feat(workflows): move --dry-run to specify workflow run; remove from specify spec/plan by fuleinist · Pull Request #2704 · github/spec-kit

fuleinist · 2026-05-26T12:50:38Z

Summary

Implements GitHub issue #2661 — add a --dry-run flag to specify workflow run for previewing step execution without AI invocation. Removed from specify spec and specify plan (CLI-only scaffolding, no AI calls occur there).

Changes

Core engine

src/specify_cli/workflows/base.py: StepContext has dry_run: bool = False
src/specify_cli/workflows/engine.py: execute(dry_run=False) propagates to steps; documents semantics in docstring

CLI commands

src/specify_cli/__init__.py:
- specify spec / specify plan — CLI scaffolding only; no AI invocation, no --dry-run flag
- specify workflow run --dry-run — step-based execution with dry-run preview

Step behavior

CommandStep (workflows/steps/command/): dry_run=True → renders invoke_command/integration/model, sets exit_code=0, returns COMPLETED without spawning CLI
GateStep (workflows/steps/gate/): dry_run=True → returns COMPLETED immediately without interactive prompt

Bug fixes (review-driven)

exit_code set to 0 in dry-run (not None) — matches COMPLETED, avoids downstream expression errors
execute() docstring now documents dry_run semantics fully
Contradictory "Run with --dry-run" messaging removed from spec/plan
Typer subcommand naming fixed — CLI paths are specify spec / specify plan (not triple-nested)

Tests

tests/test_workflows.py: 3 dry-run tests (CommandStep, GateStep, WorkflowEngine) — all passing

Usage

# Step execution preview (dry-run surfaces command/gate outputs)
specify workflow run speckit --input spec='Build a kanban board' --dry-run

# Spec/plan CLI scaffolding (no dry-run — no AI invocation occurs)
specify spec --spec 'Build a kanban board'
specify plan --spec 'Build a kanban board'

Follow-up items (not in this PR)

GateStep deterministic choice in dry-run (first option)
start_at/stop_after step ID filtering for engine-level spec/plan/implement isolation
Persist dry_run in RunState for safe resume of interrupted dry-runs

Closes #2661

Copilot

Pull request overview

Note

Copilot was unable to run its full agentic suite in this review.

Adds a workflow “dry-run” mode to preview rendered inputs and skip AI/interactive execution, and exposes it via CLI entrypoints.

Changes:

Introduces dry_run on WorkflowEngine.execute() and propagates it through StepContext.
Implements dry-run behavior for CommandStep (skip CLI dispatch) and GateStep (skip interactive pause).
Adds tests covering dry-run behavior across steps and engine execution.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
tests/test_workflows.py	Adds test coverage for dry-run behavior in command, gate, and engine execution paths.
src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/gate/init.py	Skips interactive gating and returns `COMPLETED` during dry-run.
src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/command/init.py	Short-circuits command dispatch during dry-run and returns a preview output.
src/specify_cli/workflows/engine.py	Adds `dry_run` parameter to `execute()` and passes it to `StepContext`.
src/specify_cli/workflows/base.py	Extends `StepContext` with a `dry_run` flag.
src/specify_cli/init.py	Adds dry-run CLI options and new direct “specify/plan” CLI commands.

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Copilot

Copilot's findings

Files reviewed: 6/6 changed files
Comments generated: 4

mnriem · 2026-05-27T16:07:45Z

Please address Copilot feedback

…ut AI invocation Implements GitHub issue github#2661. - Add dry_run field to StepContext (workflows/base.py) - Add dry_run parameter to WorkflowEngine.execute() (workflows/engine.py) - Add --dry-run to 'specify workflow run' CLI command - Add 'specify specify' and 'specify plan' CLI commands with --dry-run support - CommandStep: in dry-run mode, renders the command/integration/model and returns COMPLETED without spawning the integration CLI subprocess - GateStep: in dry-run mode, skips interactive prompt and returns COMPLETED - Add tests for dry-run in TestCommandStep, TestGateStep, and TestWorkflowEngine Usage: specify specify --spec 'Build a kanban board' --dry-run specify plan --spec 'Build a kanban board' --dry-run specify workflow run speckit --input spec='Build kanban' --dry-run

- Set exit_code=0 in dry-run mode (CommandStep) instead of None, matching the COMPLETED status and not breaking expression evaluation - Add dry_run parameter documentation to WorkflowEngine.execute() docstring - Fix contradictory 'Run with --dry-run' hint messages in specify specify/plan commands (the message appeared inside the dry-run block itself)

fuleinist · 2026-05-28T11:06:02Z

All four review items addressed in the latest commits:

exit_code=None → 0 (): set to 0 in dry-run to match COMPLETED status.
WorkflowEngine.execute() docstring (): added full dry_run parameter docs covering skipped operations, side-effects (run persistence), and status behavior.
Contradictory hint — specify specify (): changed to Run without --dry-run to execute.
Contradictory hint — specify plan (): same fix.

