Understanding Spec-Driven-Development: Kiro, Spec-Kit, and Tessl

3 days ago

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Spec-Driven Development (SDD) is an emerging AI coding approach where specifications (specs) are written before code, serving as the source of truth for both humans and AI.
SDD tools like Kiro, spec-kit, and Tessl vary in implementation levels: spec-first, spec-anchored, and spec-as-source.
A 'spec' is a structured, behavior-oriented artifact in natural language that guides AI coding agents, differing from general context documents like memory banks.
Kiro follows a lightweight, spec-first workflow with three markdown documents: Requirements, Design, and Tasks.
Spec-kit by GitHub uses a constitution as a memory bank and involves multiple workflow steps (specify, plan, tasks) with extensive markdown files.
Tessl Framework aims for spec-anchored and spec-as-source development, where specs are the primary artifacts and code is generated from them.
Challenges with SDD tools include workflow suitability for different problem sizes, tedious review processes, and maintaining control over AI-generated outputs.
SDD tools may amplify existing issues like review overload and hallucinations, raising questions about their real-world effectiveness.
The term 'spec-driven development' is still semantically diffused, with varying interpretations and implementations across tools.

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