Add /cross-feature command for analysis across features with Systems Thinking #723

harikrishnan83 · 2025-10-03T07:01:34Z

Summary

This PR introduces a new /cross-feature command that enables systems thinking analysis across features in Spec Kit. The command helps identify conflicts, dependencies, and emergent behaviors when adding new features to a project.

Comparison between /analyze and /cross-feature.

Or as a metaphor, /analyze is vertical alignment; /cross-feature is horizontal alignment.

Here is a detailed writeup.

This is both a proposal / idea for a command as well as PR with initial Proof of Concept that I have tested. Happy to hear your feedback and work on improvements / recommendations.

Changes included:

Add /cross-feature command template with systems thinking framework
Create bash and PowerShell scripts for cross-feature analysis
Add cross-feature-analysis-template.md for structured alignment analysis
Update README.md to document the new command in workflow
Update /specify command to suggest /cross-feature as optional next step
Add settings.local.json to .gitignore

Key features:

Analyzes current feature spec against all existing feature specs
Identifies real conflicts, dependencies, and side effects
Adds clarification markers to spec.md for /clarify to pick up
Generates concise, actionable alignment analysis (50-100 lines)
Optional step between /specify and /plan

Test plan

Tested /cross-feature command with sample feature specifications
Verified bash script works on macOS
Verified PowerShell script syntax
Confirmed analysis file generation using template
Verified clarification line injection into spec.md
Tested integration with existing /specify and /clarify workflow
Updated documentation in README.md
Manual testing by maintainers recommended on various feature scenarios

AI Assistance Disclosure

This PR was developed with significant AI assistance (Claude Code). The implementation was guided by systems thinking principles and iteratively tested to ensure alignment with Spec Kit's workflow philosophy. All code has been reviewed and tested by the human contributor.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Co-Authored-By: Claude [email protected]

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

Renamed the /align command to /cross-feature to better express that this command performs cross-feature alignment analysis using systems thinking. The new name makes it immediately clear that the analysis examines interactions between multiple features. Changes: - Renamed templates/commands/align.md → cross-feature.md - Renamed templates/alignment-analysis-template.md → cross-feature-analysis-template.md - Renamed scripts/bash/alignment-check-all-features.sh → cross-feature-check-all-features.sh - Renamed scripts/powershell/alignment-check-all-features.ps1 → cross-feature-check-all-features.ps1 - Updated all internal references to use new naming: - Output filename: alignment-analysis.md → cross-feature-analysis.md - Template paths in scripts - Command references in documentation - Clarification line text in scripts - Updated README.md command table - Updated templates/commands/specify.md to suggest /cross-feature 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

* main: docs(readme): link Amazon Q slash command limitation issue docs: clarify Amazon Q limitation and update init docstring feat(agent): Added Amazon Q Developer CLI Integration

Copilot

Pull Request Overview

This PR introduces a new /cross-feature command that enables systems thinking analysis to identify conflicts, dependencies, and emergent behaviors when adding new features to a project.

Adds /cross-feature command with systems thinking framework for cross-feature analysis
Creates platform-specific scripts (bash/PowerShell) to analyze current feature against all existing specs
Integrates with existing workflow between /specify and /plan commands

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
templates/cross-feature-analysis-template.md	Template for structured alignment analysis output
templates/commands/cross-feature.md	Command definition for cross-feature analysis workflow
scripts/bash/cross-feature-check-all-features.sh	Bash script implementation for feature comparison
scripts/powershell/cross-feature-check-all-features.ps1	PowerShell script implementation for feature comparison
templates/commands/specify.md	Updated to suggest cross-feature analysis as optional next step
README.md	Documentation update adding new command to workflow table

_{Tip: Customize your code reviews with copilot-instructions.md. Create the file or learn how to get started.}

scripts/bash/cross-feature-check-all-features.sh

templates/commands/cross-feature.md

…cation - Fix bash script sed portability for macOS/BSD vs GNU/Linux platforms - Extract clarification message to template to eliminate duplication - Update both bash and PowerShell scripts to read clarification from template - Add fallback to hardcoded message if template extraction fails 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

- Added /cross-feature command to the Enhancement Commands panel shown after `specify init` - Positioned after /clarify and before /analyze in the workflow - Includes timing guidance: "run after /specify, before /plan" - Described as "Systems thinking alignment analysis to identify cross-feature conflicts" - Improves discoverability of the cross-feature command for new users 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

Copilot

Pull Request Overview

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 8 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

_{Tip: Customize your code reviews with copilot-instructions.md. Create the file or learn how to get started.}

Copilot · 2025-10-03T12:38:29Z

scripts/bash/cross-feature-check-all-features.sh

+COMMAND_TEMPLATE="$REPO_ROOT/templates/commands/cross-feature.md"
+if [ -f "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" ]; then
+    # Extract the clarification message from the template (it's in backticks on line with "Add:")
+    CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" | grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION" | sed 's/.*`\(.*\)`.*/\1/')


The regex pattern expects backticks around the clarification line, but the template uses regular quotes. This will cause the extraction to fail and fall back to the hardcoded string.

