source-control: worktree cleanup Step 4a stops processes before the 4b guards decide the worktree is kept #7312

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1. github-actions

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   needs-triageNot yet classified. Floor until a type and one priority tier are set.Not yet classified. Floor until a type and one priority tier are set.

   on Oct 12, 2026
2. github-actions commented on Oct 12, 2026

   

   github-actionsBot

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   Thanks for the detailed report. Understood: in plugins/source-control/skills/worktree/context/cleanup.md, Step 4a (release OS file locks on build servers, worktree-rooted daemons, MCP/surface servers) runs before the Step 4b keep/remove guards (Work verdict, dirty check, lock/stale-lock proof, carried-file check) evaluate the candidate. That means a worktree a guard ultimately keeps can still have its live processes killed first, as you observed with the planning surface server on a lane that was correctly kept. The expected reorder (guards → 4a → down → reap → remove) is clear and matches the "no side effects on a kept row" goal.

   No exact duplicate found; it's distinct from but related to #6007/#6363 (reap dirtying tracked settings) and #7308 (cross-repo cleanup) as you noted. No missing information from my side.

   _{Automated triage. A maintainer reviews it.}
3. github-actions

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   priority: highSignificant impact, or blocks an imminent release; staff this cycle.Significant impact, or blocks an imminent release; staff this cycle.

   on Oct 12, 2026
4. kyle-sexton

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   Bug

   issue type on Oct 12, 2026
5. kyle-sexton

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   needs-triageNot yet classified. Floor until a type and one priority tier are set.Not yet classified. Floor until a type and one priority tier are set.

   on Oct 12, 2026
6. kyle-sexton commented on Oct 13, 2026

   

   kyle-sexton

   on Oct 13, 2026

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   Decision recorded. The owner approved going with independently verified recommendations on 2026-10-13. Two researchers worked this issue separately (code and history; upstream docs and owner intent), and a judge reconciled them.

   • Is the order still 4a before the guards on origin/main, with no fix in flight? → Yes. Step 4 runs each candidate through 4a → 4b → 4c. 4a stops build servers and daemons rooted in the candidate, and 4b holds guard 1 → guard 2 → down → reap → removal. 4b already says 'down comes after the guards so a worktree they keep keeps its services'. 4a is the only side effect still ahead of the guards. Recent commits (fix(source-control): restore the tracked settings file after the worktree reap #7063, fix(source-control): run worktree status and audit outside a repository #7310) did not change the order, and no open PR addresses it.
     Basis: git show origin/main:plugins/source-control/skills/worktree/context/cleanup.md lines 61, 74-81, 96; git log origin/main on cleanup.md; gh pr list --state open
   • Is the reorder safe? → Yes, as written. The guards only read state: git status, unpushed logs, the claim proof and .worktreeinclude comparisons. 4a exists so that directory deletion is not blocked by open handles ('Before removing a candidate'). The husk path still reaches 4a before rm, and --dry-run still exits before 4a. Neither claim has been probed on Windows.
     Basis: cleanup.md:29 (husk removed only after 4a), :74-76, :96, :191 (--dry-run exits before 4a); judgment on Windows read handles
   • What to edit? → Use the order the owner stated: guard 1 → guard 2 → 4a → down → reap → removal. Update the Step 4 phase line '4a → 4b → 4c' and the guard-order sentence at :96, and keep the husk and --dry-run references consistent.
     Basis: issue source-control: worktree cleanup Step 4a stops processes before the 4b guards decide the worktree is kept #7312 body (owner kyle-sexton, Expected order); cleanup.md:61, :96

   Recommendation: Approve the C3 dispatch. Move 4a after the two guards and before down, in the order the owner stated. Update the phase line at :61 and the order sentence at :96, and keep the husk (:29) and --dry-run (:191) wording consistent.

   Where sources disagreed, decided by: Rule 2 (the owner's stated expected order in the #7312 body) and the file's own rule at cleanup.md:96 settle the answer. The C3 work class still requires the one dispatch approval, which is a gate, not an open decision.

