What It Does — Structured Development Discipline for Claude Code
Don Cheli SDD is an open-source framework that transforms Claude Code from a conversational coding assistant into a structured software delivery system. Built specifically for Latin American developers but multilingual (ES/EN/PT), it provides 72 commands that enforce quality gates throughout the development process.
The core problem it solves: "vibe coding" where Claude Code produces code without tests, documentation, or verification. Instead of asking "Claude, build me a users API," you use:
/dc:start "Implement JWT authentication with refresh tokens"
The framework automatically detects task complexity (Level 2: Standard in this case), generates Gherkin specifications in 30 seconds, creates technical blueprints, breaks work into TDD tasks, and executes everything in Docker—all with evidence collection.
Why It Works — Quality Gates and TDD as Iron Law
Don Cheli SDD implements a six-phase process: Specify → Clarify → Plan → Break Down → Implement → Review. Each phase has mandatory quality gates—you cannot advance without meeting them. The "TDD Iron Law" means tests are written BEFORE code, eliminating silent stubs where Claude says "I implemented the service" but leaves // TODO comments.
Key mechanisms that make this effective:
- 15 reasoning models including pre-mortem analysis, 5 Whys, Pareto principle, and reinforcement learning models
- Stub detection that catches incomplete implementations before they reach production
- 7-dimension peer review covering security, performance, maintainability, and more
- Automatic complexity detection that adjusts the framework's rigor based on task difficulty
How To Apply It — Commands That Replace Vibe Coding
Installation is straightforward:
git clone https://github.com/doncheli/don-cheli-sdd
cd don-cheli-sdd
./install.sh
Once installed, integrate it with your Claude Code workflow through these key commands:
Start Any Task with Structure
/dc:start "Build users API with JWT auth"
This triggers the full SDD pipeline: spec generation, blueprint creation, TDD task breakdown, and Docker execution.
Validate Ideas Before Committing
/dc:poc "Microservice architecture for payment processing" --timebox=2h
PoC Mode validates ideas with timeboxing and success criteria before you invest days in implementation.
Extract Specs from Existing Code
/dc:blueprint-distill legacy-service.js
Blueprint Distillation performs behavioral reverse engineering on existing code to extract specifications.
Security-First Development
/dc:owasp-audit
Integrates OWASP static security scanning directly into your development pipeline.
Stack Migration with Planning
/dc:stack-migrate --from=vue --to=react --wave-plan
Migrates entire technology stacks with wave planning and equivalence mapping.
Advanced Features for Production Workflows
Beyond basic commands, Don Cheli SDD includes enterprise-ready features:
CodeRAG: Index reference repositories and retrieve relevant patterns during development
API Contracts: Generate REST/GraphQL APIs with retry logic, circuit breakers, and idempotency built-in
SOLID Refactoring: Checklist-driven refactoring with metrics and structured design patterns
Living Documentation: Auto-generates ADRs, OpenAPI specifications, and Mermaid diagrams
Auto-generated UAT: Creates human-executable acceptance scripts after each feature completion
Skill Creator: Meta-skill system that generates → tests → evaluates → improves skills automatically
Project Constitution: Immutable pre-spec principles validated at every quality gate
Formal Pseudocode: Technology-agnostic SPARC (Specification-to-Plan Abstraction and Reasoning Component) phase between spec and plan
When To Use It — Projects That Need Discipline
Don Cheli SDD shines when:
- You're building production systems that can't afford "vibe coding"
- Your team needs consistent quality standards across multiple developers
- You're migrating legacy systems and need structured reverse engineering
- Security and compliance requirements demand documented processes
- You want to scale Claude Code usage across teams with governance
It's overkill for quick scripts or exploratory coding, but essential for any serious software delivery where quality matters.
The Bottom Line
Don Cheli SDD transforms Claude Code from a helpful assistant into a disciplined engineering partner. By enforcing TDD as iron law and implementing 72 structured commands, it addresses the core weaknesses of AI-assisted development: context rot, silent stubs, and lack of verification. For teams serious about shipping quality software with Claude Code, this framework provides the missing structure.
