SPARC Specification Phase

When to use

Steps

1. Initialize phase tracking — call

   mcp__claude-flow__hooks_intelligence_trajectory-start

   with metadata

   { "phase": "specification", "feature": "$ARGUMENTS" }

2. Check for prior work — call

   mcp__claude-flow__memory_search

   with namespace

   sparc-state

   and query for the feature to see if a SPARC workflow already exists. If it does, retrieve existing artifacts. If not, initialize state with phase 1.
3. Search for similar patterns — call

   mcp__claude-flow__neural_predict

   with the feature description to find relevant past specifications and learned patterns
4. Gather requirements — analyze the feature description and the codebase to identify:
   • Functional requirements: what the feature must do (user-facing behaviors)
   • Non-functional requirements: performance targets, security constraints, scalability needs
   • Integration points: what existing systems or APIs are affected
   • Data requirements: what data is created, read, updated, or deleted
5. Define acceptance criteria — write at least 3 concrete, testable acceptance criteria in Given/When/Then format:

   AC-1: Given [precondition], when [action], then [expected result]
   AC-2: Given [precondition], when [action], then [expected result]
   AC-3: Given [precondition], when [action], then [expected result]

6. Identify constraints — document:
   • Performance constraints (latency, throughput, resource limits)
   • Security constraints (authentication, authorization, data sensitivity)
   • Compatibility constraints (browser support, API versions, backward compatibility)
   • Infrastructure constraints (deployment environment, dependencies)
7. Map edge cases — list at least 3 edge cases or failure scenarios:
   • What happens with invalid input?
   • What happens under concurrent access?
   • What happens when external dependencies fail?
8. Store specification — call

   mcp__claude-flow__memory_store

   with:
   • Namespace:

     sparc-phases

   • Key:

     spec-{feature-slug}

   • Value: JSON with

     { status: "complete", requirements, acceptanceCriteria, constraints, edgeCases, integrationPoints }

9. Update phase state — call

   mcp__claude-flow__memory_store

   with:
   • Namespace:

     sparc-state

   • Key:

     current-phase-{feature-slug}

   • Value: updated state with artifacts list including the spec key
10. Record trajectory step — call

    mcp__claude-flow__hooks_intelligence_trajectory-step

    with the specification summary
11. Present specification — display the full specification document to the user with a summary table and suggest running

    /sparc advance

    to pass the gate and move to the Pseudocode phase

Output format

# Specification: {Feature Name}

## Requirements
### Functional
- FR-1: ...
- FR-2: ...

### Non-Functional
- NFR-1: ...

## Acceptance Criteria
- AC-1: Given ..., when ..., then ...
- AC-2: Given ..., when ..., then ...
- AC-3: Given ..., when ..., then ...

## Constraints
- Performance: ...
- Security: ...
- Compatibility: ...

## Edge Cases
- EC-1: ...
- EC-2: ...
- EC-3: ...

## Integration Points
- IP-1: ...

---
Phase 1 complete. Run `/sparc advance` to pass the gate check.