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Spec Kitty
Spec -> plan -> tasks -> review -> accept -> merge CLI for 'governed software factories': work packages in lanes, parallel agents in git worktrees, charter governance and retrospectives.
v4.0.0rc7 released 2026-10-15; repo pushed 2026-10-25; Team Kitty hosted product in early access (checked 2026-10-25)
In Spec-driven development
Where it stands apart
- What form does it mainly ship in? a CLI or MCP server that itself reads and writes the spec or task files (16% of 19 others)
What it shares with most of the community
- Is it actively maintained? active (74% of 19 others)
- How is the main thing licensed? permissive open source (MIT/Apache/BSD) (74% of 19 others)
- How is it mainly sustained? company with a paid product, tier, or ads (50% of 18 others)
- Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers? yes (79% of 19 others)
- Do you need an account to use it? no account (74% of 19 others)
- Who is it for? developers (100% of 19 others)
- Once code exists, what is the spec? a planning scaffold: code becomes the truth after implementation (53% of 19 others)
- What format are specs written in? markdown from templates or free-form (67% of 18 others)
- Where do specs live? plain files in the project repository (89% of 19 others)
- Which coding agents does it work with? many agents (five or more) (78% of 18 others)
- How is the path from idea to code structured? a fixed sequence of phases (e.g. requirements, design, tasks) (53% of 19 others)
- Does a human approve the spec or plan before code is written? yes, the workflow waits for approval (50% of 18 others)
- By default, once a plan is approved, how is implementation run? the human drives it, phase by phase or task by task (50% of 18 others)
Nearest neighbors
- Backlog.md 82% of 17 shared answers match
- GSD (Get Shit Done) / GSD Core 75% of 16 shared answers match
- Intent (Augment) 75% of 16 shared answers match
Every answer
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Is it actively maintained? | active | source 2026-10-25 |
| How is the main thing licensed? | permissive open source (MIT/Apache/BSD) MIT | source 2026-10-25 |
| How is it mainly sustained? | company with a paid product, tier, or ads Free CLI; Team Kitty hosted product (early access). | source 2026-10-25 |
| Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers? | yes CLI is local-first; hosted tracker/sync optional. | source 2026-10-25 |
| Do you need an account to use it? | no account README: local-first, no SaaS required; hosted auth/sync removed from open-core. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Who is it for? | developers | source 2026-10-25 |
| Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on? | none of these (its own format or interface) Own kitty-specs and CLI; delivered as slash commands, or Agent Skills on some agents. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Once code exists, what is the spec? | a planning scaffold: code becomes the truth after implementation 'the repository remains the source of truth' (specs plus code); no spec-update step described. | source 2026-10-25 |
| After implementation, what built-in step keeps specs and code aligned? (if several, the first that applies) | a step checks code against the spec (tests, review, or verifier) Review, accept and merge gates per work package. | source 2026-10-25 |
| What format are specs written in? | markdown from templates or free-form | source 2026-10-25 |
| Where do specs live? | plain files in the project repository kitty-specs/ in git. | source 2026-10-25 |
| Which coding agents does it work with? | many agents (five or more) | source 2026-10-25 |
| What form does it mainly ship in? | stands apart a CLI or MCP server that itself reads and writes the spec or task files CLI manages mission files, work-package lanes, worktrees and merge; slash commands are the front end. | source 2026-10-26 |
| How is the path from idea to code structured? | a fixed sequence of phases (e.g. requirements, design, tasks) spec -> plan -> tasks -> next -> review -> accept -> merge. | source 2026-10-25 |
| Does a human approve the spec or plan before code is written? | yes, the workflow waits for approval Review gates; 'Bright software factory, not a black box'. | source 2026-10-25 |
| By default, once a plan is approved, how is implementation run? | the human drives it, phase by phase or task by task Parallel agents per work package, but review/accept lanes keep humans in the loop. | source 2026-10-25 |
| What does it offer teams beyond sharing files in git? (if both, pick the paid product) | team features in a paid hosted product Team Kitty: shared knowledge and standards. | source 2026-10-25 |
Sources
This page was derived from:
- GitHub · github.com/spec-kitty/spec-kitty · read 2026-10-25
- GitHub · github.com/spec-kitty/spec-kitty/releases · read 2026-10-25
- Web page · spec-kitty.ai · read 2026-10-25
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