Commands Overview

Buildforce provides five slash commands that run inside your AI assistant conversation to orchestrate spec-driven development.

The Five Commands

Command Flow

Commands are designed to work together:

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant Research
    participant Spec
    participant Build
    participant Complete
    participant Context

    User->>Research: /research [topic]
    Research->>Context: Search context repository
    Context-->>Research: Relevant context
    Research-->>User: Research report

    User->>Spec: /spec [description]
    Spec->>Spec: Create spec.yaml + plan.yaml
    Spec-->>User: Requirements & plan

    User->>Build: /build
    Build->>Build: Execute implementation
    Build-->>User: Implementation + deviations

    User->>Complete: /complete
    Complete->>Context: Save new context
    Complete-->>User: Completion report

When to Use Each Command

/research - Before Defining Requirements

Use when:

• Starting a new feature
• Investigating a bug
• Exploring existing patterns
• Understanding architectural decisions

Skip when:

• No existing context is relevant
• Requirements are crystal clear
• Small isolated change

/spec - Before Implementation

Use when:

• Building any feature (big or small)
• Fixing non-trivial bugs
• Refactoring with clear scope

Always use - This is the core of spec-driven development. Even simple changes benefit from structured requirements.

/build - During Implementation

Use when:

• You have a spec and plan ready
• Ready to write code
• Need progress tracking

Can iterate - Run multiple times with feedback to refine implementation.

/complete - After Implementation

Use when:

• Feature is complete and validated
• Worth capturing decisions for future work
• Creating team knowledge

Skip when:

• Temporary fix or experiment
• No significant knowledge to capture

/document - For Existing Code

Use when:

• Documenting legacy code
• Capturing tribal knowledge
• Building initial context repository
• No implementation needed

Alternative to full workflow - Documents without building.

Command Syntax

All commands are invoked with / prefix in your AI assistant:

# Basic usage
/research [your-query]
/spec [feature-description]
/build [optional-iteration-notes]
/complete [optional-final-notes]
/document [topic-or-module]

# Examples
/research authentication patterns in this codebase
/spec Add JWT-based authentication with token refresh
/build Change bcrypt to argon2 for password hashing
/complete All tests passing, auth fully implemented
/document authentication module and security patterns

Workflow Patterns

Full Workflow (Recommended)

/research → /spec → /build → /complete

Best for new features and significant changes.

Quick Workflow

/spec → /build

Best for small features with clear requirements.

Documentation Workflow

/research → /document

Best for capturing existing knowledge.

Iterative Build

/spec → /build → /build → /build → /complete

Multiple /build iterations refine implementation based on feedback.

Next Steps

Explore each command in detail:

• /research - Context gathering
• /spec - Requirement definition
• /build - Implementation execution
• /complete - Finalization and validation
• /document - Manual documentation