openspec

Implement pending tasks from the current change. Use when the user wants to start implementing, says "apply", "implement", "start building", "work on tasks", or is ready to execute the tasks in tasks.md.

Archive a completed change, merging its specs into the main specs directory. Use when the user is done with a change, says "archive", "done", "mark as complete", "merge specs", or wants to close out a finished change.

Check if the OpenSpec plugin methodology and schema templates have been updated in the upstream Fission-AI/OpenSpec repository. Use when the user wants to sync with upstream, says "check for updates", "sync openspec", "update methodology", or wants to ensure they are using the latest OpenSpec workflow.

Create the next artifact for the active change based on its dependency graph (expanded workflow). Use when the user says "continue", "next artifact", "create next", or wants to advance through the artifact pipeline one step at a time.

Think through ideas, investigate problems, and clarify requirements before committing to a change. Use when the user wants to explore an idea, says "explore", "think about", "investigate", "how should I approach", "compare options", or needs to clarify requirements before building.

Fast-forward — create all remaining planning artifacts for the active change at once (expanded workflow). Use when the user says "ff", "fast-forward", "create all artifacts", or wants to generate all remaining planning documents in one step.

Start a new change scaffold (expanded workflow). Creates the change folder and waits for artifact generation via /openspec:continue or /openspec:ff. Use when the user wants granular control over artifact creation, says "new change", "start a change", or wants to use the expanded workflow.

Create a new change and generate all planning artifacts (proposal, specs, design, tasks) in one step. This is the default start command for the OpenSpec core workflow. Use when the user wants to start building something, says "propose", "I want to build", "create a change", or describes a new feature or fix.

Merge delta specs from a change into the main specs directory (without archiving). Use when the user wants to sync specs, says "sync", "merge specs", "update main specs", or wants to update the canonical specs while keeping the change active.

Validate that the implementation matches the change's planning artifacts (specs, design, tasks). Use when the user wants to verify work, says "verify", "check implementation", "validate against specs", or wants to confirm the code matches the specifications.