Use git move for archive

[yonatankarp]

When running /opsx:archive on the spec files, we should not delete the existing spec and create a new file on disk since we're losing the git history. A better option would be to either use the git move option or ask the user which to use.

Explain the current working flow:

• Create a spec and open a PR for review
• Implement code
• archive spec and open a pr for it

With the current flow, we also see a lot of changes in the pr that are actually only file movement, and hence I find myself asking my LLM regularly to not delete files but move them

[1code-async]

Task completed.

---

Issue #709 Enrichment — "Use git move for archive"

Relevant Code

There are two code paths that perform the archive move, and both need updating:

1. CLI command (openspec archive)
src/core/archive.ts:36-48 — The moveDirectory() function uses fs.rename() with a copy+delete fallback for Windows. Called at line 285 to move the change directory into the archive folder. Does not use git mv.

2. Skill template (/opsx:archive)
src/core/templates/skill-templates.ts:2182-2184 — The skill instructions tell the agent to use a plain mv command:

mv openspec/changes/<name> openspec/changes/archive/YYYY-MM-DD-<name>

Why git history is lost

Both paths use filesystem-level moves (fs.rename / mv) rather than git mv. Git can sometimes detect renames heuristically, but this isn't reliable — especially when the move is combined with spec content changes in the same commit, which reduces the similarity score below git's default 50% threshold.

Related Issues

• #9925 (closed) — "[MODEL] Move version-controlled files with git mv, not plain mv" — same underlying request applied to Claude's general file operations.
• #18038 (open) — "[Bug] Inefficient file operations using Write instead of mv/git mv" — broader issue about Claude not using git mv for version-controlled files.

Suggested Approach

For the skill template (src/core/templates/skill-templates.ts:2182-2184):
Replace the mv instruction with git mv. This is a one-line change and would fix the agent-driven /opsx:archive path immediately.

For the CLI command (src/core/archive.ts:36-48):

• Replace moveDirectory() with a git mv invocation via child_process.execFile('git', ['mv', src, dest]).
• Keep the current fs.rename + copyDirRecursive logic as a fallback for non-git contexts or when git mv fails.
• Consider detecting whether the working directory is inside a git repo before choosing the strategy.

Optional enhancement (as the issue suggests):
Add a --strategy flag or prompt the user to choose between git mv (preserves history, recommended) and plain mv (filesystem only).

Files to Modify

File	What to change
src/core/archive.ts (lines 36-48)	Add git mv as the primary move strategy in moveDirectory()
src/core/templates/skill-templates.ts (lines 2182-2184)	Change mv to git mv in skill instructions
test/core/archive.test.ts	Add test coverage for git mv behavior

---

Note: I was unable to post this comment directly to GitHub issue #709 due to repository permission restrictions (Resource not accessible by integration). The analysis above is ready to be posted manually or with appropriate credentials.

---

View full conversation

Powered by 1Code