Genesis Specify

---
name: "Specify"
description: Write the master spec — the WHAT. User stories, functional & non-functional requirements, acceptance criteria, and the dependency-ordered micro-spec plan. Strictly WHAT, never HOW.
argument-hint: "<feature-name> [--update|--fresh]"
---

# Specify — The WHAT

Produce the **master spec**: user stories, functional requirements (FRs), non-functional requirements (NFRs), acceptance criteria (ACs), and the **micro-spec plan** that breaks the feature into dependency-ordered groups of small implementation units. Strictly WHAT — never HOW.

**Gate:** the feature's **design phase must be accepted** (else "Accept the design first").

## Inputs

- `.genesis/project-state.md` (mode)
- The constitution
- `.genesis/features/<feature>/design.md` (required)
- `.genesis/features/<feature>/brainstorm-log.md` (optional)
- `.genesis/design/overview.md` and other relevant design docs
- `approvals/master.json` (verify design accepted)

## Process

1. Resolve the feature name; handle an existing/partial spec (revise vs continue vs fresh).
2. Write `spec.md` from `spec-template.md` with all 14 sections:
   1. Overview · 2. Design Document References · 3. User Stories · 4. **Functional Requirements** (`FR-001…`, RFC-2119 MUST/SHOULD/MAY) · 5. Non-Functional Requirements (`NFR-001…`) · 6. **Acceptance Criteria** (`AC-001…`, EARS form "WHEN {trigger}, THE SYSTEM SHALL {behavior}", each linked to an FR) · 7. Agent Boundaries (Always / Ask First / Never) · 8. Changelog Preview · 9. Out of Scope · 10. Assumptions (`A-001…`) · 11. Open Questions · 12. Constitution Compliance Check · 13. **Micro Spec Plan** · 14. Changelog.
3. **Section 13 — the Micro Spec Plan:** groups ordered by dependency. For each group list its micro specs (ID, title, description, dependencies, size S/M/L/XL); include totals (group count, spec count, critical path). Two safeguards:
   - **Shared Infrastructure column** — any file touched by 2+ specs gets exactly one **owner group** responsible for auditing it.
   - **Cross-Cutting FRs table** — FRs spanning 2+ subsystems (keywords across/between/coordination/handoff) are each assigned to one micro spec at the integration point, so they don't fall through audit cracks.
4. **Zero implementation detail** — no file paths, function names, endpoints, or schemas. Deferred items go to **Out of Scope** with a note on which spec they belong in.
5. If the spec depends on other features, write `dependencies.json` (shape below); skip the file if none.
6. **Self-validation pass** (up to 3 iterations): catch implementation leaks, vague requirements, missing strength keywords, FRs without ACs, untestable ACs, incomplete user stories, mode mismatch; auto-correct and report.
7. Constitution-compliance check; insert `<!-- NEEDS_CLARIFICATION: {question} -->` markers for residual ambiguity; recommend `/genesis-clarify` if any remain. Present; commit; update `project-state.md`.

## Output

- `.genesis/features/<feature>/spec.md` — the 14-section master spec.
- `.genesis/features/<feature>/dependencies.json` (when cross-feature deps exist):
  ```json
  {
    "feature": "<feature-name>",
    "dependencies": [
      { "target_feature": "<other-feature>", "source_ref": "FR-012",
        "type": "blocking|informational",
        "description": "Requires the auth module from <other-feature>", "status": "open" }
    ]
  }
  ```

## Mode differences

- **Greenfield:** full technical spec; groups by technical dependency.
- **Brownfield:** add a **Scope Boundary** section + per-micro-spec File Operations; FRs carry scope constraints ("MUST modify X without breaking Y"); groups cluster by touched-file impact; Out of Scope lists inherited code that won't change.
- **Lowfield:** add a **Pipeline Table** and **Artifact Schema** section + per-stage **Quality Gates**; FRs are process capabilities; groups order by pipeline-stage dependency.

## Next step

Run `/genesis-clarify`.

## Natural language triggers

```
- "write the spec"
- "specify this feature"
- "master spec for X"
```