by kingkongshot
Streamline project docs with Specs Workflow: automate software project plan templates, tracking, and OpenAPI-driven prog
Guides AI assistants through a structured software development workflow (Requirements → Design → Tasks) with progress tracking and document generation. Uses OpenAPI specifications as templates to ensure systematic project documentation.
Specs Workflow is a community-built MCP server published by kingkongshot that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Streamline project docs with Specs Workflow: automate software project plan templates, tracking, and OpenAPI-driven prog It is categorized under developer tools, productivity. This server exposes 1 tool that AI clients can invoke during conversations and coding sessions.
You can install Specs Workflow in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.
MIT
Specs Workflow is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.
Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation
Example
Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services
Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent
Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data
Example
Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases
Get more accurate, context-aware responses
Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools
Example
Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification
Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps
Share your MCP server with the developer community
According to our notes, Specs Workflow benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.
I recommend Specs Workflow for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.
Specs Workflow is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
We wired Specs Workflow into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.
I recommend Specs Workflow for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.
According to our notes, Specs Workflow benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.
We wired Specs Workflow into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.
Strong directory entry: Specs Workflow surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.
Specs Workflow has been reliable for tool-calling workflows; the MCP profile page is a good permalink for internal docs.
We evaluated Specs Workflow against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.
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Guide AI to systematically complete software development through a structured Requirements → Design → Tasks workflow, ensuring code implementation stays aligned with business needs.
check, even in new conversationsv1.0.7
- 🎯 Improved reliability for most models to manage tasks with spec workflow
v1.0.6
- ✨ Batch task completion: Complete multiple tasks at once for faster progress on large projects
v1.0.5
- 🐛 Edge case fixes: Distinguish between "task not found" and "task already completed" to prevent workflow interruption
v1.0.4
- ✅ Task management: Added task completion tracking for systematic project progression
v1.0.3
- 🎉 Initial release: Core workflow framework for Requirements → Design → Tasks
claude mcp add spec-workflow-mcp -s user -- npx -y spec-workflow-mcp@latest
See full installation guide for other clients.
"Help me use spec workflow to create a user authentication system"
"Use spec workflow to check ./my-project"
The AI will automatically detect project status and continue from where it left off.
You: "I need to build a user authentication system"
AI: "I'll help you create spec workflow for user authentication..."
📝 requirements.md - User stories and functional requirements
🎨 design.md - Technical architecture and design decisions
✅ tasks.md - Concrete implementation task list
After each stage, the AI requests your confirmation before proceeding, ensuring the project stays on the right track.
my-project/specs/
├── requirements.md # Requirements: user stories, functional specs
├── design.md # Design: architecture, APIs, data models
├── tasks.md # Tasks: numbered implementation steps
└── .workflow-confirmations.json # Status: automatic progress tracking
my-project/specs/
├── user-authentication/ # Auth module
├── payment-system/ # Payment module
└── notification-service/ # Notification module
You can specify any directory: "Use spec workflow to create auth docs in ./src/features/auth"
Strongly recommended to add the following prompt to your AI assistant configuration. Without it, AI may:
With this configuration, AI will intelligently use Spec Workflow to manage the entire development process.
Configuration Note: Please modify the following based on your needs:
- Change
./specsto your preferred documentation directory path- Change "English" to your preferred documentation language (e.g., "Chinese")
# Spec Workflow Usage Guidelines
## 1. Check Project Progress
When user mentions continuing previous project or is unsure about current progress, proactively use:
specs-workflow tool with action.type="check" and path="./specs"
## 2. Documentation Language
All spec workflow documents should be written in English consistently, including all content in requirements, design, and task documents.
## 3. Documentation Directory
All spec workflow documents should be placed in ./specs directory to maintain consistent project documentation organization.
## 4. Task Management
Always use the following to manage task progress:
specs-workflow tool with action.type="complete_task" and taskNumber="current task number"
Follow the workflow guidance to continue working until all tasks are completed.
## 5. Best Practices
- Proactive progress check: When user says "continue from last time", first use check to see current status
- Language consistency: Use the same language throughout all project documents
- Flexible structure: Choose single-module or multi-module organization based on project scale
- Task granularity: Each task should be completable within 1-2 hours
Use the Claude CLI to add the MCP server:
claude mcp add spec-workflow-mcp -s user -- npx -y spec-workflow-mcp@latest
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json{
"mcpServers": {
"spec-workflow": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "spec-workflow-mcp@latest"]
}
}
}
Add to your Cursor configuration (~/.cursor/config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"spec-workflow": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "spec-workflow-mcp@latest"]
}
}
}
Use Cline's MCP server management UI to add the server:
npx-y spec-workflow-mcp@latestAdd to your Windsurf configuration (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"spec-workflow": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "spec-workflow-mcp@latest"],
"env": {},
"autoApprove": [],
"disabled": false,
"timeout": 60,
"transportType": "stdio"
}
}
}
Add to your VS Code settings (settings.json):
{
"mcp.servers": {
"spec-workflow": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "spec-workflow-mcp@latest"]
}
}
}
Add to your Zed configuration (~/.config/zed/settings.json):
{
"assistant": {
"version": "2",
"mcp": {
"servers": {
"spec-workflow": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "spec-workflow-mcp@latest"]
}
}
}
}
}
git clone https://github.com/kingkongshot/specs-mcp.git
cd specs-mcp
npm install
npm run build
Then add to Claude Desktop configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"spec-workflow": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/specs-mcp/dist/index.js"]
}
}
}
MIT License
Prerequisites
Time Estimate
15-60 minutes depending on server complexity
Steps
Troubleshooting
✓ Do
✗ Don't
💡 Pro Tips
Architecture
Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.
Protocols
Compatibility
✓ Use when
Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.
✗ Avoid when
Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.