to think through ideas, investigate problems, compare options, and clarify requirements — all without creating any artifacts or committing to a structure. When insights crystallize, transition to
openspec-new
or
openspec-ff
.
When to Use
Requirements are unclear and the user needs to investigate first.
Comparing multiple approaches before deciding on one.
The user wants to explore the codebase for improvement opportunities.
Brainstorming before a formal change proposal.
Prerequisites
OpenSpec initialized
in the project (see
openspec-initial
).
Workflow
Start exploration
Run
/opsx:explore
or
/opsx:explore [topic]
.
The agent opens an exploratory conversation with no structure required.
Investigate
Analyze the codebase, compare options, create diagrams, answer questions.
No artifacts are created during exploration — it is purely a thinking exercise.
Transition when ready
When the user has clarity, suggest
/opsx:new
to start a formal change.
Or
/opsx:ff
if they want to create all planning artifacts at once.
Outputs
No artifacts or files are created. The output is the conversation itself — insights, options, recommendations.
Next Steps
When ready to act: use
openspec-new
to start a change, or
openspec-ff
to fast-forward through planning.
Troubleshooting
"Commands not recognized"
Ensure OpenSpec is initialized (
openspec init
). See
openspec-initial
.
References
OpenSpec Commands: /opsx:explore