Spec-driven development with OpenSpec — let the AI write the code, you write the context
· 21 min read
Spec-driven development inverts the usual order. You don't sketch the feature, write the code, then maybe document what you built. You write the specification first — in Markdown, with RFC 2119 keywords and GIVEN/WHEN/THEN scenarios — and an AI agent (Hydra) implements code that satisfies it. The human's job moves up a level: you develop context, not code.
That sounds idealistic until you see it work. Conduction's apps are built this way in production today. This tutorial walks the workflow: what OpenSpec actually is, how ADRs at organisation and app level keep features coherent, what the explore and apply skills do, and how the quality-and-gatekeeping harness validates the result before anything reaches main.