Openspec Onboard

# Unix/macOS
openspec --version 2>&1 || echo "CLI_NOT_INSTALLED"
# Windows (PowerShell)
# if (Get-Command openspec -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) { openspec --version } else { echo "CLI_NOT_INSTALLED" }

## Welcome to OpenSpec!

I'll walk you through a complete change cycle—from idea to implementation—using a real task in your codebase. Along the way, you'll learn the workflow by doing it.

**What we'll do:**
1. Pick a small, real task in your codebase
2. Explore the problem briefly
3. Create a change (the container for our work)
4. Build the artifacts: proposal → specs → design → tasks
5. Implement the tasks
6. Archive the completed change

**Time:** ~15-20 minutes

Let's start by finding something to work on.

# Unix/macOS
git log --oneline -10 2>/dev/null || echo "No git history"
# Windows (PowerShell)
# git log --oneline -10 2>$null; if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { echo "No git history" }

## Task Suggestions

Based on scanning your codebase, here are some good starter tasks:

**1. [Most promising task]**
   Location: `src/path/to/file.ts:42`
   Scope: ~1-2 files, ~20-30 lines
   Why it's good: [brief reason]

**2. [Second task]**
   Location: `src/another/file.ts`
   Scope: ~1 file, ~15 lines
   Why it's good: [brief reason]

**3. [Third task]**
   Location: [location]
   Scope: [estimate]
   Why it's good: [brief reason]

**4. Something else?**
   Tell me what you'd like to work on.

Which task interests you? (Pick a number or describe your own)

That's a valuable task, but it's probably larger than ideal for your first OpenSpec run-through.

For learning the workflow, smaller is better—it lets you see the full cycle without getting stuck in implementation details.

**Options:**
1. **Slice it smaller** - What's the smallest useful piece of [their task]? Maybe just [specific slice]?
2. **Pick something else** - One of the other suggestions, or a different small task?
3. **Do it anyway** - If you really want to tackle this, we can. Just know it'll take longer.

What would you prefer?

Before we create a change, let me quickly show you **explore mode**—it's how you think through problems before committing to a direction.

## Quick Exploration

[Your brief analysis—what you found, any considerations]

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│   [Optional: ASCII diagram if helpful]  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Explore mode (`/opsx-explore`) is for this kind of thinking—investigating before implementing. You can use it anytime you need to think through a problem.

Now let's create a change to hold our work.

## Creating a Change

A "change" in OpenSpec is a container for all the thinking and planning around a piece of work. It lives in `openspec/changes/<name>/` and holds your artifacts—proposal, specs, design, tasks.

Let me create one for our task.

openspec new change "<derived-name>"

Created: `openspec/changes/<name>/`

The folder structure:

Now let's fill in the first artifact—the proposal.

## The Proposal

The proposal captures **why** we're making this change and **what** it involves at a high level. It's the "elevator pitch" for the work.

I'll draft one based on our task.

Here's a draft proposal:

---

## Why

[1-2 sentences explaining the problem/opportunity]

## What Changes

[Bullet points of what will be different]

## Capabilities

### New Capabilities
- `<capability-name>`: [brief description]

### Modified Capabilities
<!-- If modifying existing behavior -->

## Impact

- `src/path/to/file.ts`: [what changes]
- [other files if applicable]

---

Does this capture the intent? I can adjust before we save it.

openspec instructions proposal --change "<name>" --json

Proposal saved. This is your "why" document—you can always come back and refine it as understanding evolves.

Next up: specs.

## Specs

Specs define **what** we're building in precise, testable terms. They use a requirement/scenario format that makes expected behavior crystal clear.

For a small task like this, we might only need one spec file.

# Unix/macOS
mkdir -p openspec/changes/<name>/specs/<capability-name>
# Windows (PowerShell)
# New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "openspec/changes/<name>/specs/<capability-name>"

Here's the spec:

---

## ADDED Requirements

### Requirement: <Name>

<Description of what the system should do>

#### Scenario: <Scenario name>

- **WHEN** <trigger condition>
- **THEN** <expected outcome>
- **AND** <additional outcome if needed>

---

This format—WHEN/THEN/AND—makes requirements testable. You can literally read them as test cases.