|
| 1 | +# OpenSpec Documentation |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +Welcome. This is the home for everything OpenSpec. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +OpenSpec helps you and your AI coding assistant **agree on what to build before any code is written.** You describe the change, the AI drafts a short spec and a task list, you both look at the same plan, and then the work happens. No more discovering halfway through that the AI built the wrong thing. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +If you read nothing else, read these two pages: |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +1. [Getting Started](getting-started.md): install, initialize, and ship your first change. |
| 10 | +2. [How Commands Work](how-commands-work.md): where you actually type `/opsx:propose` (hint: in your AI chat, not the terminal). This trips up almost everyone once. |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +That second one matters more than it looks. OpenSpec has two halves: a command line tool you run in your terminal, and slash commands you give to your AI assistant. Knowing which is which saves you the most common moment of confusion. |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +> **The best habit to build first: when you're not sure what to build, start with `/opsx:explore`.** It's a no-stakes thinking partner that reads your code, weighs options, and sharpens a fuzzy idea into a concrete plan before any artifact or code exists. The [Explore First](explore.md) guide makes the case. |
| 15 | +
|
| 16 | +## Pick your path |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +**I'm brand new.** Start with [Getting Started](getting-started.md), then skim the [Core Concepts at a Glance](overview.md). When something feels mysterious, the [FAQ](faq.md) and [Glossary](glossary.md) are nearby. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +**I have a problem but not a plan.** This is the common case, and it has a dedicated answer: [Explore First](explore.md). Use `/opsx:explore` to think it through with the AI before committing to anything. |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +**I have a big existing codebase.** You don't document all of it. [Using OpenSpec in an Existing Project](existing-projects.md) shows how to start on real, brownfield code without boiling the ocean. |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +**I just want to get it working.** [Install](installation.md), run `openspec init`, then read [How Commands Work](how-commands-work.md) so your first slash command lands in the right place. |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +**I learn by example.** The [Examples & Recipes](examples.md) page walks through real changes start to finish: a small feature, a bug fix, a refactor, an exploration. |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +**I'm coming from the old workflow.** The [Migration Guide](migration-guide.md) explains what changed and why, and promises your existing work is safe. |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +**I want to bend it to my team's process.** [Customization](customization.md) covers project config, custom schemas, and shared context. |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +**Something's broken.** [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md) collects the failures people actually hit, with fixes. |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +## The whole map |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +### Start here |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +| Doc | What it gives you | |
| 39 | +|-----|-------------------| |
| 40 | +| [Getting Started](getting-started.md) | Install, initialize, and run your first change end to end | |
| 41 | +| [Explore First](explore.md) | Use `/opsx:explore` to think through an idea before you commit | |
| 42 | +| [How Commands Work](how-commands-work.md) | Where slash commands run, what "interactive mode" means, terminal vs chat | |
| 43 | +| [Core Concepts at a Glance](overview.md) | The whole mental model on one page: specs, changes, deltas, archive | |
| 44 | +| [Installation](installation.md) | npm, pnpm, yarn, bun, Nix, and how to verify it worked | |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +### Use it day to day |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +| Doc | What it gives you | |
| 49 | +|-----|-------------------| |
| 50 | +| [Workflows](workflows.md) | Common patterns and when to reach for each command | |
| 51 | +| [Examples & Recipes](examples.md) | Full walkthroughs of real changes, copy-pasteable | |
| 52 | +| [Using OpenSpec in an Existing Project](existing-projects.md) | Adopting OpenSpec on a large brownfield codebase | |
| 53 | +| [Editing & Iterating on a Change](editing-changes.md) | Update artifacts, go back, reconcile manual edits | |
| 54 | +| [Commands](commands.md) | Reference for every `/opsx:*` slash command | |
| 55 | +| [CLI](cli.md) | Reference for every `openspec` terminal command | |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +### Understand it deeply |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +| Doc | What it gives you | |
| 60 | +|-----|-------------------| |
| 61 | +| [Concepts](concepts.md) | The long-form explanation of specs, changes, artifacts, schemas, and archive | |
| 62 | +| [OPSX Workflow](opsx.md) | Why the workflow is fluid instead of phase-locked, plus an architecture deep dive | |
| 63 | +| [Glossary](glossary.md) | Every term defined in one place | |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +### Make it yours |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +| Doc | What it gives you | |
| 68 | +|-----|-------------------| |
| 69 | +| [Customization](customization.md) | Project config, custom schemas, shared context | |
| 70 | +| [Multi-Language](multi-language.md) | Generate artifacts in languages other than English | |
| 71 | +| [Supported Tools](supported-tools.md) | The 25+ AI tools OpenSpec integrates with, and where files land | |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +### When you need help |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +| Doc | What it gives you | |
| 76 | +|-----|-------------------| |
| 77 | +| [FAQ](faq.md) | Quick answers to the questions people ask most | |
| 78 | +| [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md) | Concrete fixes for concrete failures | |
| 79 | +| [Migration Guide](migration-guide.md) | Moving from the legacy workflow to OPSX | |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +### Coordinate across repos (beta) |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +| Doc | What it gives you | |
| 84 | +|-----|-------------------| |
| 85 | +| [Stores: User Guide](stores-beta/user-guide.md) | Plan in its own repo when your work spans repos or teams | |
| 86 | +| [Agent Contract](agent-contract.md) | The machine-readable CLI surfaces agents drive | |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +## The thirty-second version |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +```text |
| 91 | +1. Install npm install -g @fission-ai/openspec@latest |
| 92 | +2. Initialize cd your-project && openspec init |
| 93 | +3. Explore (in your AI chat) /opsx:explore ← optional, but a great habit |
| 94 | +4. Propose (in your AI chat) /opsx:propose add-dark-mode |
| 95 | +5. Build (in your AI chat) /opsx:apply |
| 96 | +6. Archive (in your AI chat) /opsx:archive |
| 97 | +``` |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +Steps 1 and 2 happen in your terminal. The rest happen in your AI assistant's chat. That split is the one thing worth memorizing, and [How Commands Work](how-commands-work.md) explains exactly why. Step 3 is optional, but starting with `/opsx:explore` when you're unsure is the habit most worth forming. |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +## Where else to get help |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +- **Discord:** [discord.gg/YctCnvvshC](https://discord.gg/YctCnvvshC) for questions, ideas, and help. |
| 104 | +- **GitHub Issues:** [github.com/Fission-AI/OpenSpec/issues](https://github.com/Fission-AI/OpenSpec/issues) for bugs and feature requests. |
| 105 | +- **`openspec feedback "your message"`** sends feedback straight from your terminal (it opens a GitHub issue). |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +Found something in these docs that's wrong, stale, or confusing? That's a bug. Open an issue or a PR. Documentation improvements are some of the most valuable contributions you can make. |
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