openspec-explore

To clarify requirements and investigate architectural tradeoffs before writing code, you can use exploration techniques to read repository context, surface hidden risks, and reason through open-ended software changes without producing implementation files.

Comparing technical options for real-time collaboration involves reading relevant codebase files, sketching architectural diagrams, and weighing constraints to surface hidden assumptions and risks before committing to a specific implementation path.

Diagnosing messy authentication flows without writing application code requires reading the repository context to investigate what is really happening, surfacing risks, and reasoning through the problem during early-stage planning.

You need architectural exploration instead of immediate implementation when a request is still evolving, hidden assumptions exist, or you must choose between multiple technical paths and want to understand tradeoffs before making changes.

Yes, codebase investigation uncovers hidden risks in early-stage planning by reading repository context, diagnosing problems, and reasoning through open-ended software changes to clarify requirements before any application code is written.

The limitation of early-stage architectural exploration is that it focuses strictly on reasoning, reading context, and surfacing risks, meaning it does not write application code or directly implement the software changes it analyzes.