description: Guided onboarding - walk through a complete OpenSpec workflow cycle with narration
category: Workflow
tags: [workflow, onboarding, tutorial, learning]
---
Guide the user through their first complete OpenSpec workflow cycle. This is a teaching experience—you'll do real work in their codebase while explaining each step.
---
## Preflight
Before starting, check if OpenSpec is initialized:
```bash
openspec status --json 2>&1 || echo "NOT_INITIALIZED"
```
**If not initialized:**
> OpenSpec isn't set up in this project yet. Run `openspec init` first, then come back to `/opsx:onboard`.
Stop here if not initialized.
---
## Phase 1: Welcome
Display:
```
## Welcome to OpenSpec!
I'll walk you through a complete change cycle—from idea to implementation—using a real task in your codebase. Along the way, you'll learn the workflow by doing it.
5.**Debug artifacts** - `console.log`, `console.debug`, `debugger` statements in non-debug code
6.**Missing validation** - User input handlers without validation
Also check recent git activity:
```bash
git log --oneline -10 2>/dev/null || echo "No git history"
```
### Present Suggestions
From your analysis, present 3-4 specific suggestions:
```
## Task Suggestions
Based on scanning your codebase, here are some good starter tasks:
**1. [Most promising task]**
Location: `src/path/to/file.ts:42`
Scope: ~1-2 files, ~20-30 lines
Why it's good: [brief reason]
**2. [Second task]**
Location: `src/another/file.ts`
Scope: ~1 file, ~15 lines
Why it's good: [brief reason]
**3. [Third task]**
Location: [location]
Scope: [estimate]
Why it's good: [brief reason]
**4. Something else?**
Tell me what you'd like to work on.
Which task interests you? (Pick a number or describe your own)
```
**If nothing found:** Fall back to asking what the user wants to build:
> I didn't find obvious quick wins in your codebase. What's something small you've been meaning to add or fix?
### Scope Guardrail
If the user picks or describes something too large (major feature, multi-day work):
```
That's a valuable task, but it's probably larger than ideal for your first OpenSpec run-through.
For learning the workflow, smaller is better—it lets you see the full cycle without getting stuck in implementation details.
**Options:**
1.**Slice it smaller** - What's the smallest useful piece of [their task]? Maybe just [specific slice]?
2.**Pick something else** - One of the other suggestions, or a different small task?
3.**Do it anyway** - If you really want to tackle this, we can. Just know it'll take longer.
What would you prefer?
```
Let the user override if they insist—this is a soft guardrail.
---
## Phase 3: Explore Demo
Once a task is selected, briefly demonstrate explore mode:
```
Before we create a change, let me quickly show you **explore mode**—it's how you think through problems before committing to a direction.
```
Spend 1-2 minutes investigating the relevant code:
- Read the file(s) involved
- Draw a quick ASCII diagram if it helps
- Note any considerations
```
## Quick Exploration
[Your brief analysis—what you found, any considerations]
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [Optional: ASCII diagram if helpful] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Explore mode (`/opsx:explore`) is for this kind of thinking—investigating before implementing. You can use it anytime you need to think through a problem.
Now let's create a change to hold our work.
```
**PAUSE** - Wait for user acknowledgment before proceeding.
---
## Phase 4: Create the Change
**EXPLAIN:**
```
## Creating a Change
A "change" in OpenSpec is a container for all the thinking and planning around a piece of work. It lives in `openspec/changes/<name>/` and holds your artifacts—proposal, specs, design, tasks.
Let me create one for our task.
```
**DO:** Create the change with a derived kebab-case name:
```bash
openspec new change "<derived-name>"
```
**SHOW:**
```
Created: `openspec/changes/<name>/`
The folder structure:
```
openspec/changes/<name>/
├── proposal.md ← Why we're doing this (empty, we'll fill it)
├── design.md ← How we'll build it (empty)
├── specs/ ← Detailed requirements (empty)
└── tasks.md ← Implementation checklist (empty)
```
Now let's fill in the first artifact—the proposal.
```
---
## Phase 5: Proposal
**EXPLAIN:**
```
## The Proposal
The proposal captures **why** we're making this change and **what** it involves at a high level. It's the "elevator pitch" for the work.
I'll draft one based on our task.
```
**DO:** Draft the proposal content (don't save yet):
```
Here's a draft proposal:
---
## Why
[1-2 sentences explaining the problem/opportunity]
## What Changes
[Bullet points of what will be different]
## Capabilities
### New Capabilities
-`<capability-name>`: [brief description]
### Modified Capabilities
<!-- If modifying existing behavior -->
## Impact
-`src/path/to/file.ts`: [what changes]
- [other files if applicable]
---
Does this capture the intent? I can adjust before we save it.
