OpenSpec Workbench adds a supervision layer to OpenSpec: you can see an agent run’s latest reported activity and age, answer checkpoints, and request a stop. It does not determine whether an agent is stuck or whether its code is correct. Those judgments remain yours.
What OpenSpec Workbench adds to the OpenSpec workflow
OpenSpec organizes work into change artifacts—such as a proposal, requirement deltas, optional design decisions, and a task checklist. Those artifacts give an agent a plan to follow, but the artifacts alone are not a live interface for watching or controlling a run. See the OpenSpec Quickstart.
Workbench presents active changes as cards in a Pipeline. Its documented run chain can include propose, review, apply, verify, archive, and git. An operator can choose an agent for stages and configure where a run pauses. This is Workbench’s orchestration, not a universal OpenSpec sequence: OpenSpec’s own workflows are configured separately. The Workbench article describes the pipeline; the OpenSpec profile guide describes the core and optional workflows.
How the two workflows fit together
The OpenSpec Quickstart describes a change process that moves from investigation to a reviewed plan, implementation, and archive. Workbench can add run visibility and controls around an agent carrying out parts of that process.
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| Aspect | OpenSpec workflow | Workbench supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Change artifacts and task checkboxes show the plan and recorded progress. | A run card shows the latest reported activity, where the run is executing, and how long ago it reported. |
| Control | You review artifacts and guide the agent through your AI tool. | You can answer configured checkpoints or request a stop, including with a reason. |
| Workflow scope | The Quickstart presents explore, propose, review, apply, and archive. OpenSpec’s core profile lists explore, propose, apply, update, sync, and archive. | A Workbench pipeline may include propose, review, apply, verify, archive, and git. |
| Where it runs | Setup installs an openspec/ folder and workflow files for the selected AI tool. |
The product describes a local standalone web application and a VS Code extension. |
| Human judgment | You assess whether the plan and implementation meet the change’s needs. | You still assess the run’s signals and decide whether to continue, pause, or stop. |
Review the change before an agent starts
OpenSpec’s Quickstart places review before implementation. Check that the proposal addresses the right problem, the requirements make “done” clear, and the tasks cover those requirements. Correcting an incomplete or misdirected plan before apply is more useful than relying on a live status card to catch a planning mistake later. The Quickstart describes these review questions and the change artifacts.
OpenSpec setup installs workflow instructions in the AI tool’s folder. Skills and commands carry equivalent instructions, though the way they are delivered depends on the tool. The setup guide explains initialization and workflow files.
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Read run status as context, not a stuck-agent detector
Workbench reports what a run last said and how long ago it said it. A CLI status command can show runs across the repository, including runs started on another host. These details help you decide what to inspect, but they do not prove that a run is progressing—or that it has stopped progressing.
Alexander Ivanov’s 20 September 2026 article makes the limitation explicit: “A silent agent and a hung one look identical, and telling them apart is a person’s judgement, so the tool leaves that call to you and gives you the last thing the run said and its age.” If a run has not reported recently, inspect its last activity and task state, then use your knowledge of the work to decide what to do. The status age is not, by itself, a diagnosis.
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Request a stop when the work needs to pause
Workbench’s documented stop request can include a reason. For example, the article gives this command:
openspec-ui-cli stop <instanceId> --reason "wrong branch"
To allow a named task to finish first, use the documented --after <task> option:
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openspec-ui-cli stop <instanceId> --after <task> --reason "review before continuing"
The article says the signed request is read at the run’s next renewal and acted on only if it is verified and fresh. That is Workbench’s documented behavior, not an independent security assessment. A stop request is therefore a way to communicate when and why to pause, not a claim that work halts instantaneously.
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Use checkpoints and task boundaries for review
During apply, use the reported activity and task completion as prompts to inspect the change. If the implementation no longer follows the reviewed plan, pause or request a stop rather than treating checked tasks as proof that requirements have been met.
Before archiving, review whether the work matches the proposal. OpenSpec’s verify workflow is optional, and its contract is report-only; it does not replace your review or prove correctness. The OpenSpec skills guide describes apply, verify, and archive, while the profile guide identifies verify as optional. In OpenSpec’s Quickstart, archive updates the main specifications and moves the finished change folder into the archive.
Where Workbench is available
The Workbench product page describes a local standalone application and a VS Code extension. It also lists integrations for Claude, GitHub Copilot, Codex, Gemini CLI, and a local model through an OpenAI-compatible API. Integration availability can change; check the Workbench product page for the current list.
As a dated snapshot, the product page listed standalone version 1.52.0 and VS Code extension version 0.91.0, both published 2 October 2026. These are release details for that date, not a lasting version guarantee.
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