spec-engine vs Vision Driven Design (VDD) MCP Server
spec-engine is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by farshidghyasi. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). Vision Driven Design (VDD) MCP Server is an MCP server published by ascent-partners.com. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-17. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  spec-engine |  Vision Driven Design (VDD) MCP Server |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 2.3.0 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 7 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.9.4 Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 1 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | spec-engine | Vision Driven Design (VDD) MCP Server |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 7 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) | 1 | 1 |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | Remote server (vdd.simonmak.com/api/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 32 | Not a bundle |
| Licence | Not stated | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/farshidghyasi/spec-engine | github.com/simonmak-ascent/vision-driven-design |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 4 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-12 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | Responded 36 h ago |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
spec-engine
Spec-driven development engine: turns feature specs into working code through structured requirements, wave-based parallel agent execution, and automated quality gates.
Vision Driven Design (VDD) MCP Server
Spec-driven development MCP server: 8 phases, bi-directional traceability, 7 quality gates.
How to run each
spec-engine As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install spec-engine@claude-communityVision Driven Design (VDD) MCP Server As a remote MCP server
claude mcp add --transport http vision-driven-design https://vdd.simonmak.com/api/mcpCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Only Vision Driven Design (VDD) MCP Server has a remote endpoint we check. How we check endpoints
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: spec-engine · What it can do: Vision Driven Design (VDD) MCP Server · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.