Fission-AI · clay-good · Sep 3, 2026 · Sep 3, 2026 · Sep 3, 2026
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@fission-ai/openspec': patch
+---
+
+Stop dropping checkbox lines whose marker the task parser does not recognise. A `tasks.md` whose remaining work used a marker other than `[ ]`/`[x]`/`[X]` — for example `- [~] 1.2 Deferred` — reported `✓ Complete` in `openspec list`/`status` and archived with no incomplete-task warning, because unmatched lines counted toward neither the numerator nor the denominator. An empty `[]` and a padded `[ x]` were lost the same way. Only `[x]`/`[X]` means done, so every other marker now reads as unfinished, across progress, the apply task list, archive's gate and validate's task-numbering check. The archive, bulk-archive and verify workflows now tell agents the same rule, so a hand-counted tally cannot disagree with the CLI.
@@ -76,7 +76,11 @@ Archive a completed change in the experimental workflow.
 
    Read the tasks file (typically `tasks.md`) to check for incomplete tasks.
 
-   Count tasks marked with `- [ ]` (incomplete) vs `- [x]` (complete).
+   A checkbox is complete when its only content is `x` or `X`; spacing inside
+   the brackets does not matter, so `- [ x]` counts as complete too. Every
+   other marker is incomplete - `- [ ]`, an empty `- []`, and markers OpenSpec
+   assigns no meaning to such as `- [~]` or `- [-]`. Never read an unfamiliar
+   marker as complete.
 
    **If incomplete tasks found:**
    - Display warning showing count of incomplete tasks

@@ -70,7 +70,9 @@ This skill allows you to batch-archive changes, handling spec conflicts intellig
       - Note which artifacts are `done` vs other states
 
    b. **Task completion** - Read `artifactPaths.tasks.existingOutputPaths` from status JSON
-      - Count `- [ ]` (incomplete) vs `- [x]` (complete)
+      - Complete means the checkbox holds only `x`/`X`, ignoring spacing
+        (`- [ x]` is complete); every other marker is incomplete (`- [ ]`,
+        `- []`, and unfamiliar ones such as `- [~]` or `- [-]`)
       - If no tasks file exists, note as "No tasks"
 
    c. **Delta specs** - Check `artifactPaths.specs.existingOutputPaths` from status JSON

@@ -60,7 +60,9 @@ Verify that an implementation matches the change artifacts (specs, tasks, design
 
    **Task Completion**:
    - If `contextFiles.tasks` exists, read every file path in it
-   - Parse checkboxes: `- [ ]` (incomplete) vs `- [x]` (complete)
+   - Parse checkboxes: complete means the box holds only `x`/`X`, ignoring
+     spacing (`- [ x]` is complete); every other marker is incomplete
+     (`- [ ]`, `- []`, and unfamiliar ones such as `- [~]` or `- [-]`)
    - Count complete vs total tasks
    - If incomplete tasks exist:
      - Add CRITICAL issue for each incomplete task

@@ -78,7 +78,11 @@ ${STORE_SELECTION_GUIDANCE}
 
    Read the tasks file (typically \`tasks.md\`) to check for incomplete tasks.
 
-   Count tasks marked with \`- [ ]\` (incomplete) vs \`- [x]\` (complete).
+   A checkbox is complete when its only content is \`x\` or \`X\`; spacing inside
+   the brackets does not matter, so \`- [ x]\` counts as complete too. Every
+   other marker is incomplete - \`- [ ]\`, an empty \`- []\`, and markers OpenSpec
+   assigns no meaning to such as \`- [~]\` or \`- [-]\`. Never read an unfamiliar
+   marker as complete.
 
    **If incomplete tasks found:**
    - Display warning showing count of incomplete tasks
@@ -260,7 +264,11 @@ ${STORE_SELECTION_GUIDANCE}
 
    Read the tasks file (typically \`tasks.md\`) to check for incomplete tasks.
 
-   Count tasks marked with \`- [ ]\` (incomplete) vs \`- [x]\` (complete).
+   A checkbox is complete when its only content is \`x\` or \`X\`; spacing inside
+   the brackets does not matter, so \`- [ x]\` counts as complete too. Every
+   other marker is incomplete - \`- [ ]\`, an empty \`- []\`, and markers OpenSpec
+   assigns no meaning to such as \`- [~]\` or \`- [-]\`. Never read an unfamiliar
+   marker as complete.
 
