Refining AI Output for Cleaner Dev Specs: A Systems Approach to Executable Mobile Requirements

When you ask a large language model to generate a mobile app specification, the initial output is almost always high-entropy text. It looks plausible at a glance, but it lacks the structural rigor required for actual engineering. A prompt requesting a "mobile checkout flow" typically returns a bulleted list of UI steps, completely omitting critical details like offline state handling, race conditions during payment tokenization, or strict validation schemas for the payload.

To transform this raw output into an executable specification, we must treat the generation process as a multi-pass compilation pipeline. This article explores the systematic methodology of refining AI output, moving from ambiguous natural language to deterministic, implementation-ready specifications.

The Problem of Unconstrained Generation

The core issue with raw generative output is not a lack of capability in the underlying models, but rather the absence of constraints. In system design, unconstrained generation leads to drift. If a developer attempts to write code directly from a first-draft specification generated by a model, they inevitably encounter gaps that require real-time, undocumented design decisions. This introduces architectural debt before the first line of code is even committed.

A well-structured plan is not a prelude to the work; it is the high-leverage phase of the work itself. By narrowing the decision space early, we identify critical integration factors and resolve ambiguities before committing engineering resources. To achieve this, we must implement a structured refinement process that subjects the initial output to adversarial validation.

The Multi-Pass Refinement Pipeline

Instead of relying on a single prompt to generate a complete specification, we structure the refinement into three distinct phases:

1. Structural Schema Definition: Defining the exact data models and state boundaries.
2. State Transition Mapping: Explicitly declaring how the system moves between states, including failure modes.
3. User Story Synthesis: Generating developer-readable requirements mapped directly to the validated schema and state machine.

Here is a pseudo-code representation of how this refinement pipeline is structured programmatically within a system like Bridge:

interface RawSpec {
  description: string;
}

interface RefinedSpec {
  schema: object;
  states: string[];
  transitions: Array<{ from: string; to: string; trigger: string }>;
  userStories: string[];
}

async function refineSpecification(raw: RawSpec): Promise<RefinedSpec> {
  // Phase 1: Extract and validate the data schema
  const schema = await extractSchema(raw.description);

  // Phase 2: Map the state machine and identify missing transitions
  const stateMachine = await mapStateTransitions(raw.description, schema);

  // Phase 3: Generate structured user stories bound to the schema and states
  const userStories = await generateUserStories(schema, stateMachine);

  return {
    schema,
    states: stateMachine.states,
    transitions: stateMachine.transitions,
    userStories
  };
}

Phase 1: Enforcing Structural Schemas

A common failure mode in raw specifications is the use of vague data descriptions. For example, a system might state: "The system sends the user's payment details to the backend." This is insufficient. We need to define the exact payload structure.

By passing the raw output through a schema extraction step, we force the system to output a strict JSON Schema or TypeScript interface. If the system cannot resolve a field (for example, whether the billing address is required or optional), the refinement pipeline flags this as an ambiguity for human review.

Here is a concrete, runnable TypeScript example of the schema we expect the refinement process to produce for our checkout flow:

export interface CheckoutPayload {
  cartId: string;
  paymentMethod: {
    type: 'credit_card' | 'digital_wallet';
    token: string;
  };
  shippingAddress: {
    street: string;
    city: string;
    postalCode: string;
    country: string;
  };
  billingAddressSameAsShipping: boolean;
  billingAddress?: {
    street: string;
    city: string;
    postalCode: string;
    country: string;
  };
}

If the initial output omitted the conditional logic for the billing address, the validation step detects the missing relationship and prompts the generator to resolve it.

Phase 2: Mapping State Transitions

Mobile applications are highly state-dependent. Network latency, backgrounding, and user interruptions mean that a screen is rarely in a simple loading or loaded state.

A raw specification often assumes a happy path: Idle to Loading to Success. A refined specification must account for the complete state space. We can represent this as a state transition matrix. Let us look at a simplified state machine definition for our checkout process:

type CheckoutState = 
  | 'Idle'
  | 'ValidatingCart'
  | 'TokenizingPayment'
  | 'ProcessingTransaction'
  | 'Success'
  | 'Error_Network'
  | 'Error_Declined';

interface Transition {
  current: CheckoutState;
  action: 'SUBMIT' | 'RETRY' | 'CANCEL' | 'RESOLVE' | 'FAIL';
  next: CheckoutState;
}

const checkoutTransitions: Transition[] = [
  { current: 'Idle', action: 'SUBMIT', next: 'ValidatingCart' },
  { current: 'ValidatingCart', action: 'RESOLVE', next: 'TokenizingPayment' },
  { current: 'ValidatingCart', action: 'FAIL', next: 'Idle' },
  { current: 'TokenizingPayment', action: 'RESOLVE', next: 'ProcessingTransaction' },
  { current: 'TokenizingPayment', action: 'FAIL', next: 'Error_Network' },
  { current: 'ProcessingTransaction', action: 'RESOLVE', next: 'Success' },
  { current: 'ProcessingTransaction', action: 'FAIL', next: 'Error_Declined' },
  { current: 'Error_Network', action: 'RETRY', next: 'TokenizingPayment' },
  { current: 'Error_Declined', action: 'CANCEL', next: 'Idle' }
];

By forcing the system to map every state to a corresponding transition, we expose gaps in the initial product concept. For instance, what happens if the user experiences a network error during the transaction processing phase? The state machine forces us to decide whether we allow a retry (which risks double-charging without idempotency keys) or route the user to a support flow.

Phase 3: Synthesizing Executable User Stories

Once the data schema and state transitions are locked down, we can synthesize user stories that are actually useful to a developer. Instead of generic descriptions, these stories reference the specific states and schemas defined in the previous steps.

A refined user story looks like this:

"As a user in the Error_Network state, when I trigger the RETRY action, the system must attempt to re-tokenize the payment using the existing CheckoutPayload without forcing me to re-enter my shipping address."

This level of precision eliminates guesswork during the implementation phase.

Trade-offs of Strict Refinement

Implementing a multi-pass refinement pipeline is not without trade-offs. It requires more computational overhead and initial setup than simply asking a model to write a document. It also introduces friction during the early ideation phase, as the system will repeatedly flag incomplete ideas as validation errors.

However, this friction is intentional. It is far cheaper to resolve a state machine conflict or a missing data field during the planning phase than it is to refactor a React Native or Swift codebase mid-sprint. By narrowing the decision space early, we ensure that when a developer begins writing code, they are executing against a stable, validated blueprint.

Conclusion

Refining AI output is not a matter of finding the perfect prompt. It is about building a structured, multi-pass system that subjects raw generation to strict validation schemas and state machine constraints. By treating planning as a phase of execution, we turn ambiguous concepts into precise, developer-ready specifications.