@leanspec/ui 0.2.5 → 0.2.6-dev.20251125010539

package/.next/standalone/packages/ui/dist/standalone/specs/084-sub-spec-visibility-in-tools/README.md

@@ -1,389 +0,0 @@
----
-status: complete
-created: '2025-11-16'
-tags:
-  - mcp
-  - tools
-  - sub-specs
-  - ai-agents
-  - ux
-priority: high
-created_at: '2025-11-16T13:30:17.281Z'
-updated_at: '2025-11-16T14:00:10.316Z'
-transitions:
-  - status: in-progress
-    at: '2025-11-16T13:58:37.156Z'
-  - status: complete
-    at: '2025-11-16T14:00:10.316Z'
-completed_at: '2025-11-16T14:00:10.316Z'
-completed: '2025-11-16'
----
-
-# Sub-Spec File Visibility in MCP Tools and Commands
-
-> **Status**: ✅ Complete · **Priority**: High · **Created**: 2025-11-16 · **Tags**: mcp, tools, sub-specs, ai-agents, ux
-
-**Project**: lean-spec  
-**Team**: Core Development
-
-## Overview
-
-AI agents frequently miss critical information in sub-spec files (DESIGN.md, TESTING.md, IMPLEMENTATION.md) because standard tools (`list`, `search`, `view`) don't surface their existence. This creates incomplete context and poor decision-making.
-
-**Solution**: Include lightweight sub-spec file references in tool outputs so agents know what additional content exists and can fetch it when needed.
-
-## Problem
-
-### Current Behavior
-
-When AI agents interact with LeanSpec through MCP tools or CLI commands:
-
-1. **`lean-spec list`** / **`list` MCP tool**: Returns spec metadata (name, status, tags) but **no indication that sub-specs exist**
-2. **`lean-spec search`** / **`search` MCP tool**: Searches content but doesn't highlight which **file** matches came from
-3. **`lean-spec view <spec>`** / **`view` MCP tool**: Shows only README.md, agents don't know about DESIGN.md, TESTING.md, etc.
-
-### Real-World Impact
-
-**Example**: Spec 082 (web-navigation-performance) has:
-- `README.md` - Overview and problem statement (200 lines)
-- `DESIGN.md` - Detailed architecture and implementation approach (300 lines)
-- `TESTING.md` - Performance benchmarks and test strategy (150 lines)
-
-**Agent behavior**:
-```
-Agent: "Show me specs related to web performance"
-Tool: Returns 082-web-navigation-performance with README.md content
-Agent: "Implement the optimization"
-Result: Agent misses the detailed architecture in DESIGN.md and benchmarks in TESTING.md
-```
-
-### Why This Happens
-
-The Context Economy principle (spec 066, 069, 071) **correctly** encourages splitting specs to stay under token limits. However, tooling hasn't kept pace:
-
-- **Spec splitting is working** - Complex specs now have 3-5 focused files
-- **Tool visibility is not working** - Agents only see README.md
-- **Gap**: Agents don't know what they're missing
-
-### User Quote
-
-> "I often found that AI agents will ignore the sub-specs of the main spec."
-
-## Design
-
-### Design Principle
-
-**Progressive Disclosure with Signaling**: Don't load all sub-specs by default (Context Economy), but **signal their existence** so agents can fetch them when needed.
-
-### Implementation Strategy
-
-Add a `subSpecs` field to all tool outputs containing lightweight references:
-
-```typescript
-{
-  name: "082-web-navigation-performance",
-  status: "in-progress",
-  tags: ["web", "performance"],
-  // NEW: Sub-spec references (not full content)
-  subSpecs: [
-    { name: "DESIGN.md", tokens: 1243, summary: "Hybrid rendering architecture and caching strategy" },
-    { name: "TESTING.md", tokens: 892, summary: "Performance benchmarks and test plan" }
-  ]
-}
-```
-
-**Key properties**:
-- ✅ **Signals presence** - Agent knows sub-specs exist
-- ✅ **Context-aware** - Token count helps agent decide if worth loading
-- ✅ **Self-descriptive** - Summary helps agent understand relevance
-- ✅ **Progressive** - Agent can fetch full content if needed via `view <spec>/DESIGN.md`
-
-### Affected Tools
-
-#### 1. `list` Tool (MCP + CLI)
-
-**Current output**:
-```json
-{
-  "specs": [
-    {
-      "name": "082-web-navigation-performance",
-      "status": "in-progress",
-      "tags": ["web", "performance"]
-    }
-  ]
-}
-```
-
-**Enhanced output**:
-```json
-{
-  "specs": [
-    {
-      "name": "082-web-navigation-performance",
-      "status": "in-progress",
-      "tags": ["web", "performance"],
-      "subSpecs": [
-        { "name": "DESIGN.md", "tokens": 1243 },
-        { "name": "TESTING.md", "tokens": 892 }
-      ]
-    }
-  ]
-}
-```
-
-**Implementation**: Modify `listSpecsData()` in `packages/cli/src/mcp/tools/list.ts` to:
-1. Call `loadSubFiles(specDir)` for each spec
-2. Count tokens for each sub-spec using `countTokens()` from `@leanspec/core`
-3. Add `subSpecs: [{ name, tokens }]` to response
-
-#### 2. `view` Tool (MCP + CLI)
-
-**Current output** (when viewing main spec):
-```json
-{
-  "spec": {
-    "name": "082-web-navigation-performance",
-    "status": "in-progress"
-  },
-  "content": "# web-navigation-performance\n\n..."
