Specs

The OpenSpec specs define dont’s capabilities precisely and are the authoritative source for implementation decisions. They live in openspec/specs/ in the repository.

Core specs

Spec	Description
dont-core	Core claim lifecycle: conclude, flag, trust, lock
dont-data-model	Store schema and entity relationships
dont-status-lifecycle	Status transitions, gate conditions, and mode enforcement
dont-lifecycle-verbs	Command-by-command verb semantics
dont-errors	Structured error types and remediation messages

Interface specs

Spec	Description
dont-cli-surface	CLI flags, subcommands, exit codes, output routing
dont-cli-core	Core CLI wiring and dispatch
dont-envelope	JSON Envelope and Error protocol (`--json` output)
dont-payload-types	Envelope payload schemas
dont-agent-help	Help text and agent-readable command descriptions

Evidence and grounding specs

Spec	Description
dont-evidence-locators	Repository-relative file/lines/anchor syntax
dont-ground-command	`dont ground` fast-path semantics
dont-trace-query	Blocker-path tracing for `dont trace`

Rule engine specs

Spec	Description
dont-rule-engine	Shipped rules, severities, and project config
dont-rule-cli	`dont rules` subcommand surface
dont-rule-claim-schema	Claim schema validation rule
dont-derived-queries	Datalog-based derived query layer

Infrastructure specs

Spec	Description
dont-build	Build, CI, and release pipeline
dont-project-layout	Repository layout conventions
dont-project-config	Per-project `.dont/` configuration
dont-init-modes	Strict vs permissive initialisation modes
dont-glossary	Canonical terminology

Future / in-progress specs

Spec	Description
dont-harness-cli	Agent harness integration
dont-spawn-protocol	Clean-context spawn for independent verification
dont-mcp-interface	MCP server interface
dont-import-surface	External data import surface
dont-linkml-import	LinkML schema import