Spec-to-Ship
Engineer AI agents
with structure.
Spec-to-Ship (s2s) is the structured engineering workflow for AI-assisted development. Move from vague prompts to verifiable, stage-gated delivery.
The Pipeline
s2s enforces a strict state machine for AI development, ensuring every code change has clear lineage back to requirements.
Spec
Define your requirements in structured Markdown. Intent is classified across nine work types.
Plan
The agent maps requirements to your project's architecture and decides the minimum route needed.
Code
Deterministic generation in an isolated git worktree. Your main branch stays untouched.
Ship
Human-approved, verified modules ready for PR and production deployment.
Designed for machine consumption
LLMs struggle with large, ambiguous codebases. s2s provides a machine-readable bridge — breaking projects into focused task packages that agents understand precisely, without hallucinating scope or dependencies.
- Intent-classified routing across nine work types
- Structured task packages with bounded context
- Token-efficient, noise-free artifact generation
"stage": "engineering", "intent": "new_feature", "slice": "auth-flow-jwt", "context": "spec": "specs/auth.md", "prior_artifacts": [ "pm/plan.md", "design/spec.md" ] , "output_path": ".s2s/artifacts/eng.md"
Execution without fear
Never run agent code directly in your working directory. s2s executes all code changes in an isolated git worktree on a dedicated branch. Your main branch is clean until you explicitly review and approve.
Each run targets one Slice — a bounded unit derived from your spec — limiting blast radius.
Nothing advances without a deliberate human decision via s2s approve.
Engineered for Reliability
Compare the ungoverned AI coding experience with the structured s2s methodology.
| Challenge | Without s2s | With s2s |
|---|---|---|
| Scope control | AI decides what to build | Intent-classified, stage-gated routing |
| Execution safety | Code runs in your workspace | Isolated git worktrees per slice |
| State & audit | Lost when chat window closes | Persistent artifacts in .s2s/ |
| Review process | Ad-hoc, no approval trail | Structured gates via s2s approve |
Open Source by Design
s2s is built for the community. We believe the future of AI-assisted engineering depends on open, auditable standards for agent governance.
Ready to ship with structure?
Start using s2s in your project today — it installs in seconds and works with your existing Claude Code or Codex setup.
npm install -g spec-to-ship