developer-toolsproductivity

Spec Workflow MCP

by Pimzino

Structured spec-driven development workflow for AI-assisted software development. Creates detailed specifications before

Structured spec-driven development workflow for AI-assisted software development. Creates detailed specifications before implementation, ensuring consistent and well-planned code output. 3,900+ GitHub stars.

github stars

4.0K

Real-time web dashboardVSCode extension included3,900+ GitHub stars

best for

  • / AI-assisted software development teams
  • / Developers wanting structured coding workflows
  • / Projects requiring spec documentation before coding
  • / Teams needing approval processes for development tasks

capabilities

  • / Generate sequential specifications (Requirements → Design → Tasks)
  • / Track implementation progress with visual dashboards
  • / Manage approval workflows with revision tracking
  • / Monitor task completion with detailed logs
  • / Search implementation history with code statistics
  • / View specs and progress in VSCode sidebar

what it does

Creates structured development workflows by generating detailed specifications before writing code, with a real-time dashboard to track progress. Ensures AI-assisted development follows a planned, spec-driven approach rather than jumping straight to implementation.

about

Spec Workflow MCP is a community-built MCP server published by Pimzino that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Structured spec-driven development workflow for AI-assisted software development. Creates detailed specifications before It is categorized under developer tools, productivity.

how to install

You can install Spec Workflow MCP in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.

license

GPL-3.0

Spec Workflow MCP is released under the GPL-3.0 license.

readme

Spec Workflow MCP

npm version VSCode Extension

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for structured spec-driven development with real-time dashboard and VSCode extension.

☕ Support This Project

<a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/Pimzino" target="_blank"><img src="https://cdn.buymeacoffee.com/buttons/v2/default-yellow.png" alt="Buy Me A Coffee" style="height: 60px !important;width: 217px !important;" ></a>

📺 Showcase

🔄 Approval System in Action

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-uEa3mfxd0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://img.youtube.com/vi/C-uEa3mfxd0/maxresdefault.jpg" alt="Approval System Demo" width="600"> </a>

See how the approval system works: create documents, request approval through the dashboard, provide feedback, and track revisions.

📊 Dashboard & Spec Management

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9qfvjLUWf8" target="_blank"> <img src="https://img.youtube.com/vi/g9qfvjLUWf8/maxresdefault.jpg" alt="Dashboard Demo" width="600"> </a>

Explore the real-time dashboard: view specs, track progress, navigate documents, and monitor your development workflow.

✨ Key Features

  • Structured Development Workflow - Sequential spec creation (Requirements → Design → Tasks)
  • Real-Time Web Dashboard - Monitor specs, tasks, and progress with live updates
  • VSCode Extension - Integrated sidebar dashboard for VSCode users
  • Approval Workflow - Complete approval process with revisions
  • Task Progress Tracking - Visual progress bars and detailed status
  • Implementation Logs - Searchable logs of all task implementations with code statistics
  • Multi-Language Support - Available in 11 languages

🌍 Supported Languages

🇺🇸 English • 🇯🇵 日本語 • 🇨🇳 中文 • 🇪🇸 Español • 🇧🇷 Português • 🇩🇪 Deutsch • 🇫🇷 Français • 🇷🇺 Русский • 🇮🇹 Italiano • 🇰🇷 한국어 • 🇸🇦 العربية

📖 Documentation in your language:

English | 日本語 | 中文 | Español | Português | Deutsch | Français | Русский | Italiano | 한국어 | العربية

🚀 Quick Start

Step 1: Add to your AI tool

Add to your MCP configuration (see client-specific setup below):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-workflow": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Choose your interface

Option A: Web Dashboard (Required for CLI users) Start the dashboard (runs on port 5000 by default):

npx -y @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest --dashboard

The dashboard will be accessible at: http://localhost:5000

Note: Only one dashboard instance is needed. All your projects will connect to the same dashboard.

Option B: VSCode Extension (Recommended for VSCode users)

Install Spec Workflow MCP Extension from the VSCode marketplace.

