fix(status): exit gracefully when no changes exist

.changeset/graceful-status-no-changes.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@fission-ai/openspec": patch
+---
+
+fix: `openspec status` now exits gracefully when no changes exist instead of throwing a fatal error. Fixes #714.

openspec/changes/graceful-status-no-changes/.openspec.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+schema: spec-driven
+created: 2026-02-25

openspec/changes/graceful-status-no-changes/design.md

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+## Context
+
+`statusCommand` in `src/commands/workflow/status.ts` calls `validateChangeExists()` from `shared.ts` as its first operation. When no `--change` option is provided and no change directories exist, `validateChangeExists` throws: `No changes found. Create one with: openspec new change <name>`. This error propagates up as a fatal CLI error (non-zero exit code).
+
+This is correct behavior for commands like `apply` and `show` that require a change to operate on. However, `status` is an informational command — it should report the current state, even when that state is "no changes exist."
+
+The error surfaces during onboarding (issue #714) when AI agents call `openspec status` before any change has been created.
+
+## Goals / Non-Goals
+
+**Goals:**
+- Make `openspec status` exit with code 0 and a friendly message when no changes exist
+- Support both text and JSON output modes for the no-changes case
+- Keep all other commands' validation behavior unchanged
+
+**Non-Goals:**
+- Changing the behavior of `validateChangeExists` (keep it strict for all consumers; only extract its internal helper)
+- Changing the onboard template or skill instructions
+- Handling the case where `--change` is provided but the specific change doesn't exist (this should remain an error)
+
+## Decisions
+
+### Extract `getAvailableChanges` and check before validation
+
+**Rationale**: Extract the private `getAvailableChanges` closure from `validateChangeExists` into a public exported function in `shared.ts`. Then, in `statusCommand`, call `getAvailableChanges` *before* `validateChangeExists` to detect the no-changes case early and handle it gracefully. This avoids using try/catch for control flow and eliminates any coupling to error message strings.
+
+**Alternative considered**: Catching the error from `validateChangeExists` by matching `error.message.startsWith('No changes found')`. Rejected because string coupling is fragile — if the error message changes, the catch silently stops working.
+
+**Alternative considered**: Adding a `throwOnEmpty` parameter to `validateChangeExists`. Rejected because it adds complexity to a shared function for a single consumer's needs and mixes UX concerns into a validation utility.
+
+### Keep `validateChangeExists` strict
+
+**Rationale**: `validateChangeExists` remains unchanged in behavior — it still throws for all error cases. The graceful handling lives entirely in `statusCommand`, which is the appropriate layer for UX decisions. Other commands (`apply`, `show`, `instructions`) are unaffected.
+
+## Risks / Trade-offs
+
+- [Risk] Extra filesystem read when no `--change` is provided and changes *do* exist (`getAvailableChanges` is called first, then `validateChangeExists` performs its own read) → Mitigation: `statusCommand` returns early before reaching `validateChangeExists` when no changes exist, so the double-read only occurs when changes are present — minimal overhead.
+- [Risk] Other commands may also benefit from graceful no-changes handling in the future → Mitigation: `getAvailableChanges` is now public and reusable, making it easy to apply the same pattern elsewhere.

openspec/changes/graceful-status-no-changes/proposal.md

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+## Why
+
+When `openspec status` is called without `--change` and no changes exist (e.g., during onboarding on a freshly initialized project), the CLI throws a fatal error: `No changes found. Create one with: openspec new change <name>`. This breaks the onboarding flow because AI agents may call `openspec status` before any change has been created, causing the agent to halt or report failure. Fixes [#714](https://github.com/Fission-AI/OpenSpec/issues/714).
+
+## What Changes
+
+- `openspec status` will exit gracefully (code 0) with a friendly message when no changes exist, instead of throwing a fatal error
+- `openspec status --json` will return a valid JSON object with an empty changes array when no changes exist
+- Other commands (`apply`, `show`, etc.) retain their current strict validation behavior
+
+## Capabilities
+
+### New Capabilities
+
+- `graceful-status-empty`: Graceful handling of `openspec status` when no changes exist, covering both text and JSON output modes
+
+### Modified Capabilities
+
+_None — `validateChangeExists` was internally refactored to delegate to the newly exported `getAvailableChanges`, but its behavior and public contract are unchanged. Other consumers are unaffected._
+
+## Impact
+
+- `src/commands/workflow/shared.ts` — extract `getAvailableChanges` as a public function (validation behavior unchanged)
+- `src/commands/workflow/status.ts` — check for available changes before validation, handle empty case gracefully
+- Tests for the status command need to cover the new graceful behavior

