HexoPress doesn’t just integrate an AI writing assistant into the product — it actively embraces AI collaboration in the development process itself. The project uses the OpenSpec workflow to drive feature design and implementation, with complete configurations and practice records preserved in the repository.
What Is OpenSpec
OpenSpec is a spec-driven development workflow. Its core idea: before writing code, describe the feature’s requirements, design, and constraints using structured specifications (Specs). AI assistants can then use these specs to understand project context and generate more accurate code and suggestions.
Unlike the “just let AI write code” approach, OpenSpec emphasizes the collaboration process between humans and AI:
- Explore phase: Analyze requirements with AI, clarify problem boundaries
- Spec phase: Distill discussion results into structured specification documents
- Implementation phase: Code based on specs, with AI providing more targeted assistance
- Verification phase: Check implementation against specs for completeness and correctness
Practice in HexoPress
In the HexoPress repository, you’ll find a complete OpenSpec setup:
openspec/config.yaml defines the project context, including tech stack, coding conventions, and artifact generation rules. The openspec/specs/ directory contains specification documents for multiple feature modules, covering dashboard layout, tag management, AI chat panel, AI presets, editor UX, and other core features.
openspec/changes/archive/ stores completed change records, where you can see the full journey of each feature from requirements analysis to implementation.
Multi-AI Assistant Support
The HexoPress development environment includes workflow definitions for multiple AI assistants, including Claude, Codex, and Gemini. These configurations live in the .agent/, .claude/, .codex/, and .gemini/ directories, defining a unified skill set (explore, create change, continue change, apply change, verify, archive, and more).
This means regardless of which AI coding assistant you prefer, you can use the OpenSpec workflow in the HexoPress project.
Why This Matters
For developers, HexoPress’s OpenSpec practice has several noteworthy aspects:
A real-world case study. This isn’t a demo project — it’s an actively developed real product. You can see how OpenSpec works in practice, including its strengths and limitations.
Complete records. From specification documents to change archives, the entire process is preserved in the repository. You can trace back the design decisions behind each feature, understanding “why it was done this way” rather than just “what was done.”
A replicable pattern. HexoPress’s OpenSpec configuration can serve as a reference for your own projects. If you want to try AI-assisted development in your own work, here’s a battle-tested configuration template.
Joining AI-Assisted Development
If you want to contribute to HexoPress, the OpenSpec workflow can help you understand the project faster. Before starting a new feature, you can read the relevant specification documents to understand existing design decisions and constraints. During implementation, AI assistants can provide more targeted suggestions based on these specs.
This approach is especially well-suited for open-source collaboration — specification documents serve as carriers of design intent, letting new contributors understand the project’s design philosophy without having to read through massive amounts of code.