Spec Kit Assistant for VS Code

Visual orchestrator for Spec-Driven Development with Spec Kit, directly inside VS Code.

Spec Kit Assistant gives you a guided phase-by-phase workflow in the sidebar, from constitution to implementation, with review gates, live console feedback, and generated markdown artifacts tracked in your workspace.

Why use this extension

• Run the full SDD flow without leaving VS Code.
• Keep generated artifacts organized under .specify/ and specs/.
• Approve or discard each phase with explicit review states.
• Reply to AI terminal prompts from the UI.
• Switch AI backends (claude, gemini, copilot, openai) with one setting.

Features

• Dedicated activity bar view: Spec Kit -> SDD Workflow.
• Guided phases:
  • Constitution
  • Specification
  • Planning
  • Tasks
  • Implementation
• Per-phase statuses: idle, running, awaiting_review, approved.
• Quick review actions for each phase:
  • Run
  • Approve
  • Discard
• Console panel with:
  • Live output stream
  • Prompt detection
  • Quick reply buttons
  • Manual terminal input
• File explorer integration for generated markdown files.
• Open generated files in editor with one click.

Requirements

• VS Code ^1.110.0
• A workspace folder open in VS Code
• specify CLI available in your shell PATH
• At least one configured AI CLI:
  • claude
  • gemini
  • ghcs (GitHub Copilot CLI)
  • codex (OpenAI Codex CLI)

Quick Start

1. Open your project folder in VS Code.
2. Open the Spec Kit icon in the activity bar.
3. If .specify/ is missing, initialize the project from the extension UI.
4. Create or select a feature.
5. Run each phase and review generated files.
6. Approve each phase to advance.

Generated docs are expected under:

.specify/
specs/<feature-name>/

Commands

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

Development

Install dependencies

pnpm install

Build

pnpm build

Watch mode

pnpm dev

Type check

pnpm typecheck

Tests

pnpm test
pnpm test:coverage

Package as VSIX

pnpm vsix

This generates a .vsix file at the project root.

Install locally:

code --install-extension speckit-assistant-0.1.0.vsix

Troubleshooting

specify command not found

Install Spec Kit CLI and make sure it is available in your PATH.

Agent CLI not found

Set speckit.agentPath to the full executable path, or install the default CLI for your selected speckit.aiAgent.

No files appearing in the sidebar

• Confirm your workspace is open as a folder.
• Run Spec Kit: Refresh Files.
• Verify .specify/ and specs/ exist and are readable.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.md.