fix(view): keep archived changes off the dashboard

.changeset/view-current-work-only.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@fission-ai/openspec": patch
+---
+
+`openspec view` no longer lists or counts archived changes. In projects with many archived changes, the list pushed active work off the screen. The dashboard shows current work again, and `openspec list --archived` still shows archived changes on request.

docs-lab/reference/cli.md

@@ -643,9 +643,7 @@ Prints a one-screen dashboard of specs and changes.
 openspec view   # project summary in one screen
 ```
 
-view prints the dashboard once and exits. It reads no keystrokes. Changes group by task progress: Draft (no tasks yet), Active (tasks underway, with a progress bar and percent), Completed (every task checked), and Archived. Specs list with requirement counts, largest first.
-
-Archived changes appear by directory name in alphabetical order. They do not contribute to the Draft, Active, Completed, or Task Progress totals.
+view prints the dashboard once and exits. It reads no keystrokes. Changes group by task progress: Draft (no tasks yet), Active (tasks underway, with a progress bar and percent), Completed (every task checked). Specs list with requirement counts, largest first.
 
 **Options**
 
@@ -664,16 +662,11 @@ Summary:
   ● Draft Changes: 1
   ● Active Changes: 0 in progress
   ● Completed Changes: 0
-  ● Archived Changes: 1
 
 Draft Changes
 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   ○ add-rate-limit
 
-Archived Changes
-────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-  ◦ 2026-08-10-add-login
-
 Specifications
 ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   ▪ api                            1 requirement

src/core/view.ts

@@ -68,15 +68,6 @@ export class ViewCommand {
       });
     }
 
-    // Display archived changes
-    if (changesData.archived.length > 0) {
-      console.log(chalk.bold.gray('\nArchived Changes'));
-      console.log('─'.repeat(60));
-      changesData.archived.forEach((change) => {
-        console.log(chalk.gray(`  ◦ ${change.name}`));
-      });
-    }
-
     // Display specifications
     if (specsData.length > 0) {
       console.log(chalk.bold.blue('\nSpecifications'));
@@ -101,32 +92,17 @@ export class ViewCommand {
     draft: Array<{ name: string }>;
     active: Array<{ name: string; progress: { total: number; completed: number }; workflowStatus?: ChangeStatus }>;
     completed: Array<{ name: string }>;
-    archived: Array<{ name: string }>;
   }> {
     const changesDir = path.join(openspecDir, 'changes');
     const projectRoot = path.dirname(openspecDir);
 
     if (!fs.existsSync(changesDir)) {
-      return { draft: [], active: [], completed: [], archived: [] };
+      return { draft: [], active: [], completed: [] };
     }
 
     const draft: Array<{ name: string }> = [];
     const active: Array<{ name: string; progress: { total: number; completed: number }; workflowStatus?: ChangeStatus }> = [];
     const completed: Array<{ name: string }> = [];
-    let archived: Array<{ name: string }> = [];
-
-    try {
-      archived = fs.readdirSync(path.join(changesDir, 'archive'), { withFileTypes: true })
-        .filter((entry) => entry.isDirectory() && !entry.name.startsWith('.'))
-        .map((entry) => ({ name: entry.name }));
-    } catch (error) {
-      // A missing archive, or an `archive` path that is a file, has no archived
-      // changes to show; neither should break the rest of the dashboard.
