// new book · manning early access
Spec-Driven Development
Engineering with intent
For engineers and engineering leaders shipping production code with AI coding agents. A tool-agnostic playbook for closing the gap between what you mean and what your agents actually build.
New The book is now available in early access
// intent-driven-development
Master context engineering practices like spec-driven development. Move beyond vibe coding and engineer the harness that takes you from idea to implementation — the agent-native way.
The umbrella practice: make intent an explicit, reviewable artifact so AI agents build the right thing.
Structure what the agent knows — constraints, examples, domain rules — before it writes any code.
Write the specification first, implement against it, then validate that the result matches.
What it takes to roll spec-driven development across a large organization and keep it alive.
Discover how OpenSpec enables context engineering through a source of truth specification workflow that keeps AI coding agents aligned with your intent. By deliberately structuring your development context, OpenSpec helps you bridge the gap between what you want and what AI agents build. Whether you're looking for an alternative to Kiro or GitHub Spec Kit, OpenSpec offers a robust framework for context-driven development that prevents drift and maintains clarity.
Learn how OpenSpec enables context engineering for AI agents in 5 minutes
Deep dive into context engineering concepts with our quick videos. Want to see a particular topic covered? Leave a comment on our videos.
Adopting spec-driven development across a large organization is as much an operational and cultural shift as a technical one. This InfoQ article breaks down how teams integrate it with existing workflows and sustain it over time.
How organizations roll out spec-driven development with AI agents at scale—fitting it into existing engineering workflows and turning it into lasting practice rather than a one-off experiment.
Catch me discussing Spec-Driven Development, AI coding, and software architecture
· Virtual · Manning
Spec-Driven Development
For AI coding agents, accurately specifying your intent is the whole ballgame. Hari shows how to close the gap between what you mean and what your agents build.
Explore our training programs, workshops, and consulting services to transform your AI coding outcomes.
Deep dives into spec-driven development, tools, and methodologies
Strict TDD prompting alone does not prevent AI agents from reward-hacking coverage. Use macro BDD and micro Mockist TDD constraints to achieve a spec-as-source level SDD along with a decoupled implementation.
Read articleUsing BDD techniques such as capturing intent in Gherkin syntax to generate Cucumber tests that guide the coding agent to build the application — aligned with intent, and achieving spec as source.
Read articleSpec-Driven Development with OpenSpec and OpenCode: Multi-model adversarial authoring with one sub-agent authoring and another reviewing to reduce bias. Plus glossary skills using Domain-Driven Design patterns — including the anti-corruption layer (ACL) — to enforce consistent terminology across specifications.
Read articleA skill-based workflow that connects your product backlog to spec-driven development — pick up issues from Linear and turn them into OpenSpec changes. The pattern works with any backlog tool (Jira, Asana) and any SDD framework (Spec Kit, Kiro).
Read articleA walkthrough of the intent-driven template that combines OpenSpec, OpenCode skills, and a custom schema to drive an end-to-end Spec-Driven Development workflow.
Read articleUsing Architectural Decision Records with OpenSpec custom schema for Spec-Driven Development, which makes Architectural Decision Records a first-class artifact alongside specs.
Read articleNew essays on intent-driven development including spec-driven development, OpenSpec workflows, and AI coding agents — straight to your inbox, no spam.