-}
-```
-
-**Enhanced output**:
-```json
-{
-  "spec": {
-    "name": "082-web-navigation-performance",
-    "status": "in-progress",
-    "subSpecs": [
-      { "name": "DESIGN.md", "tokens": 1243, "summary": "Hybrid rendering..." },
-      { "name": "TESTING.md", "tokens": 892, "summary": "Performance benchmarks..." }
-    ]
-  },
-  "content": "# web-navigation-performance\n\n..."
-}
-```
-
-**Implementation**: Modify `readSpecData()` in `packages/cli/src/mcp/tools/view.ts` to:
-1. Detect if viewing main spec (not a sub-spec file)
-2. Load sub-spec metadata (name, tokens, first 100 chars as summary)
-3. Include in `spec` object
-
-**Note**: Don't include `subSpecs` when viewing a **sub-spec file** itself (e.g., `082/DESIGN.md`) - only when viewing the main README.md
-
-#### 3. `search` Tool (MCP + CLI)
-
-**Current output**:
-```json
-{
-  "results": [
-    {
-      "spec": { "name": "082-web-navigation-performance" },
-      "matches": [
-        { "field": "content", "text": "...hybrid rendering..." }
-      ]
-    }
-  ]
-}
-```
-
-**Enhanced output**:
-```json
-{
-  "results": [
-    {
-      "spec": { 
-        "name": "082-web-navigation-performance",
-        "subSpecs": [
-          { "name": "DESIGN.md", "tokens": 1243 },
-          { "name": "TESTING.md", "tokens": 892 }
-        ]
-      },
-      "matches": [
-        { 
-          "field": "content", 
-          "text": "...hybrid rendering...",
-          "source": "README.md"  // NEW: Indicate which file matched
-        },
-        {
-          "field": "content",
-          "text": "...caching strategy...",
-          "source": "DESIGN.md"  // NEW: Match from sub-spec
-        }
-      ]
-    }
-  ]
-}
-```
-
-**Implementation**:
-1. Modify `searchSpecsData()` in `packages/cli/src/mcp/tools/search.ts` to:
-   - Load sub-spec content when `includeContent: true`
-   - Search across README.md + all sub-specs
-   - Track which file each match came from
-2. Add `source` field to match results
-3. Include `subSpecs` metadata in spec object
-
-**Alternative (Simpler)**: Don't change search behavior, just add `subSpecs` metadata to results (agents can see sub-specs exist even if not searched)
-
-#### 4. CLI Commands
-
-Apply same changes to CLI formatters:
-- `packages/cli/src/commands/lister.ts` - Display sub-spec count in list view
-- `packages/cli/src/commands/viewer.ts` - Show sub-spec references when viewing main spec
-- Search output formatter - Add source file to match display
-
-### Sub-Spec Metadata Schema
-
-```typescript
-interface SubSpecReference {
-  name: string;           // "DESIGN.md"
-  tokens: number;         // 1243 (from countTokens)
-  summary?: string;       // First 100 chars or H1 title (optional)
-  size?: number;          // File size in bytes (optional)
-}
-
-interface SpecData {
-  // ... existing fields ...
-  subSpecs?: SubSpecReference[];  // Only when viewing main spec
-}
-```
-
-### Performance Considerations
-
-**Impact**: Adds ~5-10ms per spec (need to stat + count tokens for sub-files)
-
-**Mitigation**:
-- Only compute when outputting data (not during search indexing)
-- Cache token counts in memory during single operation
-- Skip for `--fast` flag (if we add one later)
-
-**Trade-off**: Acceptable cost for massive UX improvement (agents won't miss critical content)
-
-### Design Decisions
-
-#### 1. Should sub-specs be included in search by default?
-
-**Options**:
-- **A**: Search README.md only by default, add `--include-subspecs` flag
-- **B**: Search all content by default (current behavior)
-- **C**: Search all, but indicate source file in results ✅ **Recommended**
-
-**Decision**: Option C - Keep current search behavior (comprehensive), add source attribution
-
-**Rationale**: Context Economy says "don't load if not needed", but if agent explicitly searches, they want complete results. The `source` field lets them know which file to fetch.
-
-#### 2. How detailed should sub-spec summaries be?
