I built a spec-driven workflow for my AI coding agent. Here is what actually mattered.

Short summary

Instead of prompting AI agents with vague instructions, this developer built a spec-driven development (SDD) workflow that requires explicit specifications and human approval gates at each phase. The key mechanisms are steering documents (.ai/steering/) that persist architectural context and a .status file that gates advancement through IDEA → PLAN → PRD → SPEC → TASKS → EXEC → REVIEW phases. This methodology enabled shipping 13 apps solo in 70 days.

• •SDD inverts traditional development: spec is primary, code is derived; agent advances only with human sign-off at each phase
• •Steering documents (.ai/steering/) provide persistent architectural context that survives session resets
• •File-based status gates (.status tokens) ensure agents read approval rules, not just infer them from file existence

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.