Add Specification-Driven Development with Event Automation and Dynamic Project Context

[Mathews-Tom]

Add Specification-Driven Development with Event Automation and Dynamic Project Context

Summary

This feature request proposes enhancing Roo Code with three integrated systems that will transform it from a reactive coding assistant into a proactive development partner: Multi-Specification Management, Event-Driven Automation, and Dynamic Project Context Management. These features will enable structured, systematic development workflows while maintaining Roo Code's ease of use and flexibility.

Background and Motivation

Current Roo Code usage often follows an ad-hoc pattern where developers interact with the AI]. While the existing custom modes and rules system provides excellent customization through .roomodes configuration and mode-specific rules in .roo/rules-* directories[1], there's an opportunity to create more structured, specification-driven workflows that can automatically adapt to project changes and maintain consistency across development sessions.

The proposed system addresses three key areas:

1. Lack of structured requirements management - Currently no native way to maintain living specifications across multiple features
2. Manual repetitive tasks - No automated responses to file system events
3. Static project context - Rules are static and don't adapt to project evolution

Detailed Feature Description

1. Multi-Specification Management System

Core Concept

A comprehensive specification system that allows multiple concurrent specifications, each with its own three-phase workflow (requirements, design, tasks, traceability), enabling parallel feature development and modular project organization.

Implementation Details

Enhanced Specification Architecture

.roo/
├── specs/
│   ├── user-authentication/
│   │   ├── requirements.md     # EARS-formatted user stories
│   │   ├── design.md          # Technical architecture & interfaces
│   │   ├── tasks.md           # Sequenced implementation tasks  
│   │   └── traceability.json  # Links between requirements/design/tasks
│   ├── payment-integration/
│   │   ├── requirements.md
│   │   ├── design.md
│   │   ├── tasks.md
│   │   └── traceability.json
│   └── api-refactor/
│       ├── requirements.md
│       ├── design.md
│       ├── tasks.md
│       └── traceability.json
├── hooks/
│   ├── test-automation.json
│   ├── documentation-sync.json
│   └── code-quality.json
└── context/
    ├── product.md
    ├── technical.md
    └── patterns/
        ├── frontend.yaml
        ├── backend.yaml
        └── testing.yaml

New Mode: Multi-Spec Architect

- slug: multi-spec-architect
  name: 📋 Multi-Spec Architect
  roleDefinition: |
    Expert in managing multiple concurrent specifications using systematic analysis. 
    Specializes in requirements gathering, technical design, and task decomposition 
    across multiple features simultaneously. Maintains cross-specification 
    dependencies and ensures architectural consistency across all specs.
  groups:
    - read
    - edit:
        fileRegex: '\.roo/specs/.*\.(md|json)$'
        description: 'Multi-specification files only'
    - mcp
    - command
  customInstructions: |
    Follow multi-phase spec-driven development: 
    1) Generate requirements.md with structured user stories
    2) Create design.md with technical architecture  
    3) Produce tasks.md with implementation steps
    4) Maintain traceability.json for cross-spec dependencies
    Always consider impact on other specifications when making changes.

Specification Management Features

• Cross-Specification Dependencies: Track dependencies between different specs
• Parallel Development: Support multiple developers working on different specifications
• Spec Lifecycle Management: Create, activate, complete, and archive specifications
• Impact Analysis: Automatically identify which specs are affected by code changes
• Specification Templates: Pre-built templates for common feature types

2. Event-Driven Automation System

Core Concept

Intelligent automation that responds to file system events through multiple configurable hooks, each stored as individual JSON files for better organization and maintainability.

Implementation Details

Multi-Hook Configuration System

.roo/
└── hooks/
    ├── test-automation.json
    ├── documentation-sync.json
    ├── code-quality.json
    ├── security-audit.json
    └── spec-validation.json

Individual Hook Configuration Files

.roo/hooks/test-automation.json:

{
  "id": "test-automation",
  "name": "Automated Test Generation",
  "description": "Generate and update tests when implementation files change",
  "enabled": true,
  "triggers": [
    {
      "event": "onSave",
      "filePattern": "src/.*\\.(ts|js|py)$",
      "prompt": "Analyze the saved file and generate comprehensive unit tests. Ensure coverage for all public methods and edge cases.",
      "mode": "test",
      "debounce": 2000
    },
    {
      "event": "onCreate", 
      "filePattern": "src/components/.*\\.(tsx|jsx)$",
      "prompt": "Generate component tests with React Testing Library for the new component.",
      "mode": "test",
      "debounce": 1000
    }
  ]
}

