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MCP server enabling AI assistants to use GitHub's spec-kit methodology

License

Apache-2.0, MIT licenses found

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LICENSE-APACHE
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lsendel/spec-kit-mcp

Spec-Kit MCP Server

Crates.io License Build Status

MCP server that enables AI coding assistants to use spec-driven development practices via the GitHub Spec-Kit toolkit.

Features

  • 🎯 100% Spec-Kit Coverage: All 10 tools for complete spec-driven development
  • 🚀 MCP Protocol: Full JSON-RPC 2.0 implementation for AI agents
  • ⚡ High Performance: Built with Rust and Tokio for async I/O
  • 🔧 Dual Installation: Install via cargo or npx
  • 🛡️ Type Safe: Comprehensive type system with validation
  • 📚 Comprehensive Docs: Tutorials, examples, and configuration guides
  • 🌐 Multi-Editor Support: Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and more
  • 🧪 Production Ready: Tested, documented, and deployed

Quick Start

Installation

Via Cargo (Recommended)

Fast, reliable, works offline:

cargo install spec-kit-mcp

Advantages:

  • ✅ Fastest startup
  • ✅ Works offline
  • ✅ Most reliable
  • ✅ Full platform support (macOS Intel/ARM, Linux)

Via npm/npx

For Node.js users:

# Global installation
npm install -g @lsendel/spec-kit-mcp
# Or use with npx (downloads on first use)
npx @lsendel/spec-kit-mcp

Advantages:

  • ✅ Familiar for Node.js users
  • ✅ Auto-downloads prebuilt binaries
  • ✅ npx always uses latest version

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.11+: Required by GitHub spec-kit
  • uv package manager: Required to run spec-kit (install from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/)
  • GitHub Spec-Kit: No separate installation needed - the MCP server uses uvx to run spec-kit directly
  • Node.js 18+: Only if using npx installation method
  • Git: For version control operations

Note: The spec-kit CLI is not available on PyPI. The MCP server automatically runs it via uvx --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git

Configuration with Claude Code

Claude Code supports two ways to configure MCP servers:

Method 1: Using Cargo Binary (Recommended)

First install via cargo:

cargo install spec-kit-mcp

Then configure ~/.config/claude-code/mcp.json:

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "spec-kit": {
 "command": "spec-kit-mcp",
 "args": [],
 "env": {}
 }
 }
}

Advantages:

  • ✅ Fastest startup (<100ms)
  • ✅ Works offline
  • ✅ Most reliable
  • ✅ Supports all platforms (macOS Intel/ARM, Linux)

Method 2: Using npx (No Installation)

Create or edit ~/.config/claude-code/mcp.json:

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "spec-kit": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": ["-y", "@lsendel/spec-kit-mcp"],
 "env": {}
 }
 }
}

Advantages:

  • ✅ No installation required
  • ✅ Always uses latest version
  • ✅ Good for trying it out

Note: First run may be slower as it downloads the binary.

Verify Configuration

  1. Restart Claude Code after editing the config file

  2. Test the MCP tools in Claude Code:

List all available MCP tools

You should see 10 spec-kit tools listed:

  • speckit_init
  • speckit_check
  • speckit_constitution
  • speckit_specify
  • speckit_plan
  • speckit_tasks
  • speckit_implement
  • speckit_clarify
  • speckit_analyze
  • speckit_checklist
  1. Try a simple command:
Use speckit_check to verify my development environment

Troubleshooting Configuration

Issue: Tools not appearing after restart

Solution:

  1. Check config file location: cat ~/.config/claude-code/mcp.json
  2. Verify JSON syntax: cat ~/.config/claude-code/mcp.json | jq
  3. Check Claude Code logs: ~/.config/claude-code/logs/
  4. For npx method, ensure Node.js is installed: node --version
  5. For binary method, verify installation: which spec-kit-mcp

Issue: spec-kit-mcp: command not found (Method 2)

Solution:

  • Use Method 1 (npx) instead, or
  • Add npm global bin to PATH: export PATH="$PATH:$(npm config get prefix)/bin"

Need help with other editors? See the Complete Configuration Guide for Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and more.

