Glossary
Quick reference for CodeSpeak terminology. Each entry links to detailed documentation.
Build
The primary command (codespeak build) that generates or updates code to match your specs. Resolves spec dependencies, builds in dependency order, runs tests, and iterates to fix failures.
See: codespeak build reference | Quick Start tutorial
Code Change Request
A mechanism to fix implementation bugs without changing the spec. Used when the spec is correct but the generated code has a bug. Invoked with codespeak change -m "description".
See: codespeak change reference | Code Change Requests tutorial
Frontmatter
A YAML metadata block at the top of spec files, delimited by ---. Used to declare spec dependencies via the import directive.
Managed Files
Files that belong to a specific spec and can be freely modified by CodeSpeak during builds. Any file not managed by a spec triggers a notification if CodeSpeak needs to modify it.
See: Managed Files | codespeak update-managed-files reference
Mixed Mode
A configuration where CodeSpeak manages only specified files within an existing codebase, leaving the rest untouched. Enables incremental adoption of spec-driven development.
See: Mixed Mode tutorial
Module
A focused, composable spec with clear boundaries. Projects are split into modules using the import directive in spec frontmatter, and CodeSpeak builds them in dependency order.
See: Imports / Dependencies | Spec-Driven Code Evolution
Shrink Factor
The ratio of spec lines to generated code lines. Typically ranges from 1:5 to 1:10, meaning specs are 5-10x shorter than the code they produce.
See: Spec-Driven Code Evolution
Spec
A plain English description (.cs.md file) of what software should do. CodeSpeak generates implementation from specs. Specs capture essential complexity and are typically 5-10x shorter than the generated code.
See: Spec-Driven Code Evolution | Quick Start tutorial
Takeover
The codespeak takeover command reads existing source code and extracts a spec from it, converting code to spec-driven management. Enables migrating existing projects to CodeSpeak.