name: speckit-install description: Install the Specify CLI on the host machine (uv tool install or uvx one-time); supports multiple OS, persistent or one-time install, and corporate or restricted-network environments. Use when the user says "install Spec Kit", "install Specify CLI", or "specify command not found".

Spec Kit Install Skill

Install the Specify CLI so that specify is available in PATH (or use one-time uvx). This skill covers only installing the CLI; it does not run specify init. For project initialization after install, use speckit-initial.

When to Use

• First-time Spec Kit setup ("install Spec Kit", "install Specify CLI").
• CI or scripts that need to pre-install the CLI.
• Upgrading the CLI (uv tool install --force).
• User reports "specify command not found" or "specify: command not found".

Prerequisites

• uv: Astral uv for installing the CLI. If uv is not installed, guide the user to install it first (e.g. curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh on Linux/macOS, or see uv docs for Windows).
• Python 3.11+ when using uv (uv typically bundles or uses system Python).
• Git (optional for install; required later for specify init with git).

Workflow

1. Check if already installed

   • Suggest running specify --version or specify check. If the command succeeds, the CLI is already installed; suggest speckit-initial for project init or speckit-check for environment verification.

2. Persistent install (recommended)

   • Run: uv tool install specify-cli --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git
   • This makes specify available in PATH for all projects.
   • Upgrade: uv tool install specify-cli --force --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git

3. One-time usage (no PATH install)

   • Run: uvx --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git specify init <project_name_or_.> --ai <agent>
   • Use when the user does not want to install the tool permanently (e.g. quick try, CI one-off). Document that subsequent specify init or specify check in the same session can reuse the same uvx prefix or require re-running with full uvx --from ... if not installed.

4. Corporate or restricted network

   • Set GH_TOKEN or GITHUB_TOKEN for GitHub API access if needed.
   • For specify init (handled in speckit-initial): --github-token <token> or env var. For install, uv may need network access to clone the repo; if TLS issues occur, document that uv/spec-kit may support --skip-tls or similar only where explicitly documented (avoid recommending insecure options unless user is in a controlled environment).

Outputs

• Persistent install: specify is available in PATH; user can run specify init, specify check in any directory.
• One-time: No change to PATH; user runs uvx --from git+https://github.com/github/spec-kit.git specify ... for each use.

Next Steps

• After install: use speckit-initial to run specify init in a project, or speckit-check to verify the environment.

Different Environments

Troubleshooting

• uv not found: Direct user to install uv.
• Python version: uv usually manages Python; if errors mention Python, ensure 3.11+ is available.
• Network / SSL: Check firewall, proxy, and GitHub access; avoid disabling TLS unless necessary and documented.
• Permission errors: On Linux/macOS, user install with uv typically does not need sudo; if using system Python, consider user-level uv install.

References

• GitHub spec-kit — Get Started: Install Specify CLI
• uv documentation