Hey there! Whether you're coming from Roo Code looking to add structure to your development, or from Spec Kit wanting AI-powered assistance, you've found the perfect combination! This guide will help you get started with both tools working together seamlessly.
If you're a Roo Code user: You'll discover how Spec Kit adds structure, documentation, and governance to your AI-powered development workflow.
If you're a Spec Kit user: You'll learn how Roo Code brings intelligent code generation, debugging, and documentation to your structured development process.
Together: You'll get a complete development ecosystem that combines the best of both worlds!
I'm going to assume you already have VS Code and its Roo Code extension installed
/starterkit-speckit-setupThat's it! This single command will:
- ✨ Install Spec Kit automatically
- 🏗️ Set up your project structure
- 📜 Help you create a project constitution (with easy multiple choice options!)
- 👥 Configure your development team (beginner, foundation, or enterprise)
- ⚙️ Import everything into Roo Code
During setup, you'll choose:
- Your project name and goals
- Development principles (Quality, Security, Performance, etc.)
- Team size (7, 10, or 17 AI modes)
Depending on your choice, you'll get access to specialized AI modes:
- 🏗️ Architect - Plans your project structure
- 💬 Ask - Answers questions (read-only mode)
- 💻 Code - Writes and improves code
- 🐞 Debug - Finds and fixes bugs
- 📝 Documentation Writer - Creates clear docs
- 🧮 Taskmaster - Keeps projects organized
- ✅ Verifier - Validates work quality
All Beginner modes plus:
- 🎫 Issue Writer - Creates structured tasks
- 🧹 Repository Cleanup - Code quality improvements
- 🔎 Project Research - Technology investigation
All Foundation modes plus:
- 🔗 API Designer - RESTful API creation
- ⚙️ DevOps Engineer - Deployment automation
- 🧪 Jest Test Engineer - Comprehensive testing
- 📈 Performance Engineer - Optimization & monitoring
- 📦 Release Manager - Version management
- 🛡️ Security Reviewer - Security auditing
- 🔍 Research Updater - Current best practices
Spec Kit helps you structure your development process:
- 📋 Specifications - Write clear requirements that anyone can understand
- 🏗️ Planning - Create technical plans and architecture decisions
- ✅ Tasks - Break work into manageable, trackable pieces
- 📚 Documentation - Generate consistent docs automatically
Roo Code then uses these structured specs to:
- Generate code that matches your specifications exactly
- Debug issues with context from your plans
- Create documentation following your templates
- Validate work against your acceptance criteria
Roo Code brings AI assistance to your structured development:
- 🧠 Intelligent Code Generation - Write code based on your specifications
- 🔍 Smart Debugging - Find and fix issues using your technical plans
- 📝 Auto Documentation - Generate docs from your templates
- ⚡ Multiple Specializations - Different AI modes for different tasks
Spec Kit provides the structure:
- Clear specifications for consistent requirements
- Technical planning for architecture decisions
- Task management for organized development
- Quality validation for reliable delivery
/starterkit-speckit-setup/speckit.specify "Add user login with email and password"/speckit.plan/speckit.tasks/starterkit-speckit-code- 📋 Structure: No more wondering what to build next - Spec Kit gives you clear specifications
- 📚 Documentation: Automatic generation of READMEs, API docs, and technical guides
- ✅ Quality Gates: Built-in validation and acceptance criteria checking
- 👥 Team Modes: Specialized AI assistants for different aspects of development
- 🤖 AI Assistance: Intelligent code generation and debugging from your specifications
- ⚡ Speed: Faster implementation using AI that understands your technical plans
- 🔧 Multiple Tools: Different AI modes for architecture, coding, testing, deployment
- 📈 Current Best Practices: AI research for latest frameworks and patterns
/starterkit-speckit-setup- Complete automated setup (you're here!)
/speckit.specify- Create feature specifications from descriptions/speckit.plan- Generate technical implementation plans/speckit.tasks- Create actionable task breakdowns/speckit.clarify- Get clarification on ambiguous requirements
/starterkit-speckit-architect- Technical design with current best practices/starterkit-speckit-code- AI-powered implementation with Context7 integration/starterkit-speckit-debug- Intelligent debugging and issue resolution/starterkit-speckit-test- Comprehensive testing automation/starterkit-speckit-deploy- DevOps automation and deployment
Congratulations! You now have:
✅ Spec Kit for structured development workflow ✅ Roo Code for AI-powered assistance ✅ Interactive setup with your custom constitution ✅ Specialized AI team configured for your project size ✅ Complete documentation and templates ready to use
- Review your constitution at
.specify/memory/constitution.md - Create your first feature using
/speckit.specify - Explore your AI team modes - each one is specialized for different tasks
- Build something amazing! 🚀
- New to Spec Kit? The structured approach might feel different at first, but it prevents misunderstandings and ensures quality
- New to Roo Code? The AI assistance will speed up your development while maintaining the structure you need
- Questions? Each AI mode is designed to help you learn and improve
Welcome to the future of structured, AI-enhanced development! 🌟
This Getting Started guide focuses on the friendly collaboration between Spec Kit's structured approach and Roo Code's intelligent assistance. Together, they create a development experience that's both organized and incredibly powerful!