---
title: Standards
description: Project decisions that inform AI code generation
---

## What are Standards?

**Standards** are project decisions that inform AI code generation. They ensure consistency across all generated code and documentation.

:::info
Standards are established during project initialization and guide every agent interaction. They're the "rules of the road" for your project.
:::

## Standard Types

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Tech Stack" icon="layers">
    Languages, frameworks, databases, infrastructure
  </Card>
  <Card title="Coding Standards" icon="code">
    Formatting, linting, naming, testing strategy
  </Card>
  <Card title="Architecture" icon="network">
    Architecture style, API design, state management
  </Card>
  <Card title="UX Guide" icon="palette">
    Design system, styling, accessibility
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Establishing Standards

During project initialization:

```bash
/specsmd-master-agent
> project-init
```

The Master Agent guides you through each standard category with facilitation guides.

## Tech Stack Standard

Defines your technology choices:

```markdown
# Tech Stack

## Languages
- **Primary**: TypeScript 5.x
- **Secondary**: Python 3.11+ (for ML pipelines)

## Frontend
- **Framework**: React 18 with Next.js 14
- **Styling**: Tailwind CSS
- **State**: Zustand

## Backend
- **Runtime**: Node.js 20 LTS
- **Framework**: Express.js
- **ORM**: Prisma

## Database
- **Primary**: PostgreSQL 15
- **Cache**: Redis 7
- **Search**: Elasticsearch 8

## Infrastructure
- **Cloud**: AWS
- **Containers**: Docker
- **Orchestration**: ECS Fargate
- **CI/CD**: GitHub Actions
```

## Coding Standards

Defines how code should be written:

```markdown
# Coding Standards

## Formatting
- Use Prettier with default config
- 2-space indentation
- Single quotes for strings
- Trailing commas in multiline

## Naming Conventions
- **Files**: kebab-case (user-service.ts)
- **Classes**: PascalCase (UserService)
- **Functions**: camelCase (getUserById)
- **Constants**: SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE (MAX_RETRIES)

## Testing Strategy
- **Unit Tests**: Vitest for business logic
- **Integration Tests**: Supertest for APIs
- **E2E Tests**: Playwright for critical paths
- **Coverage Target**: 80% minimum

## Error Handling
- Use custom error classes extending BaseError
- Always include error codes
- Log errors with structured logging
- Never expose internal errors to clients
```

## Architecture Standard

Defines system design decisions:

```markdown
# Architecture

## Style
- **Pattern**: Clean Architecture
- **API**: REST with OpenAPI 3.0
- **Communication**: Synchronous HTTP, async via SQS

## Layers
1. **Presentation**: Controllers, DTOs
2. **Application**: Use cases, services
3. **Domain**: Entities, value objects, events
4. **Infrastructure**: Repositories, external services

## API Design
- Resource-based URLs
- HTTP methods for actions
- JSON request/response bodies
- Pagination with cursor-based approach

## State Management
- Server state: React Query
- Client state: Zustand
- Form state: React Hook Form
```

## UX Guide (Optional)

Defines design system and styling:

```markdown
# UX Guide

## Design System
- Based on custom design tokens
- Component library: shadcn/ui

## Colors
- Primary: #2563eb
- Secondary: #64748b
- Success: #10b981
- Error: #ef4444

## Typography
- Headings: Inter, sans-serif
- Body: Inter, sans-serif
- Mono: JetBrains Mono

## Spacing
- Base unit: 4px
- Scale: 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64

## Accessibility
- WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
- Keyboard navigation required
- Screen reader support
- Color contrast 4.5:1 minimum
```

## How Standards Are Used

Agents reference standards when generating code:

1. **Context Loading**

    Agent reads all standards from Memory Bank

2. **Decision Making**

    Standards inform architecture and design choices

3. **Code Generation**

    Generated code follows coding standards

4. **Validation**

    Output is checked against standards

## Updating Standards

Standards can evolve. To update:

1. Edit the relevant file in `memory-bank/standards/`
2. Commit the change with clear rationale
3. Consider an ADR for significant changes
4. Inform the team

:::warning
Changing standards affects all future code generation. Major changes should be documented in an ADR and reviewed by the team.
:::

## Best Practices

<Accordion>
  <AccordionItem title="Be Specific">
    Vague standards lead to inconsistent code. "Use good naming" is useless. "Use camelCase for functions" is clear.
  </AccordionItem>
  <AccordionItem title="Document Rationale">
    Explain why, not just what. Future team members will thank you.
  </AccordionItem>
  <AccordionItem title="Keep Current">
    Update standards when the team adopts new practices. Outdated standards are ignored.
  </AccordionItem>
  <AccordionItem title="Start Simple">
    You don't need every detail on day one. Add specifics as patterns emerge.
  </AccordionItem>
</Accordion>

## Standards Catalog

Standards are defined in `.specsmd/aidlc/templates/standards/catalog.yaml`. This catalog controls:

- Which standards exist and their importance
- Decisions within each standard
- Dependencies between standards
- Project type presets

```yaml
standards:
  tech-stack:
    description: Core technology choices
    facilitation: templates/standards/tech-stack.guide.md
    importance: critical
    decisions:
      - id: languages
        display_name: Languages
        importance: critical
      - id: framework
        display_name: Framework
        depends_on: [languages]
      # ...

  coding-standards:
    depends_on_standards: [tech-stack]
    decisions:
      - id: formatting
      - id: testing_strategy
      # ...

project_types:
  full-stack-web:
    required_standards: [tech-stack, data-stack, coding-standards]
    recommended_standards: [system-architecture, ux-guide]
```

### Extensibility

The catalog is designed for extensibility:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Add New Standards" icon="plus">
    Add entries to `standards:` with facilitation guides
  </Card>
  <Card title="Custom Decisions" icon="sliders-horizontal">
    Add decisions to existing standards
  </Card>
  <Card title="Project Types" icon="folder-tree">
    Define custom project type presets
  </Card>
  <Card title="Dependencies" icon="link">
    Control order via `depends_on_standards`
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

:::info
Each standard has a facilitation guide (`.guide.md`) that defines the questions asked during `project-init`. Customize these to match your team's decision-making process.
:::