📚 Documentation

Quick Links

Learning Resources

New to Spec-Kit? Start here:

  1. Tutorial 1: Your First Spec-Kit Project (20 min)
  2. Todo CLI Example - Complete beginner example
  3. Configuration for Your Editor

Building APIs? Check out:

Working with teams?

Available Tools

The MCP server exposes 10 spec-kit tools for the complete workflow:

1. speckit_init

Initialize a new spec-kit project with proper structure.

{
 "project_name": "my-project",
 "project_path": "."
}

2. speckit_constitution

Create project governing principles and development standards.

{
 "principles": "Simplicity, Performance, Security",
 "constraints": "Must support Python 3.11+",
 "output_path": "./speckit.constitution"
}

3. speckit_specify

Define requirements and user stories (the "what").

{
 "requirements": "User authentication system with OAuth2 support",
 "user_stories": "As a user, I want to login with Google...",
 "output_path": "./speckit.specify"
}

4. speckit_plan

Create a technical implementation plan (the "how").

{
 "spec_file": "./speckit.specify",
 "tech_stack": "Rust + Tokio",
 "output_path": "./speckit.plan"
}

5. speckit_tasks

Generate actionable task lists from the plan.

{
 "plan_file": "./speckit.plan",
 "breakdown_level": "medium",
 "output_path": "./speckit.tasks"
}

6. speckit_implement

Execute implementation according to the task list.

{
 "task_file": "./speckit.tasks",
 "context": "Using Rust with async/await",
 "output_dir": "./src"
}

7. speckit_clarify

Request clarification on ambiguous requirements or specifications.

{
 "spec_file": "./speckit.specify",
 "questions": "How should we handle edge cases?"
}

8. speckit_analyze

Analyze code for quality, compliance, and technical debt.

{
 "target_path": "./src",
 "check_constitution": true,
 "output_format": "markdown"
}

9. speckit_check

Validate that required tools are installed for spec-kit development.

{
 "check_speckit": true,
 "check_git": true,
 "check_ai_tools": true
}

10. speckit_checklist

Generate review checklists to verify implementation completeness.

{
 "spec_file": "./speckit.specify",
 "task_file": "./speckit.tasks",
 "output_path": "./checklist.md"
}

See all tools in action: Check out the Examples directory for complete workflows

Usage Example

Here's a complete workflow using Claude Code:

User: Initialize a new spec-kit project called "user-auth"
Claude: [Uses speckit_init tool]
✓ Project initialized at ./user-auth
User: Create a constitution focusing on security and simplicity
Claude: [Uses speckit_constitution tool]
✓ Constitution created at ./speckit.constitution
User: Specify requirements for OAuth2 authentication
Claude: [Uses speckit_specify tool]
✓ Specification created at ./speckit.specify
User: Create a technical plan using Rust and OAuth2 libraries
Claude: [Uses speckit_plan tool]
✓ Technical plan created at ./speckit.plan
User: Generate detailed tasks
Claude: [Uses speckit_tasks tool]
✓ Task list created at ./speckit.tasks
 Found 15 actionable tasks

Architecture

AI Agent (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.)
 ↓
MCP Protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio)
 ↓
Spec-Kit MCP Server (Rust/Tokio)
 ↓
Tool Registry & Dispatcher
 ↓
Spec-Kit CLI Integration Layer
 ↓
Spec-Kit Python CLI (subprocess)
 ↓
File System (speckit.* artifacts)

Development

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/spec-kit-mcp.git
cd spec-kit-mcp
cargo build --release

Running Tests

cargo test

Running the Server

# With default settings
cargo run
# With custom log level
cargo run -- --log-level debug
# With custom CLI path
cargo run -- --cli-path /path/to/specify
# With custom timeout
cargo run -- --timeout 600

