I Built SpecDD Because AI Kept Forgetting What We Were Building
2 days ago
- #AI-assisted development
- #context management
- #specification-driven development
- The creator experienced frustration with AI agents frequently forgetting project-specific constraints and making incorrect decisions despite being technically correct, leading to the development of SpecDD.
- Instead of increasing context window size, SpecDD focuses on providing exactly the right context in a structured, local manner through .sdd files placed next to relevant code, ensuring AI agents have precise, actionable information.
- SpecDD uses a semi-formal language with sections like Must, Must not, Owns, Depends on, Forbids, and Done when to eliminate ambiguity and provide clear contracts for implementation.
- The approach addresses a fundamental issue in both human and AI-assisted development: the need for local, persistent, and structured context to avoid knowledge gaps and misinterpretations.
- SpecDD specs can be generated by AI agents and reviewed by humans, serving as shared documentation for developers, product managers, and QA engineers, thereby bridging the gap between intent and implementation.
- The creator argues that AI will not replace developers but will increase software demand, similar to past productivity leaps like high-level languages and package managers, making tools like SpecDD essential for reliable development.
- SpecDD is designed to be durable, as context management is an intrinsic challenge in complex software systems, not just a temporary limitation of current AI models.
- Future developments may include tooling for validation and analysis, and widespread adoption could make SpecDD a language AI models inherently understand, reducing the need for bootstrap files.