specification()

specification is the top-level container in the Specification pattern — a simpler alternative to BDD when you need to express technical rules, domain constraints, or unit-level requirements without Given/When/Then ceremony.

import { specification, rule } from "@swedevtools/livedoc-vitest";

specification("Password Validation", () => {
  rule("Password must be at least 8 characters", () => {
    expect(isValidPassword("short")).toBe(false);
    expect(isValidPassword("longenough")).toBe(true);
  });

  rule("Password must contain a number", () => {
    expect(isValidPassword("noNumbers")).toBe(false);
    expect(isValidPassword("has1number")).toBe(true);
  });
});

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Reference

specification(title, fn)

Registers a specification block that maps to a Vitest describe() call prefixed with "Specification: ".

function specification(title: string, fn: (ctx: SpecificationCtx) => void): void

See more examples below.

Parameters

• title: string — The specification title with optional tags and description. Parsed identically to feature():

  • First line → specification title
  • Lines starting with @ → tags (space-separated)
  • Remaining lines → description text

• fn: (ctx: SpecificationCtx) => void — Callback containing rule() and/or ruleOutline() calls. Must not be async.

The ctx Parameter

Property	Type	Description
ctx.specification	SpecificationContext	{ filename, title, description, tags }

Returns

void — Specifications are registered as side effects.

Caveats

• The callback must not be async. Use async inside individual rule() callbacks.
• Specifications are the outermost container in the specification pattern — they cannot be nested.
• Do not mix scenario() inside a specification() — use rule() and ruleOutline() instead.

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Modifiers

specification.skip(title, fn)

Skip this specification. All rules inside are marked as pending.

specification.skip("Legacy Validation — migrating to new rules", () => {
  rule("Old rule", () => { /* skipped */ });
});

specification.only(title, fn)

Run only this specification. All other specifications and features are skipped.

specification.only("Debugging this specification", () => {
  rule("Focus rule", () => { /* only this runs */ });
});

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Usage

Basic: Group related rules

import { specification, rule } from "@swedevtools/livedoc-vitest";

specification("Email Validation", () => {
  rule("Email must contain an @ symbol", () => {
    expect(isValidEmail("invalid")).toBe(false);
    expect(isValidEmail("user@example.com")).toBe(true);
  });

  rule("Email must have a domain", () => {
    expect(isValidEmail("user@")).toBe(false);
    expect(isValidEmail("user@example.com")).toBe(true);
  });

  rule("Email domain must have a TLD", () => {
    expect(isValidEmail("user@example")).toBe(false);
    expect(isValidEmail("user@example.com")).toBe(true);
  });
});

Tags and description

import { specification, rule } from "@swedevtools/livedoc-vitest";

specification(`Tax Calculation Rules
  @finance @tax @critical
  Business rules governing tax computation for domestic
  and international orders
`, (ctx) => {
  rule("Domestic orders are taxed at the state rate", () => {
    const tax = calculateTax({ state: "CA", amount: 100 });
    expect(tax).toBe(7.25);
  });

  rule("International orders are tax-exempt", () => {
    const tax = calculateTax({ country: "UK", amount: 100 });
    expect(tax).toBe(0);
  });
});

Accessing specification metadata

import { specification, rule } from "@swedevtools/livedoc-vitest";

specification(`Inventory Management
  @warehouse @v2
  Rules for tracking stock levels across warehouses
`, (ctx) => {
  rule("Read specification context", () => {
    expect(ctx.specification.title).toBe("Inventory Management");
    expect(ctx.specification.tags).toEqual(["warehouse", "v2"]);
    expect(ctx.specification.description).toContain("tracking stock levels");
  });
});

Mixing rule and ruleOutline

import { specification, rule, ruleOutline } from "@swedevtools/livedoc-vitest";

specification("Discount Engine", () => {
  rule("No discount for orders under $50", () => {
    expect(getDiscount(49)).toBe(0);
  });

  ruleOutline(`Discount tiers
    Examples:
    | spend | discount |
    |    50 |        0 |
    |   100 |        5 |
    |   200 |       10 |
    |   500 |       15 |
  `, (ctx) => {
    expect(getDiscount(ctx.example.spend)).toBe(ctx.example.discount);
  });
});

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See Also

• rule() — individual test assertions within a specification
• ruleOutline() — data-driven rules with examples tables
• feature() — BDD alternative for user-story-driven tests
• Context Object — full reference for ctx.specification