Spec Lifecycle Tools (Stream B)
Stream B contains all tools that manage the complete spec lifecycle — from the first clarification question to handing off a production-ready spec to an AI agent.
Quick Reference
| Tool | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
facilitate | Zero-knowledge entry point — describe what you want to build | Included |
clarify_requirements | Interactively clarify requirements before creating a spec | Included |
elicit_requirements | Advanced interactive requirements elicitation | Included |
create_spec | Create a full SDD spec from a description | Included |
list_specs | List all specs in a project, filter by status | Included |
update_status | Move a spec through its lifecycle stages | Included |
summarize_spec | Generate a short, readable summary of a spec | Included |
spec_history | View the changelog history of a spec | Included |
reconcile_spec | Update a spec to match what was actually built | Included |
branch_spec | Create a spec branch for experimentation | Included |
merge_spec_branch | Merge an experimental spec branch back into the main spec | Included |
version_spec | Create a tagged version snapshot of a spec | Included |
spec_diff | Compare two spec versions and show differences | Included |
export_spec | Export a spec to an external format (spec-kit) | Included |
check_readiness | Check if a spec has enough detail to start building | Included |
challenge_spec | Stress-test a spec by simulating failures and edge cases | Included |
red_team | Adversarial review — argues against the spec from first principles | Included |
detect_contradictions | Detect contradictions and inconsistencies within or across specs | Included |
manage_scope | Manage and control scope to prevent scope creep | Included |
package_handoff | Package a spec and its dependencies for agent or team handoff | Included |
decompose_spec | Auto-decompose a spec into independent agent tasks | Included |
analyze_spec_dependencies | Analyze dependency graph: critical path, circular deps, waves | Included |
generate_checklist | Generate an implementation checklist from a spec | Included |
check_spec_accuracy | Validate a spec against the actual codebase implementation | Included |
spec_coverage | Generate a coverage report showing specs vs. implementation | Included |
spec_usage_report | Report showing which specs agents are actively using | Included |
semantic_search | Search specs and project knowledge by meaning | Included |
list_templates | Browse the built-in and custom spec template catalog | Included |
apply_template | Create spec files from a spec template | Included |
capture_idea | Capture a lightweight idea without creating a full spec | Included |
list_backlog | List all captured ideas in the project backlog | Included |
promote_idea | Promote a backlog idea to a full spec | Included |
discard_idea | Mark a backlog idea as discarded | Included |
session_checkpoint | Save a session checkpoint with current context | Included |
planu_status | Get a compact world-snapshot of the current project state | Included |
log_lesson | Log a lesson learned from a spec or project experience | Included |
list_lessons | List lessons learned for a project | Included |
delete_spec | Delete one or more specs from a project | Included |
delete_project | Delete all data for a project | Included |
delete_pattern | Delete one or more learned patterns | Included |
delete_decision | Delete one or more decisions/ADRs | Included |
manage_trash | Manage the trash: list, restore, or purge | Included |
generate_spec_dashboard | Regenerate the planu/index.html dashboard | Included |
Core Workflow
facilitate
Zero-knowledge entry point — describe what you want to build and Planu figures out the next steps.
When to use: When you are not sure where to start. Just describe your idea or goal in plain language and facilitate will determine whether to clarify requirements, create a spec, or suggest the next action.
Prompt: "I want to add Stripe payments to my app"
Prompt: "Help me plan a multi-tenant permission system"TIP
facilitate is the best starting point for new users. It removes the need to know any tool names — just describe what you want to build.
clarify_requirements
Generate targeted clarification questions before creating a spec.
When to use: Before create_spec when requirements are ambiguous, came from a quick verbal conversation, or touch multiple systems.
What it produces: A prioritized list of questions covering scope boundaries, edge cases, non-functional requirements, error handling, and external dependencies.
Prompt: "Use planu to clarify requirements for adding Stripe payments to project proj_abc123"TIP
Running clarify_requirements first leads to significantly more complete acceptance criteria and fewer spec revisions. It's a 30-second investment that saves hours.
elicit_requirements Pro
Advanced interactive requirements elicitation — a structured interview mode that goes deeper than clarify_requirements.
When to use: For complex features, platform migrations, or integrations involving multiple stakeholders. The tool guides the conversation with follow-up questions based on your answers rather than presenting a flat list.
Prompt: "Elicit requirements for the new reporting module in project proj_abc123"create_spec
Create a full SDD spec with auto-generated sections.
What it generates:
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| User Story | Who, what, why in standard format |
| Acceptance Criteria | Testable, unambiguous criteria numbered for traceability |
| DoR Checklist | Definition of Ready gates |
| Database Schema hints | Tables, columns, relations, indexes |
| UI Contracts | Component contracts, data flow, state management |
| ADR hints | Architecture Decision Records |
| PLAN.md | Step-by-step RED/GREEN/VERIFY execution plan |
AI-native extras (when AI architecture is detected):
- Latency budgets and fallback chains
- Prompt versioning criteria
- LLM observability requirements
Frontend extras (when performance setup is detected):
- Core Web Vitals criteria
- SSR hydration requirements
- MFE boundary definitions
Prompt: "Create a spec for adding Google OAuth authentication to my project proj_abc123"list_specs
List all specs for a project, optionally filtering by status.
