Getting Started with MOTH

Step 1: Learn the Syntax

Start with the Quick Reference to learn the basic syntax in 5 minutes.

[SECTION_NAME]
key:value
key:item1;item2;item3
key:{k=v;k2=v2}

Step 2: Choose Your Use Case

📋 PRD

Writing a product specification? MOTH helps structure your requirements clearly.

⚙️ Coding Rules

Creating .cursorrules? MOTH provides a clean format for AI instructions.

🏗️ Architecture

Documenting your system? MOTH makes architecture docs scannable and clear.

Step 3: Write Your Content

Start with a simple structure and build from there. Remember: MOTH is a blueprint, not a spec. Add detail only where needed. Check out the Examples page to see the full MediaHub DAM example with expanded PRD.

#MOTH:repo
meta:{project:MediaHub-DAM;version:1.0}

[GOAL]
Build a multi-tenant Digital Asset Management backend
with vector search, rights, and automation.

[FEATURES]
TenantAuth:P0; RBAC:P0; Assets:P0; Search:P0
Rights:P0; Reviews:P0; Jobs:P0; Audit:P0

[SCHEMAS]
tenants:{*id=uuid;*name=string;*domain=hostname}
users:{*id=uuid;*email=email;(name)=string}
assets:{
  *id=uuid;
  *tenant_id=uuid;
  *kind=enum[image,video,doc];
  *uri=url;
  *bytes=int;
  status=enum[active,deleted]
}

[WORKFLOWS]
ingest:{received→scanned→registered→ready}
review:{open→approved|changes→closed}

[API]
POST:/v1/assets{project_id,kind}→{asset_id,upload_url}
GET:/v1/assets/{id}→{asset,versions,renditions}
POST:/v1/search/text{q,limit}→{asset_ids}

Step 4: Use in Your Project

Add your MOTH file to your project and load it in your favorite tool:

Cursor

Add to .cursorrules or load as context

Cline

Add to project context in settings

ChatGPT / Claude

Paste into your chat or upload as file

Step 6: Learn from Examples

Check out real-world examples to see how MOTH is used in practice.

View Examples →

Pro Tips

✓ Keep MOTH files in your project repo (e.g., /rules/prd.moth)
✓ Update MOTH files as your project evolves
✓ Use MOTH for all technical documentation
✓ Combine with kablUI for complete app specs
✓ Share MOTH files with your team and AI agents