-
-**Options**:
-- **A**: No summary, just filename + token count
-- **B**: First H1 heading from file
-- **C**: First 100 characters of content ✅ **Recommended**
-- **D**: LLM-generated summary (too expensive)
-
-**Decision**: Start with B (H1 heading), fall back to C (first 100 chars)
-
-**Rationale**: Balance between information value and computation cost
-
-#### 3. Should `files` tool output change?
-
-**Current**: `lean-spec files <spec>` shows all files with sizes
-
-**Proposed**: Add token counts to document listing
-
-```diff
-  Documents:
--   ✓ DESIGN.md        (15 KB)  
-+   ✓ DESIGN.md        (15 KB, ~1,243 tokens)
-```
-
-**Decision**: Yes, add token counts (consistent with other tool outputs)
-
-#### 4. Web app impact?
-
-The web app (`packages/web`) already has `SubSpecTabs` component that detects and displays sub-specs. This spec only affects CLI/MCP tools.
-
-**No changes needed** to web app (already handles sub-specs well)
-
-## Plan
-
-### Phase 1: Core Infrastructure (1-2 hours)
-- [ ] Create `loadSubSpecMetadata(specDir)` helper function
-  - Input: Spec directory path
-  - Output: `SubSpecReference[]`
-  - Uses existing `loadSubFiles()` + `countTokens()`
-- [ ] Add `subSpecs?: SubSpecReference[]` to `SpecData` type in `packages/cli/src/mcp/types.ts`
-
-### Phase 2: MCP Tools (2-3 hours)
-- [ ] Update `list` tool - Add sub-spec metadata to list responses
-- [ ] Update `view` tool - Add sub-spec references when viewing main spec
-- [ ] Update `search` tool - Add sub-spec metadata + source tracking (or simpler version)
-
-### Phase 3: CLI Formatters (1-2 hours)
-- [ ] Update list formatter - Display sub-spec count: `(+2 sub-specs)`
-- [ ] Update view formatter - Show sub-spec references with token counts
-- [ ] Update search formatter - Show source file in match context
-- [ ] Update `files` command - Add token counts to document listing
-
-### Phase 4: Testing & Documentation (1-2 hours)
-- [ ] Add test cases for specs with/without sub-specs
-- [ ] Update AGENTS.md - Document new sub-spec visibility behavior
-- [ ] Update docs site - Add examples to MCP tools documentation
-- [ ] Update CLI help text where relevant
-
-**Total estimate**: 6-10 hours
-
-## Test
-
-### Success Criteria
-
-- [ ] **AI agents discover sub-specs**: When listing or viewing a spec, agents see which sub-spec files exist
-- [ ] **Token-aware decisions**: Agents can decide whether to load sub-specs based on token count
-- [ ] **Search attribution**: Search results indicate which file (README vs sub-spec) matches came from
-- [ ] **No breaking changes**: Existing tools continue to work, `subSpecs` field is additive
-- [ ] **Performance acceptable**: <50ms overhead per spec in list operations
-- [ ] **Documentation complete**: AGENTS.md and docs site reflect new behavior
-
-### Test Cases
-
-**Unit Tests**:
-- [ ] `loadSubSpecMetadata()` returns correct token counts
-- [ ] `loadSubSpecMetadata()` handles specs without sub-specs
-- [ ] `loadSubSpecMetadata()` extracts H1 title as summary
-- [ ] Token counting works for all sub-spec types
-
-**Integration Tests**:
-- [ ] `list` tool includes `subSpecs` field for specs with sub-files
-- [ ] `list` tool omits `subSpecs` field for single-file specs
-- [ ] `view` tool includes `subSpecs` when viewing main README
-- [ ] `view` tool omits `subSpecs` when viewing sub-spec file
-- [ ] `search` tool includes `subSpecs` metadata in results
-- [ ] CLI formatters display sub-spec information correctly
-
-**Agent Workflow Tests** (manual):
-- [ ] Agent viewing spec 082 sees DESIGN.md and TESTING.md references
-- [ ] Agent can decide to fetch DESIGN.md based on token count
-- [ ] Agent searching "performance" sees which file matches came from
-
-## Notes
-
-### Related Specs
-
-- **Spec 012** - Sub-Spec Files Management (original sub-spec support)
-- **Spec 066** - Context Economy Thresholds Refinement (why we split specs)
-- **Spec 069** - Token Counting Utils (provides `countTokens()` function)
-- **Spec 075** - Intelligent Search Engine (search infrastructure)
-- **Spec 080** - MCP Server Modular Architecture (MCP tools structure)
-
-### Open Questions
-
-1. Should we add a `--no-subspecs` flag to list/view for minimal output? **→ Not yet, wait for user feedback**
-2. Should search results be grouped by file (README, DESIGN, etc.)? **→ Future enhancement**
-3. Should we precompute and cache token counts in metadata? **→ Not yet, measure performance first**
-
-### Future Enhancements
-
-- **Smart sub-spec recommendations**: "Based on your query, you might want to check DESIGN.md"
-- **Sub-spec diff tracking**: Show which sub-specs changed in recent updates
-- **Grouped search results**: Group matches by file for better readability