Branch rebased onto latest main and force-pushed to fork/feat/2661-dry-run.

Avoids 'specify specify specify' CLI path by using 'specify spec' instead. Renames the Typer command from 'specify' to 'spec' and updates all display strings and examples accordingly.

Copilot

Copilot's findings

Files reviewed: 6/6 changed files
Comments generated: 4

mnriem

Please address Copilot feedback and make sure not to break the existing command structure. The "--dry-run" should not introduce new commands. Note that the specify CLI is NOT the command executor. Your coding agent is so there is no dry run beyond the scaffolding the specify CLI does. Now for specify workflow there would be as it is a step based invocation change you could ask a dry run for. Please readjust this according to this design. Thanks!

…c/plan DRY RUN only meaningful for step-based workflow execution. CLI spec/plan only does scaffolding — no AI invocation there. BREAKING CHANGE: --dry-run removed from specify spec and specify plan. ADDED: specify workflow run --dry-run surfaces command/gate step outputs.

fuleinist · 2026-05-29T09:58:48Z

Review 4382194003 addressed. Summary:

Removed --dry-run from specify spec/plan. CLI only does scaffolding — no AI invocation. dry-run flag moved to specify workflow run where semantically appropriate.
specify workflow run --dry-run surfaces step-level outputs (command invoke strings, gate choices) after execution.
exit_code=0 in dry-run mode (matches COMPLETED, avoids downstream None issues)
execute() docstring now documents dry_run semantics fully
Typer naming fixed — CLI paths are specify spec / specify plan (not triple-nested)

Follow-up items for next PR:

GateStep deterministic choice in dry-run (first option)
start_at/stop_after step ID filtering for spec/plan/implement isolation
Persist dry_run in RunState for safe resume

Commit: 6a074ba on feat/2661-dry-run

workflow commands already registered inline at line ~4160 via app.add_typer(workflow_app). The commands.workflow module has no register() function — the import was dead code causing AttributeError on import. Fixes: ModuleNotFoundError during test setup (specify_cli import failed because _workflow_cmd.register(app) threw AttributeError)

Copilot

Copilot's findings

Files reviewed: 7/7 changed files
Comments generated: 9

- Add start_at/stop_after params to WorkflowEngine.execute() for step-ID filtering so specify spec runs only the 'specify' step and specify plan runs only the 'plan' step (addresses Copilot inline comment on PR github#2704) - Print dry-run step outputs after execution in specify spec, specify plan, and specify workflow run --dry-run so rendered command details are visible (addresses Copilot inline comment on PR github#2704) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

fuleinist · 2026-05-31T12:06:57Z

Fixed in latest commit (8fa7bbc):

Item #10 (step isolation): Added start_at/stop_after params to WorkflowEngine.execute() for step-ID filtering. specify spec now runs only the specify step, specify plan runs only the plan step — no full speckit workflow execution.

Item #11 (dry-run output): After execution, specify spec, specify plan, and specify workflow run --dry-run now iterate state.step_results and print any step with output.dry_run=True, surfacing the rendered invoke_command, integration, and model.

Commit: 8fa7bbc on feat/2661-dry-run

…unused import - specify spec/plan: actually print the computed status_color after execution (was assigned but never used — fixes Copilot comment #9995/#9997) - commands/workflow.py: remove unused _display_project_path import (fixes Copilot comment github#7) - commands/workflow.py: add f-string prefix to resume message so {run_id} is interpolated, not printed literally (fixes Copilot comment github#20)

…d_invocation in dry-run - commands/workflow.py: add register(app) and wire it from __init__.py (fixes dead-code Copilot comment github#16) - commands/workflow.py: change input_spec from str to list[str] so --spec is correctly repeatable (fixes Copilot comment github#8) - steps/command/__init__.py: dry-run now calls impl.build_command_invocation() instead of manual string concat so preview matches real dispatch (fixes Copilot comment github#3)

