Vibe Garden
Vibe Garden is my collection of Claude Code plugins that form an integrated development workflow. These tools grew out of practical needs while building projects like the Adventure Engine of Corvran. I kept solving the same problems repeatedly, so I extracted the patterns into reusable tooling.
The Problem Space
AI-assisted development with tools like Claude Code is powerful but chaotic. Without structure, conversations drift, context gets lost between sessions, and complex features sprawl across ad-hoc prompts. I wanted:
- Structured feature development: A methodology for taking ideas from vague requirements to working code
- Persistent work tracking: A backlog that survives between sessions and integrates with existing tools
- Clear handoffs: Knowing when to plan versus when to just code
The Tools
Spiral Grove
A Spec-Driven Development (SDD) methodology implemented as a Claude Code plugin. Spiral Grove provides a four-phase workflow:
Specification → Planning → Task Breakdown → Implementation
Each phase has dedicated commands, templates, and validator agents that ensure quality gates before progression. The methodology treats Claude as a capable but literal-minded pair programmer. Explicit specifications prevent implementation drift, and structured phases maintain coherence across sessions.
Key capabilities:
- Mandatory validation between phases
- Parent/child spec hierarchies for complex projects
- Documentation synthesis from implemented code
- Spec synthesis to reverse-engineer requirements from existing codebases
Compass Rose
Project management through GitHub Projects, providing a place for the work items that feed into structured development:
- Tasks and bugs: Small, actionable items (“the input box is too big”)
- Feature ideas: Larger questions that may need full specs (“add OAuth support”)
Compass Rose handles the backlog; Spiral Grove handles the implementation. When you start work on a large item, Compass Rose prompts you to escalate to Spiral Grove’s spec-writing workflow.
Key capabilities:
- Priority-based work recommendations
- Codebase-aware reprioritization
- Size-based escalation to structured development
- Backlog health analysis
How They Work Together
The typical flow:
Compass Rose Spiral Grove
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
/next-item
→ Recommends highest priority
ready item
/start-work 123
→ Small item? Start directly
→ Large item? Prompt for spec → /spec-writing
→ Define requirements
/plan-generation
→ Design architecture
/task-breakdown
→ Create task list
/implementation
→ Build with tracking
Small fixes flow straight to implementation. Complex features get the full treatment. The tools don’t enforce a rigid process. They provide structure when you need it and get out of the way when you don’t.
Design Philosophy
AI as pair programmer, not magic wand. These tools assume Claude is highly capable but benefits from explicit context. Specifications aren’t bureaucracy; they’re communication to a literal-minded partner.
Fresh context per task. Both tools use agent delegation patterns where specialized sub-agents handle discrete work. This prevents context bloat during long sessions and provides “fresh eyes” for validation.
Integrate with existing tools. Compass Rose uses GitHub Projects, not a custom database. Spiral Grove stores artifacts as markdown in .sdd/ directories. Everything is inspectable and version-controlled.
Structure when needed, not always. Bug fixes don’t need specs. The tools detect scope and suggest appropriate process depth.
Why “Vibe Garden”?
The name is a nod to “vibe coding,” the improvisational style of AI-assisted development where you explore ideas through conversation. A garden takes that energy and gives it structure: paths to follow, room to discover what grows, but not paved over.