Lightweight and flexible, LeanSpec provides a Spec-Driven Development (SDD) framework designed for modern AI-powered software development. It addresses the challenge of fragmented spec management by offering a unified interface and AI integration layer that adapts to existing workflows, including Markdown files, GitHub Issues, and Azure DevOps Work Items. This allows development teams to leverage AI assistance without altering their established spec management tools, promoting faster iteration and improved AI output quality.

How It Works

LeanSpec employs a tool-agnostic provider architecture, enabling it to connect with various spec backends such as local Markdown files (default), GitHub Issues, Azure DevOps Work Items, and future support for Jira and Linear. It presents a consistent interface via its CLI, MCP (Machine Communication Protocol), and Web UI, regardless of the underlying spec source. The framework structures spec data to be AI-native, facilitating integration with AI coding assistants for tasks like code generation and validation, while emphasizing context economy for optimal AI performance.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Primary install: npm install -g @leanspec/cli
• Initialization: leanspec init or leanspec init --example dark-theme
• Prerequisites: Node.js version 20.0.0 or higher, pnpm version 10.0.0 or higher. Rust version 1.70 or higher is required for development builds.
• Links: LeanSpec Documentation, Live Examples, Tutorials

Highlighted Details

• Tool-Agnostic: Seamlessly integrates with Markdown files, GitHub Issues, Azure DevOps Work Items, and plans support for Jira and Linear.
• AI-Native Integration: Works with numerous AI coding assistants (e.g., VS Code Copilot, Claude Code, Gemini CLI) via MCP or CLI, and offers an "Agent Skill" to teach AI SDD methodologies.
• Project Visualization: Includes features like a Kanban board (leanspec board), project metrics (leanspec stats), and a web UI (leanspec ui).
• Unified Interface: Provides a consistent CLI and UI experience across different spec backends.

Maintenance & Community

The project encourages community involvement through Discussions and Issues. A WeChat group is available for direct discussion upon adding the maintainer (mentioning "LeanSpec").

Licensing & Compatibility

The project's license is not explicitly stated in the provided README snippet, though a LICENSE file is referenced. Compatibility is broad for AI assistants, but specific backend provider support varies by development status (Markdown available, GitHub/ADO planned, Jira/Linear future).

Limitations & Caveats

Current provider support is limited primarily to Markdown files, with GitHub and Azure DevOps integration marked as "Planned" and Jira/Linear as "Future." The desktop application has been moved to a separate repository (codervisor/lean-spec-desktop).