gen-specs-as-issues Skill (awesome-copilot): Find Missing Features and File Issues

Finds missing features in your project, ranks them, writes specs for the top ones and files each as a GitHub issue.

Installs: 8.8K; on skills.sh
Stars: 40.7K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

This skill runs a seven-phase product-manager workflow on your code. It reviews the project, lists 5 to 7 missing features, scores them and keeps the top 3. It then writes a specification for each and creates a GitHub issue from a fixed template.

It can split large specs into sub-issues of 1 to 3 days with blocks and blocked-by links. The folder holds only SKILL.md and the SKILL.md names no API key. Phase 5 creates issues, so check what your assistant may post.

Good for

Maintainers who want a gap analysis between documented and built features
Product managers turning a backlog idea into scoped, sized issues
Small teams that want sub-issues of 1 to 3 days with explicit dependencies

Install gen-specs-as-issues

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the gen-specs-as-issues skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot --skill gen-specs-as-issues

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

From its listing on skills.sh. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

This workflow guides you through a systematic approach to identify missing features, prioritize them, and create detailed specifications for implementation.

Sections in SKILL.md

1. Project Understanding Phase
2. Gap Analysis Phase
3. Prioritization Phase
4. Specification Development Phase
5. GitHub Issue Creation Phase
Overview
Scope
Technical Requirements
Implementation Plan
Acceptance Criteria
Priority
Dependencies
Implementation Size
5.5 Work Distribution Optimization
6. Final Review Phase

Key facts

Author: No author named in the skill; it sits in the github/awesome-copilot repo, whose LICENSE reads "Copyright GitHub, Inc."
License: MIT
Installs on skills.sh: 8,759 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 40,666 for the whole github/awesome-copilot repo (Nov 2, 2026)
Last repo commit: Oct 30, 2026
Audits on skills.sh: Gen Agent Trust Hub: pass, Socket: pass, Snyk: pass
What it includes: 1 file including SKILL.md

What it includes

Reads the project structure, README, entry points, core modules and tests.
Guiding questions ask what the project is for and which documented features are not fully built.
Files · 1. Project understanding
Compares documented capabilities with the real code and lists 5 to 7 missing features.
It looks for placeholder code and broken or missing steps in the user journey.
Files · 2. Gap analysis
Scores each gap 1 to 5 on five criteria and presents the top 3.
The criteria are User Impact, Strategic Alignment, Implementation Feasibility, Resource Requirements and Risk Level.
3. Prioritization
Writes a spec for each top feature: scope, requirements, plan, acceptance criteria.
The spec favors simplicity and an MVP first.
4. Specification development
Creates one GitHub issue per spec using a fixed template with labels.
The template has Overview, Scope, Technical Requirements, Implementation Plan, Acceptance Criteria, Priority, Dependencies and Implementation Size.
Write · 5. GitHub issue creation
Splits work into independent parts, maps blocks and blocked-by links, sizes sub-issues.
Each sub-issue should be 1 to 3 days of work and carry its own acceptance criteria.
5.5 Work distribution
Summarizes the specs, their dependencies, a suggested order and risks.
6. Final review

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

It creates GitHub issues from the specs it writes, and those can be public. Ask for draft text first if you want to review them.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It creates GitHub issues for you
Phase 5 says to create an issue for each specification, and phase 5.5 adds sub-issues and labels. Issues in a public repo are public. Our advice: ask for draft text first. github.com
It reads your whole project
Phase 1 reviews the structure, docs, entry points, core modules and tests so the specs can quote real code. github.com

Technical details

Turning on read-only	No read-only mode. Phase 5 creates issues.
Scopes	Reads your project files, README and tests Creates GitHub issues with titles, bodies, labels and dependency links

Questions

What does gen-specs-as-issues do?

It walks your assistant through a product-manager workflow on a code project. The assistant finds missing features, ranks them, writes a specification for the top ones and turns each into a GitHub issue. It ends with a summary and a suggested build order.

Will it create issues in my repository?

Yes, Phase 5 says to create a GitHub issue for each specification, with a title, body and labels. The SKILL.md does not name a tool for this, so what happens depends on what your assistant can reach. Our advice: ask for drafts first if you do not want live issues.

How does it rank features?

It scores each gap from 1 to 5 on User Impact, Strategic Alignment, Implementation Feasibility, Resource Requirements and Risk Level. The SKILL.md gives the formula "Priority = (User Impact × Strategic Alignment) / (Implementation Effort × Risk Level)" and keeps the top 3.

How do I install it?

Use the install box above. The folder holds only SKILL.md, and the SKILL.md names no API key.

Is it safe?

It bundles no scripts, but it can create GitHub issues, which may be public if the repository is. It reads your project to find gaps. Check your assistant's GitHub permissions and consider asking for draft issues before it posts anything.

Does it work in Claude Code?

The SKILL.md names no client or tool. It describes the workflow in plain steps. Issue creation needs a way to reach GitHub, which the SKILL.md leaves to your assistant.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: github/awesome-copilot
Folder: skills/gen-specs-as-issues

github/awesome-copilot skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 2

gen-specs-as-issues SKILL.md · github.com
LICENSE · github.com