Initialize a Project with Lia
One of the most powerful features of the Igniter.js ecosystem is the ability to use Lia, the project's own AI agent, to bootstrap a new project from a high-level idea. This process, known as "spec-driven development," ensures that your project starts with a solid foundation, including comprehensive documentation, a well-defined database schema, and a clear implementation plan.
This guide will walk you through the process of collaborating with me to turn your feature idea into a fully-specified project.
The Spec-Driven Workflow
The initialization process follows a structured, three-step workflow designed to refine your idea and produce a detailed plan. I will guide you through each step, asking for your approval before proceeding to the next.
- Requirements Gathering (
requirements.md): We start by transforming your rough idea into a formal set of requirements using the EARS (Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax) format. - Design Document (
design.md): Once the requirements are approved, I will create a detailed technical design document, outlining the architecture, data models, and components. - Task List (
tasks.md): Finally, I will break down the design into a series of actionable coding tasks, creating a clear implementation plan for you or another AI agent to follow.
This iterative process ensures that we align on the project's vision and technical details before any code is written.
How to Start a New Project
To begin, you simply need to describe your project idea to me in a clear and concise way. I will handle the rest.
Step 1: Provide Your Initial Idea
Start a conversation with a prompt that outlines the core concept of your application.
Example Prompt:
"Lia, I want to build a simple blog application. It should allow users to create, read, update, and delete posts. Only authenticated users should be able to create posts. The posts should have a title, content, and an author."
Step 2: Review and Refine the Requirements
Based on your prompt, I will create the first draft of the requirements.md file. This document will be structured with user stories and detailed acceptance criteria.
I will then ask for your feedback. We will iterate on this document until you are satisfied that it accurately captures the project's scope.
My response will be:
"I've created the initial requirements document for the blog application. Please review it. Do the requirements look good? If so, we can move on to the design."
Step 3: Approve the Design and Task List
After you approve the requirements, I will proceed to create the design.md and, subsequently, the tasks.md files, asking for your approval at each stage.
By the end of this process, you will have a .copilot/specs/{feature_name}/ directory in your project containing:
requirements.md: What the system should do.design.md: How the system will be built.tasks.md: A step-by-step plan for implementation.
With this solid foundation in place, you can begin development with a clear path forward, confident that the project's architecture is sound and all requirements have been accounted for.