[Feature]: Allow me to change default init integration

[dradetsky]

Problem Statement

We hardcode

DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION = "copilot"

Which would be a fine default if I could set it to something else, but I can't.

Proposed Solution

Have some way to override this. For example via a config file or an environment variable (e.g. SPECKIT_DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION) or something.

Alternatives Considered

Copilot suggested defining a shell alias, which is obviously terrible.

Component

Specify CLI (initialization, commands)

AI Agent (if applicable)

No response

Use Cases

No response

Acceptance Criteria

No response

Additional Context

No response

[github-actions]

Bug assessment — default-init-integration-override: Invalid · severity low

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Bug Assessment: Allow overriding default init integration

• Slug: default-init-integration-override
• Created: 2026-08-03T15:05:00Z
• Source: issue [Feature]: Allow me to change default init integration #3939
• Verdict: invalid (not a bug — this is a feature request / enhancement)
• Severity: low

Report (summarized)

The reporter notes that DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION = "copilot" is hardcoded in src/specify_cli/_agent_config.py with no supported mechanism to change it. In non-interactive sessions (specify init without a terminal), the CLI silently falls back to "copilot" if --integration is not supplied. The reporter wants an override mechanism — e.g. an env var like SPECKIT_DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION or a config file entry.

Symptom

Observed: specify init (non-interactive) always falls back to copilot when --integration is not provided.
Expected: Users can configure a personal/project default integration so the fallback reflects their preferred agent.

There is no broken behavior — the fallback is intentional, documented in code comments, and clearly communicated to the user via a console message. This is a missing feature, not a defect.

Reproduction

Not applicable — the behavior is as designed. --integration <key> already overrides the default in every invocation.

Suspected Code Paths

• src/specify_cli/_agent_config.py:18 — DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION = "copilot" hardcoded constant with no env-var read.
• src/specify_cli/commands/init.py:468-473 — non-interactive branch falls back to DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION when --integration is absent.
• src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/init/__init__.py:83-84 — workflow step applies the same fallback.
• src/specify_cli/commands/bundle/__init__.py:134-140 — bundle command reads the same constant for its default.

Root Cause Hypothesis

No bug exists. DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION was established as a compile-time constant rather than a runtime-configurable value. The workaround (--integration <key>) exists and works; the gap is that there is no persistent per-user or per-project way to set a different default. Confidence: high.

Proposed Remediation

This is an enhancement request, not a bug fix. The issue is correctly labeled enhancement. The bug-assess label was likely added to triage it, but the verdict is invalid as a bug.

If the team decides to implement the feature, the preferred approach would be:

Preferred: Read an optional env var SPECKIT_DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION in _agent_config.py (or at the call site in init.py) and, if set to a recognized integration key, use it as the fallback instead of the hardcoded "copilot".

Alternatives:

• Add a [defaults] integration = <key> entry to a project-level or user-level .specify/config.toml. More discoverable but requires a config-file parsing layer.
• Shell alias (specify init --integration gemini) — rejected by the reporter as "obviously terrible"; agreed it's not a good UX solution.

Files likely to change (if implementing the env-var approach):

• src/specify_cli/_agent_config.py — read env var with fallback to "copilot".
• src/specify_cli/commands/init.py — no change needed if constant is updated at source.
• src/specify_cli/workflows/steps/init/__init__.py — no change needed.
• tests/test_commands_package.py:23 — test currently asserts the constant equals "copilot"; would need updating or parameterization.
• tests/integrations/test_cli.py:113,117 — similar constant-value assertions.

Tests to add or update:

• Unit test: with SPECKIT_DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION=gemini set, DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION resolves to "gemini".
• Integration test: specify init (non-interactive) with env var set uses the specified integration.
• Validation test: invalid env-var value raises a clear error or warns and falls back.

Risks & Considerations

• Changing DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION from a compile-time constant to a runtime value would break the test_commands_package.py assertion that hard-asserts == "copilot".
• An unrecognized env-var value must be validated against AGENT_CONFIG keys; a silent fallback to "copilot" on bad input would be confusing.
• No security or data risk; purely a UX/ergonomics change.

Open Questions

• Should the override be user-scoped (env var) or project-scoped (config file), or both? The issue only asks for "some way" — scope is unspecified.
• Is SPECKIT_DEFAULT_INIT_INTEGRATION the right env-var name, or does the project have a naming convention for env vars?

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Posted on behalf of @mnriem by GitHub Copilot (model: claude-sonnet-4.6, autonomous)

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