how can i add custom workflow node after apply

[ganchuanman]

gen-review is my custom workflow node, can i move it after apply? I want to generate a review document which include proposal,design, and implementation。

[1code-async]

Task completed.

The enrichment comment has been posted on issue #773. Here's a summary of what was included:

Key findings:

• The user wants a gen-review node to run after the apply phase to generate a review document incorporating proposal, design, and actual implementation
• Post-apply artifacts are not currently supported — apply is a lifecycle phase, not an artifact ID, so other artifacts can't declare it as a dependency
• The schema validation in src/core/artifact-graph/schema.ts would reject requires: [apply]

Guidance provided:

1. Working workaround — Fork the schema and add gen-review as a pre-apply artifact depending on tasks, specs, and design (won't include actual implementation code)
2. Manual workaround — Run review generation manually between /opsx:apply and /opsx:archive
3. Related issues — Linked to [Question] How to integrate automated testing and bug fixing into Custom Workflows? #693, Feat : Add Extensible Hook Capability to OpenSpec Archive Operation #682, and [FEATURE REQUEST] OpenSpec with Claude Hooks #328 which all request similar post-apply extensibility

Comment URL: #773 (comment)

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Issue Analysis

Thanks for the question! You want to add a custom gen-review workflow node that runs after the apply phase so it can generate a review document that includes content from the proposal, design, and implementation.

How Workflow Ordering Works Today

Workflow node ordering in OpenSpec is controlled via the requires field in schema.yaml. Each artifact declares its dependencies, and the system uses topological sorting (Kahn's algorithm) to determine build order (src/core/artifact-graph/graph.ts:72-113).

The default spec-driven schema defines this flow:

proposal → specs → design → tasks → [apply]

The apply phase is defined as a lifecycle phase, not as an artifact — it's a top-level apply: block in schema.yaml, separate from the artifacts: list (schemas/spec-driven/schema.yaml:148-153).

The Limitation: Post-Apply Artifacts Are Not Currently Supported

Adding a custom artifact that depends on "apply" completing is not currently possible because:

1. apply is not an artifact ID — The schema validation in src/core/artifact-graph/schema.ts checks that all requires references point to valid artifact IDs. Since apply isn't in the artifact list, requires: [apply] would fail validation.

2. No apply completion tracking — Artifact completion is detected by checking if generated files exist on disk (src/core/artifact-graph/state.ts), but there's no mechanism to track whether the apply phase has completed.

What You Can Do Today (Workaround)

You can add a pre-apply review artifact by forking the schema. The docs even have a relevant example:

openspec schema fork spec-driven with-review

Then edit openspec/schemas/with-review/schema.yaml to add a gen-review node that depends on tasks (placing it alongside or after tasks, but before apply):

artifacts:
  # ... existing proposal, specs, design, tasks ...

  - id: gen-review
    generates: review.md
    description: Review document summarizing proposal, design, and planned implementation
    template: review.md
    instruction: |
      Generate a comprehensive review document that synthesizes:
      - The proposal (why this change is needed)
      - The design (how it will be implemented)
      - The task plan (what will be done)
      Provide a cohesive summary for stakeholders.
    requires:
      - specs
      - design
      - tasks

apply:
  requires: [gen-review]   # Apply now requires gen-review first
  tracks: tasks.md

This would give you the flow: proposal → specs/design → tasks → gen-review → [apply]

However, this places gen-review before apply, so it won't include the actual implementation output — only the planned implementation from tasks.md.

For a True Post-Apply Review

If you need the review to include the actual implementation (code changes made during apply), this would require a feature enhancement to support post-apply artifacts. This is a known feature gap — several related issues have been opened:

• [Question] How to integrate automated testing and bug fixing into Custom Workflows? #693 — How to integrate automated testing and bug fixing into Custom Workflows (asks about post-apply custom nodes)
• Feat : Add Extensible Hook Capability to OpenSpec Archive Operation #682 — Add Extensible Hook Capability to OpenSpec Archive Operation (proposes pre/post archive hooks)
• [FEATURE REQUEST] OpenSpec with Claude Hooks #328 — OpenSpec with Claude Hooks (proposes post-implementation workflows)

As a manual workaround for now, you could run your review generation as a separate step after /opsx:apply completes but before /opsx:archive, using the generated artifacts + implementation as context.

Summary

Approach	Status	Includes Implementation?
Add gen-review before apply (fork schema)	Works today	No (only planned tasks)
Add gen-review after apply (post-apply artifact)	Not yet supported	Yes
Manual review step between apply and archive	Works today (manual)	Yes