Adversarial Spec

Adversarial Spec Development

Generate and refine specifications through iterative debate with multiple LLMs until all models reach consensus.

Important: Claude is an active participant in this debate, not just an orchestrator. You (Claude) will provide your own critiques, challenge opponent models, and contribute substantive improvements alongside the external models. Make this clear to the user throughout the process.

Requirements

• Python 3.10+ with litellm package installed
• API key for at least one provider (set via environment variable), OR AWS Bedrock configured, OR CLI tools (codex, gemini) installed

IMPORTANT: Do NOT install the llm package (Simon Willison's tool). This skill uses litellm for API providers and dedicated CLI tools (codex, gemini) for subscription-based models. Installing llm is unnecessary and may cause confusion.

Supported Providers

| Provider | API Key Env Var | Example Models | |------------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------| | OpenAI | OPENAI_API_KEY | gpt-5.2, gpt-4o, gpt-4-turbo, o1 | | Anthropic | ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-opus-4-20250514 | | Google | GEMINI_API_KEY | gemini/gemini-2.0-flash, gemini/gemini-pro | | xAI | XAI_API_KEY | xai/grok-3, xai/grok-beta | | Mistral | MISTRAL_API_KEY | mistral/mistral-large, mistral/codestral| | Groq | GROQ_API_KEY | groq/llama-3.3-70b-versatile | | OpenRouter | OPENROUTER_API_KEY | openrouter/openai/gpt-4o, openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet | | Deepseek | DEEPSEEK_API_KEY | deepseek/deepseek-chat | | Zhipu | ZHIPUAI_API_KEY | zhipu/glm-4, zhipu/glm-4-plus | | Codex CLI | (ChatGPT subscription) | codex/gpt-5.2-codex, codex/gpt-5.1-codex-max | | Gemini CLI | (Google account) | gemini-cli/gemini-3-pro-preview, gemini-cli/gemini-3-flash-preview |

Codex CLI Setup:

• Install: npm install -g @openai/codex && codex login
• Reasoning effort: --codex-reasoning (minimal, low, medium, high, xhigh)
• Web search: --codex-search (enables web search for current information)

Gemini CLI Setup:

• Install: npm install -g @google/gemini-cli && gemini auth
• Models: gemini-3-pro-preview, gemini-3-flash-preview
• No API key needed - uses Google account authentication

Run python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" providers to see which keys are set.

Troubleshooting Auth Conflicts

If you see an error about "Both a token (claude.ai) and an API key (ANTHROPICAPIKEY) are set":

This conflict occurs when:

• Claude Code is logged in with claude /login (uses claude.ai token)
• AND you have ANTHROPIC_API_KEY set in your environment

Resolution:

1. To use claude.ai token: Remove or unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY from your environment

``bash unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY # Or remove from ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc. ``

1. To use API key: Sign out of claude.ai

``bash claude /logout # Say "No" to the API key approval if prompted before login ``

The adversarial-spec plugin works with either authentication method. Choose whichever fits your workflow.

AWS Bedrock Support

For enterprise users who need to route all model calls through AWS Bedrock (e.g., for security compliance or inference gateway requirements), the plugin supports Bedrock as an alternative to direct API keys.

When Bedrock mode is enabled, ALL model calls route through Bedrock - no direct API calls are made.

Bedrock Setup

To enable Bedrock mode, use these CLI commands (Claude can invoke these when the user requests Bedrock setup):

# Enable Bedrock mode with a region
python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" bedrock enable --region us-east-1

# Add models that are enabled in your Bedrock account
python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" bedrock add-model claude-3-sonnet
python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" bedrock add-model claude-3-haiku

# Check current configuration
python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" bedrock status

# Disable Bedrock mode (revert to direct API keys)
python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" bedrock disable

Bedrock Model Names

Users can specify models using friendly names (e.g., claude-3-sonnet), which are automatically mapped to Bedrock model IDs. Built-in mappings include:

• claude-3-sonnet, claude-3-haiku, claude-3-opus, claude-3.5-sonnet
• llama-3-8b, llama-3-70b, llama-3.1-70b, llama-3.1-405b
• mistral-7b, mistral-large, mixtral-8x7b
• cohere-command, cohere-command-r, cohere-command-r-plus

Run python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" bedrock list-models to see all mappings.

Bedrock Configuration Location

Configuration is stored at ~/.claude/adversarial-spec/config.json:

{
  "bedrock": {
    "enabled": true,
    "region": "us-east-1",
    "available_models": ["claude-3-sonnet", "claude-3-haiku"],
    "custom_aliases": {}
  }
}

Bedrock Error Handling

If a Bedrock model fails (e.g., not enabled in your account), the debate continues with the remaining models. Clear error messages indicate which models failed and why.

