MinSpec — Just enough spec. Never too much.

"Kiro generated 16 acceptance criteria for a simple bug fix." -- Observed by Martin Fowler on current SDD tooling

Every SDD tool today applies uniform ceremony regardless of change size. Developers try specification-driven development, hit overhead on trivial changes, and abandon it.

MinSpec solves this by classifying change complexity and applying proportional ceremony. A typo fix gets one sentence. An architecture change gets the full treatment.

Features

Built for developers who ship

MinSpec integrates into your existing workflow. No new tools to learn, no context switching, no overhead on simple changes.

Complexity-Adaptive

Classifies changes into four tiers using git diff analysis and AST inspection. T1 tasks need one sentence of spec. T4 gets full architecture docs.

No AI Dependency

Works with zero AI tools installed. Pure local analysis of your codebase using git history and syntax trees. No API keys, no cloud services.

No Backend

Zero network calls. No accounts. No telemetry. Everything runs locally in your VS Code instance. Your code never leaves your machine.

No Lock-In

Spec files are standard markdown with optional frontmatter. Spec Kit compatible. Switch tools anytime — your specs stay useful.

VS Code Native

Tree view for spec navigation, status bar indicators, command palette integration. Feels like a built-in feature, not a bolted-on tool.

Harness Generation

Generates test harnesses, acceptance criteria, and implementation scaffolds from your specs. Regeneration merges — never overwrites your edits.

How It Works

Ceremony proportional to complexity

MinSpec classifies every change and selects the right SDD phases. You always have override control.

Trivial

Fix a typo, update a constant, tweak CSS. Single file, under 50 lines.

specify one-liner
Skip clarify, plan, constitution

Standard

Add validation, refactor a function, fix a bug. 2–5 files, under 200 lines.

specify requirements list
plan approach sentence

Complex

New feature, DB migration, new package. 6+ files or new public APIs.

specify full requirements + acceptance criteria
clarify required · plan design doc

Architectural

New service, auth rewrite, breaking API change. Cross-project impact.

specify full + cross-system impact
clarify + stakeholder review
plan design + ADR · tasks DAG + milestones

Principles

Opinionated where it matters

The design constraints that keep MinSpec useful instead of just another tool to configure.

User Override Wins

The classifier suggests a tier. You decide. Escalate or skip phases freely. MinSpec warns but never blocks.

Merge, Never Overwrite

Regenerating harness files preserves your edits. Templates provide structure; your content is sacred.

Standard Formats

Specs are markdown. Tasks are markdown. No proprietary formats, no binary blobs. Works with any editor, any VCS.

The Right Amount of Spec