Suggested change

CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" | grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION" | sed 's/.*`$.*$`.*/\1/')

CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" | grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION" | sed 's/.*["'\'']$.*NEEDS CLARIFICATION.*$["'\''].*/\1/')

Copilot · 2025-10-03T12:38:29Z

scripts/powershell/cross-feature-check-all-features.ps1

+if (Test-Path $CommandTemplate) {
+    # Extract the clarification message from the template (it's in backticks on line with "Add:")
+    $TemplateContent = Get-Content $CommandTemplate -Raw
+    if ($TemplateContent -match 'Add: `([^`]+)`') {


The regex pattern expects backticks around the clarification line, but the template uses regular quotes. This will cause the extraction to fail and fall back to the hardcoded string.

Suggested change

if ($TemplateContent -match 'Add: `([^`]+)`') {

if ($TemplateContent -match 'Add: "([^"]+)"') {

Copilot · 2025-10-03T12:38:30Z

scripts/bash/cross-feature-check-all-features.sh

+$CLARIFICATION_LINE
+" "$CURRENT_SPEC"


The sed command syntax for appending text on macOS is incorrect. The backslash-newline continuation should be followed by the text on the same line, not on separate lines.

Suggested change

$CLARIFICATION_LINE

" "$CURRENT_SPEC"

$CLARIFICATION_LINE" "$CURRENT_SPEC"

Copilot · 2025-10-03T12:38:30Z

scripts/bash/cross-feature-check-all-features.sh

+                sed -i "/### Functional Requirements/a\\
+$CLARIFICATION_LINE" "$CURRENT_SPEC"


The sed command syntax for appending text on Linux is incorrect. The backslash should be immediately followed by the text without a newline.

Remove settings.local.json from .gitignore as it's not related to the /cross-feature command feature. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

…lity - Update regex patterns to handle both quotes and backticks in template extraction - Improve sed portability by detecting GNU vs BSD sed at runtime - Add documentation comments noting template as source of truth for clarification message - Fix sed append syntax for both macOS (BSD) and Linux (GNU) 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

Copilot

Pull Request Overview

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 7 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

_{Tip: Customize your code reviews with copilot-instructions.md. Create the file or learn how to get started.}

Copilot · 2025-10-03T17:02:19Z

scripts/bash/cross-feature-check-all-features.sh

+COMMAND_TEMPLATE="$REPO_ROOT/templates/commands/cross-feature.md"
+if [ -f "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" ]; then
+    # Extract the clarification message from the template (handles both quotes and backticks)
+    CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" | grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION" | sed 's/.*["'\''`]\(.*NEEDS CLARIFICATION.*\)["'\''`].*/\1/')


The complex regex pattern with multiple quote types makes this line difficult to read and maintain. Consider breaking this into multiple steps or using a more straightforward extraction approach.

Suggested change

CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" | grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION" | sed 's/.*["'\''`]$.*NEEDS CLARIFICATION.*$["'\''`].*/\1/')

CLARIFICATION_RAW=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" | grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION")

# Remove leading/trailing quotes or backticks if present

CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(echo "$CLARIFICATION_RAW" | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*["'\''`]\{0,1\}//; s/["'\''`]\{0,1\}[[:space:]]*$//')

Copilot · 2025-10-03T17:02:19Z

scripts/powershell/cross-feature-check-all-features.ps1

+
+# Build output
+if ($JsonMode) {
+    $AllSpecsJson = $AllSpecs | ForEach-Object { "`"$_`"" } | Join-String -Separator ","


The variable $AllSpecsJson is created but never used in the JSON output. The actual JSON uses $AllSpecs directly, making this line redundant.

Suggested change

$AllSpecsJson = $AllSpecs | ForEach-Object { "`"$_`"" } | Join-String -Separator ","

Copilot · 2025-10-03T17:02:19Z

scripts/bash/cross-feature-check-all-features.sh

+            if sed --version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+                # GNU sed
+                sed -i "/### Functional Requirements/a\\$CLARIFICATION_LINE" "$CURRENT_SPEC"
+            else
+                # BSD/macOS sed
+                sed -i.bak "/### Functional Requirements/a\\
+$CLARIFICATION_LINE" "$CURRENT_SPEC" && rm -f "$CURRENT_SPEC.bak"
+            fi


The multi-line sed command with line continuation is fragile and platform-dependent. Consider using a more portable approach like awk or a temporary file for better reliability across different Unix systems.

