# What is Living Specs?

*Development · Last updated: October 27, 2026*

These are technical requirements that are automatically updated with the code during the software development process and reflect the current status of the project.

## Overview

Traditional documentation becomes obsolete as the project progresses, but this method makes documentation part of the code. These requirements are updated whenever a change is made to the software. This way, developers always have an up-to-date roadmap.

***Analogy:** It's like having a map of a city be a digital display that automatically updates as roads are built.*

## How it works

Thanks to comments in the code or automated tools, technical documents are kept in sync with the current version of the code.

## Where it is used

It is used to manage complexity in large software projects and teamwork.

## Commonly confused with

It differs from traditional technical documents that are static and become obsolete over time.

## Questions and answers

**Why don't we use static documents?**

Because static documents become outdated very quickly and can mislead developers.

**Is this difficult to install?**

It requires automation tools but saves a lot of time in the long run.

## Related terms

- [Specification](https://trescout.com/en/dictionary/specification/)
- [DESIGN.md](https://trescout.com/en/dictionary/design-md/)
- [Spec-driven Development](https://trescout.com/en/dictionary/spec-driven-development/)

This explanation was written in plain language for TreScout with AI and **machine-translated** from the Turkish original · the Turkish version prevails. If something looks wrong or missing, write to [hello@trescout.com](mailto:hello@trescout.com). [Read in Turkish →](https://trescout.com/dictionary/living-specs/)

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Source: TreScout Dictionary · https://trescout.com/en/dictionary/living-specs/