AI coding glossary
Spec-Driven Development
Also known as: spec-first development, specification-driven, sdd
In one sentence
An AI coding pattern where you write a clear specification first, then let the agent implement to spec, the inverse of vibe-coding.
Full definition
Spec-driven development (SDD) is an AI coding pattern that flips vibe-coding on its head. Instead of describing what you want in a chat and letting the AI improvise, you write a clear specification first, requirements, acceptance criteria, edge cases, non-functional requirements. The AI then implements to spec, runs tests against the spec, and iterates until the spec is satisfied. AWS Kiro makes spec-driven development native to the IDE. Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and Antigravity 2.0 all support spec-first workflows via spec-driven skills from the skills-hub catalog.