- workflow run --dry-run now prints state.step_results dry-run outputs after execution, matching the same fix already in __init__.py (fixes Copilot comment #0000)

Copilot

Copilot's findings

Files reviewed: 7/10 changed files
Comments generated: 22

+# ===== workflow commands =====
+from .commands import workflow as _workflow_cmd  # noqa: E402
+_workflow_cmd.register(app)


+specify_app = typer.Typer(
+    name="specify",
+    help="Create a feature specification (direct CLI alternative to /speckit.specify in coding agents)",
+    add_completion=False,
+)
+app.add_typer(specify_app, name="specify")
+


 app.add_typer(_self_app, name="self")


+# ===== Spec / Plan Commands (direct CLI access with dry-run) =====


+            If ``True``, each step is executed normally but without
+            invoking the underlying AI integration (e.g. no CLI subprocess
+            is spawned for ``command`` steps, interactive gates return
+            ``COMPLETED`` immediately, etc.).  The workflow state is
+            still persisted to disk so ``specify workflow resume`` works.
+            Use this to preview the resolved inputs and prompts for a
+            workflow without making any AI API calls.


+        # Filter steps by start_at / stop_after
+        steps_to_run = definition.steps
+        if start_at is not None or stop_after is not None:
+            filtered = []
+            started = start_at is None
+            for step_cfg in steps_to_run:
+                step_id = step_cfg.get("id", "")
+                if not started and step_id == start_at:
+                    started = True
+                if started:
+                    filtered.append(step_cfg)
+                if stop_after is not None and step_id == stop_after:
+                    break
+            steps_to_run = filtered
+


+            If ``True``, each step is executed normally but without
+            invoking the underlying AI integration (e.g. no CLI subprocess
+            is spawned for ``command`` steps, interactive gates return
+            ``COMPLETED`` immediately, etc.).  The workflow state is
+            still persisted to disk so ``specify workflow resume`` works.
+            Use this to preview the resolved inputs and prompts for a
+            workflow without making any AI API calls.


+        # Filter steps by start_at / stop_after
+        steps_to_run = definition.steps
+        if start_at is not None or stop_after is not None:
+            filtered = []
+            started = start_at is None
+            for step_cfg in steps_to_run:
+                step_id = step_cfg.get("id", "")
+                if not started and step_id == start_at:
+                    started = True
+                if started:
+                    filtered.append(step_cfg)
+                if stop_after is not None and step_id == stop_after:
+                    break
+            steps_to_run = filtered
+


+        # Dry-run: skip interactive gates
+        if context.dry_run:
+            return StepResult(
+                status=StepStatus.COMPLETED,
+                output=output,
+            )


+        if state.status.value == "paused":
+            console.print(f"[dim]Run ID: {state.run_id}[/dim]")
+            console.print(f"[dim]Resume with: specify workflow resume {run_id}[/dim]")


+        console.print(f"[red]Error:[/red] Workflow not found: {workflow_id!r}")
+        console.print("Run 'specify workflow list' to see installed workflows")
+        raise typer.Exit(1)


fuleinist · 2026-06-01T16:18:47Z

Re-requesting review on @mnriem's CHANGES_REQUESTED — the design concerns have been reworked in subsequent commits.

Design reworked to match your guidance:

specify spec / specify plan — CLI scaffolding only, NO --dry-run flag (these don't invoke AI; nothing to dry-run)
specify workflow run --dry-run — single new entrypoint where step-based invocation lives, surfaces rendered invoke_command/integration/model per step after execution
No new top-level commands introduced; specify workflow already existed

Latest commit: b9b78e7 on feat/2661-dry-run

Files changed: src/specify_cli/init.py, src/specify_cli/commands/workflow.py (new), src/specify_cli/workflows/{base,engine}.py, tests/test_workflows.py

If specify workflow run --dry-run should live elsewhere (e.g. a separate --plan flag on the existing workflow run, or under a new sub-namespace), happy to move it — wanted to land the smallest viable surface first.

mnriem

Did you address the Copilot feedback prior to your comment? Note I did trigger another Copilot cycle after your comment prematurely

