Spec-Driven Development
An MCP server that enables AI-powered IDEs to implement a structured development workflow from requirements gathering to code implementation, guiding users through goal collection, requirements specification, design documentation, task planning, and
What is Spec-Driven Development?
Spec-Driven Development is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server that enables ai-powered ides to implement a structured development workflow from requirements gathering to code implementation, guiding users through goal collection, requirements specifica...
An MCP server that enables AI-powered IDEs to implement a structured development workflow from requirements gathering to code implementation, guiding users through goal collection, requirements specification, design documentation, task planning, and
This server falls under the Coding Agents category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- An MCP server that enables AI-powered IDEs to implement a st
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y mcp-server-spec-driven-developmentManual Installation
npx -y mcp-server-spec-driven-developmentConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Spec-Driven Development
The Spec-Driven Development MCP Server brings a disciplined, phase-gated software-development workflow to AI-powered IDEs. Rather than jumping straight from a vague idea to code, it guides you through three sequential stages — requirements (in EARS format), design documentation, and finally implementation — each stage building on the previous one's output files stored under a specs/ directory. Developers and teams use it to avoid the pitfalls of 'vibe coding' by ensuring that goals, constraints, and design decisions are captured as reviewable artifacts before a single line of code is generated.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 20 or later
- An MCP-compatible IDE or client such as VS Code with the MCP extension, Cursor, or Claude Code
- A project directory where the server can write specs/requirements.md and specs/design.md files
Add the server to your MCP client
Use the npx command to register the server. No global installation is required; npx fetches the latest published version of mcp-server-spec-driven-development automatically.
npx -y mcp-server-spec-driven-development@latestConfigure VS Code
Add the server to your VS Code mcp.json configuration file (usually at .vscode/mcp.json or the user settings location).
{
"servers": {
"spec-driven": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-server-spec-driven-development@latest"]
}
}
}Configure Cursor or Claude Desktop
For Cursor, Claude Desktop, or Claude Code, use the mcpServers key instead. The command and args are the same.
{
"mcpServers": {
"spec-driven": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-server-spec-driven-development@latest"]
}
}
}Generate requirements from a high-level description
Invoke the generate-requirements prompt/tool with a plain-language description of your goal. The server creates specs/requirements.md using EARS (Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax) format, which structures each requirement as 'While / When / The system shall…' statements.
Generate a design document from requirements
Once specs/requirements.md exists, invoke generate-design-from-requirements. The server reads the requirements file and produces specs/design.md covering architecture, components, data models, and interface contracts.
Generate implementation code from the design
With both spec files in place, invoke generate-code-from-design. The server reads specs/design.md and produces implementation code that satisfies the documented requirements and design decisions.
Spec-Driven Development Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration block for the Spec-Driven Development MCP server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"spec-driven": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-server-spec-driven-development@latest"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Typical workflow prompts to move through requirements, design, and implementation stages.
- "Use generate-requirements to spec out a Vue.js todo app with user authentication, task categories, and due-date reminders"
- "Run generate-design-from-requirements to create the architecture document for this project"
- "Use generate-code-from-design to scaffold the initial implementation based on our design doc"
- "Review specs/requirements.md and suggest any missing edge cases before we move to design"Troubleshooting Spec-Driven Development
specs/ directory is not created automatically
The server writes files relative to the working directory of the MCP host process. Ensure you have opened the correct project folder in your IDE and that the process has write permissions in that directory.
generate-design-from-requirements fails to find requirements.md
This tool reads specs/requirements.md, which must be created first by running generate-requirements. Check that the file exists at that exact relative path before invoking the next stage.
npx times out or fetches an old version
Pass @latest explicitly in the args array (as shown above) and clear the npx cache with 'npm cache clean --force' if you suspect a stale cached version is being used.
Frequently Asked Questions about Spec-Driven Development
What is Spec-Driven Development?
Spec-Driven Development is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server that enables ai-powered ides to implement a structured development workflow from requirements gathering to code implementation, guiding users through goal collection, requirements specification, design documentation, task planning, and It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Spec-Driven Development?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y mcp-server-spec-driven-development. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with Spec-Driven Development?
Spec-Driven Development works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Spec-Driven Development free to use?
Yes, Spec-Driven Development is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up Spec-Driven Development in Your Editor
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Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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