§ Setup
/spruce-up
Set up the project’s design context. Run this first.
What it does
Run any Spruce command without context and the output is plausible but generic — calibrated to no product in particular, just the average of training data. /spruce-up writes the file that fixes this: a short interview captures your product’s character — what it is, who uses it, what voice and visual direction you want — into `.spruce.md` at the project root, where every other command reads from it before reasoning.
The interview is tiered. Five essential questions produce a workable file; optional depth questions add nuance and can be skipped or revisited later. Run /spruce-up once at the start of a project; re-run it when the product’s direction shifts significantly.
Transcript
Question 1 of 5
What does this product do, and what's the core experience you want users to have?
A calm, accessible companion for daily mindfulness. The goal is to help people build a sustainable practice in just a few minutes a day — not transform their lives in a weekend retreat. Mindfulness for real life.
When to use it
- Starting to use Spruce on a new project for the first time.
- The project’s character, audience, or direction has shifted significantly and the existing context is now stale.
- Another Spruce command noted that context was thin and suggested running this first.
- An existing `.spruce.md` file exists but was created hastily and doesn’t actually reflect the product.
How to use it
Run /spruce-up at the start of a project; you generally won’t run it again. If a `.spruce.md` already exists, the command detects it and offers to update specific answers, rewrite the whole file, or show you what’s there before deciding. The interview takes a few minutes; depth questions can be skipped and revisited later.
- /spruce-up update
Anti-patterns it addresses
- Running other Spruce commands without context first. Output looks plausible but feels generic — every command is reasoning from training data rather than from the specific product’s character.
- Filling in the interview reflexively, picking the safest-sounding answer to each question. The context file is only as useful as the specificity in your answers; vague inputs produce generic outputs.
- Treating the context file as set-and-forget. As the product’s audience or direction shifts, the file gets stale. Re-running /spruce-up update keeps it current.