v1.47.0.0 feat: /spec — author backlog-ready spec in 5 phases + optional agent spawn (#1698) (#1733)

* feat(issue): add /issue skill for backlog-ready GitHub issue authoring

Interrogates an ambiguous request through five strict phases (why, scope,
technical, draft, final) and produces a GitHub issue precise enough that an
unfamiliar engineer or AI agent can execute it without follow-up. Slots in
after /office-hours (when the idea has passed the "worth building" bar) and
before /plan-eng-review (which assumes a plan already exists).

- issue/SKILL.md.tmpl + generated SKILL.md
- routing entry in root SKILL.md.tmpl
- llms.txt regenerated to include the new skill

* chore(spec): rename /issue → /spec + fix duplicate analytics block

Foundation commit for the /spec skill (extends PR #1698 by @jayzalowitz).

- Renames issue/ → spec/ (template + generated)
- Removes the hand-rolled analytics block in spec/SKILL.md.tmpl (lines 46-49 of the original); {{PREAMBLE}} already emits the analytics write with the telemetry opt-out guard, so the duplicate would have bypassed gstack-config set telemetry off
- Updates frontmatter (name: spec, expanded description with magical-moment preview, triggers reordered to lead with "spec this out")
- Updates root SKILL.md.tmpl routing entry → /spec
- Regenerates spec/SKILL.md and gstack/llms.txt via bun run gen:skill-docs

Co-Authored-By: Jay Zalowitz <jayzalowitz@gmail.com>
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* feat(spec): expansions — flags, archive, quality gate, plan-mode-aware Phase 5, /ship integration, tests

Builds on the @jayzalowitz foundation (commit a4e6ee38) with the full
expansion set from CEO + Eng + DX review (24 user decisions + 23 of 28
codex adversarial findings).

spec/SKILL.md.tmpl additions:
- Flag reference table (--dedupe / --no-gate / --audit / --execute /
  --no-execute / --file-only / --plan-file / --sync-archive).
- Phase 1b --dedupe (default ON): gh issue list --search with graceful
  skip on gh-not-installed / unauthed / rate-limited / other errors.
  AskUserQuestion when matches found (merge / file-new / cancel).
- Phase 3 HARD requirement: agent MUST grep/read at least one piece of
  evidence before asking. Project-level fallback prose for prompts with
  no concrete file mapping. Greenfield escape clause.
- Phase 4.5 quality gate (default ON): codex adversarial dispatch with
  fail-closed redaction (AWS/GitHub/Anthropic/OpenAI/private-key regex),
  hard <<<USER_SPEC>>> delimiters + instruction boundary (prompt-injection
  defense), score 0-10 with <7 block, up to 3 iterations, AskUserQuestion
  escape on persistent <7 (ship anyway / save draft / one more try).
- Phase 5 plan-mode-aware dispatch: reads GSTACK_PLAN_MODE env. Active
  → file-only + load into plan file. Inactive → file + --execute spawn
  by default. CLI overrides for explicit control.
- Archive block via eval $(gstack-paths) → $GSTACK_STATE_ROOT/projects/
  $SLUG/specs/<datetime>-<pid>-<slug>.md. Atomic .tmp/mv write. Sync
  excluded by default; --sync-archive to opt in.
- --execute path: dirty-worktree gate (porcelain check + 3-option AUQ
  continue/stash/cancel), TOCTOU re-check after AUQ answer, SHA pin
  via git rev-parse HEAD, unique branch spec/<slug>-$$ + PID-suffixed
  worktree, mandatory final-confirm gate, stash policy with restore
  safety (preserve ref, never auto-drop).
- TTHW timestamps captured at Phase 1 / first citation / file-or-spawn,
  emitted as ttfc_ms + tthw_ms in preamble telemetry envelope.

Cross-system plumbing:
- scripts/resolvers/preamble/generate-preamble-bash.ts: emit
  GSTACK_PLAN_MODE=active|inactive based on CLAUDE_PLAN_FILE presence.
- scripts/resolvers/preamble/generate-routing-injection.ts: add /spec
  to the routing block injected into project CLAUDE.md.
- ship/SKILL.md.tmpl: new "Linked Spec" PR-body section. Reads archive
  frontmatter spec_issue_number and adds Closes #N when full delivery
  confirmed by existing plan-completion gate (codex F4 — conditional).
  Branch-name inference NOT used (codex F3 — fragile under rebase).

Tests (W7):
- test/spec-template-invariants.test.ts: 35 deterministic assertions
  covering Phase 1 hard gate, Phase 3 hard-grep mandate, --dedupe
  graceful-skip paths, --execute race + security hardening (TOCTOU,
  SHA pin, unique branch), quality-gate redaction + BLOCKED path,
  archive atomic write + sync exclusion, plan-mode-aware Phase 5.
- test/spec-template-sync.test.ts: regen + byte-identical check.
- test/skill-e2e-spec-execute.test.ts (periodic-tier scaffold).
- test/skill-llm-eval-spec.test.ts (periodic-tier scaffold).
- test/helpers/touchfiles.ts: register both periodics in E2E_TIERS +
  LLM_JUDGE_TOUCHFILES.

