fix(init): skip the welcome animation for reduced-motion users

.changeset/init-no-animation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@fission-ai/openspec': patch
+---
+
+Respect reduced-motion preferences in `openspec init`: the welcome animation is skipped when the OS reduced-motion setting is on (macOS Reduce Motion, GNOME animations disabled), when `OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION` is set, or when the new `--no-animation` flag is passed. The static welcome screen is shown instead.

docs/cli.md

@@ -101,9 +101,12 @@ openspec init [path] [options]
 | `--tools <list>` | Configure AI tools non-interactively. Use `all`, `none`, or comma-separated list |
 | `--force` | Auto-cleanup legacy files without prompting |
 | `--profile <profile>` | Override global profile for this init run (`core` or `custom`) |
+| `--no-animation` | Show a static welcome screen instead of the animated one |
 
 `--profile custom` uses whatever workflows are currently selected in global config (`openspec config profile`).
 
+The welcome animation is also skipped when the `OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION` environment variable is set (any value, including empty), when `NO_COLOR` is set to a non-empty value, or when the OS reduced-motion preference is enabled (macOS Reduce Motion, GNOME animations disabled).
+
 **Supported tool IDs (`--tools`):** `amazon-q`, `antigravity`, `auggie`, `bob`, `claude`, `cline`, `codeartsagent`, `codex`, `forgecode`, `codebuddy`, `continue`, `costrict`, `crush`, `cursor`, `factory`, `gemini`, `github-copilot`, `hermes`, `iflow`, `junie`, `kilocode`, `kimi`, `kiro`, `lingma`, `vibe`, `oh-my-pi`, `opencode`, `pi`, `qoder`, `qwen`, `roocode`, `trae`, `windsurf`, `zcode`
 
 > This list mirrors `AI_TOOLS` in `src/core/config.ts`. See [Supported Tools](supported-tools.md) for each tool's skill and command paths.
@@ -1200,6 +1203,7 @@ openspec completion uninstall
 | `OPENSPEC_CONCURRENCY` | Default concurrency for bulk validation (default: 6) |
 | `EDITOR` or `VISUAL` | Editor for `openspec config edit` |
 | `NO_COLOR` | Disable color output when set |
+| `OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION` | Disable the `openspec init` welcome animation when set |
 
 ---
 

src/cli/index.ts

@@ -144,7 +144,8 @@ program
   .option('--tools <tools>', toolsOptionDescription)
   .option('--force', 'Auto-cleanup legacy files without prompting')
   .option('--profile <profile>', 'Override global config profile (core or custom)')
-  .action(async (targetPath = '.', options?: { tools?: string; force?: boolean; profile?: string }) => {
+  .option('--no-animation', 'Show a static welcome screen instead of the animated one')
+  .action(async (targetPath = '.', options?: { tools?: string; force?: boolean; profile?: string; animation?: boolean }) => {
     try {
       // Validate that the path is a valid directory
       const resolvedPath = path.resolve(targetPath);
@@ -170,6 +171,7 @@ program
         tools: options?.tools,
         force: options?.force,
         profile: options?.profile,
+        animation: options?.animation,
       });
       await initCommand.execute(targetPath);
     } catch (error) {

src/core/completions/command-registry.ts

@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ export const COMMAND_REGISTRY: CommandDefinition[] = [
         takesValue: true,
         values: ['core', 'custom'],
       },
+      {
+        name: 'no-animation',
+        description: 'Show a static welcome screen instead of the animated one',
+      },
     ],
   },
   {

src/core/init.ts

@@ -97,6 +97,8 @@ type InitCommandOptions = {
   force?: boolean;
   interactive?: boolean;
   profile?: string;
+  /** Commander's --no-animation flag: false disables the welcome animation. */
+  animation?: boolean;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -116,12 +118,14 @@ export class InitCommand {
   private readonly force: boolean;
   private readonly interactiveOption?: boolean;
   private readonly profileOverride?: string;
+  private readonly animation: boolean;
 
   constructor(options: InitCommandOptions = {}) {
     this.toolsArg = options.tools;
     this.force = options.force ?? false;
     this.interactiveOption = options.interactive;
     this.profileOverride = options.profile;
+    this.animation = options.animation ?? true;
   }
 
   async execute(targetPath: string): Promise<void> {
@@ -184,7 +188,7 @@ export class InitCommand {
     const canPrompt = this.canPromptInteractively();
     if (canPrompt) {
       const { showWelcomeScreen } = await import('../ui/welcome-screen.js');
-      await showWelcomeScreen(this.getActiveWorkflows());
+      await showWelcomeScreen(this.getActiveWorkflows(), { animate: this.animation });
     }
 
     // Get tool states before processing

src/ui/welcome-screen.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@
  */
 
 import chalk from 'chalk';
+import {
+  execFileSync,
+  type ExecFileSyncOptionsWithStringEncoding,
+} from 'node:child_process';
 import { WELCOME_ANIMATION } from './ascii-patterns.js';
 import { getOnboardingCommands } from '../core/onboarding-commands.js';
 
@@ -66,6 +70,47 @@ function renderFrame(artLines: string[], textLines: string[]): string {
   return lines.join('\n');
 }
 
+const REDUCED_MOTION_EXEC_OPTIONS: ExecFileSyncOptionsWithStringEncoding = {
+  encoding: 'utf8',
+  timeout: 500,
+  // SIGKILL so a wedged lookup can never outlive the timeout and stall init.
+  killSignal: 'SIGKILL',
+  stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore'],
+};
+
+/**
+ * Best-effort check of the OS-level reduced-motion preference (#722).
+ * Any lookup failure (missing binary, unset key, timeout) means
+ * "no preference detected" and animation stays enabled.
+ */
+export function prefersReducedMotion(
+  platform: NodeJS.Platform = process.platform
+): boolean {
+  try {
+    if (platform === 'darwin') {
+      // The key only exists once the user has toggled Reduce Motion; when it
+      // is unset `defaults` exits non-zero and lands in the catch below.
+      const out = execFileSync(
+        'defaults',
+        ['read', 'com.apple.universalaccess', 'reduceMotion'],
+        REDUCED_MOTION_EXEC_OPTIONS
+      );
+      return out.trim() === '1';
+    }
+    if (platform === 'linux') {
+      const out = execFileSync(
+        'gsettings',
+        ['get', 'org.gnome.desktop.interface', 'enable-animations'],
+        REDUCED_MOTION_EXEC_OPTIONS
+      );
+      return out.trim() === 'false';
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // Detection is best-effort only.
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
 /**
  * Checks if the terminal supports animation
  */
@@ -76,10 +121,17 @@ function canAnimate(): boolean {
   // Respect NO_COLOR
   if (process.env.NO_COLOR) return false;
 
+  // Manual override for users who need reduced motion (#722). Presence is
+  // what counts: even an empty value disables the animation.
+  if (process.env.OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION !== undefined) return false;
+
   // Check terminal width
   const columns = process.stdout.columns || 80;
   if (columns < MIN_WIDTH) return false;
 
+  // Last so only interactive terminals pay for the OS lookup
+  if (prefersReducedMotion()) return false;
+
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -116,10 +168,13 @@ async function waitForEnter(): Promise<void> {
  * Shows the animated welcome screen.
  * Returns when user presses Enter.
  */
-export async function showWelcomeScreen(workflows: readonly string[]): Promise<void> {
+export async function showWelcomeScreen(
+  workflows: readonly string[],
+  options: { animate?: boolean } = {}
+): Promise<void> {
   const textLines = getWelcomeText(workflows);
 
-  if (!canAnimate()) {
+  if (options.animate === false || !canAnimate()) {
     // Fallback: show static welcome
     const frame = WELCOME_ANIMATION.frames[3]; // Peak frame
     process.stdout.write('\n' + renderFrame(frame, textLines) + '\n\n');

test/core/init.test.ts

@@ -899,7 +899,7 @@ describe('InitCommand - profile and detection features', () => {
     expect(showWelcomeScreenMock).toHaveBeenCalled();
     // The welcome screen must be handed the profile's workflows, otherwise it
     // advertises commands this profile never installs.
-    expect(showWelcomeScreenMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['explore', 'new']);
+    expect(showWelcomeScreenMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['explore', 'new'], { animate: true });
     expect(confirmMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 
     const exploreSkill = path.join(testDir, '.claude', 'skills', 'openspec-explore', 'SKILL.md');

test/ui/welcome-screen.test.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { ALL_WORKFLOWS, CORE_WORKFLOWS } from '../../src/core/profiles.js';
 
-const { useKeypressMock } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+const { useKeypressMock, execFileSyncMock } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   useKeypressMock: vi.fn(),
+  execFileSyncMock: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('node:child_process', () => ({
+  execFileSync: execFileSyncMock,
 }));
 
 vi.mock('@inquirer/core', () => ({
@@ -23,6 +28,7 @@ vi.mock('@inquirer/core', () => ({
 
