Spec-First Ship

Implement from a written spec.md checklist — each iteration completes one unchecked requirement with verification.

24 copies · 9 installs · 153 views

Use loop copies the kickoff. Share copies the loop link. Open in Cursor / Claude Code only pre-fill that prompt — they do not install hook files. Click Install files, extract the zip into your repo, then restart your agent. Full install guide

Guardrails

Hardened

Anti-gaming rules

Rules the agent must follow so it cannot cheat the exit condition.

Do not modify the check command or exit criteria to force success
Do not skip, disable, or bypass checks to pass the exit condition
If stuck after several iterations, stop and report blockers instead of gaming metrics

How to run this loop

Includes install files

Run “Spec-First Ship” in your agent

Deeplinks and “Open in Cursor” only paste the kickoff prompt. They do not install hook files — your agent cannot tell whether files are on disk until you add them yourself.

Two separate pieces

Kickoff prompt — tells the agent the goal, check command, exit condition, and how to self-pace between passes.
Install files — optional hooks under .cursor/ or .claude/ that fire on events (save, commit, etc.). You must download and extract these into your repo.

1
Download and extract install files
Click Install files on this loop, unzip, and merge into your project root so paths like spec.md exist on disk.
Restart Cursor or reload the Claude Code session so hooks are picked up. Until then, nothing is “installed” — the browser cannot write into your repo.
2
Copy or open the kickoff prompt
Use Use loop to copy the kickoff, or Open in Cursor / Open in Claude Code to pre-fill the prompt in that app. Those links only carry text, not hook files.
3
Paste and let the agent self-pace
Paste the kickoff into agent chat. The agent should run your check command between iterations and stop when the exit condition passes.

Full guide with Cursor /loop notes: How to install loops

manual trigger

Planning

Manual start

Read spec

Implement requirement

Verify

Every requirement in spec.md is checked off

Rendering diagram…

Steps

What the agent does on each pass.

1. Read spec

Read spec.md. Pick the first unchecked requirement. Do not start multiple requirements in one pass.

2. Implement requirement

Implement that single requirement with tests. Mark it [x] in spec.md only after verification.

3. Verify

Run tests and manual checks listed in the spec for this requirement.

npm test

Kickoff prompt

Copy this into your coding agent to start the loop.

Start the "Spec-First Ship" loop.

Goal: every requirement in spec.md is implemented and checked off
Max iterations: 15
Between iterations run: npm test
Exit when: spec.md has no unchecked requirements

Step 1: Read spec.md, implement the first unchecked item, verify it, mark [x], and stop this iteration.

Self-pace this loop. After each iteration, run the check command, read the output, and only continue if the exit condition is not met. Stop when the exit condition passes or max iterations is reached. Give a short status update each pass.