Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions people ask most. Still stuck? See Contact us.

Does Throughspec replace Claude Code?

No. It composes on top of Claude Code - it scaffolds process (specs, memory, skills), not application source, and never hosts or runs Claude Code itself.

npm or PyPI?

Either. npx spec-init for Node >= 18, or pipx install spec-init for Python >= 3.10. One source-of-truth template feeds both, verified byte-for-byte, so they never drift.

Can I skip the cross-questioning to go faster?

No - the requirements skill refuses to proceed until target users, jobs-to-be-done, the success metric, hard constraints, and non-goals are all filled. Overrides require an explicit, logged decision. The gate is the point.

Can I add it to an existing project?

Yes. Run spec-init reinit in the project - it writes only the missing files, keeps everything you have, and never touches source code.

What happens to my edits when I upgrade?

upgrade never overwrites your content - it does a three-way merge and surfaces conflicts as git-style fences for you to resolve.

Does it cost anything?

The kit is free and open source (MIT). Integrations are free/open-source too, and most reuse your existing coding-agent model.