Spec Kitty is an AI development dashboard and workflow automation platform designed for spec-driven development. It addresses the challenges of coordinating multiple AI coding agents and maintaining visibility in complex development cycles. By providing real-time kanban tracking and multi-agent orchestration, it benefits engineering managers, solo developers, agencies, and researchers by streamlining AI-assisted software creation and enforcing systematic workflows.

How It Works

Spec Kitty combines a rigorous spec-driven development (SDD) methodology with a live, interactive kanban dashboard. It orchestrates up to 12 different AI coding agents, allowing teams to manage parallel feature development using a worktree strategy for isolation. The core innovation lies in its integrated real-time dashboard, which offers immediate visibility into agent progress, task status, and artifact management, differentiating it from traditional SDD toolkits that often require third-party integrations for such features.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Primary Install: pip install spec-kitty-cli or uv tool install spec-kitty-cli.
• Prerequisites: Python 3.11+, Git, and a supported AI coding agent (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Cursor). Requires Linux, macOS, or WSL2.
• Setup: spec-kitty init <project-name> initializes a new project, sets up agent commands, and starts the dashboard.
• Documentation: Comprehensive CLI reference and workflow guides are available within the README.

Highlighted Details

• Real-time kanban dashboard for live tracking of AI agent progress and task status.
• Multi-agent orchestration supporting 12 distinct AI coding agents.
• Worktree-first approach for parallel feature isolation, avoiding complex Git branch management.
• Constitution framework for defining and enforcing project-wide quality standards and development principles.
• Automated CLI commands guide the full development lifecycle from specification to merge.

Maintenance & Community

Spec Kitty is a community-maintained fork of GitHub's Spec Kit. The project lists Robert Douglass (@robertDouglass) as a maintainer. Support is primarily handled through GitHub issues. Version 0.9.0 introduced significant changes to lane management, with an spec-kitty upgrade command available for migrating existing projects.

Licensing & Compatibility

The project is licensed under the MIT license, permitting commercial use and integration into closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

Support for Amazon Q Developer CLI is noted as partial. The project is actively developed, with some planned features like mission switching commands still pending future releases. Users must ensure compatibility with their chosen AI agents and Python 3.11+ environment.