OpenSpec is a lightweight, configurable framework for creating and managing software specifications, designed to keep development teams and AI coding agents aligned throughout the build process. It helps teams refine requirements, validate that they describe the right thing, and verify that the implementation matches the spec. The framework supports over 40 AI coding tools, including Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot, through standardized skills and command workflows.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Software development teams and AI coding agents often struggle to stay aligned on what to build and whether the implementation matches the intended requirements. Without a structured way to capture, refine, and verify specifications, projects risk building the wrong thing or building the right thing incorrectly, leading to wasted effort and miscommunication.
Solution
OpenSpec provides a lightweight and configurable framework for creating and managing software specifications. It enables teams to capture what they want to build in a spec and keep both human developers and coding agents aligned as the work evolves. The framework helps refine requirements, validate that they describe the right thing, and verify that the implementation matches the specification. OpenSpec integrates with over 40 AI coding tools through standardized skills and command workflows, ensuring consistent behavior across different development environments.
Target Audience
Primary users are software development teams and individual developers who use AI coding agents and want to maintain structured, verifiable specifications throughout their build process.
Features
- Supports 40+ AI coding tools including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, and OpenCode
- Provides both skill-based invocations (e.g., `/openspec-apply-change`) and command-based invocations (e.g., `/opsx-apply`) for flexible workflow integration
- Includes workflow commands for exploring and mapping problems (`/opsx: explore`), verifying implementation matches specs (`/opsx: verify`), and archiving completed changes (`/opsx: archive`)
- Offers a CLI with `--tools` flag for skipping the interactive picker during initialization
- Generates tool-specific configuration files (skills, commands, prompts) in the correct format for each supported tool
- Maintains compatibility with legacy folder structures while migrating to newer standards where applicable