RAPID METHOD

Requirements. Architecture. Patterns. Implementation. Delivery. — A lean, spec-driven methodology for AI-assisted development. Structure your workflow from intent to deployment with human approval gates at every critical step.

100% free and open source. No paywalls. No gated content. Built for developers who want structured AI workflows without sacrificing speed.

Why RAPID?

Most AI coding tools let you throw prompts at code and hope for the best. RAPID brings methodology to the chaos — structured specs before implementation, frozen intent to prevent scope creep, and self-review before you ever see the diff.

• Spec-First Development — Write and approve technical specifications before a single line of code is generated
• Scope Creep Prevention — Intent and boundaries are frozen after approval, keeping implementation on track
• Smart Routing — Automatically chooses between full spec workflow and one-shot fast path based on complexity
• Self-Review — AI reviews its own code against spec, classifying findings as intent gaps, patches, or noise
• Project Context Aware — Loads your architecture, tech stack, and coding patterns into every workflow
• Complete Lifecycle — From product brief to implementation, review, and commit

Quick Start

Prerequisites: Node.js v16+

npx rapid-method install

Follow the interactive prompts to configure your project name, language preferences, and output paths. Then open your AI IDE (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) in your project folder.

Not sure what to do next? Use rapid help — it guides you through the methodology step by step.

Usage

After installation, use these skills in your AI IDE:

Setup Skills

| Skill | Description | |-------|-------------| | rapid create-brief | Create Product Brief (requirements) | | rapid create-architecture | Document project architecture | | rapid create-patterns | Define coding patterns and standards |

Development Skills

| Skill | Description | |-------|-------------| | rapid create-spec | Create tech spec (clarify + investigate + write + approve) | | rapid dev | Implement approved spec (branch + code + AI review + human review) | | rapid oneshot | Fast path for simple, isolated changes | | rapid help | Get guidance on what to do next |

How It Works

See the full workflow documentation for the complete flow, routing logic, and self-review classification system.

Philosophy

• Lean — Minimal ceremony, maximum value
• Spec-driven — Clear specifications before implementation, not after
• AI-native — Designed for LLM-assisted development from the ground up
• Human-approved — You approve before implementation starts. Always.

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.