Adding dotdog to an existing project

Got a project already? No .dog files? Here’s what to do.

Quick start for existing projects

npm install -g dotdog
cd your-project
dotdog init your-project

This creates specs/your-project/ with template .dog files. Nothing is overwritten.

Fill in SPEC.dog

Open specs/your-project/SPEC.dog and fill in:

1. Product : what does this project do? One paragraph.
2. Stack : what tech do you use?
3. User Stories : 3-5 key things users can do.

That’s enough to get started. 5 minutes.

Then run

dotdog validate
dotdog analyze

The dog will tell you what’s missing. Fill gaps. Repeat. Score goes up.

For teams

• Commit .dog files alongside code. They’re markdown : reviewers can read them.
• Run dotdog validate in CI. Block PRs with broken specs.
• Start dotdog serve for AI agents to query your specs.
• Compile .dag files for agent consumption.

It doesn’t have to be perfect

Start with SPEC.dog. Add data-model.dog when you have entities. Add plan.dog for roadmap. Grow the spec over time. The dog just checks what’s there.