Getting Started with SpecWeave
From zero to shipping in 5 minutes.
SpecWeave is the spec-driven Skill Fabric for AI coding agents. Skills extend what AI coding agents can do — describe what you want, AI asks the right questions, builds it while you sleep.
See the full workflow in 4 minutes: SpecWeave + OpenCode Demo | YouTube
Building for enterprise? See compliance, brownfield, and multi-repo guides.
Three Ways to Work
SpecWeave understands what you want. Pick the style that feels right:
| Style | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Natural language | Just describe what you want — SpecWeave detects your intent and activates the right skill | Everyone, especially new users |
| Slash commands | Type sw:increment, sw:do, sw:done for precise control | Power users on Claude Code |
| CLI keywords | Type increment, do, done without the sw: prefix | Cursor, Copilot, and other AI tools |
All three methods trigger the same workflow. Here is what it looks like:
What You Can Build
SpecWeave has been used to ship production applications in weeks, not months:
| Application | Type | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Apps | React Native + Expo | iOS & Android builds with offline sync |
| Web Platforms | Next.js + Supabase | Full-stack with auth, payments, real-time |
| APIs | Node.js + PostgreSQL | OpenAPI specs, Postman collections auto-generated |
| Infrastructure | Terraform + K8s | IaC with GitOps, monitoring dashboards |
| ML Systems | Python + MLOps | Training pipelines, model deployment |
| Microservices | Multi-repo | 20+ services with cross-repo coordination |
Real-World Examples
"10 production projects — not 10x faster, 100x faster."
| App | Description | Tech Stack |
|---|---|---|
| SpecWeave | Spec-driven development framework — 550+ increments, built with itself | Node.js, TypeScript, 255K+ LOC |
| VerifiedSkill | Skill registry & marketplace for AI coding agents | Next.js 15, Cloudflare Workers, Prisma |
| EasyChamp | Sports league platform with 18+ microservices, ArgoCD GitOps | .NET, React, Python, Terraform |
| WC26 | World Cup 2026 travel & ticket companion — 5 services, 35 increments | React Router, React Native/Expo, Cloudflare Workers |
| Lulla | Baby cry classifier with iOS + Apple Watch — 28 increments | Swift, Core ML, Cloudflare Workers |
| JobWeave | AI career platform with resume builder, interview prep, Gmail smart reply | Next.js 15, Prisma, Supabase, Multi-AI |
| SkillUp | Football coaching platform with Stripe monetization | React Native, Cloudflare Workers |
| BizZone | Student & business events with AI news generation | React Native, AI |
| SketchMate | AI drawing party game | Web, AI vision |
| EduFeed | AI learning platform (NotebookLM-style) | Next.js, Supabase, LLM integration |
Quick Start (5 Minutes)
1. Install SpecWeave
npm install -g specweave
Requirements: Node.js 20.12.0+ (we recommend Node.js 22 LTS)
2. Initialize Your Project
cd your-project
specweave init .
Answer the prompts — SpecWeave auto-detects your tech stack and configures accordingly.
3. Create Your First Feature
Describe what you want to build:
SpecWeave creates three permanent files:
spec.md— WHAT (user stories, acceptance criteria)plan.md— HOW (architecture, ADRs)tasks.md— DO (implementation tasks with tests)
4. Build It
Option A: Ship While You Sleep
Option B: Step-by-Step Control
Check progress and close when ready:
5. Parallelize Complex Features
For features spanning multiple domains, SpecWeave can split work across parallel agents:
Just describe a complex feature — SpecWeave auto-detects when parallel agents are needed and spawns a coordinated team. Built on Claude Code's Agent Teams, made accessible via a single command. See the Agent Teams guide for details.
6. Quality Gates
Before closing, SpecWeave validates:
- All tasks complete
- 60%+ test coverage (configurable)
- Living docs updated
What Makes SpecWeave Different
| Before | After SpecWeave |
|---|---|
| Specs in chat history | Permanent, searchable specs |
| Manual JIRA/GitHub updates | Auto-sync on every task |
| Tests? Maybe later... | Tests embedded in tasks (60%+ enforced) |
| Architecture in your head | ADRs captured automatically |
| "Ask John, he knows" | Living docs, always current |
| Onboarding: 2 weeks | Onboarding: 1 day |
Platform Support
SpecWeave works everywhere:
| Platform | Support |
|---|---|
| macOS | Full support (primary development) |
| Linux | Full support |
| Windows | Full support (WSL recommended for best experience) |
AI Tool Compatibility
| Tool | Integration Level |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | Native (hooks, skills, agents) |
| Cursor | Via CLAUDE.md instructions |
| Windsurf | Via CLAUDE.md instructions |
| GitHub Copilot | Via CLAUDE.md instructions |
| Any AI IDE | Via specweave generate --template=md |
Best Experience: Claude Code provides the deepest integration with native hooks, skills, and autonomous execution. Other tools work via instruction files.
Explore the Skill Ecosystem
SpecWeave ships with 44 built-in skills across 8 bundled plugins, and you can install from 100,000+ community skills on the verified-skill.com registry:
# Search for skills
npx vskill find "react"
# Install a verified skill
npx vskill install auth-guard
Skills work across 49 AI coding agents — not just Claude Code. See the Installing Skills guide for the full walkthrough.
Want to build your own skills? Skill Studio is a local browser-based IDE for developing, testing, and benchmarking skills.
Choose Your Path
| Your Goal | Next Step |
|---|---|
| Quick hands-on | Your First Increment |
| Understand concepts | What is an Increment? |
| Install skills | Installing Skills |
| Build skills | Skill Studio |
| Full curriculum | SpecWeave Essentials |
| Existing codebase | Brownfield Projects |
| External tools | GitHub/JIRA/ADO Integration |
Troubleshooting
Node.js Version Error
If you see SyntaxError: Unexpected token 'with':
node --version # Must be 20.12.0+
Commands Not Working
After Claude Code updates:
specweave update # Full update: CLI + instructions + config + plugins
Then restart Claude Code.
Community
- Documentation — Full guides and tutorials
- Discord — Get help, share tips
- YouTube — Video tutorials
- GitHub — Star the repo, contribute
Ready? → Create Your First Increment