.roo/hooks/documentation-sync.json:

{
  "id": "documentation-sync",
  "name": "Documentation Synchronization",
  "description": "Update documentation when API or component interfaces change",
  "enabled": true,
  "triggers": [
    {
      "event": "onSave",
      "filePattern": "src/api/.*\\.(ts|js)$",
      "prompt": "Review API changes and update relevant documentation files, including README.md and API docs.",
      "mode": "architect",
      "debounce": 3000
    },
    {
      "event": "onSave",
      "filePattern": "src/components/.*\\.(tsx|jsx)$", 
      "prompt": "Update component documentation and Storybook stories if they exist.",
      "mode": "design-engineer",
      "debounce": 2000
    }
  ]
}

Hook Management Features

• Individual Hook Files: Each hook stored as separate JSON for better organization
• Multiple Triggers: Each hook can respond to different events and file patterns
• Debouncing: Prevent excessive trigger firing with configurable delays
• Conditional Execution: Execute hooks based on file content analysis
• Hook Dependencies: Define execution order for related hooks
• Performance Monitoring: Track hook execution times and impact

3. Dynamic Project Context Management System

Core Concept

Context-aware project intelligence that adapts AI behavior based on current project state, file patterns, development phase, and project evolution through multiple context files.

Implementation Details

Multi-Context File System

.roo/
└── context/
    ├── always-included/
    │   ├── product.md
    │   ├── technical.md
    │   └── team-guidelines.md
    ├── conditional/
    │   ├── api-standards.md
    │   ├── testing-conventions.md
    │   ├── security-policies.md
    │   └── performance-guidelines.md
    └── patterns/
        ├── frontend.yaml
        ├── backend.yaml
        ├── testing.yaml
        ├── api.yaml
        └── database.yaml

Context File Examples

Always-Included Context (.roo/context/always-included/product.md):

---
inclusion: always
priority: high
---

# Product Context

## Product Vision
This application provides comprehensive project management with AI-powered assistance.

## Target Users
- Primary: Software development teams (5-50 members)
- Secondary: Project managers and technical leads

## Key Features
1. **Specification Management**: Multi-spec workflow support
2. **Event Automation**: Intelligent development hooks
3. **Context Intelligence**: Adaptive AI behavior

## Business Objectives
- Reduce development cycle time by 40%
- Improve code quality metrics by 25%
- Increase developer satisfaction scores

## Success Metrics
- Feature delivery time: <2 weeks average
- Bug reduction: 30% fewer production issues
- Test coverage: >90% across all modules

Conditional Context (.roo/context/conditional/api-standards.md):

---
inclusion: fileMatch
fileMatch: 'src/api/.*\.(ts|js)$'
priority: medium
---

# API Development Standards

## REST API Conventions
- Use semantic HTTP status codes
- Implement consistent error response format
- Include API versioning in URL path (/api/v1/)
- Support pagination for list endpoints

## Authentication & Security
- JWT tokens with 24-hour expiration
- Rate limiting: 1000 requests/hour per user
- Input validation using Joi schemas
- CORS configuration for specific domains

## Documentation Requirements
- OpenAPI 3.0 specification for all endpoints
- Include request/response examples
- Document all error scenarios
- Maintain changelog for API versions

Pattern-Based Context (.roo/context/patterns/frontend.yaml):

name: "Frontend Development Context"
fileMatch: "src/(components|pages|views)/.*\\.(tsx?|jsx?)$"
priority: medium
context:
  always: ["product.md", "technical.md"]
  conditional: ["ui-guidelines.md", "accessibility.md", "performance-guidelines.md"]
mode_suggestions: ["design-engineer", "test"]
additional_instructions: |
  Focus on component architecture, accessibility, and user experience.
  Follow established UI patterns and maintain design system consistency.
  Ensure responsive design and cross-browser compatibility.
  Use React hooks and TypeScript best practices.

