spec-context-mcp

MCP server for spec-driven development workflow.

Features

• Spec Workflow: Requirements → Design → Tasks → Implementation with approval gates
• Dashboard UI: Web interface for managing specs, approvals, and implementation logs
• Multi-Project Support: Each project gets its own spec directory

Installation

npm install -g spec-context-mcp

Or run directly with npx:

npx spec-context-mcp

Configuration

spec-context-mcp loads .env from the server package directory on startup.

If you run from source or a local clone, start from .env.example:

cp .env.example .env
# edit .env and set required keys

Then use a minimal MCP config (.mcp.json in your project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-context": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/spec-context-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

If you run via npx / global install, you can pass env directly in .mcp.json instead:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-context": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["spec-context-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "DASHBOARD_URL": "http://localhost:3000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
DASHBOARD_URL	No	Dashboard URL shown in prompts (default: http://localhost:3000)
OPENROUTER_API_KEY	No	Required for dashboard AI review
SPEC_CONTEXT_DISABLE_VERSION_CHECK	No	Disable dashboard startup version check (default: false)

Dashboard Settings

Configure these in the dashboard settings page (or .spec-context/settings.json):

Setting	Description
discipline	Discipline mode: full (TDD+reviews), standard (reviews), minimal (verification only). Default: full
implementer	Implementer provider for dispatch (supported: claude, codex, gemini, opencode)
reviewer	Reviewer provider for dispatch

Discipline Modes

Control development rigor via the dashboard discipline setting:

Mode	TDD	Code Reviews	Verification
full (default)	Yes	Yes	Yes
standard	No	Yes	Yes
minimal	No	No	Yes

Tools

Spec Workflow

Tool	Description
spec-workflow-guide	Load the complete spec workflow guide
steering-guide	Guide for creating project steering docs
spec-status	Check spec progress and task completion
approvals	Manage approval requests (request/status/delete)
get-implementer-guide	Get implementation guidance (TDD, verification, feedback)
get-reviewer-guide	Get code review criteria and checklist
get-brainstorm-guide	Get brainstorming methodology for pre-spec ideation

Prompts

MCP prompts available as slash commands in Claude Code:

Prompt	Description
create-spec	Create requirements, design, or tasks document
create-steering-doc	Create product, tech, or structure steering doc
implement-task	Implement a task from a spec
spec-status	Check current spec status
refresh-tasks	Update tasks based on design changes

Dashboard

Run the dashboard server:

npx spec-context-dashboard --port 3000

To skip the dashboard's startup version check, set SPEC_CONTEXT_DISABLE_VERSION_CHECK=true.

The dashboard provides:

• Project overview and stats
• Spec document viewer
• Task progress tracking
• Approval management
• Implementation logs

Spec Workflow

Requirements → Design → Tasks → Implementation
     ↓           ↓        ↓           ↓
  Approval   Approval  Approval   Log & Complete

Each phase requires approval before proceeding. Documents are stored in:

.spec-context/
├── specs/
│   └── {spec-name}/
│       ├── requirements.md
│       ├── design.md
│       ├── tasks.md
│       └── Implementation Logs/
└── steering/            # Optional project docs
    ├── product.md
    ├── tech.md
    ├── structure.md
    └── principles.md

Development

npm install          # Install dependencies
npm run build        # Build server and dashboard
npm run dev          # Run in development mode

Doctor

Run a preflight check for dashboard connectivity:

npx spec-context-mcp doctor

License

MIT