.config/fabric (you might have used Fabric before us, and we won't touch your API keys).

The Promise:

1. Run spec_uninstall (Auto-clean).
2. Or manually rm -rf ~/.specfab (Simple & brutal).
3. Your shell config and AI keys remain 100% untouched.

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🛠 Usage

1. Initialize (spec_init)

Don't let your project run naked.

spec_init
# ✅ Created Constitution: .specify/memory/constitution.md
# ✅ Created Spec Template: .specify/templates/spec-template.md
# ...
# 🚀 spec-fab environment ready.

2. Set Principles (spec_constitution)

Tell the AI your rules. Pipe in a doc or give a direct command.

# Pipe mode: Feed a draft
cat draft.md | spec_constitution

# Argument mode: Issue a supreme directive
spec_constitution "Create principles focused on code quality, testing standards, and Rust idioms."

3. Create Spec (spec_new)

Where the magic happens. Give it an idea; get a Git branch and a drafted spec.

cat prd.md | spec_new
# 📥 Reading description...
# 🏷  Slug generated: build-faceswap-pipeline
# 🌿 Git branch created: 1-build-faceswap-pipeline
# 🏗  Drafting Specification...
# 🔍 Refining Spec quality...
# ✅ Spec Created at: specs/1-build-faceswap-pipeline/spec.md

4. Generate Plan (spec_plan)

The AI Architect analyzes your spec and drafts a technical plan. If it finds uncertainty, it deliberately creates Git conflicts for you to resolve.

spec_plan
# 🚀 Generating Technical Plan...
# 🧠 Architecting solution...
# 💥 CONFLICTS DETECTED! The Architect presented options.
#    Please open the file and resolve the merge conflicts.
#    (You decide the architecture. Don't let AI hallucinate your system.)

🚧 Roadmap

The journey of SpecFab has just begun. We are working on the final pieces to bridge the gap from "Decision" to "Execution":

Command
spec_task
spec_checklist
spec_summarize_spec
spec_summarize_plan

Contributing

We welcome community contributions! SpecFab believes that "Small is Beautiful."

How You Can Help

1. Optimize Patterns (patterns/): The AI's brain is in the Prompts. If you find better prompts for rigorous specs, submit a PR.
2. Improve Fish Functions: We chase performance and readability. Better code is always welcome.
3. Docs & Examples: Help us improve the README.

Development Principles

• Keep Dependencies Minimal: Avoid heavy runtimes like Python, Node, or Ruby inside the core. We want to run on just fish, curl, git, and fabric.
• Unix Philosophy: Functions should do one thing well and support Piping (|).
• Note: We are open to adding tools like gum later for better UX (for visual learners or quick selections), but core functionality must remain pipe-friendly.

Steps

1. Fork it.
2. Create your branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature).
3. Commit (Conventional Commits preferred).
4. Push and Open PR.

Acknowledgments

• Fabric: Thanks to Daniel Miessler for making AI in the terminal elegant. SpecFab wouldn't exist without this engine.
• spec-kit: Thanks to the GitHub team. Their methodology and prompt logic inspired the core of SpecFab. We stand on the shoulders of giants to bring this philosophy to the CLI.