docs: ratify Spec Kit Constitution v1.0.0#2699
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Add memory/constitution.md establishing two principles for work in this repository: - Selective Spec-Driven Development: SDD applies when scope is non-trivial, design is ambiguous, impact is cross-cutting, or security/correctness is at stake. Explicit anti-theater clause forbids manufactured spec artifacts on changes that do not warrant them. - Spec-Forward, Historical Once Shipped: specs describe work to be done; once shipped they are frozen snapshots, not living documents. Stance per maintainer guidance in Discussion github#2504. Compliance review is MAY, not MUST: Principle I is a judgment call. Broader principles (agent neutrality, template stability, extension surfaces) are not asserted in v1.0.0 and may be added via future amendments. Refs github#2698, github#2504 Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Pull request overview
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Introduces an initial “Spec Kit Constitution” document to define scope, core principles, and governance/versioning rules for work in the spec-kit repository.
Changes:
- Added a new constitution document describing when Spec-Driven Development (SDD) applies
- Documented spec artifact lifecycle expectations (spec-forward; frozen once shipped)
- Defined governance and semantic versioning rules for future amendments
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Per Principle II (Spec-Forward, Historical Once Shipped), the report should be a durable snapshot. Issue github#2698 closes on merge and would become a confusing reference over time; Discussion github#2504 is durable and retained. Refs github#2698 Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Summary
Adds
memory/constitution.md, the initial Spec Kit repository constitution.Ratified principles:
AGENTS.md, Copilot instructions, Claude files, and similar files remain agent-operational context.Discussion context
Path choice
The constitution lives at
memory/constitution.md, not.specify/memory/constitution.md. The.specify/path is for downstream projects initialized byspecify init; this repository keeps its own governance artifact at the repo root.Compliance posture
Principle I is a judgment call. Reviewers MAY reference the constitution when asking whether a change warrants spec artifacts. The constitution explicitly avoids becoming a process tax.
Out of scope
Other broader principles, such as agent neutrality, template stability, and extension surfaces, are not asserted in v1.0.0. They may be added via future amendments.
Test plan
memory/constitution.mdrenders correctly on GitHubAGENTS.mdreferences the constitution without duplicating governance rules/constitutionstill targets.specify/memory/constitution.mdfor downstream projectsCloses #2698
Refs #2504
Refs #2476