next

name	next
description	Rank the next spec-side action (revise, propose-change, critique, prune-history, or none) over the current `<spec-target>/proposed_changes/` and `<spec-target>/history/` state, emitting structured JSON. Invoked by livespec:next, "what should I work on next on the spec side", or as a primitive composed by a cross-repo loop driver.

next — Codex Driver binding

This file is the thin Codex binding for the next operation, shipped by the livespec-driver-codex Driver plugin (plugin name livespec, so the surface stays livespec:*). The complete harness-neutral driving prose is livespec CORE's artifact at <core-root>/prose/next.md. FIRST resolve <core-root> (next section), THEN read that prose file in full, then execute it end-to-end, binding its harness-neutral vocabulary to this runtime as follows.

Resolving livespec core (<core-root>)

This Driver plugin ships ONLY bindings. The harness-neutral prose and the reference spec-side CLIs ship with livespec core — the livespec plugin from the thewoolleyman/livespec marketplace, which must be installed alongside this Driver. The plugin-root placeholder of THIS plugin resolves to the Driver's own root, which carries no prose/ and no scripts/ — NEVER use it for core paths. Resolve <core-root> once, in this order:

1. If the LIVESPEC_CORE_PLUGIN_ROOT environment variable is set and non-empty, use its value (explicit override; covers nonstandard dev setups, e.g. driving a sibling checkout's core).
2. If <project-root>/.claude-plugin/prose/next.md exists — the governed project IS the livespec core repo itself (--plugin-dir . dev mode / dogfooding) — use <project-root>/.claude-plugin.
3. Otherwise resolve the installed livespec@livespec plugin's source.path from codex plugin list --json -m livespec.

Canonical Bash form (<project-root> defaults to the cwd):

LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT="$LIVESPEC_CORE_PLUGIN_ROOT"
if [ -z "$LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT" ] && [ -d "./.claude-plugin/prose" ]; then
  LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT="$(pwd)/.claude-plugin"
fi
if [ -z "$LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT" ]; then
  LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT="$(codex plugin list --json -m livespec 2>/dev/null | python3 -c 'import json, sys
try:
    data = json.load(sys.stdin)
except Exception:
    sys.exit(0)
for plugin in data.get("installed", []):
    if plugin.get("pluginId") == "livespec@livespec":
        sys.stdout.write(plugin.get("source", {}).get("path", ""))
        break' 2>/dev/null || true)"
fi
if [ -z "$LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT" ] || [ ! -d "$LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT/prose" ]; then
  echo "livespec core not found. Install it first:" >&2
  echo "  codex plugin marketplace add thewoolleyman/livespec" >&2
  echo "  codex plugin add livespec@livespec" >&2
  exit 1
fi
echo "$LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT"

If resolution fails, STOP and surface those install instructions to the user instead of improvising paths.

Config-named CLI dispatch

Per livespec core's contract (its contracts.md), every spec-side operation is named in the governed project's .livespec.jsonc under spec_clis.next as an argv-form array, pre-populated with core's reference default and individually overridable. To "run the next CLI named in config":

1. Read <project-root>/.livespec.jsonc (JSONC — tolerate // comments). If the file, the spec_clis section, or the spec_clis.next key is absent, use core's reference default argv: python3 <core-root>/scripts/bin/next.py.
2. If the configured argv contains the literal plugin-root substitution token (the CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT placeholder, written as a $-brace expansion in config), expand it to <core-root> — core's schema defines that token as "the installed livespec plugin root", which is CORE's root, never this Driver's.
3. Append the operation's flags and invoke via the shell tool.

With the default config this collapses to:

python3 "$LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT/scripts/bin/next.py" [--spec-target <path>] [--project-root <path>]

Runtime bindings

• "run the next CLI named in config" / "invoke the next CLI" — dispatch per the Config-named CLI dispatch section above; with the default config:

  python3 "$LIVESPEC_CORE_ROOT/scripts/bin/next.py" [--spec-target <path>] [--project-root <path>] [--limit <count>] [--offset <count>]
  

• "surface the captured stdout to the user" / "present the JSON verbatim" (prose Step 2) — plain narration in this session: emit the CLI's stdout JSON without re-interpretation, re-summarization, or judgment.