openspec init

Creates the OpenSpec directory structure and configures AI tool integrations.

Usage

openspec init [path] [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
path	Project directory (default: current)

Options

Option	Description
--tools <list>	Comma-separated tool IDs, all, or none

What It Creates

openspec/
├── project.md          # Project conventions template
├── AGENTS.md           # AI instructions
├── specs/              # Specifications directory
└── changes/
    └── archive/        # Completed changes

Plus tool-specific files based on your selection.

Interactive Mode

When run without --tools, prompts for AI tool selection:

? Which AI tools would you like to configure?
  ◉ Claude Code
  ◯ Cursor
  ◉ OpenCode
  ◯ GitHub Copilot

Non-Interactive Mode

# Select specific tools
openspec init --tools claude,cursor,opencode

# Select all available tools
openspec init --tools all

# Skip tool configuration
openspec init --tools none

Examples

Basic initialization

cd my-project
openspec init

Initialize subdirectory

openspec init ./packages/api

CI/CD initialization

openspec init --tools all

Tool Configurations

Each selected tool gets its own configuration:

Tool	Files Created
Claude Code	.claude/commands/openspec/*.md, CLAUDE.md
Cursor	.cursor/commands/openspec-*.md
OpenCode	.opencode/commands/openspec-*.md
Windsurf	.windsurf/workflows/openspec-*.md
Codex	~/.codex/prompts/openspec-*.md
GitHub Copilot	.github/prompts/openspec-*.prompt.md

Extend Mode

If OpenSpec is already initialized, init enters extend mode:

• Skips directory creation
• Allows adding new tools
• Refreshes existing tool configurations

# Add Cursor to existing setup
openspec init --tools cursor

After Initialization

1. Restart your AI assistant - Slash commands load at startup
2. Populate project.md - Add your conventions
3. Run openspec list - Verify setup

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Error (invalid tools, permissions)