openspec init --tools none does not create openspec/config.yaml #712

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1. 21st-connector commented on Feb 14, 2026

   

   21st-connectorBot

   on Feb 14, 2026 – with 21st - Connector

   Last edited by 21st-connector

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   Task completed.

   The enrichment comment has been posted to issue #712. Here's a summary of the findings:

   Root Cause: The canPromptInteractively() method in src/core/init.ts:141 returns false whenever --tools is provided (any value). The createConfig() method at line 496 then skips config creation when not interactive and --force isn't set. So openspec init --tools none (without --force) silently skips config.yaml.

   The fix is straightforward — decouple config file creation from the interactivity check, since config.yaml is project-level configuration, not an interactive prompt artifact.

   Test gap: The existing test at test/core/init.test.ts:144 masks this bug by always passing force: true alongside tools: 'none'.

   Related issues: #385, #653, and #619 provide additional context but this is not a duplicate.

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2. 21st-connector commented on Feb 14, 2026

   

   21st-connectorBot

   on Feb 14, 2026 – with 21st - Connector

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   Issue Analysis

   Root Cause

   The bug is in src/core/init.ts — specifically in the interaction between canPromptInteractively() (line 141) and createConfig() (line 485).

   When --tools is passed (any value, including none), canPromptInteractively() returns false:

   // src/core/init.ts:141-145
   private canPromptInteractively(): boolean {
     if (this.interactiveOption === false) return false;
     if (this.toolsArg !== undefined) return false;  // <-- triggers when --tools is passed
     return isInteractive({ interactive: this.interactiveOption });
   }

   Then in createConfig() (line 496), config creation is skipped when not interactive and --force is not set:

   // src/core/init.ts:496-498
   if (!this.canPromptInteractively() && !this.force) {
     return 'skipped';
   }

   So when a user runs openspec init --tools none (without --force), the config file is silently skipped. The guard at line 496 was intended to prevent config creation in CI/non-interactive pipelines, but it unintentionally gates config creation on the --tools flag as well.

   Relevant Files

   File	Lines	Purpose
   src/core/init.ts	141-145	canPromptInteractively() — returns false when --tools is provided
   src/core/init.ts	485-507	createConfig() — skips creation when non-interactive and no --force
   src/core/init.ts	84-122	execute() — main init flow, calls createConfig at line 118
   src/cli/index.ts	93-130	CLI command definition for init
   test/core/init.test.ts	144-156	Existing test for --tools none (uses force: true, masking this bug)

   Suggested Fix

   The createConfig() method should not be gated by canPromptInteractively(). The config file is project-level configuration, not an interactive prompt. A minimal fix:

   // src/core/init.ts:485-507
   private async createConfig(openspecPath: string, extendMode: boolean): Promise<'created' | 'exists' | 'skipped'> {
     const configPath = path.join(openspecPath, 'config.yaml');
     const configYmlPath = path.join(openspecPath, 'config.yml');
   
     if (fs.existsSync(configPath) || fs.existsSync(configYmlPath)) {
       return 'exists';
     }
   
     try {
       const yamlContent = serializeConfig({ schema: DEFAULT_SCHEMA });
       await FileSystemUtils.writeFile(configPath, yamlContent);
       return 'created';
     } catch {
       return 'skipped';
     }
   }

   This removes the non-interactive guard entirely — config.yaml should always be created if it doesn't already exist, regardless of interactivity or --tools selection.

   If there's a reason to preserve the non-interactive guard for true CI environments (no --tools flag, piped stdin), a more targeted fix would be to decouple canPromptInteractively from the --tools flag for config purposes:

   if (!this.force && !this.toolsArg && !isInteractive({ interactive: this.interactiveOption })) {
     return 'skipped';
   }

   Test Gap

   The existing test at test/core/init.test.ts:144-156 passes force: true alongside tools: 'none', which bypasses the guard. A new test case should verify config creation without --force:

   it('should create config.yaml with --tools none even without --force', async () => {
     const initCommand = new InitCommand({ tools: 'none' });
     await initCommand.execute(testDir);
   
     const configPath = path.join(testDir, 'openspec', 'config.yaml');
     expect(await fileExists(configPath)).toBe(true);
   });

   Related Issues

   • CLI Options #385 — CLI Options: This is where --tools none was officially acknowledged by a maintainer as "skip tool configuration." The implementation may have taken this too literally, skipping project config as well.
   • [v1.1.1] Missing "Universal / Other tools" option in init: How to configure for custom/proprietary AI plugins? #653 — Missing "Universal / Other tools" option in init: Users with custom plugins who can't find a matching tool may also hit this when falling back to --tools none.
   • update openspec from old version to lastest v1.0.2,run openspec init setup can't select tools by up and down arrow #619 — Init can't select tools by arrow keys (Windows): Users unable to navigate the interactive selector may resort to --tools none as a workaround, compounding this bug.

   This is not a duplicate of any existing issue.
3. akoi commented on Feb 14, 2026

   

   akoi

   on Feb 14, 2026

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   Quick fix is to use the --force flag when initialising with --tools none:
   openspec init --tools none --force

   ❤️React with ❤️1Reacted by Oscar Serna
4. clay-good

   added a commit that references this issue on Jun 22, 2026

   fix(plugins): report enablement honestly when config.yaml is absent

   ...

   23caee7
5. clay-good

   added

   bugSomething isn't workingSomething isn't working

   on Jun 29, 2026
6. clay-good commented on Jul 22, 2026

   

   clay-good

   on Jul 22, 2026

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   Closing as fixed. The guard that skipped config creation for non-interactive setups was removed in the stores rework (#1190, commit a0decbe), released in v1.5.0.

   Verified on current main: openspec init --tools none now produces changes/, specs/, and config.yaml. The config file no longer requires a tool entourage to show up.
7. clay-good

   closed this as completedon Jul 22, 2026