    **If incomplete tasks found:**
    - Display warning showing count of incomplete tasks

@@ -72,7 +72,9 @@ ${STORE_SELECTION_GUIDANCE}
       - Note which artifacts are \`done\` vs other states
 
    b. **Task completion** - Read \`artifactPaths.tasks.existingOutputPaths\` from status JSON
-      - Count \`- [ ]\` (incomplete) vs \`- [x]\` (complete)
+      - Complete means the checkbox holds only \`x\`/\`X\`, ignoring spacing
+        (\`- [ x]\` is complete); every other marker is incomplete (\`- [ ]\`,
+        \`- []\`, and unfamiliar ones such as \`- [~]\` or \`- [-]\`)
       - If no tasks file exists, note as "No tasks"
 
    c. **Delta specs** - Check \`artifactPaths.specs.existingOutputPaths\` from status JSON
@@ -411,7 +413,9 @@ ${STORE_SELECTION_GUIDANCE}
       - Note which artifacts are \`done\` vs other states
 
    b. **Task completion** - Read \`artifactPaths.tasks.existingOutputPaths\` from status JSON
-      - Count \`- [ ]\` (incomplete) vs \`- [x]\` (complete)
+      - Complete means the checkbox holds only \`x\`/\`X\`, ignoring spacing
+        (\`- [ x]\` is complete); every other marker is incomplete (\`- [ ]\`,
+        \`- []\`, and unfamiliar ones such as \`- [~]\` or \`- [-]\`)
       - If no tasks file exists, note as "No tasks"
 
    c. **Delta specs** - Check \`artifactPaths.specs.existingOutputPaths\` from status JSON

@@ -62,7 +62,9 @@ ${STORE_SELECTION_GUIDANCE}
 
    **Task Completion**:
    - If \`contextFiles.tasks\` exists, read every file path in it
-   - Parse checkboxes: \`- [ ]\` (incomplete) vs \`- [x]\` (complete)
+   - Parse checkboxes: complete means the box holds only \`x\`/\`X\`, ignoring
+     spacing (\`- [ x]\` is complete); every other marker is incomplete
+     (\`- [ ]\`, \`- []\`, and unfamiliar ones such as \`- [~]\` or \`- [-]\`)
    - Count complete vs total tasks
    - If incomplete tasks exist:
      - Add CRITICAL issue for each incomplete task
@@ -237,7 +239,9 @@ ${STORE_SELECTION_GUIDANCE}
 
    **Task Completion**:
    - If \`contextFiles.tasks\` exists, read every file path in it
-   - Parse checkboxes: \`- [ ]\` (incomplete) vs \`- [x]\` (complete)
+   - Parse checkboxes: complete means the box holds only \`x\`/\`X\`, ignoring
+     spacing (\`- [ x]\` is complete); every other marker is incomplete
+     (\`- [ ]\`, \`- []\`, and unfamiliar ones such as \`- [~]\` or \`- [-]\`)
    - Count complete vs total tasks
    - If incomplete tasks exist:
      - Add CRITICAL issue for each incomplete task

@@ -5,25 +5,44 @@ import { resolveArtifactOutputs, resolveSchema } from '../core/artifact-graph/in
 import { resolveSchemaForChange } from './change-metadata.js';
 
