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Spec Kitty

Free, MIT

Paste this into your coding agent

Your agent installs the free Spec Kitty CLI, adds the /spec-kitty commands to itself and suggests a first backlog item.

Prompt for your coding agent

Install Spec Kitty in this repository. Follow https://spec-kitty.ai/getting-started.md: check that Python 3.11+, pipx and git are available, install the CLI with pipx, then run spec-kitty init here with the --ai key for the coding agent you are. Then tell me which /spec-kitty commands I now have, whether I need to restart you to use them, and suggest one item from my backlog to start with /spec-kitty.specify.

Works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and 20+ more.

How it works

  1. Paste the prompt

    Open your agent in the repository you want to work on.

  2. Your agent sets itself up

    It installs the CLI and adds the /spec-kitty commands to itself. Nothing hosted, your own model keys.

  3. Pick a real backlog item

    Run /spec-kitty.specify on it. The agent asks first, then guides you.

What to try first

  • A real ticket from your backlog, via /spec-kitty.specify.
  • A small refactor you keep putting off.
  • Documentation for an existing module only one person understands.

Copy the prompt

Paste it into the agent you already use.

Prompt for your coding agent

Install Spec Kitty in this repository. Follow https://spec-kitty.ai/getting-started.md: check that Python 3.11+, pipx and git are available, install the CLI with pipx, then run spec-kitty init here with the --ai key for the coding agent you are. Then tell me which /spec-kitty commands I now have, whether I need to restart you to use them, and suggest one item from my backlog to start with /spec-kitty.specify.

Or install it yourself

You need Python 3.11 or newer with pipx, git, and a coding agent signed in with your own model account.

pipx install spec-kitty-cli
spec-kitty init my-project --ai claude
cd my-project

Already have a repository? Run spec-kitty init --ai claude inside it. Swap claude for your agent's key below; for several at once, use --ai claude,codex.

Start your agent in the project folder

Claude Code --ai claude
claude
Gemini CLI --ai gemini
gemini
Cursor --ai cursor
cursor-agent
OpenCode --ai opencode
opencode
Codex CLI --ai codex
export CODEX_HOME="$(pwd)/.codex"
codex
GitHub Copilot (VS Code) --ai copilot
code .
# then run the commands in Copilot Chat

Then run /spec-kitty.specify on a real backlog item.

To add another agent later, run spec-kitty agent config add <key>. Re-running init does not add agents.

If you are an agent installing Spec Kitty

Checked against spec-kitty-cli 3.2.7.

  • Needs Python 3.11+, pipx and git. Install with pipx install spec-kitty-cli.
  • Run spec-kitty init --ai <key> in the repository. With no project name, it initialises the current directory.
  • With no TTY, init is non-interactive (as with --non-interactive, --yes or SPEC_KITTY_NON_INTERACTIVE=1) and requires --ai; without it, init stops with "--ai is required in non-interactive mode".
  • Valid --ai keys: codex, claude, gemini, cursor, qwen, opencode, windsurf, kilocode, auggie, copilot, q, kiro, antigravity, vibe, pi, letta. Several: comma-separated, no spaces (--ai claude,codex).
  • Init creates .kittify/ plus your command or skill files, for example .claude/ for claude and .agents/skills/ for codex. It never touches git and makes no commits. Re-running it is safe; it says "Already initialized".
  • Re-running init does not add agents. Add one later with spec-kitty agent config add <keys>.
  • Commands after install: /spec-kitty.specify, /spec-kitty.plan, /spec-kitty.tasks, /spec-kitty.implement, /spec-kitty.review, /spec-kitty.accept, /spec-kitty.merge, plus /spec-kitty.charter.
  • Codex needs CODEX_HOME="$(pwd)/.codex" set when it starts.