📝 How to Use

Simply mention spec-workflow in your conversation:

  • "Create a spec for user authentication" - Creates complete spec workflow
  • "List my specs" - Shows all specs and their status
  • "Execute task 1.2 in spec user-auth" - Runs a specific task

See more examples →

🔧 MCP Client Setup

<details> <summary><strong>Augment Code</strong></summary>

Configure in your Augment settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-workflow": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}
</details> <details> <summary><strong>Claude Code CLI</strong></summary>

Add to your MCP configuration:

claude mcp add spec-workflow npx @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest -- /path/to/your/project

Important Notes:

  • The -y flag bypasses npm prompts for smoother installation
  • The -- separator ensures the path is passed to the spec-workflow script, not to npx
  • Replace /path/to/your/project with your actual project directory path

Alternative for Windows (if the above doesn't work):

claude mcp add spec-workflow cmd.exe /c "npx @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest /path/to/your/project"
</details> <details> <summary><strong>Claude Desktop</strong></summary>

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-workflow": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}

Important: Run the dashboard separately with --dashboard before starting the MCP server.

</details> <details> <summary><strong>Cline/Claude Dev</strong></summary>

Add to your MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-workflow": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}
</details> <details> <summary><strong>Continue IDE Extension</strong></summary>

Add to your Continue configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-workflow": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}
</details> <details> <summary><strong>Cursor IDE</strong></summary>

Add to your Cursor settings (settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-workflow": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}
</details> <details> <summary><strong>OpenCode</strong></summary>

Add to your opencode.json configuration file:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "spec-workflow": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
</details> <details> <summary><strong>Windsurf</strong></summary>

Add to your ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spec-workflow": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}
</details> <details> <summary><strong>Codex</strong></summary>

Add to your ~/.codex/config.toml configuration file:

[mcp_servers.spec-workflow]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest", "/path/to/your/project"]
</details>

🐳 Docker Deployment

Run the dashboard in a Docker container for isolated deployment:

# Using Docker Compose (recommended)
cd containers
docker-compose up --build

# Or using Docker CLI
docker build -f containers/Dockerfile -t spec-workflow-mcp .
docker run -p 5000:5000 -v "./workspace/.spec-workflow:/workspace/.spec-workflow:rw" spec-workflow-mcp

The dashboard will be available at: http://localhost:5000

See Docker setup guide →

🔒 Security

Spec-Workflow MCP includes enterprise-grade security features suitable for corporate environments:

✅ Implemented Security Controls

FeatureDescription
Localhost BindingBinds to 127.0.0.1 by default, preventing network exposure
Rate Limiting120 requests/minute per client with automatic cleanup
Audit LoggingStructured JSON logs with timestamp, actor, action, and result
Security HeadersX-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, X-XSS-Protection, CSP, Referrer-Policy
CORS ProtectionRestricted to localhost origins by default
Docker HardeningNon-root user, read-only filesystem, dropped capabilities, resource limits

⚠️ Not Yet Implemented

FeatureWorkaround
HTTPS/TLSUse a reverse proxy (nginx, Apache) with TLS certificates
User AuthenticationUse a reverse proxy with Basic Auth or OAuth2 Proxy for SSO

For External/Network Access

If you need to expose the dashboard beyond localhost, we recommend:

  1. Keep dashboard on localhost (127.0.0.1)
  2. Use nginx or Apache as a reverse proxy with:
    • TLS/HTTPS termination
    • Basic authentication or OAuth2
  3. Configure firewall rules to restrict access
# Example nginx reverse proxy with auth
server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name dashboard.example.com;
    
    ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;
    
    auth_basic "Dashboard Access";
    auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
    
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}

See Docker security guide →

🔒 Sandboxed Environments

For sandboxed environments (e.g., Codex CLI with sandbox_mode=workspace-write) where $HOME is read-only, use the SPEC_WORKFLOW_HOME environment variable to redirect global state files to a writable location:

SPEC_WORKFLOW_HOME=/workspace/.spec-workflow-mcp npx -y @pimzino/spec-workflow-mcp@latest /workspace

See Configuration Guide →

📚 Documentation