Spec Workflow MCP
MCP serversMCP server for spec-driven development: sequential Requirements to Design to Tasks flow with a live dashboard and approval gates.
Install
$ claude mcp add spec-workflow npx @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest -- /path/to/your/project
Update
$ claude mcp add spec-workflow npx @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest -- /path/to/your/project
npx-launched MCP server pinned to @latest: re-running add (or restarting the client) fetches the newest published version.
When to use it
- You want the agent to follow a structured spec-driven process (Requirements then Design then Tasks) instead of jumping straight to code.
- You need a human approval gate with revisions before the agent implements a spec.
- You want a live dashboard to monitor specs, task progress, and implementation logs across projects.
- You work in VSCode and want an integrated sidebar instead of a separate browser dashboard.
Commands & flags
- "Create a spec for user authentication"
- Generates the full Requirements to Design to Tasks spec workflow for a feature.
- "List my specs"
- Shows all specs in the project with their current status.
- "Execute task 1.2 in spec user-auth"
- Runs a specific numbered task from a spec and logs the implementation.
- npx -y @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest --dashboard
- Starts the real-time web dashboard on http://localhost:5000 (required for CLI users).
- SPEC_WORKFLOW_HOME=/workspace/.spec-workflow-mcp
- Redirects global state to a writable path for sandboxed environments with a read-only $HOME.
How to use it
This is an MCP server, not a skill/plugin. Register it once with the Claude Code CLI, pointing it at your project directory:
claude mcp add spec-workflow npx @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest -- /path/to/your/project
The -- separator ensures the path is passed to the server, not to npx. CLI users must also run the dashboard in a separate terminal (it is required for CLI usage):
npx -y @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest --dashboard
Then drive it conversationally: "Create a spec for user authentication", "List my specs", "Execute task 1.2 in spec user-auth". Specs land under .spec-workflow/ (specs, approvals, steering, templates, archive). VSCode users can instead install the companion marketplace extension (Pimzino.spec-workflow-mcp) for an in-editor dashboard.
Why it earns its place
Forces a sequential, document-driven workflow — Requirements then Design then Tasks — with explicit human approval gates and revisions, so the agent plans and gets sign-off before it codes. The real-time dashboard, searchable implementation logs, steering documents, 11-language UI, and hardening controls (localhost binding, 120 req/min rate limiting, structured JSON audit logs, non-root read-only Docker) push it past a toy. Actively maintained by Pimzino with both an npm package (@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp, GPL-3.0) and a VSCode marketplace extension.
Try it
> Create a spec for a rate-limited password reset flow, then walk me through approving the requirements before we start tasks.