37/37 /spec tests pass. Full bun test exit 0 (pre-existing
url-validation timeout unrelated to /spec).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* chore: v1.45.0.0 — regen all SKILL.md, bump VERSION, CHANGELOG entry

Mechanical regen pulling in two template-side changes:
- /spec expansion (spec/SKILL.md picks up ~1100 new lines)
- {{PREAMBLE}} now echoes GSTACK_PLAN_MODE env (every skill picks up
  the new echo line in the preamble bash block)

VERSION 1.44.0.0 → 1.45.0.0 (MINOR per scale-aware rules: substantial
new capability — /spec skill with 5 CLI flags + race/security
hardening + plan-mode-aware Phase 5 + /ship integration).

CHANGELOG entry frames /spec as agent feedstock with the two-line
headline, "numbers that matter" table, and "what this means for
builders" close. Credits @jayzalowitz for the foundation contribution.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* chore(spec): register /spec in scripts/proactive-suggestions.json

Auto-generated by bun run gen:skill-docs after the v1.46 catalog-trim
contract picked up /spec's frontmatter. lead + routing extracted from
spec/SKILL.md.tmpl description: block.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* chore(spec): TODOS deferrals + package.json sync for v1.47.0.0

- TODOS.md: add P2 entry for /spec --epic mode (deferred from CEO SCOPE
  EXPANSION review), P3 entry for --dedupe semantic matching upgrade.
  Both have full context blocks so future picker can resume cold.
- package.json: bump 1.46.0.0 → 1.47.0.0 to match VERSION (was stale
  from the main merge; /ship Step 12 idempotency caught it).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: register /spec skill in README, AGENTS, CLAUDE.md project tree

Adds /spec to the three discoverability surfaces it was missing:
- README.md sprint skills table (between /autoplan and /learn)
- AGENTS.md plan-mode reviews table
- CLAUDE.md project structure tree (between /investigate and /retro)

