Cursor Integration

Spec Doc becomes the source of truth that Cursor references when generating code.

Spec Doc (What to build) → Cursor (How to build)

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Workflow

1. Write Spec → 2. Export → 3. Use in Cursor → 4. Iterate

Export generates cursor-optimized Markdown with:

• Spec content
• Version metadata (frontmatter)
• Implementation checklist
• Cross-references to related specs

In Cursor:

User: "@specs/user-authentication-v12.md Implement this"

Cursor: [Reads spec, generates code matching exact requirements]

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Export Format

Recommended: Markdown with YAML Frontmatter

---
specdoc:
  project: e-commerce-platform
  type: epic
  name: user-authentication
  version: 12
  url: https://specdoc.ai/specs/abc123/v12
  previous_version: 11
  changes:
    - "Added refresh token rotation"
---

# Epic: User Authentication
[Content]

Alternatives:

• HTML comments (broader compatibility)
• JSON sidecar file (maximum flexibility)

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Version Tracking

File naming: user-authentication-v12.md

Benefits:

• Cursor sees diff between versions (v12 → v13)
• Targeted updates instead of full rewrites
• Spec and code stay in sync
• Code comments reference spec version

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Integration Options

Option A: Context Files (MVP)

project/
├── .cursor/specs/
│   └── user-authentication-v12.md  ← Spec Doc export
├── src/
└── README.md

Option B: Cursor Rules

.cursorrules file references specs:

When implementing features, reference Spec Doc exports in .cursor/specs/
Current specs:
- User Authentication: @specs/user-authentication-v12.md

Option C: CLI (Future)

specdoc export --spec auth --to cursor
specdoc sync --watch  # Auto-sync on changes

Option D: Cursor Extension (Future)

• Import from Spec Doc command
• Auto-sync on save
• Inline spec preview on hover
• Implementation checklist in sidebar

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Why This Creates Lock-In

Timeline	Lock-in Level
Month 1	1 spec → Convenient
Month 3	5 specs → Workflow dependency
Month 6	12 specs → Source of truth
Month 12	30 specs + team → Impossible to leave

Spec Doc becomes indispensable because:

• First tool opened daily
• Source of truth for all features
• Cursor depends on it
• All context lives there

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Related Documents

• Epic - Product scope
• Architecture - Technical design
• Prototyping - Prototype generation
• UX Vision - Interface philosophy

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Status: Ready to Implement