Suggested change

if sed --version >/dev/null 2>&1; then

# GNU sed

sed -i "/### Functional Requirements/a\\$CLARIFICATION_LINE" "$CURRENT_SPEC"

else

# BSD/macOS sed

sed -i.bak "/### Functional Requirements/a\\

$CLARIFICATION_LINE" "$CURRENT_SPEC" && rm -f "$CURRENT_SPEC.bak"

fi

# Use awk to insert the clarification line after "### Functional Requirements" in a portable way

awk -v line="$CLARIFICATION_LINE" '

$0 ~ /### Functional Requirements/ { print; print line; next }

{ print }

' "$CURRENT_SPEC" > "$CURRENT_SPEC.tmp" && mv "$CURRENT_SPEC.tmp" "$CURRENT_SPEC"

Copilot · 2025-10-03T17:02:20Z

templates/commands/cross-feature.md

+7. Add a single clarification line to the current spec.md file in the Requirements section:
+   - Add: `- [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: Review cross-feature alignment analysis in cross-feature-analysis.md - potential conflicts identified that may require spec adjustments]`
+   - This ensures `/clarify` will pick up alignment issues naturally
+   - **Note:** Scripts should extract this clarification text programmatically from this template to avoid duplication


The instruction to extract clarification text programmatically from this template creates a tight coupling between the template and scripts. Consider defining this text in a shared configuration file or constant to reduce maintenance overhead.

Suggested change

- **Note:** Scripts should extract this clarification text programmatically from this template to avoid duplication

- **Note:** The clarification text is defined in a shared configuration file or constant for scripts to use, reducing maintenance overhead.

harikrishnan83 and others added 4 commits October 2, 2025 12:15

Add alignment check scripts and improve workflow guidance

152d701

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

Add /align command to documentation

0939b57

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

Merge branch 'main' into cross-feature-command

756e1b7

* main: docs(readme): link Amazon Q slash command limitation issue docs: clarify Amazon Q limitation and update init docstring feat(agent): Added Amazon Q Developer CLI Integration

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings October 3, 2025 07:01

Copilot AI reviewed Oct 3, 2025

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harikrishnan83 and others added 2 commits October 3, 2025 16:35

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings October 3, 2025 12:37

Copilot AI reviewed Oct 3, 2025

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harikrishnan83 and others added 2 commits October 3, 2025 21:50

Revert .gitignore changes unrelated to cross-feature command

a9bad54

Remove settings.local.json from .gitignore as it's not related to the /cross-feature command feature. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings October 3, 2025 17:01

Copilot AI reviewed Oct 3, 2025

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harikrishnan83 marked this pull request as ready for review October 3, 2025 17:05

harikrishnan83 requested a review from localden as a code owner October 3, 2025 17:05

harikrishnan83 mentioned this pull request Oct 3, 2025

How can I test local template/command changes without creating a release? #729

Open

	CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" \| grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION" \| sed 's/.`\(.\)`.*/\1/')
	CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" \| grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION" \| sed 's/.["'\'']\(.NEEDS CLARIFICATION.\)["'\'']./\1/')

	if ($TemplateContent -match 'Add: `([^`]+)`') {
	if ($TemplateContent -match 'Add: "([^"]+)"') {

	$CLARIFICATION_LINE
	" "$CURRENT_SPEC"
	$CLARIFICATION_LINE" "$CURRENT_SPEC"

		sed -i "/### Functional Requirements/a\\
		$CLARIFICATION_LINE" "$CURRENT_SPEC"

-    CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" | grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION" | sed 's/.*["'\''`]\(.*NEEDS CLARIFICATION.*\)["'\''`].*/\1/')
+    CLARIFICATION_RAW=$(grep -A 1 "Add:" "$COMMAND_TEMPLATE" | grep "NEEDS CLARIFICATION")
+    # Remove leading/trailing quotes or backticks if present
+    CLARIFICATION_LINE=$(echo "$CLARIFICATION_RAW" | sed 's/^[[:space:]]*["'\''`]\{0,1\}//; s/["'\''`]\{0,1\}[[:space:]]*$//')

	- Note: Scripts should extract this clarification text programmatically from this template to avoid duplication
	- Note: The clarification text is defined in a shared configuration file or constant for scripts to use, reducing maintenance overhead.

Add /cross-feature command for analysis across features with Systems Thinking #723

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Summary

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Key features:

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harikrishnan83 commented Oct 3, 2025 •

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