openspec/changes/graceful-status-no-changes/specs/graceful-status-empty/spec.md

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+## ADDED Requirements
+
+### Requirement: Status command exits gracefully when no changes exist
+The `statusCommand` function SHALL check for available changes via `getAvailableChanges` before calling `validateChangeExists`. When no `--change` option is provided and no change directories exist, it SHALL print a friendly informational message and exit with code 0, instead of reaching `validateChangeExists` and propagating a fatal error.
+
+#### Scenario: No changes exist, text mode
+- **WHEN** user runs `openspec status` without `--change` and no change directories exist under `openspec/changes/`
+- **THEN** the CLI prints `No active changes. Create one with: openspec new change <name>` to stdout and exits with code 0
+
+#### Scenario: No changes exist, JSON mode
+- **WHEN** user runs `openspec status --json` without `--change` and no change directories exist
+- **THEN** the CLI outputs `{"changes":[],"message":"No active changes."}` as valid JSON to stdout and exits with code 0
+
+### Requirement: Existing status validation behavior is preserved
+Other error paths in `validateChangeExists` that apply to the status command SHALL continue to throw errors as before. Commands other than `status` that use `validateChangeExists` SHALL NOT be affected.
+
+#### Scenario: Changes exist but --change not specified
+- **WHEN** user runs `openspec status` without `--change` and one or more change directories exist
+- **THEN** the CLI throws an error listing available changes with the message `Missing required option --change. Available changes: ...`
+
+#### Scenario: Specified change does not exist
+- **WHEN** user runs `openspec status --change non-existent`
+- **THEN** the CLI throws an error with message `Change 'non-existent' not found`
+
+#### Scenario: Other commands unaffected
+- **WHEN** user runs `openspec show` or `openspec instructions` without `--change` and no changes exist
+- **THEN** the CLI throws the original `No changes found` error (no behavior change)

openspec/changes/graceful-status-no-changes/tasks.md

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+## 1. Implementation
+
+- [x] 1.1 Extract `getAvailableChanges` in `shared.ts` and use it in `statusCommand` to check for changes before calling `validateChangeExists`
+- [x] 1.2 In text mode: print `No active changes. Create one with: openspec new change <name>` and return (exit 0)
+- [x] 1.3 In JSON mode: output `{"changes":[],"message":"No active changes."}` and return (exit 0)
+
+## 2. Tests
+
+- [x] 2.1 Add test: `openspec status` with no changes exits gracefully with friendly message (text mode)
+- [x] 2.2 Add test: `openspec status --json` with no changes returns valid JSON with empty changes array
+- [x] 2.3 Verify existing behavior: `openspec status` without `--change` when changes exist still throws missing option error
+- [x] 2.4 Verify cross-platform: tests use `path.join()` for any path assertions
+
+## 3. Release
+
+- [x] 3.1 Add changeset describing the fix

