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fix: preserve constitution.md during reinitialization (#1541) (#1553)

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Moves constitution template from memory/ to templates/ to prevent
overwrites when spec-kit is reinitialized with a different AI agent.

Changes:
- Move memory/constitution.md to templates/constitution-template.md
- Update CLI to copy template to memory/ only on first initialization
- Update constitution command to reference correct paths with .specify/ prefix
- Preserve existing constitution.md when reinitializing project

The CLI now checks if .specify/memory/constitution.md exists:
- If it exists: preserve it (no overwrite)
- If it doesn't exist: copy from .specify/templates/constitution-template.md

This allows users to customize their constitution without losing changes
when adding support for additional AI agents or reinitializing.

Fixes #1541

Co-authored-by: jjoung1128 <jinwoong.joung@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
jin-joung
2026-02-09 09:01:55 -06:00
committed by GitHub
parent b562438df9
commit 4afbd87abb
3 changed files with 48 additions and 8 deletions
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18
templates/commands/constitution.md
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@@ -16,11 +16,13 @@ You **MUST** consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty).
## Outline
You are updating the project constitution at `/memory/constitution.md`. This file is a TEMPLATE containing placeholder tokens in square brackets (e.g. `[PROJECT_NAME]`, `[PRINCIPLE_1_NAME]`). Your job is to (a) collect/derive concrete values, (b) fill the template precisely, and (c) propagate any amendments across dependent artifacts.
You are updating the project constitution at `.specify/memory/constitution.md`. This file is a TEMPLATE containing placeholder tokens in square brackets (e.g. `[PROJECT_NAME]`, `[PRINCIPLE_1_NAME]`). Your job is to (a) collect/derive concrete values, (b) fill the template precisely, and (c) propagate any amendments across dependent artifacts.
**Note**: If `.specify/memory/constitution.md` does not exist yet, it should have been initialized from `.specify/templates/constitution-template.md` during project setup. If it's missing, copy the template first.
Follow this execution flow:
1. Load the existing constitution template at `/memory/constitution.md`.
1. Load the existing constitution at `.specify/memory/constitution.md`.
- Identify every placeholder token of the form `[ALL_CAPS_IDENTIFIER]`.
**IMPORTANT**: The user might require less or more principles than the ones used in the template. If a number is specified, respect that - follow the general template. You will update the doc accordingly.
@@ -41,10 +43,10 @@ Follow this execution flow:
- Ensure Governance section lists amendment procedure, versioning policy, and compliance review expectations.
4. Consistency propagation checklist (convert prior checklist into active validations):
- Read `/templates/plan-template.md` and ensure any "Constitution Check" or rules align with updated principles.
- Read `/templates/spec-template.md` for scope/requirements alignment—update if constitution adds/removes mandatory sections or constraints.
- Read `/templates/tasks-template.md` and ensure task categorization reflects new or removed principle-driven task types (e.g., observability, versioning, testing discipline).
- Read each command file in `/templates/commands/*.md` (including this one) to verify no outdated references (agent-specific names like CLAUDE only) remain when generic guidance is required.
- Read `.specify/templates/plan-template.md` and ensure any "Constitution Check" or rules align with updated principles.
- Read `.specify/templates/spec-template.md` for scope/requirements alignment—update if constitution adds/removes mandatory sections or constraints.
- Read `.specify/templates/tasks-template.md` and ensure task categorization reflects new or removed principle-driven task types (e.g., observability, versioning, testing discipline).
- Read each command file in `.specify/templates/commands/*.md` (including this one) to verify no outdated references (agent-specific names like CLAUDE only) remain when generic guidance is required.
- Read any runtime guidance docs (e.g., `README.md`, `docs/quickstart.md`, or agent-specific guidance files if present). Update references to principles changed.
5. Produce a Sync Impact Report (prepend as an HTML comment at top of the constitution file after update):
@@ -61,7 +63,7 @@ Follow this execution flow:
- Dates ISO format YYYY-MM-DD.
- Principles are declarative, testable, and free of vague language ("should" → replace with MUST/SHOULD rationale where appropriate).
7. Write the completed constitution back to `/memory/constitution.md` (overwrite).
7. Write the completed constitution back to `.specify/memory/constitution.md` (overwrite).
8. Output a final summary to the user with:
- New version and bump rationale.
@@ -79,4 +81,4 @@ If the user supplies partial updates (e.g., only one principle revision), still
If critical info missing (e.g., ratification date truly unknown), insert `TODO(<FIELD_NAME>): explanation` and include in the Sync Impact Report under deferred items.
Do not create a new template; always operate on the existing `/memory/constitution.md` file.
Do not create a new template; always operate on the existing `.specify/memory/constitution.md` file.