OpenSpec VS Code Extension
The complimentary extension for using OpenSpec with VS Code.
Features
Task Execution with AI Chat
Run OpenSpec tasks directly from your tasks.md file with full context automatically injected into VS Code's AI chat.
How it works:
- Open any
tasks.md file in openspec/changes/<change-id>/tasks.md
- You'll see a "▶️ Start task" or "🔵 Continue task" button above each task
- Click the button to start an AI chat session with:
- OpenSpec methodology (
AGENTS.md)
- Project conventions (
project.md)
- Change proposal (
proposal.md)
- Technical design (
design.md if exists)
- All spec deltas for the change
- Previous tasks for context
- The current task to implement
The AI assistant will have all the context needed to help you implement the task following OpenSpec conventions.
Status Indicators:
- ⚪ Not started:
- [ ] Task not yet begun
- 🔵 In progress:
- [-] or - [~] Currently working
- ✅ Completed:
- [x] Finished
Requirements
- VS Code 1.106.0 or higher
- OpenSpec-initialized workspace
- GitHub Copilot (recommended) or other AI chat extension
Usage
- Open a workspace with OpenSpec structure (
openspec/ directory)
- Navigate to any
tasks.md file in openspec/changes/*/tasks.md
- Click the "▶️ Start task" CodeLens above any task
- The AI chat will open with full context
If the Chat API is not available, the context will be copied to your clipboard - just paste it into your AI assistant.
Extension Settings
This extension contributes the following settings:
openspec.showIndividualTaskButtons: Enable/disable individual task run buttons. When set to false, only phase-level "Run entire phase" buttons are displayed for a cleaner view. (default: true)
Customizing CodeLens Appearance
To change the font size of the CodeLens buttons (Start task, Run entire phase, etc.), adjust your VS Code settings:
- Open Settings (Cmd+, or Ctrl+,)
- Search for "editor.codeLens"
- Adjust
editor.codeLensFontSize to your preferred size (e.g., 12, 14, 16)
Or add to your settings.json:
{
"editor.codeLensFontSize": 14,
"openspec.showIndividualTaskButtons": false // Optional: hide individual task buttons
}
Known Issues
- First version MVP - more features coming soon
- Tree view for task navigation (planned)
- Task status toggling (planned)
Release Notes
0.0.1
Initial MVP release:
- CodeLens "Run Task" buttons in tasks.md files
- Automatic context injection for AI chat
- Support for task status indicators
Enjoy!