When to use: To see what's in the backlog, what's in progress, or what needs review.
Prompt: "List all specs for project proj_abc123"
Prompt: "Show me specs in progress for project proj_abc123"
Prompt: "What specs are blocked in project proj_abc123?"update_status
Transition a spec through its lifecycle with DoR/DoD validation at each step.
Status flow: draft → ready → in_progress → review → done
Each transition validates the appropriate checklist. You cannot mark a spec done without satisfying its DoD criteria.
Prompt: "Update status of spec SPEC-003 to in_progress in project proj_abc123"
Prompt: "Mark spec SPEC-007 as done in project proj_abc123"summarize_spec
Generate a concise summary of a spec — useful for team updates, PR descriptions, or standup notes.
Prompt: "Summarize spec SPEC-005 for project proj_abc123"Spec Lifecycle Management
spec_history Pro
View the change history of a spec — who changed what, when, and why.
When to use: When investigating why a spec changed, during audits, or when resolving spec disputes.
Prompt: "Show history for spec SPEC-003 in project proj_abc123"reconcile_spec Pro
Reconcile a spec with implementation changes, with per-change approval and Constitution compliance check.
When to use: When the implementation diverged intentionally from the spec and you need to update the spec to match reality.
The tool presents each change for approval — you decide what becomes the new spec truth.
Prompt: "Reconcile spec SPEC-004 with the implementation changes in project proj_abc123"branch_spec Pro
Create a spec branch for experimentation — lets you explore a major spec change without touching the main spec.
When to use: When you want to prototype an alternative approach to a spec (different architecture, different scope) before committing to it.
Prompt: "Create a branch of spec SPEC-012 called 'microservices-approach' in project proj_abc123"merge_spec_branch Pro
Merge an experimental spec branch back into the main spec after validation.
Prompt: "Merge the 'microservices-approach' branch of spec SPEC-012 into main in project proj_abc123"version_spec Pro
Create a tagged version snapshot of a spec — useful for milestone tracking and external handoffs.
When to use: Before a major release, before handing off to an external team, or to lock in a baseline before a large refactor.
Prompt: "Create version v1.0 snapshot of spec SPEC-008 in project proj_abc123"spec_diff Pro
Compare two spec versions and show a structured diff of what changed.
Prompt: "Show the diff between v1.0 and v2.0 of spec SPEC-008 in project proj_abc123"export_spec Pro
Export a spec to an external format (spec-kit) for sharing outside Planu.
Prompt: "Export spec SPEC-010 to spec-kit format for project proj_abc123"Quality Gates
check_readiness Pro
Evaluate if a spec is ready for implementation — completeness, criteria quality, and dependency status.
Checks performed:
- Are all acceptance criteria testable and unambiguous?
- Are all blocking dependencies resolved?
- Is the DoR checklist complete?
- Does the spec pass Constitution compliance?
Prompt: "Check if spec SPEC-006 is ready for implementation in project proj_abc123"challenge_spec Pro
Stress-test a spec by simulating failures, high traffic, edge cases, and adversarial conditions.
When to use: Before approving a spec for a critical system, or after a major spec revision.
Prompt: "Challenge spec SPEC-009 in project proj_abc123"red_team Pro
Adversarial review — argues against the spec from first principles before approval.
When to use: For high-stakes specs (billing, auth, data migration) where you want a devil's advocate review before locking in the design.
Prompt: "Red team spec SPEC-011 in project proj_abc123"detect_contradictions Pro
Analyze all specs in a project for semantic contradictions.
When to use: Before starting a sprint, after a major product pivot, or when specs have been updated independently by different team members.
Prompt: "Detect contradictions in the specs for project proj_abc123"Example output: "SPEC-002 says users can delete accounts. SPEC-008 says account data is immutable for audit purposes."
Scope & Packaging
manage_scope Pro
Manage the project scope definition and backlog — add items, remove, reprioritize, or export as a structured backlog.
Prompt: "Add 'dark mode support' to the backlog for project proj_abc123 with priority high"
Prompt: "Show the current backlog for project proj_abc123"package_handoff Pro
Generate a structured handoff package for an AI agent to implement a spec.
What it produces:
- Implementation objective
- Numbered acceptance criteria
- File list with ownership
- Constraints and guardrails
- Ready-to-paste prompt for Claude or any AI agent
When to use: When delegating implementation to an autonomous AI agent session or a team member who wasn't involved in spec creation.
Prompt: "Package spec SPEC-009 for handoff in project proj_abc123"decompose_spec Pro
Auto-decompose a spec into independent agent tasks with non-overlapping file ownership — ready to run in parallel.