Dynamic Context Features

• Priority-Based Loading: Load context files based on priority levels
• Smart Caching: Cache frequently accessed context for performance
• Context Evolution Tracking: Monitor how context changes over time
• Cross-Reference Analysis: Detect conflicts between different context files
• Context Validation: Ensure context files remain relevant and accurate

Technical Implementation Plan

Phase 1: Multi-Specification Foundation (Weeks 1-2)

1. Enhanced Specification Architecture

   • Create multi-spec directory structure
   • Implement spec-to-spec dependency tracking
   • Build specification lifecycle management
   • Add cross-specification impact analysis

2. Multi-Spec Mode Development

   • Design multi-spec-architect mode with enhanced capabilities
   • Implement specification template system
   • Create spec activation and management workflows
   • Add parallel development support

Phase 2: Advanced Hook System (Weeks 3-4)

1. Individual Hook Management

   • Implement separate JSON file system for hooks
   • Create hook dependency and ordering system
   • Add debouncing and performance optimization
   • Build hook execution monitoring

2. Enhanced Automation

   • Support multiple triggers per hook
   • Implement conditional hook execution
   • Add hook conflict detection and resolution
   • Create hook performance analytics

Phase 3: Dynamic Context System (Weeks 5-6)

1. Multi-Context Architecture

   • Implement priority-based context loading
   • Create pattern-based context matching
   • Add context caching and performance optimization
   • Build context validation and conflict detection

2. Context Intelligence

   • Implement smart context suggestions
   • Add context evolution tracking
   • Create context impact analysis
   • Build context synchronization system

Phase 4: Integration & Advanced Features (Weeks 7-8)

1. System Integration

   • Connect specifications, hooks, and context systems
   • Implement cross-system dependency tracking
   • Add unified management interface
   • Create comprehensive configuration validation

2. Advanced Features

   • Build specification merging and branching
   • Implement advanced hook choreography
   • Add machine learning for context optimization
   • Create comprehensive analytics dashboard

Benefits and Use Cases

For Individual Developers

• Parallel Feature Development: Work on multiple specifications simultaneously
• Intelligent Automation: Reduce manual overhead through smart, configurable hooks
• Adaptive Context: AI that understands and adapts to different development contexts
• Structured Workflow: Move from ad-hoc development to systematic, documented processes

For Development Teams

• Cross-Team Coordination: Multiple specifications enable parallel team development
• Consistent Automation: Shared hook configurations ensure uniform development practices
• Unified Context: Team-wide context files maintain consistent AI behavior
• Knowledge Management: Living documentation that evolves with the project

Technical Benefits

• Scalable Architecture: Support for projects with multiple concurrent features
• Performance Optimized: Smart caching and debouncing for responsive operation
• Highly Configurable: Fine-grained control over all system behaviors
• VS Code Native: Leverages existing VS Code APIs and Roo Code architecture[1]

Example Workflows

Multi-Specification Development

1. Developer creates new specification: "user-authentication"
2. System generates requirements, design, and task documents in dedicated subfolder
3. Parallel development on "payment-integration" spec continues unaffected
4. Cross-specification dependencies automatically tracked and validated
5. Impact analysis shows which specs are affected by shared component changes

Intelligent Hook Orchestration

1. Developer saves TypeScript service file
2. Multiple hooks trigger based on individual configurations:
   • test-automation.json generates unit tests
   • documentation-sync.json updates API documentation
   • code-quality.json runs linting and suggests improvements
3. Hook execution respects debouncing and dependency ordering
4. All actions logged and available for review

Dynamic Context Adaptation

1. Developer opens React component file
2. System loads always-included context (product, technical guidelines)
3. Pattern matching adds frontend-specific context automatically
4. File type triggers conditional context (UI guidelines, accessibility rules)
5. AI behavior adapts with comprehensive project understanding

Backward Compatibility

This feature will be fully backward compatible with existing Roo Code installations[1]:

• Existing .roomodes configuration continues to work unchanged
• Current .roo/rules-* directories remain fully functional
• New features are completely opt-in through configuration
• Default behavior remains identical to current Roo Code
• Migration tools help convert existing configurations

Configuration Options

The system provides granular control over all features:

• Global Settings: Enable/disable each subsystem independently
• Per-Project Overrides: Customize behavior for specific projects
• Specification Templates: Define custom templates for different feature types
• Hook Policies: Set execution timeouts, retry policies, and performance limits
• Context Preferences: Control loading priorities and caching behavior

Success Metrics

• Developer Productivity: Measure time savings through automation and structured development
• Code Quality: Track improvements in test coverage, documentation quality, and consistency
• System Performance: Monitor hook execution times and context loading efficiency
• User Adoption: Track usage of specifications, hooks, and context features
• Project Success: Measure impact on feature delivery times and quality metrics

This comprehensive feature request transforms Roo Code into a truly intelligent development partner that not only responds to developer needs but proactively supports structured, high-quality software development practices across multiple concurrent specifications and development contexts.