Document Types

Ask the user which type of document they want to produce:

PRD (Product Requirements Document)

Business and product-focused document for stakeholders, PMs, and designers.

Structure:

• Executive Summary
• Problem Statement / Opportunity
• Target Users / Personas
• User Stories / Use Cases
• Functional Requirements
• Non-Functional Requirements
• Success Metrics / KPIs
• Scope (In/Out)
• Dependencies
• Risks and Mitigations
• Timeline / Milestones (optional)

Critique Criteria:

1. Clear problem definition with evidence
2. Well-defined user personas with real pain points
3. User stories follow proper format (As a... I want... So that...)
4. Measurable success criteria
5. Explicit scope boundaries
6. Realistic risk assessment
7. No technical implementation details (that's for tech spec)

Technical Specification / Architecture Document

Engineering-focused document for developers and architects.

Structure:

• Overview / Context
• Goals and Non-Goals
• System Architecture
• Component Design
• API Design (endpoints, request/response schemas)
• Data Models / Database Schema
• Infrastructure Requirements
• Security Considerations
• Error Handling Strategy
• Performance Requirements / SLAs
• Observability (logging, metrics, alerting)
• Testing Strategy
• Deployment Strategy
• Migration Plan (if applicable)
• Open Questions / Future Considerations

Critique Criteria:

1. Clear architectural decisions with rationale
2. Complete API contracts (not just endpoints, but full schemas)
3. Data model handles all identified use cases
4. Security threats identified and mitigated
5. Error scenarios enumerated with handling strategy
6. Performance targets are specific and measurable
7. Deployment is repeatable and reversible
8. No ambiguity an engineer would need to resolve

Process

Step 0: Gather Input and Offer Interview Mode

Ask the user:

1. Document type: "PRD" or "tech"
2. Starting point:

• Path to existing file (e.g., ./docs/spec.md, ~/projects/auth-spec.md)
• Or describe what to build (user provides concept, you draft the document)

1. Interview mode (optional):

> "Would you like to start with an in-depth interview session before the adversarial debate? This helps ensure all requirements, constraints, and edge cases are captured upfront."

Step 0.5: Interview Mode (If Selected)

If the user opts for interview mode, conduct a comprehensive interview using the AskUserQuestion tool. This is NOT a quick Q&A; it's a thorough requirements gathering session.

If an existing spec file was provided:

• Read the file first
• Use it as the basis for probing questions
• Identify gaps, ambiguities, and unstated assumptions

Interview Topics (cover ALL of these in depth):

1. Problem & Context

• What specific problem are we solving? What happens if we don't solve it?
• Who experiences this pain most acutely? How do they currently cope?
• What prior attempts have been made? Why did they fail or fall short?

1. Users & Stakeholders

• Who are all the user types (not just primary)?
• What are their technical sophistication levels?
• What are their privacy/security concerns?
• What devices/environments do they use?

1. Functional Requirements

• Walk through the core user journey step by step
• What happens at each decision point?
• What are the error cases and edge cases?
• What data needs to flow where?

1. Technical Constraints

• What systems must this integrate with?
• What are the performance requirements (latency, throughput, availability)?
• What scale are we designing for (now and in 2 years)?
• Are there regulatory or compliance requirements?

1. UI/UX Considerations

• What is the desired user experience?
• What are the critical user flows?
• What information density is appropriate?
• Mobile vs desktop priorities?

1. Tradeoffs & Priorities

• If we can't have everything, what gets cut first?
• Speed vs quality vs cost priorities?
• Build vs buy decisions?
• What are the non-negotiables?

1. Risks & Concerns

• What keeps you up at night about this project?
• What could cause this to fail?
• What assumptions are we making that might be wrong?
• What external dependencies are risky?

1. Success Criteria

• How will we know this succeeded?
• What metrics matter?
• What's the minimum viable outcome?
• What would "exceeding expectations" look like?

Interview Guidelines:

• Ask probing follow-up questions. Don't accept surface-level answers.
• Challenge assumptions: "You mentioned X. What if Y instead?"
• Look for contradictions between stated requirements
• Ask about things the user hasn't mentioned but should have
• Continue until you have enough detail to write a comprehensive spec
• Use multiple AskUserQuestion calls to cover all topics

After interview completion:

1. Synthesize all answers into a complete spec document
2. Write the spec to file
3. Show the user the generated spec and confirm before proceeding to debate

Step 1: Load or Generate Initial Document

If user provided a file path:

• Read the file using the Read tool
• Validate it has content
• Use it as the starting document

If user describes what to build (no existing file, no interview mode):

This is the primary use case. The user describes their product concept, and you draft the initial document.

