Extend Spec-Kit with composable traits and additional workflow commands for Claude Code.

Spec-Kit is a great foundation for specification-driven development. cc-spex is a Claude Code plugin that stays as close to upstream Spec-Kit as possible while adding orthogonal features through traits, a composable overlay mechanism similar to aspect-oriented programming for Claude Code plugins.

Each trait injects cross-cutting behavior into Spec-Kit's existing commands without modifying them. Quality gates, git worktree isolation, parallel agent execution: these concerns live outside the core workflow. Traits let you opt into them selectively, and Spec-Kit's commands remain the same underneath.

cc-spex also adds its own commands for things Spec-Kit doesn't cover, like interactive brainstorming, spec/code drift detection, and review workflows. The workflow diagram below is a guide, not an automated pipeline. You call each step yourself, in the order that fits your situation.

flowchart TD
    Start([Idea]) --> HasClarity{Clear<br>requirements?}

    HasClarity -->|Not yet| Brainstorm["/spex:brainstorm<br>Refine idea"]
    HasClarity -->|Yes| Specify["/speckit.specify<br>Create spec"]

    Brainstorm --> Specify

    Specify --> Review["/spex:review-spec<br>Validate spec"]
    Review --> Plan["/speckit.plan<br>Generate plan + tasks"]
    Plan --> Implement["/speckit.implement<br>Build with TDD"]

    Implement --> Verify{Tests pass?<br>Spec compliant?}

    Verify -->|Yes| Done([Complete])
    Verify -->|Drift detected| Evolve["/spex:evolve<br>Reconcile"]

    Evolve -->|Update spec| Review
    Evolve -->|Fix code| Implement

Prerequisites:

1. Claude Code installed
2. Spec-Kit installed (uv tool install specify-cli --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git or see their docs)

Install via Marketplace (recommended):

# Add the marketplace (once)
/plugin marketplace add rhuss/cc-rhuss-marketplace

# Install the plugin
/plugin install spex@cc-rhuss-marketplace

Install from source:

git clone https://github.com/rhuss/cc-spex.git
cd cc-spex
make install

Initialize your project:

/spex:init

This runs Spec-Kit's specify init, asks which traits to enable, and configures permission auto-approval. After initialization, your selected traits extend all /speckit.* commands.

cc-spex is built around traits. Instead of wrapping Spec-Kit commands with separate /spex:* versions, traits modify the commands directly by appending overlay content.

Each trait is a collection of small .append.md files. When you enable a trait, cc-spex appends these files to the corresponding Spec-Kit command files. A sentinel marker (an HTML comment like <!-- SPEX-TRAIT:superpowers -->) prevents duplicate application. The process is idempotent: you can run it multiple times safely.

When Spec-Kit updates wipe the command files (via specify init --force), running /spex:init reapplies all enabled trait overlays from scratch.

superpowers adds quality gates to Spec-Kit commands:

• /speckit.specify gets automatic spec review after creation
• /speckit.plan gets spec validation before planning and consistency checks after
• /speckit.implement gets code review and verification gates

teams (experimental, requires superpowers) adds parallel implementation via Claude Code Agent Teams:

• /speckit.implement delegates to team orchestration with spec guardian review

worktrees adds git worktree isolation for feature development:

• /speckit.specify creates a sibling worktree for the feature branch and restores main in the original repo
• /spex:worktree lists active worktrees or cleans up merged ones

/spex:traits list                  # Show which traits are active
/spex:traits enable superpowers    # Enable a trait
/spex:traits disable superpowers   # Disable a trait

Trait configuration is stored in .specify/spex-traits.json, which survives Spec-Kit updates.

These are the commands you'll use day-to-day. The /speckit.* commands come from Spec-Kit and are enhanced by your enabled traits.

These commands provide functionality beyond what Spec-Kit offers.

If you were using the previous sdd plugin, follow these steps:

1. Update the plugin:

cd cc-spex       # (formerly cc-sdd)
git pull
make install     # automatically removes old sdd plugin and marketplace

2. Migrate project config:

Run /spex:init in each project. This automatically renames .specify/sdd-traits.json to spex-traits.json and .specify/.sdd-phase to .spex-phase.

3. Update references:

All /speckit.* commands remain unchanged.

cc-spex builds on two projects:

• Superpowers by Jesse Vincent, which provides quality gates and verification workflows for Claude Code.
• Spec-Kit by GitHub, which provides specification-driven development templates and the specify CLI.

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.