SpecKit Visual Extension
A VS Code extension that provides a live, read-only visual representation of SpecKit feature workflow states. See all your features, their current states, and launch SpecKit prompts directly from the sidebar — without leaving VS Code.
Features
- Feature Tree View (P1): Activity bar panel showing all SpecKit features with workflow state icons, sorted numerically
- Live File Watching (P2): Tree automatically refreshes when SpecKit files are created, modified, or deleted — no manual refresh needed
- Prompt Launcher (P3): Right-click any feature to launch the appropriate SpecKit prompt in GitHub Copilot or Claude chat
- Template Prompts (P4): Each workflow step provides a structured template, with support for project-level overrides
- AI Agent Selection (P5): Choose between GitHub Copilot and Claude via VS Code settings
- Self-Generation Sync (P6): Detects changes to
.specify/templates/ and .github/prompts/ and offers to sync
Usage
- Open a workspace that has been initialized with
speckit init (contains .specify/init-options.json)
- The SpecKit icon appears in the Activity Bar
- Click to expand the Features panel and see all features with their workflow states
- Right-click any feature for context-menu actions:
- New: Specify Feature
- Specified: Clarify Feature, Plan Feature
- Planned: Generate Tasks
- Tasks Defined / Implementing: Implement Feature
- All states: Analyze Feature, Create Checklist
- Click any artifact file in the tree to open it
Configuration
| Setting |
Type |
Default |
Description |
speckit.aiAgent |
"copilot" | "claude" |
"copilot" |
AI agent to use for SpecKit prompts |
speckit.agentPath |
string |
"" |
Custom path to the AI agent CLI executable (leave empty to use the default) |
Editing Settings
defaultSettings.jsonc (visible in VS Code's default settings viewer) is read-only — it is a reference file showing all available settings with their defaults. To change a setting, edit your user settings instead:
- GUI: Open the Command Palette (
Cmd+Shift+P) → Preferences: Open User Settings
- JSON: Open the Command Palette →
Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)
Example settings.json entry to switch to Claude:
"speckit.aiAgent": "claude"
Settings can also be overridden at the workspace level via .vscode/settings.json in your project root.
Requirements
Workflow States
| Icon |
State |
Condition |
| 📁 |
New |
Feature directory exists, no spec.md |
| 📄 |
Specified |
spec.md exists |
| ☑️ |
Planned |
plan.md exists |
| 📋 |
Tasks Defined |
tasks.md exists, no completed tasks |
| 🔄 |
Implementing |
tasks.md with some [x] tasks |
| ✅ |
Complete |
tasks.md with all tasks [x] |
Template Resolution Order
The extension resolves prompt templates using the same priority order as the SpecKit CLI:
.specify/templates/overrides/{step}-template.md (project override).specify/presets/<id>/templates/{step}-template.md (preset).specify/extensions/<id>/templates/{step}-template.md (extension).specify/templates/{step}-template.md (project core)- Built-in defaults (bundled with the extension)
Extension Data
This extension stores nothing. All data is read on demand directly from the file system. No telemetry, no secrets, no disk writes.
