openspec-explore

To explore design ideas and clarify requirements before writing code, use a structured thinking partnership to ask emergent clarifying questions, challenge assumptions, and reframe the problem space without implementing changes.

Yes, you can investigate your codebase to map architecture and find integration points safely. The process grounds your exploration by identifying hidden complexity and patterns while enforcing strict non-implementation guardrails.

The best way to compare options and surface tradeoffs is generating structured comparisons that outline risks, unknowns, and open questions, then recommending clear directions only when explicitly requested during your exploration.

You can create OpenSpec proposals or design artifacts after exploring requirements by explicitly requesting them. This supports safe progression to formal work by flowing insights into proposals without writing any application code.

You should not use a non-implementation approach for codebase investigation when you need to directly write or modify application code, as this process strictly enforces guardrails against implementation and focuses only on exploration.

Yes, OpenSpec explore mode works for mid-change uncertainty and ambiguous ideation. It applies structured thinking to surface options, risks, and open questions exactly when you are facing unclear requirements or complex decisions.