-      const code = (error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code;
-      if (code !== 'ENOENT' && code !== 'ENOTDIR') {
-        throw error;
-      }
-    }
 
     const entries = fs.readdirSync(changesDir, { withFileTypes: true });
 
@@ -169,9 +145,8 @@ export class ViewCommand {
       return a.name.localeCompare(b.name);
     });
     completed.sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));
-    archived.sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));
 
-    return { draft, active, completed, archived };
+    return { draft, active, completed };
   }
 
   private async getSpecsData(openspecDir: string): Promise<Array<{ name: string; requirementCount: number }>> {
@@ -200,7 +175,7 @@ export class ViewCommand {
   }
 
   private displaySummary(
-    changesData: { draft: any[]; active: any[]; completed: any[]; archived: any[] },
+    changesData: { draft: any[]; active: any[]; completed: any[] },
     specsData: any[]
   ): void {
     const totalChanges =
@@ -233,7 +208,6 @@ export class ViewCommand {
       `  ${chalk.yellow('●')} Active Changes: ${chalk.bold(changesData.active.length)} in progress`
     );
     console.log(`  ${chalk.green('●')} Completed Changes: ${chalk.bold(changesData.completed.length)}`);
-    console.log(`  ${chalk.gray('●')} Archived Changes: ${chalk.bold(changesData.archived.length)}`);
 
     if (totalTasks > 0) {
       const overallProgress = Math.round((completedTasks / totalTasks) * 100);

test/cli-e2e/view-store-resolution.test.ts

@@ -152,8 +152,8 @@ describe('openspec view root resolution', () => {
       expect(result.stdout).toContain('billing');
       expect(result.stdout).toContain('Active Changes: 2 in progress');
       expect(result.stdout).toContain('Task Progress: 2/4 (50% complete)');
-      expect(result.stdout).toContain('Archived Changes: 1');
-      expect(result.stdout).toContain('2026-08-27-store-history');
+      expect(result.stdout).not.toContain('Archived');
+      expect(result.stdout).not.toContain('2026-08-27-store-history');
       const lines = result.stdout.split(/\r?\n/);
 
       for (const changeName of ['billing-update', 'billing-refactor']) {
@@ -228,8 +228,8 @@ describe('openspec view root resolution', () => {
       cwd: base, env: aliasEnv, timeoutMs: TIMEOUT_MS,
     });
     expect(viewed.exitCode, viewed.stderr).toBe(0);
-    expect(viewed.stdout).toContain('Archived Changes: 1');
-    expect(viewed.stdout).toContain('2026-08-27-store-history');
+    expect(viewed.stdout).toContain('Active Changes: 2 in progress');
+    expect(viewed.stdout).not.toContain('2026-08-27-store-history');
   }, TIMEOUT_MS);
 
   it(

test/core/view.test.ts

@@ -313,106 +313,27 @@ describe('ViewCommand', () => {
     expect(completedLines.some(line => line.includes('subtask-change'))).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it('lists archived directories in name order without affecting current changes or task progress', async () => {
+  it('renders the same dashboard however many changes are archived (#2030)', async () => {
     const changesDir = path.join(tempDir, 'openspec', 'changes');
-    const archiveDir = path.join(changesDir, 'archive');
-    await fs.mkdir(path.join(archiveDir, '2026-01-02-zebra'), { recursive: true });
-    await fs.writeFile(
-      path.join(archiveDir, '2026-01-02-zebra', 'tasks.md'),
-      '- [x] Done\n- [ ] Unfinished when archived\n- [ ] Another task\n'
-    );
-    // Archived directories need neither a proposal nor a tasks file.
-    await fs.mkdir(path.join(archiveDir, '2026-01-01-alpha'));
-    await fs.mkdir(path.join(archiveDir, '.hidden-change'));
-    await fs.writeFile(path.join(archiveDir, 'README.md'), 'Archive notes');
-    await fs.mkdir(path.join(changesDir, 'draft-change'));
+    await fs.mkdir(path.join(changesDir, 'draft-change'), { recursive: true });
     await fs.mkdir(path.join(changesDir, 'active-change'));
     await fs.writeFile(path.join(changesDir, 'active-change', 'tasks.md'), '- [x] Done\n- [ ] Pending\n');
     await fs.mkdir(path.join(changesDir, 'completed-change'));
     await fs.writeFile(path.join(changesDir, 'completed-change', 'tasks.md'), '- [x] Done\n');
 
     await new ViewCommand().execute(tempDir);
