Spec-First + Superpowers Orchestrator v5

Stop the AI from jumping straight to code. Every feature, bugfix, and refactor goes through a specification phase first — because unexamined code is expensive code.

Commands

How It Works

Step 1: Pick a Mode

Check for existing signals, then fall back to heuristics:

Save the choice to .spec-mode so future sessions remember it.

For detailed mode workflows, read:

• Spec-Kit: [references/spec-kit-workflow.md](references/spec-kit-workflow.md)
• OpenSpec: [references/openspec-workflow.md](references/openspec-workflow.md)

Step 2: Triage Complexity

The AI suggests a level; the user confirms or overrides.

Step 3: Execute the Pipeline

Phase 0 — Session Recovery (automatic) If task_plan.md exists from a previous session, read all planning files, query MemPalace for relevant history (if configured), run the 5-Question Reboot Test (Where am I? / Where am I going? / What's the goal? / What did I learn? / What did I do?), then resume from the last checkpoint.

Phase 1 — Specification Write the spec using the selected mode. Quick tasks use /opsx:propose; standard/thorough use the full flow with /opsx:explore or /speckit.specify. The user must explicitly confirm the spec before moving on. Gate G1: User confirmed + spec aligns with constitution + inline spec review passed + scope check done.

Phase 2 — Persistent Planning Generate task_plan.md (numbered checklist with file structure mapping + test points), findings.md, and progress.md using planning-with-files + writing-plans. Gate G2: Every task has file paths + acceptance criteria + test strategy + inline plan review passed.

Phase 3 — UI/UX Design (conditional) Triggered only when UI keywords are detected. Invoke ui-ux-pro-max --design-system --persist to generate and persist the design system (v2.5.0: 67 styles, 161 palettes, 57 fonts, 14 tech stacks, 6 specialist skills). Gate G3: Pre-delivery checklist passed + user confirmed design.

Phase 4 — Implementation Execute via one of two strategies (AI recommends, user picks):

• Subagent-Driven: Fresh subagent per task + two-stage review (spec conformance → code quality) + model selection per task role + implementer status handling (DONE/DONEWITHCONCERNS/NEEDS_CONTEXT/BLOCKED)
• Executing-Plans: Batch execution + checkpoint reviews

TDD throughout. Errors escalate through the 3-Strike protocol → systematic-debugging. Gate G4: All tests pass + review passed + verification evidence written to progress.md + /opsx:verify passed (if available) + MemPalace archived (if configured).

Phase 5 — Archive finishing-a-development-branch → update all checkboxes → archive spec artifacts → final progress.md entry → MemPalace diary entry (if configured).

Quality Gates

Each gate is a hard stop — nothing moves forward until all checks pass. If a gate fails, fix the issue and re-evaluate. Full gate criteria: [references/quality-gates.md](references/quality-gates.md)

Anti-Rush Protection

If the user asks to skip the spec phase, politely decline and redirect to /super-spec. The whole point of this skill is preventing premature implementation.

Reference Files

Read these as needed — they contain detailed procedures that would bloat this file: