🌈 Hanoi Rainbow

Drive Quality Together with AI-Powered Framework

Stop guessing. Start specifying.
Turn your ideas into production-ready applications through clear specifications, not trial-and-error coding.

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Table of Contents

• 🤔 What is Spec-Driven Development?
• ⚡ Get Started
• 🤖 Supported AI Agents
• 🔧 Rainbow CLI Reference
• 📚 Core Philosophy
• 🌟 Development Phases
• 🔧 Prerequisites
• 📖 Learn More
• 📋 Detailed Process
• 🔍 Troubleshooting
• 👥 Maintainers
• 💬 Support
• 🙏 Acknowledgements
• 📄 License

💡 What is Spec-Driven Development?

Traditional approach: Write code first, figure it out as you go.
Spec-Driven approach: Define what you want first, then let AI build it right.

For decades, we treated specifications as throwaway notes—just a formality before the "real" coding began. Spec-Driven Development flips this around: your specification becomes the blueprint that directly generates working code, not just a suggestion.

Think of it like architecture: You wouldn't build a house without blueprints. Why build software without clear specifications?

Development Approaches

Hanoi Rainbow supports both Greenfield (new projects) and Brownfield (existing projects) development:

flowchart LR
    Start([Project Type?])
    Start --> Greenfield[🌱 Greenfield<br/>New Project]
    Start --> Brownfield[🏗️ Brownfield<br/>Existing Project]
    
    Greenfield --> GF1[📋 Regulate<br/>Set Principles]
    GF1 --> GF2[🎯 Specify<br/>Define Features]
    GF2 --> GF3[🔍 Clarify<br/>Refine Requirements]
    GF3 --> GF4[📝 Architect<br/>System Design]
    GF4 --> GF5[📏 Standardize<br/>Coding Rules]
    GF5 --> GF6[🛠️ Design<br/>Technical Plan]
    GF6 --> GF7[📋 Taskify<br/>Break Down Tasks]
    GF7 --> GF8[⚡ Implement<br/>Build Features]
    GF8 --> GF9[✅ Test & Deploy]
    
    Brownfield --> BF1[📚 Assess Context<br/>Analyze Codebase]
    BF1 --> BF2[📋 Regulate<br/>Update Principles]
    BF2 --> BF3[🎯 Specify<br/>New Feature]
    BF3 --> BF4[🔍 Clarify<br/>Requirements]
    BF4 --> BF5[🛠️ Design<br/>Integration Plan]
    BF5 --> BF6[📋 Taskify<br/>Task Breakdown]
    BF6 --> BF7[⚡ Implement<br/>Add Feature]
    BF7 --> BF8[✅ Test & Deploy]
    
    style Greenfield fill:#90EE90
    style Brownfield fill:#87CEEB
    style GF8 fill:#FFD700
    style BF7 fill:#FFD700

Greenfield projects start with establishing principles, architecture, and standards before building features. Brownfield projects begin with /rainbow.assess-context to understand existing architecture and patterns, then follow a streamlined workflow to add new features while maintaining consistency.

Key Differences:

| Aspect | 🌱 Greenfield | 🏗️ Brownfield | |--------|--------------|---------------| | Starting Point | Empty project | Existing codebase | | Setup Phase | /rainbow.regulate | /rainbow.assess-context (once per project) | | Focus | Establish foundations first | Integrate with existing patterns | | Timeline | 2-4 weeks (MVP) | 1-2 weeks per feature | | Flexibility | Complete freedom in design | Must maintain consistency | | Commands Used | Full workflow (8 core commands) | Streamlined (6 core commands) |

Install Rainbow CLI

Recommended: Install once, use everywhere

uv tool install rainbow-cli --from git+https://github.com/dauquangthanh/hanoi-rainbow.git

Then use it anywhere:

rainbow init <PROJECT_NAME>
rainbow check

Need to upgrade? See the Upgrade Guide or run:

uv tool install rainbow-cli --force --from git+https://github.com/dauquangthanh/hanoi-rainbow.git

uv tool install rainbow-cli --force --native-tls --from git+https://github.com/dauquangthanh/hanoi-rainbow.git

uvx --from git+https://github.com/dauquangthanh/hanoi-rainbow.git rainbow init <PROJECT_NAME>

uvx --native-tls --from git+https://github.com/dauquangthanh/hanoi-rainbow.git rainbow init <PROJECT_NAME>

Why install?

• ✅ Available everywhere in your terminal
• ✅ Easy to upgrade with uv tool upgrade
• ✅ Cleaner than shell aliases
• ✅ Better tool management

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Your First Project in 8 Steps

💡 Automatic Version Control: All Rainbow commands automatically generate appropriate git commit messages and commit changes upon completion. Commands use semantic commit prefixes (docs:, feat:, test:, chore:) to maintain a clear project history.

1️⃣ Set Project Rules

Launch your AI assistant in the project. You'll see /rainbow.* commands available.

Create your project's guiding principles:

/rainbow.regulate Create principles for code quality, testing, user experience, and performance

2️⃣ Write the Specification

Describe what you want to build and why (not the tech stack yet):

/rainbow.specify Build a photo organizer with albums grouped by date. 
Users can drag-and-drop albums to reorganize them. Albums show photos in a tile view. 
No nested albums allowed.

3️⃣ Design System Architecture (Optional)

Document your system architecture once per product:

/rainbow.architect Create C4 diagrams, document tech stack decisions and architecture patterns

4️⃣ Set Coding Standards (Optional)

Create coding standards for your team:

/rainbow.standardize Define naming conventions, file organization, and best practices

5️⃣ Create Technical Design

Now specify how to build it (tech stack and architecture):

/rainbow.design Use Vite with vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 
Keep libraries minimal. Store metadata in local SQLite. No image uploads.

6️⃣ Break Down Tasks

Generate an actionable task list:

/rainbow.taskify

7️⃣ Build It

Execute all tasks automatically:

/rainbow.implement

8️⃣ Test & Iterate

Run your application and fix any issues. Your AI assistant will help debug.

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Want more details? Read our complete guide.

🤖 Supported AI Agents

| Agent | Support | Notes | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | --------- |---------------------------------------------------| | Amazon Q Developer CLI | ⚠️ | Amazon Q Developer CLI does not support custom arguments for slash commands. | | Amp | ✅ | | | Auggie CLI | ✅ | | | Claude Code | ✅ | | | CodeBuddy CLI | ✅ | | | Codex CLI | ✅ | | | Cursor | ✅ | | | Gemini CLI | ✅ | | | GitHub Copilot | ✅ | | | Google Antigravity | ✅ | IDE-based agent with slash command support | | IBM Bob | ✅ | IDE-based agent with slash command support | | Jules | ✅ | | | Kilo Code | ✅ | | | opencode | ✅ | | | Qoder CLI | ✅ | | | Qwen Code | ✅ | | | Roo Code | ✅ | | | SHAI (OVHcloud) | ✅ | | | Windsurf | ✅ | |

🔧 Rainbow CLI Reference

The rainbow command supports the following options:

Commands

| Command | Description | | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | `init