Fix Cline: use workflows instead of rules for slash commands (#283)

* fix(cline): use workflows instead of rules for slash commands

- Update ClineSlashCommandConfigurator to use .clinerules/workflows/ paths
- Update tests to expect correct workflow file locations
- Update README.md to reflect workflows instead of rules
- Fixes Cline integration to match Cline's architecture per their blog post

* Adds spec for fix-cline-workflows-implementation

---------

Co-authored-by: didier <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Tabish Bidiwale <[email protected]>

Author: 3 people

README.md

@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ These tools have built-in OpenSpec commands. Select the OpenSpec integration whe
 | **CodeBuddy Code (CLI)** | `/openspec:proposal`, `/openspec:apply`, `/openspec:archive` (`.codebuddy/commands/`) — see [docs](https://www.codebuddy.ai/cli) |
 | **CoStrict** | `/openspec-proposal`, `/openspec-apply`, `/openspec-archive` (`.cospec/openspec/commands/`) — see [docs](https://costrict.ai)|
 | **Cursor** | `/openspec-proposal`, `/openspec-apply`, `/openspec-archive` |
-| **Cline** | Rules in `.clinerules/` directory (`.clinerules/openspec-*.md`) |
+| **Cline** | Workflows in `.clinerules/workflows/` directory (`.clinerules/workflows/openspec-*.md`) |
 | **Crush** | `/openspec-proposal`, `/openspec-apply`, `/openspec-archive` (`.crush/commands/openspec/`) |
 | **Factory Droid** | `/openspec-proposal`, `/openspec-apply`, `/openspec-archive` (`.factory/commands/`) |
 | **Gemini CLI** | `/openspec:proposal`, `/openspec:apply`, `/openspec:archive` (`.gemini/commands/openspec/`) |

openspec/changes/fix-cline-workflows-implementation/proposal.md

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+## Why
+The Cline implementation was architecturally incorrect. According to Cline's official documentation, Cline uses workflows for on-demand automation and rules for behavioral guidelines. The OpenSpec slash commands are procedural workflows (scaffold → implement → archive), not behavioral rules, so they should be placed in `.clinerules/workflows/` instead of `.clinerules/`.
+
+## What Changes
+- Update ClineSlashCommandConfigurator to use `.clinerules/workflows/` paths instead of `.clinerules/` paths
+- Update all tests to expect the correct workflow file locations
+- Update README.md documentation to reflect workflows instead of rules
+- **BREAKING**: Existing Cline users will need to re-run `openspec init` to get the corrected workflow files
+
+## Impact
+- Affected specs: cli-init (corrected Cline workflow paths)
+- Affected code: `src/core/configurators/slash/cline.ts`, test files, README.md
+- Modified files: `.clinerules/workflows/openspec-*.md` (moved from `.clinerules/openspec-*.md`)

openspec/changes/fix-cline-workflows-implementation/specs/cli-init/spec.md

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# Delta for CLI Init
+
+## MODIFIED Requirements
+### Requirement: Slash Command Configuration
+
+#### Scenario: Generating slash commands for Cline
+- **WHEN** the user selects Cline during initialization
+- **THEN** create `.clinerules/workflows/openspec-proposal.md`, `.clinerules/workflows/openspec-apply.md`, and `.clinerules/workflows/openspec-archive.md`
+- **AND** populate each file from shared templates so command text matches other tools
+- **AND** include Cline-specific Markdown heading frontmatter
+- **AND** each template includes instructions for the relevant OpenSpec workflow stage

openspec/changes/fix-cline-workflows-implementation/tasks.md

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+## 1. Update ClineSlashCommandConfigurator
+- [x] Change FILE_PATHS in `src/core/configurators/slash/cline.ts` from `.clinerules/openspec-*.md` to `.clinerules/workflows/openspec-*.md`
+
+## 2. Update Tests
+- [x] Update "should refresh existing Cline rule files" test in `test/core/update.test.ts` to use workflow paths
+- [x] Update "should create Cline rule files with templates" test in `test/core/init.test.ts` to use workflow paths
+
+## 3. Update Documentation
+- [x] Update README.md table to show "Workflows in `.clinerules/workflows/` directory" for Cline
+
+## 4. Validate Changes
+- [x] Ensure all tests pass with the new paths
+- [x] Verify the change follows OpenSpec conventions

src/core/configurators/slash/cline.ts

@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import { SlashCommandConfigurator } from './base.js';
 import { SlashCommandId } from '../../templates/index.js';
 
 const FILE_PATHS: Record<SlashCommandId, string> = {
-  proposal: '.clinerules/openspec-proposal.md',
-  apply: '.clinerules/openspec-apply.md',
-  archive: '.clinerules/openspec-archive.md'
+  proposal: '.clinerules/workflows/openspec-proposal.md',
+  apply: '.clinerules/workflows/openspec-apply.md',
+  archive: '.clinerules/workflows/openspec-archive.md'
 };
 
 export class ClineSlashCommandConfigurator extends SlashCommandConfigurator {

test/core/init.test.ts

@@ -481,22 +481,22 @@ describe('InitCommand', () => {
       expect(updatedContent).toContain('Custom instructions here');
     });
 
-    it('should create Cline rule files with templates', async () => {
+    it('should create Cline workflow files with templates', async () => {
       queueSelections('cline', DONE);
 
       await initCommand.execute(testDir);
 
       const clineProposal = path.join(
         testDir,
-        '.clinerules/openspec-proposal.md'
+        '.clinerules/workflows/openspec-proposal.md'
       );
       const clineApply = path.join(
         testDir,
-        '.clinerules/openspec-apply.md'
+        '.clinerules/workflows/openspec-apply.md'
       );
       const clineArchive = path.join(
         testDir,
-        '.clinerules/openspec-archive.md'
+        '.clinerules/workflows/openspec-archive.md'
       );
 
       expect(await fileExists(clineProposal)).toBe(true);

test/core/update.test.ts

@@ -298,10 +298,10 @@ More rules after.`;
     expect(fileExists).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it('should refresh existing Cline rule files', async () => {
+  it('should refresh existing Cline workflow files', async () => {
     const proposalPath = path.join(
       testDir,
-      '.clinerules/openspec-proposal.md'
+      '.clinerules/workflows/openspec-proposal.md'
     );
     await fs.mkdir(path.dirname(proposalPath), { recursive: true });
     const initialContent = `# OpenSpec: Proposal
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ Old slash content
     );
     expect(logMessage).toContain('AGENTS.md (created)');
     expect(logMessage).toContain(
-      'Updated slash commands: .clinerules/openspec-proposal.md'
+      'Updated slash commands: .clinerules/workflows/openspec-proposal.md'
     );
 
     consoleSpy.mockRestore();