Mission Specification: Alphabetical Command Listing
Mission Branch: alphabetical-command-listing-01KW6N8W Created: 2026-06-28 Status: Draft Input: User description: "arrange commands by alphabetical order when running spec-kitty without any parameters or subcommands"
User Scenarios & Testing (mandatory)
User Story 1 - Scan Root Commands Predictably (Priority: P1)
A CLI user runs spec-kitty without parameters or subcommands and sees the available commands listed in alphabetical order.
Why this priority: Running the root command is a common discovery path, and alphabetical ordering makes the list easier to scan, compare, and reference.
Independent Test: Can be tested by running spec-kitty with no parameters and verifying the displayed command names are ordered alphabetically.
Acceptance Scenarios:
1. Given a user runs spec-kitty without parameters or subcommands, When the root command list is displayed, Then the available commands appear in alphabetical order by displayed command name. 2. Given command names include hyphenated words, When the list is ordered, Then the displayed names still follow a predictable alphabetical order. 3. Given commands are added or removed later, When the root list is displayed, Then the full displayed list remains alphabetically ordered.
User Story 2 - Preserve Root Command Guidance (Priority: P2)
A CLI user still receives the same root-level guidance and context when running spec-kitty without parameters, with only the command ordering changed.
Why this priority: The mission should improve scanability without removing existing useful information or changing the meaning of the root command output.
Independent Test: Can be tested by comparing the root output before and after the ordering change and confirming the same user-facing command entries remain present.
Acceptance Scenarios:
1. Given the root command output contains non-command guidance, When commands are alphabetized, Then the guidance remains visible and understandable. 2. Given the root command output includes all available root commands, When the output is reordered, Then no command is omitted or duplicated.
Edge Cases
- Alphabetical ordering should apply to the displayed command list, not necessarily to unrelated prose, banners, or usage text.
- Command names with prefixes or hyphens should sort consistently by the visible command name.
- The output should remain stable across repeated invocations when the command surface has not changed.
- This mission does not require changing nested subcommand help ordering unless that output is part of the bare root command display.
Requirements (mandatory)
Functional Requirements
| ID | Title | User Story | Priority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR-001 | Root command sorting | As a CLI user, I want commands shown by bare spec-kitty to be alphabetically ordered so that I can scan the list quickly. | High | Open |
| FR-002 | Complete command list | As a CLI user, I want all root commands to remain present after sorting so that no command becomes harder to discover. | High | Open |
| FR-003 | Stable ordering | As a CLI user, I want repeated root command output to use the same ordering when commands have not changed so that examples and issue reports are predictable. | Medium | Open |
| FR-004 | Preserve contextual guidance | As a CLI user, I want any existing root-level guidance to remain understandable so that the output still explains what the CLI can do. | Medium | Open |
Non-Functional Requirements
| ID | Title | Requirement | Category | Priority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFR-001 | Ordering accuracy | Automated tests must verify that 100% of command entries shown in bare root output are in alphabetical order. | Testability | High | Open |
| NFR-002 | Command preservation | Automated tests must verify that the sorted output contains the same number of root command entries before and after sorting logic is applied. | Reliability | High | Open |
| NFR-003 | Output stability | Two consecutive bare root command invocations with the same command surface must produce the same command ordering in 100% of tested runs. | Consistency | Medium | Open |
Constraints
| ID | Title | Constraint | Category | Priority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-001 | Bare root scope | The required ordering applies when running spec-kitty without parameters or subcommands. | Product | High | Open |
| C-002 | No command renames | This mission must not rename commands or change the command hierarchy to achieve ordering. | Compatibility | High | Open |
| C-003 | Independent PR | This mission must remain independently reviewable from autocompletion, short help flag, and version output missions. | Delivery | High | Open |
Success Criteria (mandatory)
Measurable Outcomes
- SC-001: Running
spec-kittywith no parameters displays root command entries in alphabetical order. - SC-002: The sorted root command list contains 100% of the root commands that were previously shown.
- SC-003: Repeated bare root invocations produce stable command ordering in all automated tests.
- SC-004: Existing root-level explanatory guidance remains visible after the command list is alphabetized.
Assumptions
- "Commands" refers to the root-level command entries displayed to users by a bare
spec-kittyinvocation. - Alphabetical order is determined by the visible command name as presented to users.
- This mission intentionally excludes shell completion ordering and
--help/-hparity, which are covered by separate missions.