 /**
- * A Markdown task line: a `-`/`*` bullet carrying a `[ ]` or `[x]` checkbox.
+ * A Markdown task line: a `-`/`*` bullet carrying a checkbox that holds at most
+ * one non-whitespace marker - `[ ]`, `[x]`, `[]`, `[~]`, `[ x ]` all qualify.
  *
  * Leading whitespace is allowed so nested sub-tasks count like their parents.
  * Anchoring at column 0 made `  - [ ] 1.1.1 ...` invisible to progress, to the
  * apply task list, and to archive's incomplete-task check, so a change with
  * unfinished sub-tasks reported "✓ Complete" and archived without a warning.
  *
+ * The marker is no longer restricted to ` `/`x`/`X`, because a checkbox this
+ * pattern rejects is a line that counts toward neither the numerator nor the
+ * denominator: a tasks.md whose remaining work was written `- [~] ...`
+ * reported "✓ Complete" and archived with no incomplete-task warning, and
+ * marking items `[~]` *shrank* the denominator instead of leaving them counted
+ * as not-done (#1761). An empty `[]` and a padded `[ x]` were lost the same
+ * silent way. Only `x`/`X` means done, so every unrecognised marker reads as
+ * not-done - the conservative default, and no new concept: OpenSpec does not
+ * adopt `[~]` or any other marker's meaning, it just stops dropping the line.
+ *
  * Permissive on purpose, and safe to keep that way: any character class
- * tightened here - the `\s` inside the brackets, which lets a tab or
- * non-breaking space stand for an empty box - drops lines that used to count,
- * and a task this parser drops is a task `openspec archive` stops warning about.
+ * tightened here drops lines that used to count, and a task this parser drops
+ * is a task `openspec archive` stops warning about. The cost of the wide class
+ * is over-counting - `- [1] ...` in a tasks file now reads as one unfinished
+ * task - which is a loud, correctable false positive, unlike the silent loss.
+ *
+ * Where the width stops, and why: the marker is one token, so a *multi*
+ * character bracket stays unmatched. Widening to `[^\]]*` would swallow the
+ * commonest bullet in Markdown - `- [Some doc](./doc.md)`, whose `]` is
+ * followed by `(`, not by a space - and turn every link list into phantom
+ * unfinished work. A dropped `- [WIP] ...` is the accepted residue of keeping
+ * link bullets out; report it as a bug in this trade, not in the marker set.
  *
  * Deliberately unanchored at the end: `.` does not match `\r`, so writing the
  * description group as `(.*)$` would reject every line of a CRLF tasks.md.
  */
-const TASK_LINE_PATTERN = /^\s*[-*]\s*\[([\sxX])\]\s*(.*)/;
+const TASK_LINE_PATTERN = /^\s*[-*]\s*\[\s*([^\]\s]?)\s*\]\s*(.*)/;
 
 export interface ParsedTask {
-  /** Checkbox state: `[x]`/`[X]` is done, anything else is not. */
+  /** Checkbox state: `[x]`/`[X]` is done, every other marker (and none) is not. */
   done: boolean;
   /** Task text after the checkbox, trimmed (may be empty). */
   description: string;

@@ -107,6 +107,32 @@ describe('generateApplyInstructions task list', () => {
     expect(listProgress).toEqual({ total: 2, completed: 1 });
   });
 
+  it('lists a task written with an unrecognised marker as remaining work (#1761)', async () => {
+    // Before the fix the apply parser dropped the line, so the agent was told
+    // every task was complete and the change was ready to archive.
+    writeTasks(
+      ['## 1. Implementation', '- [x] 1.1 Done', '- [~] 1.2 Deferred', '- [] 1.3 Empty box', ''].join(
+        '\n'
+      )
+    );
+
+    const instructions = await generateApplyInstructions(tempDir, 'my-change');
+    const listProgress = await getTaskProgressForChange(
+      path.join(tempDir, 'openspec', 'changes'),
+      'my-change',
+      tempDir
+    );
+
+    expect(instructions.tasks.map((task) => task.description)).toEqual([
+      '1.1 Done',
+      '1.2 Deferred',
+      '1.3 Empty box',
+    ]);
+    expect(instructions.progress).toEqual({ total: 3, complete: 1, remaining: 2 });
+    expect(instructions.state).toBe('ready');
+    expect(listProgress).toEqual({ total: 3, completed: 1 });
+  });
+
   it('does not call a change done while a bare checkbox is still unchecked', async () => {
     writeTasks('## 1. Implementation\n- [x] 1.1 Real task\n- [ ]\n');
 

@@ -701,6 +701,32 @@ describe('ArchiveCommand', () => {
       );
     });
 
