openspec-develop

OpenSpec Develop

Implementation engine for approved OpenSpec proposals. Turns tasks.md checkboxes into working code.

⚠️ AskUserQuestion Guard

CRITICAL: After EVERY AskUserQuestion call, check if answers are empty/blank. Known Claude Code bug: outside Plan Mode, AskUserQuestion silently returns empty answers without showing UI.

If answers are empty: DO NOT proceed with assumptions. Instead:

1. Output: "⚠️ Questions didn't display (known Claude Code bug outside Plan Mode)."
2. Present the options as a numbered text list and ask user to reply with their choice number.
3. WAIT for user reply before continuing.

Workflow: Explore → Implement → Mark → Gate

flowchart LR
    A["Read task"] --> B["Explore context"]
    B --> C["Implement"]
    C --> D["Mark ✅ in tasks.md"]
    D --> E{"More tasks\nin section?"}
    E -->|Yes| A
    E -->|No| G{"Gate exists?"}
    G -->|No| H{"More sections?"}
    G -->|Yes| I["🚧 Checkpoint prompt"]
    I --> J["STOP"]
    H -->|Yes| A
    H -->|No| F["Report complete"]

    classDef action fill:#C8E6C9,stroke:#388E3C,color:#000
    classDef decision fill:#FFF9C4,stroke:#FBC02D,color:#000
    classDef gate fill:#FFE0B2,stroke:#F57C00,color:#000
    class A,B,C,D,F action
    class E,G,H decision
    class I,J gate

Critical: Mark checkbox immediately after each task. Enables crash recovery.

Guardrails

Autonomous (no confirmation needed):

• Code generation matching specs
• File edits within scope
• Checkbox updates
• Pattern-matching existing code

Ask-first (pause and confirm):

• Architectural decisions not in specs
• New dependencies not mentioned
• Scope deviation >20% from proposal
• Files outside change scope

Scope check: Before creating files not mentioned in proposal.md, count affected files. If >20% more than proposal's "Affected files", ask:

⚠️ Scope expansion detected
Proposal mentions: {n} files
Implementation needs: {m} files ({percent}% more)

Proceed with expanded scope? [y/N]