When to use: For large specs that can be split across multiple agents or team members. The tool enforces exclusive file ownership per task to prevent conflicts.
Prompt: "Decompose spec SPEC-015 into parallel agent tasks in project proj_abc123"analyze_spec_dependencies Pro
Analyze the spec dependency graph: find the critical path, detect circular dependencies, and compute execution waves.
Prompt: "Analyze spec dependencies for project proj_abc123"
Prompt: "What is the critical path to ship SPEC-020 in project proj_abc123?"Quality & Coverage
generate_checklist Pro
Generate a quality checklist for a spec — covers implementation readiness, test coverage, documentation, security, and performance.
Prompt: "Generate a quality checklist for spec SPEC-002 in project proj_abc123"check_spec_accuracy Pro
Verify the accuracy of a spec against implementation reality — checks that acceptance criteria, file references, and technical details are still correct.
When to use: After significant code changes, before a release, or when a spec hasn't been reviewed in a while.
Prompt: "Check accuracy of spec SPEC-005 for project proj_abc123"spec_coverage Pro
Analyze spec coverage across the project — identifies areas of the codebase without specs and specs without corresponding implementation.
When to use: During sprint planning, quarterly reviews, or when onboarding to understand documentation gaps.
Prompt: "Show spec coverage for project proj_abc123"spec_usage_report Pro
Generate a spec observability report showing which specs agents are actively using, which are stale, and which are referenced most often.
Prompt: "Show spec usage report for project proj_abc123"semantic_search Pro
Search your project knowledge (specs, patterns, decisions, learned knowledge) by meaning — not just keyword matching.
When to use: When you remember something was decided but can't find it by keyword, or when looking for specs related to a topic across a large project.
Prompt: "Search for anything related to rate limiting in project proj_abc123"
Prompt: "Find specs about user permissions in project proj_abc123"Templates
list_templates
List all available spec templates with their descriptions and use cases.
Prompt: "List available spec templates"apply_template Pro
Apply a spec template to quickly create specs for common patterns (CRUD, auth, integration, etc.).
When to use: When creating a spec that follows a well-known pattern and you want a head start with pre-filled sections.
Prompt: "Apply the CRUD template for a users resource in project proj_abc123"Backlog Management
capture_idea
Capture a lightweight idea or future possibility without creating a full spec. Ideas live in the backlog until promoted or discarded.
Prompt: "Capture idea: add offline mode support to project proj_abc123"list_backlog
List all captured ideas in the project backlog.
Prompt: "Show backlog for project proj_abc123"promote_idea
Promote a backlog idea to a full spec, triggering the normal spec creation flow.
Prompt: "Promote idea IDEA-003 to a spec in project proj_abc123"discard_idea
Mark a backlog idea as discarded with an optional reason.
Prompt: "Discard idea IDEA-005 in project proj_abc123 — not aligned with roadmap"Sessions & Lessons
session_checkpoint
Save a session checkpoint with the current context, progress, and open questions — useful for resuming long sessions.
Prompt: "Save a session checkpoint for project proj_abc123"planu_status
Get a compact world-snapshot of the current Planu project state — active spec, git state, queue, and recent activity. Designed to fit in ~150 tokens.
Prompt: "What's the current status of project proj_abc123?"log_lesson
Log a lesson learned from a spec or project experience — stored as searchable project knowledge.
Prompt: "Log lesson: always run detect_contradictions before sprint planning in project proj_abc123"list_lessons
List all lessons learned for a project.
Prompt: "Show lessons learned for project proj_abc123"Cleanup
delete_spec
Delete one or more specs from a project. Deleted specs are moved to trash and can be restored.
Prompt: "Delete spec SPEC-017 from project proj_abc123"delete_project
Delete all data for a project. This action moves all data to trash before permanent removal.
Prompt: "Delete project proj_abc123"delete_pattern
Delete one or more learned patterns from a project.
Prompt: "Delete pattern PAT-002 from project proj_abc123"delete_decision
Delete one or more decisions/ADRs from a project.
Prompt: "Delete decision DEC-005 from project proj_abc123"manage_trash
Manage the trash: list trashed items, restore a specific item, or permanently purge the trash.
Prompt: "List trash for project proj_abc123"
Prompt: "Restore spec SPEC-017 from trash in project proj_abc123"
Prompt: "Purge trash for project proj_abc123"generate_spec_dashboard
Regenerate the planu/index.html dashboard — an HTML overview of all specs, their statuses, and key metrics for the project.
Prompt: "Regenerate the spec dashboard for project proj_abc123"See Also
- Analysis & Intelligence Tools (Stream A) — estimation, pattern detection, validate, recommend_model
- Platform Tools (Streams E–I) — generation, project setup, agents, git and release
- Design & Planning Tools (Stream D) — team planning, schemas and execution plans