+    it('detects tasks written with an unrecognised marker (#1761 data-safety gate)', async () => {
+      // Before the fix the marker had to be ` `, `x` or `X`; every other
+      // checkbox character was dropped from the count entirely, so a change
+      // whose remaining work was written `- [~] ...` archived with no warning.
+      const changeName = 'unknown-marker-feature';
+      const changeDir = path.join(tempDir, 'openspec', 'changes', changeName);
+      await fs.mkdir(changeDir, { recursive: true });
+      await fs.writeFile(
+        path.join(changeDir, 'tasks.md'),
+        [
+          '## 1. Implementation',
+          '- [x] 1.1 Done',
+          '- [~] 1.2 Deferred, not done',
+          '- [-] 1.3 Cancelled, not done',
+          '- [] 1.4 Empty box, not done',
+          '',
+        ].join('\n')
+      );
+
+      await archiveCommand.execute(changeName, { yes: true });
+
+      expect(console.log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.stringContaining('Warning: 3 incomplete task(s) found')
+      );
+    });
+
     it('should update specs when archiving (delta-based ADDED) and include change name in skeleton', async () => {
       const changeName = 'spec-feature';
       const changeDir = path.join(tempDir, 'openspec', 'changes', changeName);

@@ -130,6 +130,22 @@ Regular text that should be ignored
       expect(logOutput.some(line => line.includes('✓ Complete'))).toBe(false);
     });
 
+    it('does not report a change whose remaining work uses an unrecognised marker as complete (#1761)', async () => {
+      const changesDir = path.join(tempDir, 'openspec', 'changes');
+      await fs.mkdir(path.join(changesDir, 'deferred-change'), { recursive: true });
+
+      await fs.writeFile(
+        path.join(changesDir, 'deferred-change', 'tasks.md'),
+        '- [x] 1.1 Done\n- [~] 1.2 Deferred\n- [] 1.3 Empty box\n'
+      );
+
+      const listCommand = new ListCommand();
+      await listCommand.execute(tempDir, 'changes');
+
+      expect(logOutput.some(line => line.includes('1/3 tasks'))).toBe(true);
+      expect(logOutput.some(line => line.includes('✓ Complete'))).toBe(false);
+    });
+
     it('should handle changes without tasks.md', async () => {
       const changesDir = path.join(tempDir, 'openspec', 'changes');
       await fs.mkdir(path.join(changesDir, 'no-tasks'), { recursive: true });

@@ -24,6 +24,28 @@ describe('findTaskNumberingIssues', () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it('checks lines written with an unrecognised marker too (#1761)', () => {
+    // The numbering check shares the task parser, so a marker it used to drop
+    // also escaped duplicate-ID and wrong-group detection.
+    const issues = findInSingleFile(
+      ['## 3. Work', '- [x] 3.1 first', '- [~] 3.1 deferred duplicate', '- [] 4.1 wrong group', ''].join(
+        '\n'
+      )
+    );
+
+    expect(issues).toEqual([
+      {
+        line: 3,
+        message: 'Task ID "3.1" is duplicated; it was first declared on line 2.',
+      },
+      {
+        line: 4,
+        message:
+          'Task "4.1" is under group 3, but its leading number points to group 4. Move it to group 4 or renumber it.',
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it('accepts alphabetic suffixes and numbering gaps', () => {
     const issues = findInSingleFile(
       ['## 4. Work', '- [ ] 4.2a inserted', '- [ ] 4.2b another', '- [ ] 4.7 gap'].join(

