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.

Continue working on a change by creating the next artifact. Store selection: If the user names a store (a store is a standalone OpenSpec repo registered on this machine) or the work lives in one, run openspec store list json to discover registered store ids, then pass store <id on the commands that read or write specs and changes ( new change , status , instructions , list , show , validate , archive , doctor , context , schemas , view ). Once selected, treat store <id as sticky for the rest of the workflow. Every unscoped example of those commands below is shorthand: before running it, append the flag. For example, run openspec status change "<name " json store "<id " , not the unscoped form shown below. Other commands do not take the flag. Hints printed by commands already carry the flag; keep it on follow ups. Without a store, commands act on the nearest local openspec/ root. 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. Select the change If a name is provided, use it. Otherwise: Infer from conversation context if the user mentioned a change Auto select if only one active change exists If ambiguous, run openspec list json to get available changes sorted by most recently modified, and ask the user to select one When prompting, 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. Always announce: "Using change: <name " and how to override (e.g., /openspec continue change <other ). 2. Check current status 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", "skipped", "ready", "blocked") isPlanningComplete : Boolean indicating if all planning artifacts are complete. Older CLI versions expose the same value as isComplete . planningHome , changeRoot , artifactPaths , and actionContext : path and scope context. Use these instead of assuming repo local paths. 3. Act based on status : If all planning artifacts are complete ( isPlanningComplete: true , or legacy isComplete: true ) : Congratulate the user Show final status including the schema used Suggest: "Planning is complete! You can now implement this change. Once implementation and any tracked work are complete, 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: Parse the JSON. The key fields are: context : Project background (constraints for you do NOT include in output) rules : Artifact specific rules (constraints for you do NOT include in output) template : The structure to use for your output file instruction : Schema specific guidance resolvedOutputPath : Resolved path or pattern to write the artifact dependencies : Completed artifacts to read for context (entries with skipped: true have no files do not look for them) skipped / warning : present when the change declares skip specs and this artifact must NOT be created pick another artifact Create the artifact file : Read any completed dependency files for context always re read them from disk, even if you saw them earlier in the conversation (the user may have edited them) If the instruction field delegates creation to a specific skill or command, invoke it to produce the artifact instead of writing the file yourself, then verify the artifact file exists at resolvedOutputPath Otherwise use template as the structure fill in its sections Apply context and rules as constraints when writing but do NOT copy them into the file Write to the resolvedOutputPath specified in instructions. If it is a glob pattern, choose the concrete file path using the schema instruction and the change's context Show what was created and what's now unlocked STOP after creating ONE artifact If no artifacts are ready (all blocked) : This shouldn't happen with a valid schema Show status and suggest checking for issues 4. After creating an artifact, show progress 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." Artifact Creation Guidelines The artifact types and their purpose depend on the schema. The instruction field from the instructions output is the authoritative guidance for each artifact follow it even when the artifact has a familiar name (proposal.md, tasks.md, etc.), since custom schemas may define different content or a different process for the same file names. If the instruction field directs you to use a specific skill or command to create the artifact, invoke it instead of writing the artifact directly. Guardrails Create ONE artifact per invocation Always read dependency artifacts before creating a new one re read from disk, not from conversation memory (files may have changed since you last saw them) 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

openspec-continue-change