OpenSpec
Spec-driven development (SDD) for AI coding assistants.
Runssource: GitHubTypeScriptMITcommit 2500d6da9713
TypeScript, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: ai, context engineering, engineering, planning, prd, sdd, sdlc and spec.
OpenSpec runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 10 minutes and hit 1 error and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
OpenSpec CLI v1.14.0 builds and runs: version command prints 1.14.0, init creates the openspec/ directory structure with specs/, changes/, and config.yaml, help lists all commands, and all test files that completed execution passed their tests.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 100 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page. Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- Node.js v18.19.1 is below the required >=20.19.05 minutes
- Install time
- 10 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 87 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 1 hit, 1 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- node dist/cli/index.js --version returned '1.14.0'; node dist/cli/index.js init --tools codex --force created openspec/changes/, openspec/specs/, openspec/config.yaml; node dist/cli/index.js --help listed 20+ commands; pnpm vitest run test/core/archive.test.ts passed 267/267 tests, pnpm vitest run test/core/command-generation/ passed 1371/1371 tests, pnpm vitest run test/core/artifact-graph/ passed 244/244 tests; cumulative pass across 65+ test files exceeding 3000+ passing tests
- Model tokens used
- 713,350
- Exact commit tested
- 2500d6da9713
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
**Install & Build**: `pnpm install` succeeded, the TypeScript build completed, and `node dist/cli/i… **CLI Verification**: `openspec --version` → `1.14.0`, `openspec --help` lists all commands, `opens… **Test Results**: Ran a large subset of the test suite. All executed tests pass. The test harness (… The single error encountered was the Node.js version mismatch, which was fixed by installing Node v… tokens used 713,350 Now I have all the data I need. Let me produce the final report. Based on the comprehensive testing, here's the summary: **Install & Build**: `pnpm install` succeeded, the TypeScript build completed, and `node dist/cli/i… **CLI Verification**: `openspec --version` → `1.14.0`, `openspec --help` lists all commands, `opens… **Test Results**: Ran a large subset of the test suite. All executed tests pass. The test harness (… The single error encountered was the Node.js version mismatch, which was fixed by installing Node v…
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Recovered from all 1 error without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
What did not, or is not known
- Took 10 minutes to install, slower than the median of the 84 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
- Measured once so far. A single attempt shows it can run, not that it runs reliably.
Of the 85 ai projects Argusic has installed and timed, OpenSpec was the 61st fastest to reach a running state, and 60 of 85 reached one at all.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
- A quick evaluation: it was running 10 minutes after the clone.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
Topics (from GitHub)
aicontext-engineeringengineeringplanningprdsddsdlcspecspec-driven-developmentspecification
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/openspec)Questions
- Does OpenSpec run?
- Yes. OpenSpec runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 10 minutes, hitting 1 error on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test OpenSpec?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 2500d6da9713. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test OpenSpec?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.26: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does OpenSpec take to install?
- 10 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does OpenSpec need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing OpenSpec?
- 1 thing broke in the recorded run, and 1 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does OpenSpec compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 85 ai projects Argusic has installed and timed, OpenSpec was the 61st fastest to reach a running state, and 60 of 85 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for OpenSpec?
- The recorded run is on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.