feat: add approval gates feature

[jlameira]

feat(extensions): add approval-gates extension

Summary

Add Approval Gates extension to enforce approval requirements between spec-driven development phases.

Overview

Approval Gates is a Spec Kit extension that enforces approval requirements at specific phases of the spec-driven development workflow. Teams can configure which phases require approval before proceeding to the next phase.

Features

• Command: /speckit.approval-gates.status — Display current approval gates configuration
• Per-phase configuration: Define approval requirements for constitution, specify, plan, tasks, and implement phases
• Configurable approvals: Set required roles, minimum approvals, and descriptions
• Hook integration: Optional prompt after /speckit.tasks to check approval gates
• Graceful defaults: Works with or without configuration
• Extensible: Built on Spec Kit extension architecture

Configuration

Teams customize approval gates in .specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml:

specify:
  enabled: true
  requires: [product_lead, architect]
  min_approvals: 1
  description: "Functional spec approval"

plan:
  enabled: true
  requires: [architect, tech_lead]
  min_approvals: 2
  description: "Technical spec approval"

Installation

# Install extension
specify extension add --dev extensions/approval-gates

# Create configuration
mkdir -p .specify/extensions/approval-gates
cp extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.template.yml \
   .specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml

Usage

Display approval gates status:

> /speckit.approval-gates.status

Files Added

• extensions/approval-gates/extension.yml — Extension manifest
• extensions/approval-gates/commands/status.md — Status command implementation
• extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.template.yml — Configuration template
• extensions/approval-gates/README.md — Documentation
• extensions/approval-gates/CHANGELOG.md — Version history
• extensions/approval-gates/LICENSE — MIT License

Alignment

This extension aligns with Spec Kit's extension architecture, enabling teams to add functionality without modifying the core CLI. Approval Gates can be installed optionally by teams that require workflow governance.

[mnriem]

Can you instead of integrating it into the CLi create a Spec Kit extension for it? See https://github.com/github/spec-kit/tree/main/extensions

[jlameira]

Can you instead of integrating it into the CLi create a Spec Kit extension for it? See https://github.com/github/spec-kit/tree/main/extensions

Done! Refactored to follow Spec Kit extension architecture:

✅ Extension created: extensions/approval-gates/
✅ extension.yml manifest with command and config definitions
✅ commands/status.md with Markdown-based implementation
✅ Full documentation and CHANGELOG
✅ Follows EXTENSION-DEVELOPMENT-GUIDE.md schema

Command: /speckit.approval-gates.status
Config: .specify/extensions/approval-gates/approval-gates-config.yml
Hook: after_tasks (optional prompt)

Ready for review!