Specification Proposal Creation

Creates comprehensive change proposals following spec-driven development methodology.

Quick Start

Creating a spec proposal involves three main outputs:

proposal.md - Why, what, and impact summary tasks.md - Numbered implementation checklist spec-delta.md - Formal requirement changes (ADDED/MODIFIED/REMOVED)

Basic workflow: Generate change ID → scaffold directories → draft proposal → create spec deltas → validate structure

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Proposal Progress: - [ ] Step 1: Review existing specifications - [ ] Step 2: Generate unique change ID - [ ] Step 3: Scaffold directory structure - [ ] Step 4: Draft proposal.md (Why/What/Impact) - [ ] Step 5: Create tasks.md implementation checklist - [ ] Step 6: Write spec deltas with EARS format - [ ] Step 7: Validate proposal structure - [ ] Step 8: Present for user approval

Step 1: Review existing specifications

Before creating a proposal, understand the current state:

List all existing specs

find spec/specs -name "spec.md" -type f

List active changes to avoid conflicts

find spec/changes -maxdepth 1 -type d -not -path "*/archive"

Search for related requirements

grep -r "### Requirement:" spec/specs/

Step 2: Generate unique change ID

Choose a descriptive, URL-safe identifier:

Format: add-, fix-, update-, remove-

Examples:

add-user-authentication fix-payment-validation update-api-rate-limits remove-legacy-endpoints

Validation: Check for conflicts:

ls spec/changes/ | grep -i ""

Step 3: Scaffold directory structure

Create the change folder with standard structure:

Replace {change-id} with actual ID

mkdir -p spec/changes/{change-id}/specs/{capability-name}

Example:

mkdir -p spec/changes/add-user-auth/specs/authentication

Step 4: Draft proposal.md

Use the template at templates/proposal.md as starting point.

Required sections:

Why: Problem or opportunity driving this change What Changes: Bullet list of modifications Impact: Affected specs, code, APIs, users

Tone: Clear, concise, decision-focused. Avoid unnecessary background.

Step 5: Create tasks.md implementation checklist

Break implementation into concrete, testable tasks. Use the template at templates/tasks.md.

Format:

Implementation Tasks

1. [First concrete task]
2. [Second concrete task]
3. [Test task]
4. [Documentation task]

Best practices:

Each task is independently completable Include testing and validation tasks Order by dependencies (database before API, etc.) 5-15 tasks is typical; split if more needed Step 6: Write spec deltas with EARS format

This is the most critical step. Spec deltas use EARS format (Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax).

For complete EARS guidelines, see reference/EARS_FORMAT.md

Delta operations:

ADDED Requirements - New capabilities

MODIFIED Requirements - Changed behavior (include full updated text)

REMOVED Requirements - Deprecated features

Basic requirement structure:

ADDED Requirements

Requirement: User Login

WHEN a user submits valid credentials, the system SHALL authenticate the user and create a session.

Scenario: Successful Login

GIVEN a user with email "user@example.com" and password "correct123" WHEN the user submits the login form THEN the system creates an authenticated session AND redirects to the dashboard

For validation patterns, see reference/VALIDATION_PATTERNS.md

Step 7: Validate proposal structure

Run these checks before presenting to user:

Structure Checklist: - [ ] Directory exists: spec/changes/{change-id}/ - [ ] proposal.md has Why/What/Impact sections - [ ] tasks.md has numbered task list (5-15 items) - [ ] Spec deltas have operation headers (ADDED/MODIFIED/REMOVED) - [ ] Requirements follow ### Requirement: <name> format - [ ] Scenarios use #### Scenario: format (4 hashtags)

Automated checks:

Count delta operations (should be > 0)

grep -c "## ADDED|MODIFIED|REMOVED" spec/changes/{change-id}/specs/*/.md

Verify scenario format (should show line numbers)

grep -n "#### Scenario:" spec/changes/{change-id}/specs/*/.md

Check requirement headers

grep -n "### Requirement:" spec/changes/{change-id}/specs/*/.md

Step 8: Present for user approval

Summarize the proposal clearly:

Proposal Summary

Change ID: {change-id} Scope: {brief description}

Files created: - spec/changes/{change-id}/proposal.md - spec/changes/{change-id}/tasks.md - spec/changes/{change-id}/specs/{capability}/spec-delta.md

Next steps: Review the proposal. If approved, say "openspec implement" or "apply the change" to begin implementation.

Advanced Topics

EARS format details: See reference/EARS_FORMAT.md Validation patterns: See reference/VALIDATION_PATTERNS.md Complete examples: See reference/EXAMPLES.md

Common Patterns Pattern 1: New feature proposal

When adding net-new capability:

Use ADDED Requirements delta Include positive scenarios AND error handling Consider edge cases in scenarios Pattern 2: Breaking change proposal

When changing existing behavior:

Use MODIFIED Requirements delta Include complete updated requirement text Document what changes and why in proposal.md Consider migration tasks in tasks.md Pattern 3: Deprecation proposal

When removing features:

Use REMOVED Requirements delta Document removal rationale in proposal.md Include cleanup tasks in tasks.md Consider user migration in impact section Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Don't:

Skip validation checks (always run grep patterns) Create proposals without reviewing existing specs first Use vague task descriptions ("Fix the thing") Write requirements without scenarios Forget error handling scenarios Mix multiple unrelated changes in one proposal

Do:

Check for conflicts before creating change ID Write concrete, testable tasks Include positive AND negative scenarios Keep one concern per proposal Validate structure before presenting File Templates

All templates are in the templates/ directory:

proposal.md - Proposal structure tasks.md - Task checklist format spec-delta.md - Spec delta template Reference Materials EARS_FORMAT.md - Complete EARS syntax guide VALIDATION_PATTERNS.md - Grep/bash validation EXAMPLES.md - Real-world proposal examples

Token budget: This SKILL.md is approximately 450 lines, under the 500-line recommended limit. Reference files load only when needed for progressive disclosure.