 describe('welcome screen', () => {
   const originalNoColor = process.env.NO_COLOR;
+  const originalNoAnimation = process.env.OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION;
   const originalStdinIsTTY = process.stdin.isTTY;
   const originalStdoutIsTTY = process.stdout.isTTY;
   const originalColumns = process.stdout.columns;
@@ -38,11 +44,18 @@ describe('welcome screen', () => {
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     delete process.env.NO_COLOR;
+    delete process.env.OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION;
     Object.defineProperty(process.stdin, 'isTTY', { value: true, configurable: true });
     Object.defineProperty(process.stdout, 'isTTY', { value: true, configurable: true });
     Object.defineProperty(process.stdout, 'columns', { value: 100, configurable: true });
     writeSpy = vi.spyOn(process.stdout, 'write').mockImplementation(() => true);
     useKeypressMock.mockClear();
+    // Deterministic default: no OS-level reduced-motion preference detectable,
+    // so animated-path tests behave the same on every machine.
+    execFileSyncMock.mockReset();
+    execFileSyncMock.mockImplementation(() => {
+      throw new Error('not available in tests');
+    });
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -51,6 +64,11 @@ describe('welcome screen', () => {
     } else {
       process.env.NO_COLOR = originalNoColor;
     }
+    if (originalNoAnimation === undefined) {
+      delete process.env.OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION;
+    } else {
+      process.env.OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION = originalNoAnimation;
+    }
     Object.defineProperty(process.stdin, 'isTTY', { value: originalStdinIsTTY, configurable: true });
     Object.defineProperty(process.stdout, 'isTTY', { value: originalStdoutIsTTY, configurable: true });
     Object.defineProperty(process.stdout, 'columns', { value: originalColumns, configurable: true });
@@ -119,4 +137,101 @@ describe('welcome screen', () => {
       expect(line.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(59);
     }
   });
+
+  it('renders statically when OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION is set', async () => {
+    const { showWelcomeScreen } = await import('../../src/ui/welcome-screen.js');
+    process.env.OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION = '1';
+
+    await showWelcomeScreen(CORE_WORKFLOWS);
+
+    expect(useKeypressMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const output = writtenOutput();
+    expect(output).toContain('Welcome to OpenSpec');
+    // No cursor-up repaints: the frame is drawn exactly once.
+    expect(output).not.toMatch(/\x1b\[\d+A/);
+  });
+
+  it('honors OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION even when set to an empty value', async () => {
+    const { showWelcomeScreen } = await import('../../src/ui/welcome-screen.js');
+    process.env.OPENSPEC_NO_ANIMATION = '';
+
+    await showWelcomeScreen(CORE_WORKFLOWS);
+
+    expect(useKeypressMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(writtenOutput()).not.toMatch(/\x1b\[\d+A/);
+  });
+
+  it('renders statically when animate is disabled via options', async () => {
+    const { showWelcomeScreen } = await import('../../src/ui/welcome-screen.js');
+
+    await showWelcomeScreen(CORE_WORKFLOWS, { animate: false });
+
+    expect(useKeypressMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const output = writtenOutput();
+    expect(output).toContain('Welcome to OpenSpec');
+    expect(output).not.toMatch(/\x1b\[\d+A/);
+  });
+
+  it.runIf(process.platform === 'darwin' || process.platform === 'linux')(
+    'renders statically when the OS prefers reduced motion',
+    async () => {
+      const { showWelcomeScreen } = await import('../../src/ui/welcome-screen.js');
+      execFileSyncMock.mockImplementation((file: string) =>
+        file === 'defaults' ? '1\n' : 'false\n'
+      );
+
+      await showWelcomeScreen(CORE_WORKFLOWS);
+
+      expect(useKeypressMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(writtenOutput()).toContain('Welcome to OpenSpec');
+    }
+  );
+});
+
+describe('prefersReducedMotion', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    execFileSyncMock.mockReset();
+  });
+
+  it('detects macOS Reduce Motion', async () => {
+    const { prefersReducedMotion } = await import('../../src/ui/welcome-screen.js');
+    execFileSyncMock.mockReturnValue('1\n');
+
+    expect(prefersReducedMotion('darwin')).toBe(true);
+    expect(execFileSyncMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'defaults',
+      ['read', 'com.apple.universalaccess', 'reduceMotion'],
+      expect.objectContaining({ timeout: 500 })
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('treats a disabled or unset macOS preference as no preference', async () => {
+    const { prefersReducedMotion } = await import('../../src/ui/welcome-screen.js');
+
+    execFileSyncMock.mockReturnValue('0\n');
+    expect(prefersReducedMotion('darwin')).toBe(false);
+
+    // `defaults read` exits non-zero while the key has never been toggled.
+    execFileSyncMock.mockImplementation(() => {
+      throw new Error('The domain/default pair does not exist');
+    });
+    expect(prefersReducedMotion('darwin')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('detects GNOME reduced motion via disabled animations', async () => {
+    const { prefersReducedMotion } = await import('../../src/ui/welcome-screen.js');
+
+    execFileSyncMock.mockReturnValue('false\n');
+    expect(prefersReducedMotion('linux')).toBe(true);
+
+    execFileSyncMock.mockReturnValue('true\n');
+    expect(prefersReducedMotion('linux')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('returns false without spawning anything on other platforms', async () => {
+    const { prefersReducedMotion } = await import('../../src/ui/welcome-screen.js');
+
+    expect(prefersReducedMotion('win32')).toBe(false);
+    expect(execFileSyncMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });