GSD (Get Shit Done): AI Coding Workflow Guide
GSD (Get Shit Done) is one of the most popular AI coding workflows available today, with approximately 64K+ stars on GitHub. It is a Spec-Driven Development framework designed specifically for AI coding tools such as Claude Code, OpenCode, and Gemini CLI.
Core Problem Solved: Context Rot
- In traditional AI programming, as a conversation progresses, the context window fills up and the AI's output quality gradually degrades.
- GSD solves this with an "isolated context per task" approach: every task runs in a fresh 200K token environment.
- 28+ slash commands
- 12 specialized agents (planning, execution, verification, research, etc.)
- Plain Markdown files plus a Node.js CLI, no proprietary runtime
- Wave-based parallelism: analyze dependencies, run independent tasks in parallel.
- Quick mode
/gsd:quick: skips the full flow for small tasks. - PROJECT.md - project vision
- REQUIREMENTS.md - requirements with REQ-IDs
- ROADMAP.md - phase breakdown and success criteria
- PLAN.md - atomic task plans (XML structure)
- STATE.md - project status tracking
- GitHub: https://github.com/gsd-build/get-shit-done
- Install:
npx get-shit-done-cc - Docs: https://zread.ai/gsd-build/get-shit-done
Architecture
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Five-Phase Core Workflow
| Phase | Command | Purpose |
|-----|------|-----|
| Initialization | /gsd:new-project | Deep questioning → domain research → requirement extraction → roadmap generation |
| Discussion | /gsd:discuss-phase N | Clarify implementation preferences, visual style, API design, etc. |
| Planning | /gsd:plan-phase N | Research implementation approach, generate 2-3 atomic task plans |
| Execution | /gsd:execute-phase N | Parallel plan execution, isolated context per task, atomic commits |
| Verification | /gsd:verify-work N | Confirm objectives are met, not just tasks completed |
Execution Modes
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Common Commands
| Command | Purpose |
|------|------|
| /gsd:new-project [--auto] | Create a new project; auto mode skips interaction |
| /gsd:map-codebase | Analyze an existing codebase (legacy projects) |
| /gsd:discuss-phase N | Discuss phase N implementation details |
| /gsd:plan-phase N [--prd] | Create an execution plan for phase N |
| /gsd:execute-phase N [--gaps-only] | Execute the phase N plan |
| /gsd:verify-work N | Verify phase N work |
| /gsd:quick [--discuss] [--full] | Quick mode for small tasks |
| /gsd:complete-milestone | Archive, tag, and start the next cycle |
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Generated Core Documents
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Pros and Cons
Strengths
1. Solves Context Rot - each task gets an independent 200K context, keeping quality stable. 2. Atomic commits - every task is a separate commit, keeping git history clean. 3. Parallel execution - independent tasks run in parallel, improving efficiency. 4. Quality verification - every phase has a verification step to ensure objectives are met. 5. No vendor lock-in - pure Markdown plus standard Claude Code features. 6. Industry adoption - used by engineers at Amazon, Google, Shopify, Webflow, and others.
Limitations
1. Not fully automated - human-triggered commands are needed at each phase boundary. 2. Learning curve - requires understanding the spec-driven development mindset. 3. Heavy upfront investment - the initialization phase requires answering many questions. 4. Not suited for exploratory coding - better for projects with well-defined goals. 5. Claude Code dependency - the ecosystem is primarily built around Claude Code.
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One-Line Summary
GSD is a framework that "turns chatting into engineering." It sacrifices some immediacy and conversational fluidity in exchange for a predictable, verifiable, and scalable AI coding experience. It is best suited for delivering production-grade code rather than rapid prototype validation.
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