Project Structure

spec-kit-mcp/
├── src/
│ ├── main.rs # Binary entry point
│ ├── lib.rs # Library root
│ ├── mcp/ # MCP protocol implementation
│ │ ├── types.rs # JSON-RPC types
│ │ ├── protocol.rs # Protocol handler
│ │ ├── transport.rs # Stdio transport
│ │ └── server.rs # MCP server
│ ├── speckit/ # Spec-kit CLI integration
│ │ ├── cli.rs # Command execution
│ │ └── errors.rs # Error types
│ └── tools/ # MCP tools
│ ├── mod.rs # Tool registry
│ ├── init.rs # speckit_init tool
│ ├── constitution.rs # speckit_constitution tool
│ ├── specify.rs # speckit_specify tool
│ ├── plan.rs # speckit_plan tool
│ └── tasks.rs # speckit_tasks tool
├── Cargo.toml # Rust package manifest
└── README.md # This file

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Development Workflow

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
  3. Make your changes
  4. Run tests: cargo test
  5. Run clippy: cargo clippy
  6. Format code: cargo fmt
  7. Commit with conventional commits: git commit -m "feat: add new feature"
  8. Push and create a Pull Request

Roadmap

Current Version (0.1.0)

  • ✅ All 10 spec-kit tools implemented (100% coverage)
  • ✅ MCP protocol support (JSON-RPC 2.0)
  • ✅ Dual distribution (cargo + npx)
  • ✅ Comprehensive error handling
  • ✅ Complete tutorials and examples
  • ✅ Configuration guides for major editors
  • ✅ Published to crates.io and npm

Future Versions

v0.2.0

  • Enhanced tool parameters and validation
  • Configuration file support (.speckit-mcp.toml)
  • Template system for common project types
  • Performance optimizations and caching
  • Windows platform support
  • Web-based tool output visualization

v0.3.0

  • Remote MCP via Server-Sent Events (SSE)
  • Web UI dashboard for project visualization
  • Template marketplace integration
  • Team collaboration features (shared constitutions)
  • Metrics and analytics dashboard
  • Plugin system for custom tools

Performance

  • Cold start: <500ms
  • Tool invocation: <200ms (excluding spec-kit CLI execution)
  • Memory usage: <50MB baseline
  • Concurrent requests: 10+

Compatibility

AI Coding Assistants

  • ✅ Claude Code
  • ✅ Cursor
  • ✅ GitHub Copilot (with MCP support)
  • ✅ Any MCP-compatible client

Platforms

  • ✅ macOS (Intel and ARM)
  • ✅ Linux (x86_64)
  • ⏳ Windows (planned)

Troubleshooting

Spec-Kit CLI Not Found

Error: spec-kit CLI not found!

Solution: Ensure uv package manager is installed:

# Check if uv is installed
uv --version
# If not installed, install uv (macOS/Linux)
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
# Or using pip
pip install uv
# Test spec-kit access
uvx --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git specify check

Note: The spec-kit CLI is not available as a standalone package. The MCP server uses uvx to run it directly from GitHub.

Python Version Too Old

Solution: Upgrade to Python 3.11 or later:

# Check version
python3 --version
# Install Python 3.11+ (macOS with Homebrew)
brew install python@3.11

Permission Denied

Solution: Ensure the binary is executable:

chmod +x $(which spec-kit-mcp)

FAQ

Q: Do I need to install spec-kit separately? A: Yes, the MCP server requires the spec-kit Python CLI to be installed.

Q: Can I use this without Claude Code? A: Yes! It works with any MCP-compatible AI coding assistant.

Q: Does this work offline? A: Yes, if installed via cargo. The npx version requires internet for initial download.

Q: How does this compare to using spec-kit directly? A: This MCP server enables AI agents to use spec-kit automatically, streamlining the workflow.

License

This project is dual-licensed under:

You may choose either license for your use.

Acknowledgments

Links


Built with Rust | Production Ready | Open Source

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MCP server enabling AI assistants to use GitHub's spec-kit methodology

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