Spec-driven development means writing down what to build and why, as a specification, before an AI coding agent writes any code, then building against that spec.
In plain words
In spec-driven development you first turn your idea into a written specification: requirements, then a technical plan, then a list of small tasks. The AI coding agent implements the tasks, and you review each step before moving on. Tools such as GitHub's Spec Kit and Kiro are built around this workflow.
A quick example
Imagine you want a photo organiser. You describe it, and the agent drafts user stories with acceptance criteria. You approve them, it writes a design with the architecture, then splits the work into tasks. Only then does it code each task, and you check the result against the spec.
Where you'll meet it
- Larger features built with AI coding agents.
- Teams that want AI-written code to match agreed requirements.
Related
Sources
- Docsgithub/spec-kit, GitHub · read 19 Oct 2026
- DocsSpecs, Kiro documentation · read 29 Sept 2026
Checked by WhatIsAI against the sources above · 19 Oct 2026. Spotted an error? Report it.