Vibe spec

Vibe-Spec

A reusable blueprint for building full-stack web apps with Next.js, Prisma, and PostgreSQL using spec-driven development. Refined through real production projects — every tool, pattern, and convention is documented so you can pick what fits the project in front of you.

Only adopt what you need

This catalogs a comprehensive stack, but most projects won't need all of it. A static site doesn't need Prisma, Docker, or dbt; a simple CRUD app doesn't need S3 or push notifications. Adding tools you don't need is complexity for no benefit. Load only the reference file(s) relevant to the task at hand.

Quick reference: what do I need?

Project type	Recommended references
Static / marketing site	00-workflow, 01-scaffolding, 11-ui, 15-pre-commit
Simple CRUD app	00–01, 03–05, 07-auth, 08-rbac, 10-testing, 11-ui, 14–16, 19-secrets, 20-surface
API-only backend	00–01, 03–05, 02-nestjs (optional), 07–10, 14–16, 19-secrets, 20-surface
Data-heavy app (pipelines, transforms)	All references

The workflow (use the /spec-* commands)

The methodology: write a spec before touching code, refine it with AI, break it into phases, and implement phase by phase with clean context boundaries. Each step has a slash command:

1. /spec-draft — Write a rough V0 spec: what the product does and the exact user workflows. No tooling decisions yet.
2. /spec-refine — Promote V0 → V1: fill gaps, then map each piece of functionality to concrete tools using the references below.
3. /spec-phases — Promote V1 → V2: break the spec into sequential, self-contained phases with a phase index.
4. /spec-plan — Generate a high-level plan file for every phase (docs/plans/phase-*.md), each with a scope + status header, so you have a complete set to work from.
5. /spec-implement — Implement one phase in a fresh session, then update the docs so the spec always reflects reality. A stale spec is worse than no spec.

Full detail (AGENTS.md hierarchy, tool permissions, phase conventions) lives in reference/00-workflow.md.

Getting set up: before the workflow needs tools, /spec-setup installs only what the project requires (guided, confirm each step), /spec-doctor reports what's installed, and /spec-troubleshoot diagnoses common failures — all backed by reference/18-prerequisites.md.

Reference index

Load the file(s) that match the current task — not all of them.

Reference	Skip if… / Use if…
00-workflow	The spec-driven workflow, AGENTS.md hierarchy, tool permissions. Use when setting up methodology or AI context.
01-scaffolding	Next.js 16 + TypeScript + pnpm + Tailwind v4 + ESLint. The base layer for any web app.
02-nestjs	Decoupled high-performance API (Fastify). Escape hatch — only when you've measured a need.
03-docker	Local Postgres 16 via docker-compose. Use when the app has a DB and you want an isolated local env.
04-database	Dual-client (Prisma + raw pg Pool) and multi-schema layout. Use when you need ORM and raw SQL / JSONB.
05-prisma	Prisma ORM schema conventions and migrations. Use for structured, relational data.
06-dbt	raw → staging → marts transforms with uv. Use when you ingest raw data that needs transforming.
07-auth	OAuth (Auth.js) or OTP + JWT (jose). Use when the app needs sign-in / sessions / protected routes.
08-rbac	Roles + permissions, server- and client-side enforcement. Use when access differs by role.
09-validation	Zod v4 runtime validation. Use when consuming external APIs, webhooks, or complex input.
10-testing	Vitest with mocked Prisma. Testing is not optional — use always.
11-ui	shadcn/ui components + theming via CSS variables. Use when building a web UI.
12-s3	Presigned uploads, lifecycle tags, CSP. Use for file / media uploads.
13-push-notifications	Web Push + VAPID + service worker. Use for push notifications / PWA.
14-ci-cd	GitHub Actions lint/test gates and scheduled pipelines. Use for any team repo.
15-pre-commit	Native git hooks (no Husky). Use to enforce checks before commit.
16-deployment	Vercel + Neon, security headers, env-var checklist. Use when shipping to production.
17-scripts	TypeScript CLI tools (tsx) for pipelines, seeding, prod sync. Use for operational tooling.
18-prerequisites	Required tools (Git, Node, pnpm, Docker, uv), how to detect them, and per-OS install methods. Used by /spec-setup, /spec-doctor, /spec-troubleshoot.
19-secrets	Keep secrets out of the browser bundle and out of git. The trust boundary, the known-sensitive catalog, and the /spec-secrets audit. Use when the app has a .env.
20-surface	Documentation governed like code — anchor doc claims to symbols; logic drift blocks the commit. Use on agent-heavy or fast-moving repos to stop AGENTS.md / hub prose silently going stale.

Putting it all together

For a new project: start with the spec (/spec-draft → /spec-refine → /spec-phases), scaffold with 01-scaffolding using official CLI init commands, then add only the references the quick-reference table points to. Set up AGENTS.md and CI early, and anchor your first hubs with 20-surface so the docs agents read can't silently rot. Break work into phases completable in 1–3 sessions, and update phase docs whenever implementation drifts from the plan.

The key principle: every tool here exists because a real project needed it. Your project has different needs — start minimal, add complexity only when a specific feature demands it.