name: speckit-sync-conflicts description: Detect and surface conflicts between specs or between specs and design docs compatibility: Requires spec-kit project structure with .specify/ directory metadata: author: github-spec-kit source: sync:commands/conflicts.md

Spec Sync: Detect Conflicts

Find contradictions between specs, or between specs and design documents. Surface them for human resolution.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

Context

Read all spec files and design documents:

• specs/*/spec.md
• docs/plans/*.md or docs/design/*.md
• Any files with "design" or "plan" in the name

Steps

1. Extract Requirements from All Sources

For each spec, extract:

• All FR-* requirements with full text
• All SC-* success criteria
• Key constraints and assumptions
• Out of scope items

For design docs, extract:

• Design decisions
• Constraints
• Behavioral specifications
• Any "MUST", "SHALL", "SHOULD" statements

2. Build Requirement Index

Create a semantic index of all requirements, keyed by:

• Feature area (extraction, routing, register, etc.)
• Entity type (document, transaction, row, etc.)
• Behavior type (create, update, validate, etc.)

3. Detect Direct Conflicts

Look for contradictions:

Type 1: Same Feature, Different Behavior

• Spec A says "one row per document"
• Spec B says "split transactions produce multiple rows"
• Conflict: Row cardinality

Type 2: Obsolete Constraints

• Spec A says "5 extraction fields: Date, Vendor, Total, Tax, Currency"
• Design doc says "type-aware fields, 4-8 per document type"
• Conflict: Field count and composition

Type 3: Scope Overlap

• Spec A includes feature X
• Spec B also includes feature X
• Conflict: Unclear ownership

Type 4: Implicit Conflicts

• Spec A assumes auth is always valid
• Spec B adds offline mode
• Conflict: Assumption violated

4. Determine Resolution Path

For each conflict:

SUPERSEDE: Newer document replaces older

• Check dates, version numbers
• Design docs often supersede original specs
• Later specs refine earlier specs

MERGE: Combine into single authoritative source

• When both have valid parts
• Create unified spec

DEPRECATE: Mark older as obsolete

• When requirement is no longer relevant
• Document why it was removed

HUMAN_REQUIRED: Can't determine automatically

• Architectural decisions
• Trade-offs involved
• Missing context

5. Generate Conflict Report

# Spec Conflict Report

Generated: [timestamp]

## Summary

| Conflict Type | Count |
|---------------|-------|
| Same Feature, Different Behavior | X |
| Obsolete Constraints | X |
| Scope Overlap | X |
| Implicit Conflicts | X |

## Conflicts

### Conflict 1: Extraction Field Count

**Sources**:
- `specs/008-field-extraction/spec.md` (FR-003)
- `docs/plans/2026-02-19-type-aware-extraction-design.md`

**Description**:
Spec 008 defines 5 fixed extraction fields for all document types.
Design doc introduces type-aware extraction with 4-8 fields per type.

**Evidence**:

From spec-008:
> FR-003: System MUST extract the following fields: Date, Vendor, Total, Tax, Currency

From design doc:
> Document Types & Extraction Fields
> ### Receipt
> Fields: Date, Vendor, Total, Tax, Currency, Category
> ### Bill
> Fields: Date, Vendor, Description, Total, Due Date, Currency, Category

**Suggested Resolution**: SUPERSEDE

The design doc (dated 2026-02-19) supersedes spec-008 for extraction fields.
Recommend updating spec-008 to reference the design doc or incorporating
the type-aware fields directly.

**Action Required**:
- [ ] Mark spec-008/FR-003 as superseded by design doc
- [ ] Update spec-008 with type-aware field definitions
- [ ] Or create new spec-013 for type-aware extraction

---

### Conflict 2: Register Row Cardinality

[... additional conflicts ...]

## Resolution Tracking

Track resolution decisions:

| Conflict | Resolution | Decided By | Date |
|----------|------------|------------|------|
| Conflict 1 | SUPERSEDE | pending | - |

## Recommendations

1. Schedule a 30-min review session to resolve conflicts
2. Consider consolidating specs 008 and design doc
3. Add explicit "supersedes" metadata to specs

6. Save Report

Write to:

• .specify/sync/conflicts.md
• .specify/sync/conflicts.json

Conflict Resolution Commands

After reviewing conflicts, mark resolutions:

/speckit.sync.conflicts resolve 1 --supersede docs/plans/2026-02-19-type-aware-extraction-design.md

/speckit.sync.conflicts resolve 2 --merge spec-011

Example Usage

/speckit.sync.conflicts

/speckit.sync.conflicts --include-design-docs

/speckit.sync.conflicts --spec 008