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Stage 3 instruction ambiguous - "Update specs/" unclear about source/destination #426
Description
Current:
- Update specs/ if capabilities changed
Problem:
AI models are sometimes confused about:
- Which specs/ directory to update (source vs destination)
- Where to read delta changes from
- Whether "update" means merge, overwrite, or apply
This leads to models writing to changes/[name]/specs/ instead of openspec/specs/, or not understanding the delta merge workflow.
Suggested fix:
- Merge delta specs from changes/[name]/specs/ into openspec/specs/ if capabilities changed
Why this helps:
- Explicitly names both source (changes/[name]/specs/) and destination (openspec/specs/)
- Uses "merge" to clarify the operation combines deltas with existing specs
Activity
docs(proposal): add prevent-silent-spec-drop change
docs(proposal): add prevent-silent-spec-drop change
docs(proposal): add prevent-silent-spec-drop change
docs(proposal): add prevent-silent-spec-drop change
docs(proposal): add prevent-silent-spec-drop change
docs(proposal): add prevent-silent-spec-drop change
clay-good commentedon Jul 22, 2026
Closing as resolved. The ambiguous "Update specs/ if capabilities changed" instruction no longer exists anywhere in the templates. The sync workflow (src/core/templates/workflows/sync-specs.ts, further sharpened in #1402) now names source and destination explicitly per capability: read the delta spec, read the main spec at openspec/specs//spec.md, then apply ADDED/MODIFIED/REMOVED/RENAMED merge semantics one by one.
Source, destination, and the meaning of "update" are all spelled out, which was precisely the ask.