# SPECLAN

> SPECLAN is a VS Code extension for specification engineering. It provides a layered, Git-native framework for turning ideas into traceable, machine-processable specifications with AI agents that do the heavy lifting.

SPECLAN treats specifications as first-class engineering artifacts stored as Markdown files with YAML frontmatter directly in your repository. The entity hierarchy flows from Goals through Features (with hierarchical sub-features) down to Requirements. AI agents generate, refine, and validate specifications on your behalf. Full traceability links every requirement back to a business goal.

- Website: https://speclan.net
- GitHub: https://github.com/thlandgraf/speclan-essentials
- Install: `code --install-extension DigitalDividend.speclan-vscode-extension`

## About

- [Home](https://speclan.net/): Landing page with overview, workflow, and key features
- [Features](https://speclan.net/features/): Detailed feature descriptions including layered specs, Git-native workflow, AI agents, and traceability
- [About SPECLAN](https://speclan.net/about/): Mission, origin story, design principles, and technology stack

## Documentation

- [Getting Started: New Project](https://speclan.net/help/getting-started/greenfield/): You have a new project idea. No code yet. No specs. Just an idea and the motivation to build something.
- [Getting Started: Existing Project](https://speclan.net/help/getting-started/brownfield/): You have a project. It has code, it has history, it has momentum. Now you want to bring structure to what comes next.
- [The Claude Code SPECLAN Plugin](https://speclan.net/help/getting-started/speclan-plugin/): If you prefer the speed of your terminal over point-and-click editors, the SPECLAN Plugin for Claude Code is built for y
- [Goals](https://speclan.net/help/concepts/goals/): Goals (G-###) represent high-level business objectives. They are the starting point of the SPECLAN specification hierarc
- [Features](https://speclan.net/help/concepts/features/): Features (F-####) describe specific capabilities of the system. They form a hierarchical tree and can contain sub-featur
- [Requirements](https://speclan.net/help/concepts/requirements/): Requirements (R-####) define specific, testable conditions that a feature must satisfy. They belong to exactly one featu
- [The New Specification Assistant](https://speclan.net/help/workflows/new-spec-assistant/): You used to write specifications by staring at an empty file and trying to remember every section that belonged there, e
- [Requirements Workflow](https://speclan.net/help/workflows/requirements-workflow/): The requirements workflow governs how SPECLAN specifications progress from initial creation through to approval. This pr
- [Development Workflow](https://speclan.net/help/workflows/development-workflow/): The development workflow covers the transition of SPECLAN specifications from **approved** to **under-test** status. Thi
- [QA Workflow](https://speclan.net/help/workflows/qa-workflow/): The QA workflow covers the final verification phase where the QA team validates completed development work and transitio
- [Change Requests](https://speclan.net/help/workflows/change-requests/): Change Requests (CRs) are the formal mechanism for proposing modifications to SPECLAN specifications that are locked. On
- [Entity Types](https://speclan.net/help/reference/entity-types/): SPECLAN uses a layered hierarchy of entity types. Features can be nested to create hierarchical sub-feature trees:
- [Status Lifecycle](https://speclan.net/help/reference/status-lifecycle/): Every SPECLAN entity follows a defined status progression:
- [Roles](https://speclan.net/help/reference/roles/): SPECLAN's specification-driven workflow distributes responsibility across six roles. Each role owns specific lifecycle s
- [Artifacts](https://speclan.net/help/reference/artifacts/): A specification is more than text. It comes with the wireframe that drove the decision, the API contract it has to honou
- [Excalidraw Diagrams](https://speclan.net/help/reference/excalidraw-diagrams/): Excalidraw lets you draw architecture diagrams, flowcharts, and sketches directly inside your SPECLAN specs - and they l
- [Local LLM](https://speclan.net/help/reference/local-llm/): SPECLAN can use a local LLM running on your machine instead of a cloud provider like Claude, OpenAI, or Google. Your spe
- [SpecURI](https://speclan.net/help/reference/specuri/): You are reviewing a clickdummy an agent built from your specs. A button in the mockup has a small link beside it: *F-123
- [BMAD Support](https://speclan.net/help/reference/speclan-plugin/bmad-support/): The SPECLAN Plugin for Claude Code converts between [BMAD-METHOD](https://github.com/bmad-code-org/BMAD-METHOD) and SPEC
- [MCP Server](https://speclan.net/help/integrations/mcp-server/): Ask your AI assistant "what does F-1234 actually require?" and it usually guesses, or greps, or reads whatever file happ
- [Spec-Kit Integration](https://speclan.net/help/integrations/speckit/): If you already use [spec-kit](https://github.com/github/spec-kit) — GitHub's open-source spec-driven development workflo
- [HowTo: Revert to an Older Version](https://speclan.net/help/troubleshooting/revert-extension/): Something broke. A feature you relied on changed. A workflow that was smooth yesterday now stumbles. An update that shou
- [Windows: Long Path and Filename Too Long Errors When Cloning SPECLAN](https://speclan.net/help/troubleshooting/windows-long-paths/): If you're on Windows and Git is refusing to clone, check out, pull, or switch branches in a SPECLAN repository, the most

## Optional

- [Community Discussions](https://github.com/thlandgraf/speclan-essentials/discussions/1): Ask questions, share your experience, and connect with other SPECLAN users. Whether you are just getting started or pushing the boundaries — the community is here to help.
- [Issue Tracker](https://www.reddit.com/r/speclan/): Found something broken? Post a bug report on the r/speclan subreddit. Include your version, OS, steps to reproduce, and what you expected to happen.
- [Contact](https://speclan.net/contact/): Support and general inquiry contact information