   Admission to an agent lane stays with the work-class rules and owner ratification.

   This was generated by AI.
7. kyle-sexton commented on Oct 13, 2026

   

   kyle-sexton

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   Owner batch-ratified this admission in an attended session on 2026-10-12: work-class: scoped. Rule: class C1-C3, no trust surface, the independent check confirmed the recorded decision, and no owner step remains.
8. kyle-sexton

   added

   work-class: scopedA briefed fix or small feature; blast radius bounded by the brief, tests exist.A briefed fix or small feature; blast radius bounded by the brief, tests exist.

   agent-readyFully specified and briefed; eligible for autonomous pickup from the frontier.Fully specified and briefed; eligible for autonomous pickup from the frontier.

   and removed

   agent-readyFully specified and briefed; eligible for autonomous pickup from the frontier.Fully specified and briefed; eligible for autonomous pickup from the frontier.

   on Oct 13, 2026
9. kyle-sexton commented on Oct 18, 2026

   

   kyle-sexton

   on Oct 18, 2026

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   Agent Brief

   Type: Bug
   Summary: Worktree cleanup runs every keep-or-remove guard before it stops any process rooted in the candidate.

   Current behavior:
   Cleanup runs each candidate through 4a (release file locks: stop build servers, worktree-rooted daemons and MCP or surface servers), then 4b (guards, Workspace down, reap, removal). A worktree a guard then keeps has already lost its live processes.

   Desired behavior:

   • Per candidate the order is: guard 1 (stranded work) → guard 2 (lock and claim/stale proof, .worktreeinclude carried-file check) → file-lock release → Workspace down → reap → removal.
   • A row any guard keeps has no side effects: no process is stopped and nothing is reaped.
   • The husk path still releases locks before deleting, and --dry-run still exits before any process is stopped.
   • Every cross-reference to the old 4a → 4b order in the skill reads the new order.

   Key interfaces:

   • Cleanup Step 4 phase order, as documented in the skill's cleanup procedure.

   Acceptance criteria:

   • The cleanup procedure lists the guards before the file-lock release for every candidate class.
   • It states that a kept row has no side effects.
   • The husk and --dry-run statements still hold in the new order.
   • No text in the worktree skill still says 4a runs before 4b.
   • scripts/check-changelog-fragments.sh passes.

   Out of scope:

   • Reap rewriting tracked settings (source-control: worktree reap rewrites the worktree's tracked .claude/settings.json #6007, fix(source-control): worktree cleanup's plugin-record reap dirties the tree, so plain removal always fails #6363).
   • Cross-repository cleanup (feat(source-control): worktree cleanup outside a repository should act across repositories, not only report #7453) and explicit-path scoping (source-control: worktree cleanup should take explicit paths and scope from the conversation #7332).
   • The guard logic itself.

   ---

   This was generated by AI during backlog shaping. Held, not admitted: this brief is drafted and checked, but the issue lane would stop on it today. It is admitted, by adding agent-ready, once the lane can run the skill-quality check scripts (Automation Lanes' PR #7912). Held under the owner's 2026-10-18 lane-narrowing course correction.
10. kyle-sexton

    added

    needs-humanHuman-in-the-loop required; autonomous sessions must not resolve items carrying this.Human-in-the-loop required; autonomous sessions must not resolve items carrying this.

    agent-readyFully specified and briefed; eligible for autonomous pickup from the frontier.Fully specified and briefed; eligible for autonomous pickup from the frontier.

    and removed

    needs-humanHuman-in-the-loop required; autonomous sessions must not resolve items carrying this.Human-in-the-loop required; autonomous sessions must not resolve items carrying this.

    on Oct 18, 2026
11. melodic-automation-lanes

    added a commit that references this issue on Oct 18, 2026

    fix(source-control): run worktree cleanup guards before releasing fil…

    ...

    42987a4
12. kyle-sexton

    closed this as completedin #8101on Oct 18, 2026