Plan
spec
Turn a plain request into a detailed specification captured as a project issue with testable acceptance criteria.
What it does
/cl-dev:spec turns a plain-language request into a detailed specification, captured as an issue in your project (GitHub or Linear, depending on how the repository is configured). It works through a short interview with you to sharpen the goal, scope, and constraints, then writes the result as a well-formed issue with testable acceptance criteria: the concrete, checkable outcomes that define "done."
The output is a shared source of truth. Everyone who picks up the work later, including the other cl-dev skills in the workflow, reads from the same spec.
When to use it
Reach for /cl-dev:spec at the very start of a piece of work, before any code is written. Use it when you have a new feature, an enhancement, a bug, or a refactor in mind but no issue that captures it clearly yet.
It's the first step in the CodeLantern workflow:
spec → claim-issue → design → plan → implement → review → consolidate → finalizeOnce the spec exists as an issue, the natural next step is /cl-dev:claim-issue, which sets up the branch and draft pull request so work can begin.
How to invoke it
Run the command inside your coding agent, in the target repository:
/cl-dev:specYou can start it bare and describe the request when prompted, or lead with a one-line description of what you want, for example "add a rate limit to the public API." Either way, the skill interviews you to fill in the gaps before writing the issue.
A couple of things to have in place first:
- The repository is set up with CodeLantern, connected to your organization and configured for a project manager (GitHub or Linear). If you haven't done this yet, run /cl-dev:init.
- You know roughly what you want. The skill sharpens a request into a spec; it doesn't decide what to build for you.
Plan
Related skills
Other skills in the same phase of the workflow.
| approve-plan | Approve a drafted implementation plan so implementation can begin. |
| claim-issue | Claim a spec'd issue by creating its feature branch, a placeholder plan, and a draft pull request. |
| create-impl-plan | Turn a claimed issue into a phased implementation plan an agent can execute. |
| design-solution | Shape and pressure-test a solution design for a larger issue before you commit to a plan. |
| grill | Pressure-test a spec, design, or idea to surface hidden assumptions, open questions, and fuzzy language before they cost you. |
| reduce-complexity | Run an interactive complexity review of a design, plan, or code to find the parts carrying too much weight and simplify them. |
| review-design | Get a written structural, security, and privacy review of a design or plan before you build. |