+    const withoutHistory = logOutput.map(stripAnsi);
 
-    const lines = logOutput.map(stripAnsi);
-    const output = lines.join('\n');
-    expect(output).toContain('Archived Changes: 2');
-    expect(output).toContain('Draft Changes: 1');
-    expect(output).toContain('Active Changes: 1 in progress');
-    expect(output).toContain('Completed Changes: 1');
-    expect(output).toContain('Task Progress: 1/2 (50% complete)');
-    expect(output).not.toContain('.hidden-change');
-    expect(output).not.toContain('README.md');
-
-    const archiveHeading = lines.indexOf('\nArchived Changes');
-    expect(archiveHeading).toBeGreaterThan(lines.indexOf('\nCompleted Changes'));
-    const archivedLines = lines.filter(line => line.includes('2026-01-'));
-    expect(archivedLines).toHaveLength(2);
-    expect(archivedLines[0]).toContain('2026-01-01-alpha');
-    expect(archivedLines[1]).toContain('2026-01-02-zebra');
-    expect(archivedLines.every(line => lines.indexOf(line) > archiveHeading)).toBe(true);
-  });
-
-  it.each(['missing changes', 'missing archive', 'empty archive', 'hidden entries only'])(
-    'shows a zero archive count without an archived section for %s',
-    async (state) => {
-      const openspecDir = path.join(tempDir, 'openspec');
-      const changesDir = path.join(openspecDir, 'changes');
-      const archiveDir = path.join(changesDir, 'archive');
-      await fs.mkdir(openspecDir);
-      if (state !== 'missing changes') {
-        await fs.mkdir(changesDir);
-      }
-      if (state === 'empty archive' || state === 'hidden entries only') {
-        await fs.mkdir(archiveDir);
-      }
-      if (state === 'hidden entries only') {
-        await fs.mkdir(path.join(archiveDir, '.hidden-change'));
-        await fs.writeFile(path.join(archiveDir, 'README.md'), 'Archive notes');
-      }
-
-      await new ViewCommand().execute(tempDir);
-
-      const lines = logOutput.map(stripAnsi);
-      expect(lines.join('\n')).toContain('Archived Changes: 0');
-      expect(lines).not.toContain('\nArchived Changes');
-      expect(lines.join('\n')).not.toContain('Task Progress:');
+    // Archives grow for the life of a project; the dashboard must not grow with them.
+    for (let i = 1; i <= 200; i++) {
+      const archived = path.join(changesDir, 'archive', `2026-01-01-shipped-${i}`);
+      await fs.mkdir(archived, { recursive: true });
+      await fs.writeFile(path.join(archived, 'tasks.md'), '- [x] Done\n- [ ] Left unfinished\n');
     }
-  );
-
-  it('still renders the dashboard when the archive path is a file', async () => {
-    const changesDir = path.join(tempDir, 'openspec', 'changes');
-    await fs.mkdir(path.join(changesDir, 'active-change'), { recursive: true });
-    await fs.writeFile(path.join(changesDir, 'active-change', 'tasks.md'), '- [x] Done\n- [ ] Pending\n');
-    await fs.writeFile(path.join(changesDir, 'archive'), 'Not a directory');
-
+    logOutput = [];
     await new ViewCommand().execute(tempDir);
 
-    const lines = logOutput.map(stripAnsi);
-    expect(lines.join('\n')).toContain('Active Changes: 1 in progress');
-    expect(lines.join('\n')).toContain('Archived Changes: 0');
-    expect(lines).not.toContain('\nArchived Changes');
-  });
-
-  it.skipIf(process.platform === 'win32')('surfaces unreadable archive directories', async ({ skip }) => {
-    const archiveDir = path.join(tempDir, 'openspec', 'changes', 'archive');
-    await fs.mkdir(archiveDir, { recursive: true });
-    await fs.chmod(archiveDir, 0o000);
-
-    try {
-      // Root and some filesystems do not enforce permission bits.
-      let unreadable = false;
-      try {
-        await fs.readdir(archiveDir);
-      } catch {
-        unreadable = true;
-      }
-      if (!unreadable) skip();
-
-      await expect(new ViewCommand().execute(tempDir)).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'EACCES' });
-      expect(logOutput.map(stripAnsi).join('\n')).not.toContain('Archived Changes: 0');
-    } finally {
-      await fs.chmod(archiveDir, 0o755);
-    }
+    expect(logOutput.map(stripAnsi)).toEqual(withoutHistory);
   });
 
   it('aligns progress bars in Active Changes when a change name exceeds 30 characters (#1986)', async () => {