openspec-continue-change

name	openspec-continue-change
description	Continue working on an OpenSpec change by creating the next artifact. Use when the user wants to progress their change, create the next artifact, or continue their workflow.
license	MIT
compatibility	Requires openspec CLI.
metadata	{"author":"openspec","version":"1.0","generatedBy":"1.3.1"}

Project context preflight before workflow actions: before this skill takes a workflow action, follow the project-constitution skill. Read root CONSTITUTION.md when present, enforce relevant project rules, stop on material conflicts, and follow the strict missing-constitution bootstrap/diagnostic policy. For architecture-sensitive work, also read ARCHITECTURE.md, adr/README.md, and relevant in-force adr/*.md. Read .secrets.local.env only when the current workflow actually needs a listed external system, and never reveal secret values.

Artifact review session controls: when scripts/openspec-session-state exists, inspect artifactReview.decision before key entry workflows create or consume reviewable artifacts. If the decision is unset, ask once whether to enable OpenAI-compatible artifact review for this session and record the answer with --review on|off; later commands reuse the recorded decision until the user changes it with the /opsx:review-* prompts. Session settings are non-secret local overlays and must not edit .codex/openspec-artifact-review.json unless the user explicitly asks for a global default change. Ordinary scripts/openspec-artifact-review runs use the session-effective config by default; explicit --config and --raw-config / --ignore-session bypass implicit session merge for diagnostics.

Continue working on a change by creating the next artifact.

Input: Optionally specify a change name. If omitted, check if it can be inferred from conversation context. If vague or ambiguous you MUST prompt for available changes.

Steps

1. If no change name provided, prompt for selection

   Run openspec list --json to get available changes sorted by most recently modified. Then use the Codex interactive user question tool when available, otherwise a concise Markdown question to let the user select which change to work on.

   Present the top 3-4 most recently modified changes as options, showing:

   • Change name
   • Schema (from schema field if present, otherwise "spec-driven")
   • Status (e.g., "0/5 tasks", "complete", "no tasks")
   • How recently it was modified (from lastModified field)

   Mark the most recently modified change as "(Recommended)" since it's likely what the user wants to continue.

   IMPORTANT: Do NOT guess or auto-select a change. Always let the user choose.

2. Check current status

   Git preflight: run git status --short before creating the next artifact. If dependency artifacts are modified but uncommitted, stop and recommend a checkpoint unless the user explicitly overrides the gate.

   openspec status --change "<name>" --json
   

   Parse the JSON to understand current state. The response includes:

   • schemaName: The workflow schema being used (e.g., "spec-driven")
   • artifacts: Array of artifacts with their status ("done", "ready", "blocked")
   • isComplete: Boolean indicating if all artifacts are complete

3. Act based on status:

   ---

   If all artifacts are complete (isComplete: true):

   • Congratulate the user
   • Show final status including the schema used
   • Suggest: "All artifacts created! You can now implement this change or archive it."
   • STOP

   ---

   If artifacts are ready to create (status shows artifacts with status: "ready"):

   • Pick the FIRST artifact with status: "ready" from the status output
   • Get its instructions:

     openspec instructions <artifact-id> --change "<name>" --json
     

   • Parse the JSON. The key fields are:

Output

After each invocation, show:

• Which artifact was created
• Schema workflow being used
• Current progress (N/M complete)
• What artifacts are now unlocked
• Prompt: "Want to continue? Just ask me to continue or tell me what to do next."

Intent-Driven Support Skill Policy

• For grill and design-review, run grill-with-docs automatically. Do not ask whether to run grill at those gates; ask one material question at a time only when repository context cannot resolve it.
• For specs, use gherkin-authoring guidance and preserve OpenSpec Markdown as the source of truth.
• For design, use c4-diagrams when boundaries/integrations are non-trivial; otherwise write an explicit no-diagram rationale.
• For ADR review, use architectural-decision-records after design-review.md; durable ADRs under top-level adr/ are append-only and superseded by new ADRs, not rewritten.
• For test-plan, use the project-local tdd skill to define vertical RED/GREEN/REFACTOR slices before tasks.

Artifact Creation Guidelines

The artifact types and their purpose depend on the schema. Use the instruction field from the instructions output to understand what to create.

Common artifact patterns:

spec-driven schema (proposal → specs → design → tasks):

• proposal.md: Ask user about the change if not clear. Fill in Why, What Changes, Capabilities, Impact.
  • The Capabilities section is critical - each capability listed will need a spec file.
• specs//spec.md: Create one spec per capability listed in the proposal's Capabilities section (use the capability name, not the change name).
• design.md: Document technical decisions, architecture, and implementation approach.
• tasks.md: Break down implementation into checkboxed tasks.

For other schemas, follow the instruction field from the CLI output.

Guardrails

• Checkpoint after the created artifact. Safe lifecycle checkpoint commits are automatic by default in session git auto mode; manual mode stops for approval. Merge, push, archive, destructive operations, and hard-gate bypasses still require explicit approval.
• A checkpoint override is one-time, must identify the uncommitted files/gate being bypassed, and must be repeated in the output.
• Create ONE artifact per invocation
• Always read dependency artifacts before creating a new one
• Never skip artifacts or create out of order
• If context is unclear, ask the user before creating
• Verify the artifact file exists after writing before marking progress
• Use the schema's artifact sequence, don't assume specific artifact names
• IMPORTANT: context and rules are constraints for YOU, not content for the file
  • Do NOT copy <context>, <rules>, <project_context> blocks into the artifact
  • These guide what you write, but should never appear in the output