Universal Development Standards

Language: English | 繁體中文 | 简体中文

Version: 5.1.0-beta.3 | Released: 2026-03-28 | License: Dual License (CC BY 4.0 + MIT)

Language-agnostic, framework-agnostic development standards for software projects. Ensure consistency, quality, and maintainability across diverse technology stacks with AI-native workflows.

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🚀 Quick Start

Install via npm (Recommended)

# Install globally (stable)
npm install -g universal-dev-standards

# Initialize your project
uds init

Looking for beta or RC versions? See Pre-release Versions.

Or use npx (No installation required)

npx universal-dev-standards init

Note: Copying standards alone won't enable AI assistance. Use uds init to automatically configure your AI tool or manually reference standards in your tool's configuration file.

🗺️ What's Next?

I want to...	Command
Understand an existing codebase	/discover
Build a new feature with specs	/sdd
Work with legacy code	/reverse
Choose a development methodology	/methodology
Make a clean commit	/commit

Tip: Type /dev-workflow for a complete guide to all development phases and available commands.

See also: Daily Workflow Guide

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✨ Features

Category	Count	Description
Core Standards	53	Universal development guidelines
AI Skills	43	Interactive skills
Slash Commands	45	Quick actions
CLI Commands	7	list, init, configure, check, update, skills, audit

What's New in 5.0? See Pre-release Notes for details on new features.

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🏗️ Architecture

UDS uses a Dual-Layer Execution Model designed for both high-speed interactive development and deep technical compliance.

graph TD
    A[AI Agent / Developer] --> B{Action Layer}
    B -- "Daily Tasks" --> C[Skills Layer (.ai.yaml)]
    B -- "Deep Review" --> D[Standards Layer (.md)]
    
    C --> C1[Token-Efficient]
    C --> C2[Interactive Wizards]
    
    D --> D1[Comprehensive Theory]
    D --> D2[Tool Configurations]
    
    C1 -. "Fallback" .-> D1

Aspect	Skills (Execution)	Core Standards (Knowledge)
Format	YAML-optimized	Full Markdown
Goal	High-speed interactive lookup	Deep understanding & Rationale
Token Usage	Minimal (AI-Friendly)	Detailed (Reference)

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🤖 AI Tool Support

AI Tool	Status	Skills	Slash Commands	Configuration
Claude Code	✅ Complete	26	30	CLAUDE.md
OpenCode	✅ Complete	26	30	AGENTS.md
Gemini CLI	🧪 Preview	18+	20+	GEMINI.md
Cursor	✅ Complete	Core	Simulated	.cursorrules
Cline / Roo Code	🔶 Partial	Core	Workflow	.clinerules
Windsurf	🔶 Partial	✅	Rulebook	.windsurfrules

Status Legend: ✅ Complete | 🧪 Preview | 🔶 Partial | ⏳ Planned

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📦 Installation Methods

CLI Tool (Primary)

npm (Recommended)

npm install -g universal-dev-standards
uds init        # Interactive initialization
uds check       # Check adoption status
uds update      # Update to latest version
uds config      # Manage preferences (language, mode)
uds uninstall   # Remove standards from project

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⚙️ Configuration

Use uds config to manage your preferences:

Parameter	Command	Description
Commit Language	uds config --lang zh-TW	Set preferred language for AI commits
Standards	uds init	Install all available standards
Tool Mode	uds config --mode skills	Choose between Skills, Standards, or Both

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👥 Contributing

1. Suggest Improvements: Open an issue with problem and solution.
2. Add Examples: Submit real-world usage examples.
3. Extend Standards: Contribute language/framework extensions.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

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🌐 Ecosystem

UDS is the standards definition layer in the AsiaOstrich three-layer product architecture:

UDS (What to do) → DevAP (How agents do it) → VibeOps (Full lifecycle)

Layer	Product	Role	License
Standards	UDS	Development methodology framework	MIT + CC BY 4.0
Orchestration	DevAP	Agent-agnostic orchestration engine	Apache-2.0
Lifecycle	VibeOps	AI-driven software factory	AGPL-3.0-only

• UDS defines development standards → consumed by DevAP (quality gates) and VibeOps (agent pipeline)
• DevAP orchestrates AI agents using UDS standards → VibeOps is one of its consumers
• VibeOps provides full software lifecycle → integrates UDS via uds init (copy-once)

UDS remains tool-agnostic: it supports Claude Code, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Cline, and Windsurf. DevAP and VibeOps are consumers, not requirements.

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📄 License

Component	License
Documentation	CC BY 4.0
CLI Tool	MIT

Acknowledgments

UDS draws architectural inspiration from these outstanding open-source projects:

Project	Inspiration	License
Superpowers	Systematic debugging, agent dispatch, verification evidence	MIT
GSD	Structured task definition, traceability matrix, verification loop cap	MIT
PAUL	Plan-Apply-Unify loop, acceptance-driven development	MIT
CARL	Context-aware loading, dynamic rule injection	MIT
CrewAI	Multi-agent communication protocol, context budget tracking	MIT
LangGraph	Workflow state protocol, HITL interrupt checkpoints	MIT
OpenHands	Event sourcing, action-observation stream patterns	MIT
DSPy	Agent signatures, structured I/O contracts	MIT

Note: UDS adopts concepts and methodologies only — no source code from these projects is included.

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Maintained with ❤️ by the open-source community