spec-kit-spec-reference-loader

A Spec Kit extension that reads the ## References section from the current feature spec and loads the listed files into LLM context. Only fires on commands where the spec already exists.

Problem

Feature specs often reference external documents — API references, integration guides, decision records — but spec-kit lifecycle commands don't automatically load those files. The LLM agent plans and implements without access to the reference material that the spec author intended to be consulted.

Solution

The Spec Reference Loader extension parses the ## References section of the current feature's spec.md and loads every listed file into context before lifecycle commands execute.

Installation

# From release
specify extension add spec-reference-loader --from https://github.com/KevinBrown5280/spec-kit-spec-reference-loader/archive/refs/tags/v1.0.0.zip

# From main branch
specify extension add spec-reference-loader --from https://github.com/KevinBrown5280/spec-kit-spec-reference-loader/archive/refs/heads/main.zip

# Development mode (local clone)
specify extension add --dev /path/to/spec-kit-spec-reference-loader

Commands

Command	Description	Modifies Files?
speckit.spec-reference-loader.load	Load reference docs listed in the feature spec's ## References section	No — read-only

How It Works

1. Find the spec: Locates the feature spec at the path provided by the calling context (e.g., specs/NNN-<feature>/spec.md). If no spec exists yet, outputs a message and skips.

2. Parse references: Reads the spec's ## References section and extracts file paths from markdown list items:

   ## References
   
   - docs/reference/api-reference.md
   - docs/reference/integration-guide.md
   

3. Load each file: For each file path found, reads the contents and outputs:

   ## Reference: {filename}
   
   {file contents}
   

4. Summarize: After all files, outputs:

   Spec references loaded: {count} files
   

Hooks

The extension fires automatically before these lifecycle commands:

Hook	Command	Description
before_plan	speckit.spec-reference-loader.load	Load references before planning
before_tasks	speckit.spec-reference-loader.load	Load references before task generation
before_implement	speckit.spec-reference-loader.load	Load references before implementation
before_clarify	speckit.spec-reference-loader.load	Load references before clarification
before_checklist	speckit.spec-reference-loader.load	Load references before checklist generation
before_analyze	speckit.spec-reference-loader.load	Load references before analysis

Does NOT fire on before_specify — the spec doesn't exist yet at that point. A companion memory-loader extension can provide sufficient context for spec authoring.

Design Decisions

• Read-only — never modifies any files
• Spec-gated — only fires when a spec already exists; skips silently otherwise
• Complementary — handles feature-specific references; pairs well with a memory-loader extension for project governance context
• Graceful degradation — missing files or missing ## References section are handled with warnings, not errors

Requirements

• Spec Kit >= 0.6.0

License

MIT