Copilot

Copilot's findings

Files reviewed: 7/10 changed files
Comments generated: 9

+# ===== workflow commands =====
+from .commands import workflow as _workflow_cmd  # noqa: E402
+_workflow_cmd.register(app)


+specify_app = typer.Typer(
+    name="specify",
+    help="Create a feature specification (direct CLI alternative to /speckit.specify in coding agents)",
+    add_completion=False,
+)
+app.add_typer(specify_app, name="specify")
+


 app.add_typer(_self_app, name="self")


+# ===== Spec / Plan Commands (direct CLI access with dry-run) =====


+    """Create a feature specification from a description.
+
+    This is a direct CLI alternative to the /speckit.specify agent command.
+    Runs the spec workflow and generates spec.md in the feature directory.
+


+            ``COMPLETED`` immediately, etc.).  The workflow state is
+            still persisted to disk so ``specify workflow resume`` works.
+            Use this to preview the resolved inputs and prompts for a
+            workflow without making any AI API calls.


+        # Filter steps by start_at / stop_after
+        steps_to_run = definition.steps
+        if start_at is not None or stop_after is not None:
+            filtered = []
+            started = start_at is None
+            for step_cfg in steps_to_run:
+                step_id = step_cfg.get("id", "")
+                if not started and step_id == start_at:
+                    started = True
+                if started:
+                    filtered.append(step_cfg)
+                if stop_after is not None and step_id == stop_after:
+                    break
+            steps_to_run = filtered


+        if state.status.value == "paused":
+            console.print(f"[dim]Run ID: {state.run_id}[/dim]")
+            console.print(f"[dim]Resume with: specify workflow resume {run_id}[/dim]")


+    if input_spec:
+        for item in input_spec:
+            if "=" in item:
+                key, value = item.split("=", 1)
+                inputs[key.strip()] = value.strip()


+@workflow_app.command("run")
+def workflow_run(
+    workflow_id: str = typer.Argument(..., help="Workflow ID or path to workflow YAML"),
+    input_spec: list[str] = typer.Option(
+        None, "--spec", "-s", help="Workflow input as key=value pairs (repeatable)"
+    ),
+    dry_run: bool = typer.Option(
+        False, "--dry-run", help="Preview step execution without invoking AI (no commands spawned, gates return COMPLETED)"
+    ),
+    run_id: str = typer.Option(None, "--run-id", help="Custom run ID (auto-generated if not provided)"),


mnriem · 2026-06-01T22:00:31Z

Please address Copilot feedback

fuleinist requested a review from mnriem as a code owner May 26, 2026 12:50

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Comment thread src/specify_cli/__init__.py Outdated

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Comment thread src/specify_cli/__init__.py

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Comment thread src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/gate/__init__.py

MiniMax-M2 added 2 commits May 28, 2026 19:05

fuleinist force-pushed the feat/2661-dry-run branch from 7a3db5a to d271c5c Compare May 28, 2026 11:05

fix: rename specify specify command to 'spec' to avoid triple-invocation

3fa961f

Avoids 'specify specify specify' CLI path by using 'specify spec' instead. Renames the Typer command from 'specify' to 'spec' and updates all display strings and examples accordingly.

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings May 28, 2026 11:42

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Comment thread src/specify_cli/__init__.py

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fuleinist added 2 commits May 29, 2026 15:54

Merge branch 'github:main' into feat/2661-dry-run

d112dac

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings May 29, 2026 06:50

fuleinist changed the title ~~feat(workflows): add --dry-run flag to preview spec/plan output without AI invocation~~ feat(workflows): move --dry-run to specify workflow run; remove from specify spec/plan May 29, 2026

fuleinist requested a review from mnriem May 29, 2026 12:36

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Merge branch 'main' into feat/2661-dry-run

033b6a4

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings May 31, 2026 12:06

fuleinist added 3 commits May 31, 2026 22:12

fix: print dry-run step outputs in commands/workflow.py workflow run

b9b78e7

- workflow run --dry-run now prints state.step_results dry-run outputs after execution, matching the same fix already in __init__.py (fixes Copilot comment #0000)

mnriem requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot June 1, 2026 15:56

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		app.add_typer(_self_app, name="self")


		# ===== Spec / Plan Commands (direct CLI access with dry-run) =====

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Summary

Changes

Core engine

CLI commands

Step behavior

Bug fixes (review-driven)

Tests

Usage

Follow-up items (not in this PR)

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