Table of Contents

Understanding Spec Kitty Missions

Divio type: Tutorial

Spec Kitty supports three mission types that tailor the workflow and artifacts to your goal.

Time: ~45 minutes Prerequisites: Completed Getting Started

What Is a Mission?

A mission selects the default templates, prompts, and outputs for your feature. You choose it during spec-kitty init or when running /spec-kitty.specify.

The Three Missions

Software Dev Kitty

Best for building software features and products.

Example use cases:

  • New API endpoint
  • UI feature development
  • Performance improvements

Deep Research Kitty

Best for structured research deliverables.

Example use cases:

  • Competitive analysis
  • Architecture decision research
  • Technology evaluation

Documentation Kitty

Best for creating or updating documentation sets.

Example use cases:

  • End-user docs refresh
  • API reference overhaul
  • Internal playbooks

Try It: Create a Research Feature

Create a project with the research mission:

spec-kitty init my-research-project --mission research --ai claude
cd my-research-project

Run a research workflow.

In your agent:

/spec-kitty.research Compare three task queue options for a Python service.

Expected results (abridged):

  • kitty-specs/###-task-queue-research/ directory
  • Research artifacts defined by the mission templates

How Missions Affect Your Workflow

  • Templates: Each mission uses its own spec/plan/templates.
  • Artifacts: Research missions create research notes; documentation missions generate Divio-oriented sections.
  • Validation: Review criteria differ based on mission expectations.

Troubleshooting

  • "Unknown mission": Use spec-kitty mission to list available missions.
  • Missing /spec-kitty.research: Re-run spec-kitty init --mission research or refresh agent context with spec-kitty agent context update-context.

What's Next?

Explore the full workflow in Your First Feature or dive deeper into specific missions.

Reference Documentation

Learn More

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