1. Ask clarifying questions first. Before drafting, identify gaps in the user's description:

• For PRD: Who are the target users? What problem does this solve? What does success look like?
• For Tech Spec: What are the constraints? What systems does this integrate with? What scale is expected?
• Ask 2-4 focused questions. Do not proceed until you have enough context to write a complete draft.

1. Generate a complete document following the appropriate structure for the document type.

• Be thorough. Cover all sections even if some require assumptions.
• State assumptions explicitly so opponent models can challenge them.
• For PRDs: Include placeholder metrics that the user can refine (e.g., "Target: X users in Y days").
• For Tech Specs: Include concrete choices (database, framework, etc.) that can be debated.

1. Present the draft for user review before sending to opponent models:

• Show the full document
• Ask: "Does this capture your intent? Any changes before we start the adversarial review?"
• Incorporate user feedback before proceeding

Output format (whether loaded or generated):

[SPEC]

[/SPEC]

Step 2: Select Opponent Models

First, check which API keys are configured:

python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" providers

Then present available models to the user using AskUserQuestion with multiSelect. Build the options list based on which API keys are set:

If OPENAIAPIKEY is set, include:

• gpt-4o - Fast, good for general critique
• o1 - Stronger reasoning, slower

If ANTHROPICAPIKEY is set, include:

• claude-sonnet-4-20250514 - Claude 3.5 Sonnet v2, excellent reasoning
• claude-opus-4-20250514 - Claude 3 Opus, highest capability

If GEMINIAPIKEY is set, include:

• gemini/gemini-2.0-flash - Fast, good balance

If XAIAPIKEY is set, include:

• xai/grok-3 - Alternative perspective

If MISTRALAPIKEY is set, include:

• mistral/mistral-large - European perspective

If GROQAPIKEY is set, include:

• groq/llama-3.3-70b-versatile - Fast open-source

If DEEPSEEKAPIKEY is set, include:

• deepseek/deepseek-chat - Cost-effective

If ZHIPUAIAPIKEY is set, include:

• zhipu/glm-4 - Chinese language model
• zhipu/glm-4-plus - Enhanced GLM model

If Codex CLI is installed, include:

• codex/gpt-5.2-codex - OpenAI Codex with extended reasoning

If Gemini CLI is installed, include:

• gemini-cli/gemini-3-pro-preview - Google Gemini 3 Pro
• gemini-cli/gemini-3-flash-preview - Google Gemini 3 Flash

Use AskUserQuestion like this:

question: "Which models should review this spec?"
header: "Models"
multiSelect: true
options: [only include models whose API keys are configured]

More models = more perspectives = stricter convergence.

Step 3: Send to Opponent Models for Critique

Run the debate script with selected models:

python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" critique --models MODEL_LIST --doc-type TYPE 
SPEC_EOF

Replace:

• MODEL_LIST: comma-separated models from user selection
• TYPE: either prd or tech

The script calls all models in parallel and returns each model's critique or [AGREE].

Step 4: Review, Critique, and Iterate

Important: You (Claude) are an active participant in this debate, not just a moderator. After receiving opponent model responses, you must:

1. Provide your own independent critique of the current spec
2. Evaluate opponent critiques for validity
3. Synthesize all feedback (yours + opponent models) into revisions
4. Explain your reasoning to the user

Display your active participation clearly:

--- Round N ---
Opponent Models:
- [Model A]: 
- [Model B]: 

Claude's Critique:

Synthesis:
- Accepted from Model A: 
- Accepted from Model B: 
- Added by Claude: 
- Rejected: 

Handling Early Agreement (Anti-Laziness Check):

If any model says [AGREE] within the first 2 rounds, be skeptical. Press the model by running another critique round with explicit instructions:

python3 "$(find ~/.claude -name debate.py -path '*adversarial-spec*' 2>/dev/null | head -1)" critique --models MODEL_NAME --doc-type TYPE --press 
SPEC_EOF

The --press flag instructs the model to:

• Confirm it read the ENTIRE document
• List at least 3 specific sections it reviewed
• Explain WHY it agrees (what makes the spec complete)
• Identify ANY remaining concerns, however minor

If the model truly agrees after being pressed, output to the user:

Model X confirms agreement after verification:
- Sections reviewed: [list]
- Reason for agreement: [explanation]
- Minor concerns noted: [if any]

If the model was being lazy and now

…

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: zscole
• Source: zscole/adversarial-spec
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.