piv-speckit

PIV Spec-Kit

PIV (Prime-Implement-Validate) + Spec-Kit: Structured specs, strict TDD, for AI-assisted development.

Works with Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex, and 20+ AI coding tools.

---

What is PIV?

PIV = Prime → Implement → Validate

A development methodology for AI-assisted software development:

• Prime: Load codebase context before making changes
• Implement: Write tests FIRST (strict TDD), then minimal code
• Validate: Automatic testing and verification

→ Interactive Visual Guide | → Full Methodology

---

Enhanced with Spec-Kit

This framework integrates best practices from GitHub's Spec-Kit, adding structured specification artifacts to the PIV methodology.

What This Adds

Artifact	Purpose	Created By
constitution.md	Project principles (one-time setup)	/piv-speckit:constitution
spec.md	Functional requirements (WHAT)	/piv-speckit:plan-feature
plan.md	Technical approach (HOW)	/piv-speckit:plan-feature
tasks.md	Implementation steps (DO)	/piv-speckit:plan-feature
quickstart.md	TL;DR for humans	/piv-speckit:plan-feature

Multi-AI Compatibility

All artifacts are structured Markdown - works with ANY AI tool:

• Claude Code (plugin) - Full experience with commands
• Cursor - Reads files directly
• GitHub Copilot - Reads files directly

No Claude Code dependency for planning or implementation!

---

Installation

Claude Code (Full Experience) ⭐ Recommended

# Add marketplace
/plugin marketplace add galando/piv-speckit

# Install PIV + Spec-Kit
/plugin install piv-speckit

Commands: /piv-speckit:prime, /piv-speckit:plan-feature, /piv-speckit:execute, /piv-speckit:constitution

Features: Auto-activating skills (TDD, code-review, security), full reference docs, agent context system.

Cursor / GitHub Copilot / Other AI Tools

curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/galando/piv-speckit/main/scripts/piv.sh | bash

How it works:

• Generates AGENTS.md - a single file with PIV methodology instructions
• Cursor, Copilot, and other tools read AGENTS.md automatically via their project-aware features
• No slash commands - type your requests naturally, the AI follows PIV methodology

Difference from Claude Code:

Feature	Claude Code	Cursor / Copilot
Slash commands	✅ /piv-speckit:*	❌ (natural language)
Auto-skills	✅ TDD, security	❌
Constitution template	✅ Embedded in plugin	✅ Included
Spec templates	✅ Embedded in plugin	✅ Included
PIV methodology	✅ Full	✅ Compact (AGENTS.md)

Note: Plugin templates are embedded directly in command files - they work immediately after installation without needing external template files.

---

Tool Comparison

Feature	Claude Code (Plugin)	Cursor / Copilot (Script)
Commands	/piv-speckit:prime, /piv-speckit:plan-feature, /piv-speckit:execute, /piv-speckit:constitution	Natural language (AI reads AGENTS.md)
Auto-Skills	✅ TDD, code-review, security activate automatically	❌
Spec Templates	✅ Included	✅ Included
Constitution	✅ Included	✅ Included
Context Loading	Smart layering (~15KB on-demand)	AGENTS.md (~500 lines, always loaded)
Updates	/plugin update	Re-run script

---

Architecture & Workflow

Complete Development Flow