@@ -50,14 +50,14 @@ const EXPECTED_FUNCTION_HASHES: Record<string, string> = {
   getOpsxContinueCommandTemplate: 'e50e50266efa1b8e64ff9b6274ee8254f0a240d6adc1b862d126e2f1c9d3a559',
   getOpsxApplyCommandTemplate: 'e3579ac78f2e2c75fa3d3a7ac7dc3e49c395e96f7323398f0f041d94f8de9bb0',
   getOpsxFfCommandTemplate: '21132fc9c6d3b3ab2d2295d6bbd72d1e0052eb35ea1be0258c8b1ab3e200c4db',
-  getArchiveChangeSkillTemplate: '56bfada1a5f35a127791b70de9d428a75b5aedd1584d6c9803a1ecb1fd1b4a23',
-  getBulkArchiveChangeSkillTemplate: '93875998cade5322d95b43299fba794bc1da754e917dd63a770406386a6d295d',
+  getArchiveChangeSkillTemplate: 'e0c21f54f1f027ee69f9855e4d65e68097d50e4e90cdba513fc1b03d45203857',
+  getBulkArchiveChangeSkillTemplate: '59c2a482fb534f2a3a26b59e260329eb2edfaaf7996f77a0db30914f77319ca7',
   getOpsxSyncCommandTemplate: '0d2427efb79986e8fff3f96bd075a739c80d45eb29159fae717e950030da8202',
-  getVerifyChangeSkillTemplate: '223b7ffd99299a7d430e13092b9a0a3421b39f0d3217232f46c39d79b5f619ff',
-  getOpsxArchiveCommandTemplate: '9f973c819b11620985b03322945f0e0a92a02a2ef455b94e74482f5e6292ac5d',
+  getVerifyChangeSkillTemplate: '7c27431d32ece63f618d197a88375ffdd2f3979d5314ce3affacba923dc60c87',
+  getOpsxArchiveCommandTemplate: 'ec258209822f72d49252f0c0f825082b726634702e08179a88125ee88ce8f716',
   getOpsxOnboardCommandTemplate: 'ee99aa99252c602720fbb8c63fb3ac438a5bd4e952fd961ddf1ae956cbfc2c8f',
-  getOpsxBulkArchiveCommandTemplate: '9fa8cdebe2f5667ebfc37bdc023396762c59d5b038c771dac2d8fd2c19e2627b',
-  getOpsxVerifyCommandTemplate: '1efcf7eff0671f48e9d9420f50865c563dd3079ee60f8c380bb7a90dd0102696',
+  getOpsxBulkArchiveCommandTemplate: '93b031ef69f80bc85a14271e1834d02082c87d9a79fe998a354baa69dd94fc3a',
+  getOpsxVerifyCommandTemplate: 'b7c4e065817144c3f1bb61fb6598e4b4ec2da80c36f98b112f95a5f83290b126',
   getOpsxProposeSkillTemplate: '9c0fbf0137151bd03ec30c45180f83daec96e8976ceaf517c63147f84b803446',
   getOpsxProposeCommandTemplate: 'b3c145f541dcc13d9859eae8f7bedbe4553371477ed2c5ac07a4a80f82c46f52',
   getFeedbackSkillTemplate: 'dabeb5e825b9349abc8156c3e7b8608f27987912a6d9bf47ef29addde6138133',
@@ -72,9 +72,9 @@ const EXPECTED_GENERATED_SKILL_CONTENT_HASHES: Record<string, string> = {
   'openspec-apply-change': '81ea96d9fa6ec8536cd23c1fe561ed28e1cc1cad0a8ceb700588e08974cc0e49',
   'openspec-ff-change': '31355250514bce51b16ff37ee2b833bc9d475cd0dbd4b1f68fe2041694575623',
   'openspec-sync-specs': 'd933d8856584d6c1253de91e652e7aee9e85c77ad4d3531f6476f79d84e6e5e8',
-  'openspec-archive-change': '7c65053d674ba4e1e20e2bf73ba7e5a7f94baef2eaa9b33cee48d4cadea51b7a',
-  'openspec-bulk-archive-change': '2039b9ecf6e64339dffe0e16272507a386d9fe326f419ff758315aa736fdd96c',
-  'openspec-verify-change': 'af9be013dcbe8c6d8f6d9ab10c893fbd03f4c62933c384d82f63894dd0ceb84f',
+  'openspec-archive-change': 'b4dac563bd371b39e7635c1309789ec2108a2357868dd3fd5fdef66669393e15',
+  'openspec-bulk-archive-change': 'e1c0f1a0ef706222620a0c1b17606d746439506c19de2a9cf621c9478b1bc1a4',
+  'openspec-verify-change': '847bc57688cc4987828f9535559d74f2d1ebe192c33f084a2defa9d60cb8bc67',
   'openspec-onboard': 'f6f59476acaf5e4d65dbb180da4cef62432612f3cecf207d471a951295e2003a',
   'openspec-propose': 'e358b45102a88082cf20f5c4441cba02533724ad6eef8ed15ba174e3496cb6ed',
   'openspec-update-change': '586547406aca94422dfeb3ffedce6c01049429b743f57ce829baa79ebc714d51',