spec-editor Pro is in early access. Request access

Editors

spec-editor has extensions for three editors: VS Code, JetBrains IDEs and Zed. They ship in the repository, in the folder packages/, and are installed from there with the commands below.

All three talk to the same MCP server as any other agent (see the MCP reference), so the editor shows the same model that the CLI shows. Install the command-line tool first: quickstart.

VS Code

Source: packages/vscode-extension.

What it does:

  • Adds a spec-editor view container with the tabs Reqs (the element tree), Agents and Ops.
  • Opens a project or creates a new one, and starts, stops and restarts the MCP server.
  • Creates, edits and deletes elements from the tree.
  • Draws the diagram of the model and runs validation. Both are available as commands.
  • Shows the history of an element and what a run changed: “Show History”, “Show changes” and “Show Code” open a native diff.
  • Exports the specification.
  • Writes the .mcp.json of the workspace, so an agent in the editor can reach the server.

The commands are in the command palette under the prefix “Spec Editor”. Some of them (for example the agent chat, pause and resume, and reengineer) act on the delivery team and are useful only with spec-editor Pro.

To build it, from the repository root:

cd packages/vscode-extension
npm ci
npm run build

npm run build bundles the extension together with the web interface. Packaging a .vsix file needs the vsce tool; the package script in package.json builds the file and installs it into VS Code.

JetBrains

Source: packages/jetbrains-extension. It is a plugin for IntelliJ-based IDEs, written in Kotlin.

What it does:

  • Starts the MCP server when a project opens, detecting a suitable Python.
  • Adds a “Spec Editor” tool window on the right with the web interface embedded: the element tree, the diagram and the element detail.
  • Creates, edits and deletes elements.
  • Runs validation and shows the metrics dashboard.
  • Updates the view when the model changes.
  • Settings page for the agent provider, model, temperature and token limit.

To build it, from the repository root:

cd packages/jetbrains-extension
./gradlew buildPlugin

The plugin archive is written under build/. Install it in the IDE with “Install Plugin from Disk”.

Zed

Source: packages/zed-extension. It is a small Rust extension that compiles to WebAssembly.

What it does: it adds five slash commands to the Zed assistant, and they call the MCP server.

Command Does
/spec Browse and search elements.
/spec-diagram Generate a Mermaid diagram by aspect.
/spec-validate Validate the integrity of the specification.
/spec-search Full-text search across elements and code. It takes a query.
/spec-context Load the requirements context for a code file.

To build it you need a Rust toolchain with the WebAssembly target:

rustup target add wasm32-wasip1
cd packages/zed-extension
cargo build --release --target wasm32-wasip1

Zed loads a local extension through “Install Dev Extension” in its extensions panel, pointing at the folder.

No editor

Nothing requires an editor integration. The CLI, the local web interface and the MCP server work on their own, and any MCP-capable agent can use the model without an extension.