Quickstart

Get from zero to a completed spec, plan, and working implementation in under 10 minutes.

Make sure you’ve completed the Installation steps first.

1. Create a spec

Navigate to your Flutter project (or create a new one) and start a Claude session:

cd my_flutter_app
claude

Describe a feature you want to build:

/act:workflow:spec "add a settings screen with dark mode toggle and language selection"

ACT will:

Ask 2-4 clarifying questions to fill gaps
Show you a preview outline for approval
Generate a detailed specification with user flows, requirements, and edge cases
Save it to ai_specs/settings-spec.md

Review the spec. This is your chance to catch problems before any code is written.

2. Create a plan

Turn the spec into a phased implementation plan:

/act:workflow:plan ai_specs/settings-spec.md

ACT analyzes your codebase for conventions and patterns, then creates a plan with:

Phases broken into concrete tasks with file paths
TDD test-first tasks where applicable
Verification steps for each phase

The plan is saved to ai_specs/settings-plan.md.

3. Build it

Execute the plan:

/act:workflow:work ai_specs/settings-plan.md

ACT will:

Load Flutter knowledge (patterns, principles, breaking changes)
Execute each phase with progress tracking
Run flutter analyze and flutter test continuously
Make commits at logical checkpoints
Create a pull request when complete

What just happened?

You completed the full ACT workflow:

Spec — defined what to build with clarity
Plan — broke it into phases with concrete tasks
Work — executed the plan with automated verification

The key insight: by spending a few minutes on the spec, you caught ambiguity before implementation. The AI had clear instructions, which means fewer bugs, less rework, and a better result.

Next steps

Read the Workflow Overview to understand each stage in depth
Browse the Command Map for a quick reference of all commands
Try the Add a Feature playbook on an existing project