Core Commands

The core specify commands handle project initialization, system checks, and version information.

Initialize a Project

specify init [<project_name>]

Option	Description
--integration <key>	AI coding agent integration to use (e.g. copilot, claude, gemini). See the Integrations reference for all available keys
--integration-options	Options for the integration (e.g. --integration-options="--commands-dir .myagent/cmds")
--script sh\|ps	Script type: sh (bash/zsh) or ps (PowerShell)
--here	Initialize in the current directory instead of creating a new one
--force	Force merge/overwrite when initializing in an existing directory
--no-git	Skip git repository initialization
--ignore-agent-tools	Skip checks for AI coding agent CLI tools
--preset <id>	Install a preset during initialization
--branch-numbering	Branch numbering strategy: sequential (default) or timestamp

Creates a new Spec Kit project with the necessary directory structure, templates, scripts, and AI coding agent integration files.

Note

The git extension is currently enabled by default during specify init. Starting in v0.10.0, it will require explicit opt-in. To add it after init, run specify extension add git.

Use <project_name> to create a new directory, or --here (or .) to initialize in the current directory. If the directory already has files, use --force to merge without confirmation.

When --integration is omitted, interactive terminals prompt you to choose an integration. Non-interactive sessions, such as CI or piped runs, default to GitHub Copilot; pass --integration <key> to choose a different integration explicitly.

Examples

# Create a new project with an integration
specify init my-project --integration copilot

# Initialize in the current directory
specify init --here --integration copilot

# Force merge into a non-empty directory
specify init --here --force --integration copilot

# Use PowerShell scripts (Windows/cross-platform)
specify init my-project --integration copilot --script ps

# Skip git initialization
specify init my-project --integration copilot --no-git

# Install a preset during initialization
specify init my-project --integration copilot --preset compliance

# Use timestamp-based branch numbering (useful for distributed teams)
specify init my-project --integration copilot --branch-numbering timestamp

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
SPECIFY_FEATURE	Override feature detection for non-Git repositories. Set to the feature directory name (e.g., 001-photo-albums) to work on a specific feature when not using Git branches. Must be set in the context of the agent prior to using /speckit.plan or follow-up commands.

Check Installed Tools

specify check

Checks that required tools are available on your system: git and any CLI-based AI coding agents. IDE-based agents are skipped since they don't require a CLI tool.

Version Information

specify version

Displays the Spec Kit CLI version, Python version, platform, and architecture.

A quick version check is also available via:

specify --version
specify -V