src/commands/workflow/shared.ts

@@ -86,6 +86,23 @@ export function getStatusIndicator(status: 'done' | 'ready' | 'blocked'): string
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Returns the list of available change directory names under openspec/changes/.
+ * Excludes the archive directory and hidden directories.
+ */
+export async function getAvailableChanges(projectRoot: string): Promise<string[]> {
+  const changesPath = path.join(projectRoot, 'openspec', 'changes');
+  try {
+    const entries = await fs.promises.readdir(changesPath, { withFileTypes: true });
+    return entries
+      .filter((e) => e.isDirectory() && e.name !== 'archive' && !e.name.startsWith('.'))
+      .map((e) => e.name);
+  } catch (error: unknown) {
+    if ((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === 'ENOENT') return [];
+    throw error;
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Validates that a change exists and returns available changes if not.
  * Checks directory existence directly to support scaffolded changes (without proposal.md).
@@ -94,22 +111,8 @@ export async function validateChangeExists(
   changeName: string | undefined,
   projectRoot: string
 ): Promise<string> {
-  const changesPath = path.join(projectRoot, 'openspec', 'changes');
-
-  // Get all change directories (not just those with proposal.md)
-  const getAvailableChanges = async (): Promise<string[]> => {
-    try {
-      const entries = await fs.promises.readdir(changesPath, { withFileTypes: true });
-      return entries
-        .filter((e) => e.isDirectory() && e.name !== 'archive' && !e.name.startsWith('.'))
-        .map((e) => e.name);
-    } catch {
-      return [];
-    }
-  };
-
   if (!changeName) {
-    const available = await getAvailableChanges();
+    const available = await getAvailableChanges(projectRoot);
     if (available.length === 0) {
       throw new Error('No changes found. Create one with: openspec new change <name>');
     }
@@ -125,11 +128,11 @@ export async function validateChangeExists(
   }
 
   // Check directory existence directly
-  const changePath = path.join(changesPath, changeName);
+  const changePath = path.join(projectRoot, 'openspec', 'changes', changeName);
   const exists = fs.existsSync(changePath) && fs.statSync(changePath).isDirectory();
 
   if (!exists) {
-    const available = await getAvailableChanges();
+    const available = await getAvailableChanges(projectRoot);
     if (available.length === 0) {
       throw new Error(
         `Change '${changeName}' not found. No changes exist. Create one with: openspec new change <name>`

src/commands/workflow/status.ts

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
 import {
   validateChangeExists,
   validateSchemaExists,
+  getAvailableChanges,
   getStatusIndicator,
   getStatusColor,
 } from './shared.js';
@@ -37,6 +38,27 @@ export async function statusCommand(options: StatusOptions): Promise<void> {
 
   try {
     const projectRoot = process.cwd();
+
+    // Handle no-changes case gracefully — status is informational,
+    // so "no changes" is a valid state, not an error.
+    if (!options.change) {
+      const available = await getAvailableChanges(projectRoot);
+      if (available.length === 0) {
+        spinner.stop();
+        if (options.json) {
+          console.log(JSON.stringify({ changes: [], message: 'No active changes.' }, null, 2));
+          return;
+        }
+        console.log('No active changes. Create one with: openspec new change <name>');
+        return;
+      }
+      // Changes exist but --change not provided
+      spinner.stop();
+      throw new Error(
+        `Missing required option --change. Available changes:\n  ${available.join('\n  ')}`
+      );
+    }
+
     const changeName = await validateChangeExists(options.change, projectRoot);
 
     // Validate schema if explicitly provided

test/commands/artifact-workflow.test.ts

@@ -131,6 +131,22 @@ describe('artifact-workflow CLI commands', () => {
       expect(result.stdout).toContain('All artifacts complete!');
     });
 
+    it('exits gracefully when no changes exist', async () => {
+      const result = await runCLI(['status'], { cwd: tempDir });
+      expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
+      expect(result.stdout).toContain('No active changes');
+      expect(result.stdout).toContain('openspec new change');
+    });
+
+    it('exits gracefully with JSON when no changes exist', async () => {
+      const result = await runCLI(['status', '--json'], { cwd: tempDir });
+      expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
+
+      const json = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
+      expect(json.changes).toEqual([]);
+      expect(json.message).toBe('No active changes.');
+    });
+
     it('errors when --change is missing and lists available changes', async () => {
       await createTestChange('some-change');