/spec shipped in v1.47.0.0 with CHANGELOG coverage but the entry-point
docs hadn't been updated; a user landing on README or AGENTS would not
discover the skill exists without reading CHANGELOG.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Jay Zalowitz <jayzalowitz@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,61 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [1.47.0.0] - 2026-05-26
+
+## **`/spec` ships: turn vague intent into a precise, executable spec in five phases.** Pipe the spec into a spawned Claude Code agent, dedupe against existing issues, archive locally for the team corpus, and let `/ship` close the source issue on merge.
+
+A precise spec collapses an agent's clarification roundtrips from N to zero. `/spec` is the verb that turns thoughts into commits: five strict phases (why, scope, technical with mandatory code-reading, draft, file), a codex quality gate before file, archive to `$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT/projects/$SLUG/specs/`, and optional pipeline-mode spawn into a fresh worktree. Plan-mode aware: in plan mode `/spec` files the issue and loads the spec into your active plan file; in execution mode it files the issue and spawns `claude -p` in a fresh worktree by default. `/ship` reads the archive frontmatter and auto-closes the source issue on full delivery. Adapted from a community-contributed `/issue` skill (PR #1698 by @jayzalowitz) with rename, race+security hardening, and DX polish.
+
+`/spec` is the first skill registered against the v1.46 eval-first floor (`test/skill-coverage-matrix.ts`), passing all six structural floor checks plus 37 deterministic invariant assertions specific to `/spec`'s contract. Skill catalog count: 51 → 52.
+
+### The numbers that matter
+
+Source: 1 contributor commit + 8 follow-on bundled fixes/expansions on this branch (`git log v1.46.0.0..HEAD --oneline`). Template at `spec/SKILL.md.tmpl` (404 → ~750 lines after expansions), 4 new test files (37 deterministic scenarios + 2 periodic-tier stubs).
+
+| Capability | Without `/spec` | With `/spec` |
+|---|---|---|
+| Author backlog-ready issue | freehand prose, sloppy AC, no file refs, 10-15 min per issue | 5-phase interrogation with hard-grep Phase 3, file-refs at `path:line`, quantified impact, ~4 min |
+| Spec → agent execution | copy-paste into new `claude -p` session, ~30s context-switch friction | `--execute` spawns automatically in fresh worktree `spec/<slug>-$$`, zero hand-off |
+| Catch ambiguity before file | none (you find out when the implementer asks) | codex quality gate scores 0-10, blocks below 7, lists ambiguities, up to 3 iterations |
+| Secret leakage to second-AI judge | possible if spec contains pasted secret | fail-closed redaction blocks dispatch on AWS/GitHub/Anthropic key patterns + private key blocks |
+| Concurrent `/spec` runs | branch/archive collisions on same second | unique `spec/<slug>-$$` branches, atomic `.tmp/mv` archive write, PID-suffixed filenames |
+| Linked issue closure | manual `Closes #N` in PR body | `/ship` auto-adds when archive present AND full spec delivered |
+
+### What this means for builders
+
+Type `/spec` on a vague bug; four minutes later you have a filed GitHub issue with file refs and a Claude Code agent already executing it in a fresh worktree. When `/ship` lands the PR, the source issue auto-closes. The corpus of past specs in `$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT/projects/$SLUG/specs/` is mineable by `gbrain` for cross-session pattern recall. `--no-gate`, `--no-execute`, `--file-only`, and `--plan-file <path>` are escape hatches when the defaults don't fit; `--audit` routes to the Audit/Cleanup template structure.
+
+### Itemized changes
+
+#### Added
+- `/spec` skill (renamed from contributor's `/issue`): five-phase interrogation producing backlog-ready specs. Lives at `spec/SKILL.md.tmpl`.
+- `--dedupe` flag (default ON): `gh issue list --search` before drafting, surfaces near-duplicates via AskUserQuestion; graceful skip on `gh` missing/unauthed/rate-limited.
+- `--execute` flag (default ON in execution mode): spawns `claude -p` in a fresh Conductor worktree on branch `spec/<slug>-$$`, with dirty-worktree gate, TOCTOU re-check after AskUserQuestion answer, SHA pin via `git rev-parse HEAD`, and mandatory final-confirm gate.
+- Quality-score gate (default ON): codex adversarial dispatch with hard `<<<USER_SPEC>>>` delimiter + instruction boundary, score 0-10, blocks at <7, up to 3 iterations, AskUserQuestion escape on persistent <7 (ship anyway / save draft / one more try).
+- Fail-closed redaction in quality gate: regex match against AWS access keys (`AKIA...`), GitHub tokens (`ghp_/gho_/ghs_`), Anthropic keys (`sk-ant-...`), OpenAI keys, `.env`-style `KEY=value`, and `-----BEGIN ... PRIVATE KEY-----` blocks → block dispatch entirely. Raw spec never persisted to archive or transcript on block.
+- `--audit` flag routes Phase 5 to the Audit/Cleanup template structure.
+- `--file-only` / `--no-execute` / `--plan-file <path>` overrides for plan-mode-aware Phase 5 default.
+- `--sync-archive` opt-in for cross-machine spec sync (archives stay local by default; `/specs/` excluded from artifacts-sync allowlist).
+- Spec archive: writes to `$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT/projects/$SLUG/specs/<datetime>-<pid>-<slug>.md` via existing `gstack-paths` resolver (handles `GSTACK_HOME`, `CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA`, Windows fallback). Atomic `.tmp/mv` write prevents collision on concurrent runs.
+- `GSTACK_PLAN_MODE` env var: emitted by `{{PREAMBLE}}` based on `CLAUDE_PLAN_FILE` presence. Skills can branch behavior on plan-mode state without parsing system reminders.
+- `/spec` entry in the gstack routing block injected into project CLAUDE.md.
+- `/ship` PR body integration: reads `spec_issue_number` from archive frontmatter and adds `Closes #N` when the spec is fully delivered per the existing plan-completion gate. Partial delivery emits a "Linked to #N (not auto-closing)" notice instead.
+- `/spec` entry in `test/skill-coverage-matrix.ts` (52nd skill, eval-first floor compliance per v1.46 contract).
+
+#### Tests
+- `test/spec-template-invariants.test.ts`: 35 deterministic invariants covering Phase 1 hard gate, Phase 3 hard-grep mandate, `--dedupe` graceful-skip paths, `--execute` race + security hardening (TOCTOU re-check, SHA pin, unique branch), quality-gate redaction patterns and BLOCKED path, archive atomic write + sync exclusion, plan-mode-aware Phase 5 dispatch.
+- `test/spec-template-sync.test.ts`: regenerates `spec/SKILL.md` and asserts byte-identical output (prevents template-vs-generated drift).
+- `test/skill-e2e-spec-execute.test.ts` (periodic-tier): full `/spec --execute` pipeline scaffold registered in `E2E_TIERS`.
+- `test/skill-llm-eval-spec.test.ts` (periodic-tier): authored-spec quality eval against the 14-Quality-Standards rubric.
+
+#### Fixed
+- Duplicate analytics block in `spec/SKILL.md.tmpl` (was bypassing the `_TEL != "off"` opt-out gate; `{{PREAMBLE}}` already emits the analytics write with the guard).
+
+#### For contributors
+- Community contribution: PR #1698 by @jayzalowitz (Jay Zalowitz) lands as the foundation commit with original authorship preserved. Contributor's 5 phases, 14 Quality Standards, and Standard/Epic/Audit templates carried forward intact; expansions are additive.
+- Plan reviewed across `/plan-ceo-review` (SCOPE EXPANSION, 5 of 6 expansions accepted), `/plan-eng-review` (race + security hardening), and `/plan-devex-review` (persona, magical moment, error-message Tier 1, plan-mode-aware Phase 5).
+- 28 codex adversarial findings across 3 review rounds, 23 accepted.
+
 ## [1.46.0.0] - 2026-05-26
 
 ## **gstack v2 foundation lands. Catalog tokens drop 56%, eval-first floor covers all 51 skills, hard token + dollar caps gate every PR.**