github / github/spec-kit

[Bug]: /speckit-implement counts checkbox markers inside fenced code blocks — example checkboxes can falsely block implementation

Open Beginner friendly
#4,272 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
Dominant language
Python
Stars
137k
Forks
12.3k
Avg merge
2d 12h
Merged PRs (30d)
159

Description

## Version

spec-kit v1.0.1 (`.claude/skills/speckit-implement/SKILL.md`, "Check checklists status")

## Description

The checklist scan counts every `- [ ]` / `- [x]` / `- [X]` line in every checklist file, including lines inside fenced code blocks. A checklist that *documents* the checkbox format with an example fence therefore reports phantom unchecked items, and implementation is blocked by checkboxes that aren't real work items.

The clarify command already handles this correctly — `.claude/skills/speckit-clarify/SKILL.md` specifies parsing Markdown outside code fences — so this is an internal inconsistency between the two commands' parsers as much as a bug.

## Expected behavior

Count checkbox markers only outside fenced code blocks (same contract as the clarify parser), keeping the existing per-checklist total/checked/unchecked reporting.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with `.claude/skills/speckit-implement/SKILL.md`, at the “Check checklists status” instructions, and compare its checklist parsing contract with `.claude/skills/speckit-clarify/SKILL.md`. Verify the behavior using a checklist containing checkbox examples inside a fenced code block and real checklist items outside it. Done means fenced examples are ignored while per-checklist total, checked, and unchecked counts remain correct.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
markdown
Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
84/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.