openspec-onboard

The OpenSpec lifecycle workflow is a structured change management process that guides teams through stages: explore, new change, proposal, specs, design, tasks, apply, and archive. It enforces standardized artifact creation to keep project onboarding aligned and repeatable.

You can scaffold change management artifacts by using a guided CLI workflow that automatically creates proposal.md, design.md, specs/, and tasks.md templates. This stage-by-stage scaffolding ensures standardized documentation throughout the project lifecycle.

The best way to structure a standardized change lifecycle is to enforce a repeatable workflow from exploration to archiving. This involves creating a change container, drafting a proposal, defining specs and design, completing tasks, and archiving the completed work.

Yes, the OpenSpec onboarding workflow applies to both new and existing codebases. It guides teams through a complete lifecycle from discovery to archiving, applying standardized templates and best practices to manage changes efficiently within the current project structure.

No dependencies are required to run the OpenSpec onboarding workflow. The skill operates independently to guide teams through the complete lifecycle, providing CLI commands for exploration, artifact creation, execution, and archiving without external tool requirements.

A structured workflow for OpenSpec change management is needed to eliminate onboarding friction and manual setup. It transforms project discovery, planning, and execution into a repeatable cycle, ensuring teams stay aligned through standardized artifacts like proposals, specs, and tasks.