Spectra is a desktop app for Spec-Driven Development — manage specs, track changes, and follow a structured workflow from proposal to archive.
AI coding tools are powerful, but without structure they create as many problems as they solve.
Every new AI session starts from zero. Your intent, decisions, and constraints vanish between conversations.
Spectra keeps your specs and change history in structured files that any AI tool can read and build on.
A simple feature request turns into a sprawling refactor. Without clear boundaries, scope keeps growing.
Each change starts with a scoped proposal — clear goals, defined tasks, and testable success criteria.
AI tools generate code that drifts from your architecture. What compiles isn't always what you meant.
Your specs act as guardrails. AI reads the spec, follows the plan, and stays within the intended design.
A focused toolset for managing the full lifecycle of spec-driven changes.
Create proposals, track artifacts, and manage the full lifecycle of every change in your project.
Browse and manage specifications with requirement tracking, scenarios, and full version history.
Instantly find anything across specs, changes, and archived items with fast full-text search.
Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf. Generate skills and commands for your AI tools.
Three steps to start building with structure.
Grab the free app for macOS or Windows. No account needed.
Point Spectra at any project folder. It creates an openspec directory for your specs.
Use the workflow to discuss, propose, and implement your first spec-driven change.
A structured path that turns vague ideas into well-documented, implemented changes.
Explore the problem space and align on direction
optionalCreate a formal change proposal with specs and design
Implement tasks from the change proposal
Update artifacts when requirements evolve mid-work
Complete the change and merge specs into the project
Common questions about Spectra and Spec-Driven Development.
Spectra is a free desktop application for Spec-Driven Development (SDD). It helps you manage specifications, track changes, and follow a structured workflow from proposal to archive.
Spec-Driven Development is a methodology where you structure your thinking and write specifications before coding. It follows a workflow: discuss, propose, apply, ingest, and archive.
Spectra is available for macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows. It is free to use.
Spectra works with 23 mainstream coding agents, including Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, and more. It generates skills and commands for your AI tools.
OpenSpec is an open SDD framework that defines the format for specs, changes, and archives using plain Markdown and YAML files. Spectra is built on OpenSpec and fully compatible with its data format — any existing openspec/ directory works seamlessly with Spectra. Spectra adds a visual interface, simplified workflows, and consistency checks on top of the OpenSpec format.
Free to use. Available for macOS and Windows.
$ brew install --cask spectra-app