Merge-commit landings keep slipping pre-commit debt onto main (no CI backstop)

coilysiren commented

2026-06-18 04:35:07 +00:00

Owner

Problem

Feature work keeps landing on canonical main through merge commits, and git merge skips the pre-commit hook suite. So documentation-layout (doc-size), code-comments, and kdlfmt violations slip onto main unchecked, then red-tree-block every subsequent local commit (the tree-walking hooks scan the whole repo, not just staged files).

This has happened repeatedly across the recent ward agent / ward-kdl pkg work:

73e0158, 3758fa6 (agent feature) introduced ~22 over-cap comment blocks + an oversized docs/agent.md.
ce68924 (ward-kdl pkg skillsmp/glama) landed docs/FEATURES.md over the 4000-char cap and an unformatted ward-kdl.skillsmp.guardfile.kdl.

Cleaning this up was the bulk of the work in commits f47995a / 3a4c9f9 (the green-the-tree pass). It will recur on the next merge-landed feature.

Why it slips

Merges bypass pre-commit. A git merge (and the merge-commit half of a rebase-and-merge) does not fire pre-commit, so nothing gates the combined tree.
CI does not run the suite. ward's Forgejo workflows are only release.yml and mirror-to-github.yml — neither runs pre-commit run --all-files. So there is no backstop after the local gate is skipped.

Net: the only thing enforcing the catalog hooks is a non-merge local commit, which the feature-landing flow routinely skips.

Options (no decision yet)

A. CI gate. Add a Forgejo Actions workflow (or a job in an existing one) that runs pre-commit run --all-files on push to main and on PRs, failing red. Catches everything regardless of how it was committed. Cost: a CI job + the discipline of keeping main actually green (which it currently is not by default).
B. No merge-commit landings. Require fast-forward / linear history into main so every landed commit went through the local commit-msg + pre-commit gate. Changes the landing flow; needs the feature branches themselves to be green.
C. Pre-push hook. A pre-push hook that runs the suite before any push to main. Local-only, no CI cost, but bypassable and host-dependent.
D. Accept + periodic sweep. Leave it, and periodically run the green-the-tree pass (like f47995a). Lowest effort, keeps recurring.

A and B are the durable fixes; A is the lowest-friction backstop and composes with everything else.

Context

Surfaced while landing the uv.lock gitignore guard, which was collateral-blocked by a red main. Related: ward#150 (the docs/agent.md split deferred during that pass).

## Problem Feature work keeps landing on canonical `main` through **merge commits**, and `git merge` skips the pre-commit hook suite. So documentation-layout (doc-size), code-comments, and kdlfmt violations slip onto `main` unchecked, then **red-tree-block every subsequent local commit** (the tree-walking hooks scan the whole repo, not just staged files). This has happened repeatedly across the recent `ward agent` / `ward-kdl pkg` work: - `73e0158`, `3758fa6` (agent feature) introduced ~22 over-cap comment blocks + an oversized `docs/agent.md`. - `ce68924` (`ward-kdl pkg` skillsmp/glama) landed `docs/FEATURES.md` over the 4000-char cap and an unformatted `ward-kdl.skillsmp.guardfile.kdl`. Cleaning this up was the bulk of the work in commits `f47995a` / `3a4c9f9` (the green-the-tree pass). It will recur on the next merge-landed feature. ## Why it slips 1. **Merges bypass pre-commit.** A `git merge` (and the merge-commit half of a rebase-and-merge) does not fire `pre-commit`, so nothing gates the combined tree. 2. **CI does not run the suite.** ward's Forgejo workflows are only `release.yml` and `mirror-to-github.yml` — neither runs `pre-commit run --all-files`. So there is no backstop after the local gate is skipped. Net: the only thing enforcing the catalog hooks is a non-merge local commit, which the feature-landing flow routinely skips. ## Options (no decision yet) - **A. CI gate.** Add a Forgejo Actions workflow (or a job in an existing one) that runs `pre-commit run --all-files` on push to `main` and on PRs, failing red. Catches everything regardless of how it was committed. Cost: a CI job + the discipline of keeping `main` actually green (which it currently is not by default). - **B. No merge-commit landings.** Require fast-forward / linear history into `main` so every landed commit went through the local commit-msg + pre-commit gate. Changes the landing flow; needs the feature branches themselves to be green. - **C. Pre-push hook.** A `pre-push` hook that runs the suite before any push to `main`. Local-only, no CI cost, but bypassable and host-dependent. - **D. Accept + periodic sweep.** Leave it, and periodically run the green-the-tree pass (like `f47995a`). Lowest effort, keeps recurring. A and B are the durable fixes; A is the lowest-friction backstop and composes with everything else. ## Context Surfaced while landing the `uv.lock` gitignore guard, which was collateral-blocked by a red `main`. Related: ward#150 (the `docs/agent.md` split deferred during that pass).

coilysiren added the

P1

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2026-06-18 06:15:57 +00:00

coilysiren commented

2026-06-18 06:16:17 +00:00

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cant I just make the harness run precommit and kick back to the agent 2 extra times if its misbehaving

coilysiren commented

2026-06-18 06:16:36 +00:00

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Owner

sorry not harness... the CLI... invoker thing.

coilysiren commented

2026-06-18 06:17:09 +00:00

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🛫 ward pre-flight: NO-GO

ward agent claude headless ran a pre-flight feasibility read on this issue before detaching a fire-and-forget run, and the agent judged it NO-GO - it should not be carried unattended until a human weighs in.

issue explicitly defers the A-D decision, and the CI-gate option can't land green without an unbounded prerequisite sweep of existing main violations — a human should pick the option and scope the cleanup first.

No container was launched. Review the issue (clarify the scope, resolve the unknown, or split it), then re-dispatch - ward agent claude headless <ref> --no-preflight skips this gate once you've decided it's good to go.

full pre-flight read

This is squarely ward-repo work (Forgejo Actions workflow + pre-commit config), so the repo is right and option A is technically straightforward to implement. The blocking concern is twofold: the issue explicitly says "no decision yet" among options A-D, and it states main "is currently not green by default" — so a CI gate that fails red would either immediately red-flag main or force me to also land an unbounded green-the-tree sweep (the kind of work ward#150 deferred) just to make my own landing pass. That second-order scope is not bounded by the issue text, and picking a direction the owner deliberately left open is a fork where the wrong call is costly to unwind.

NO-GO: issue explicitly defers the A-D decision, and the CI-gate option can't land green without an unbounded prerequisite sweep of existing main violations — a human should pick the option and scope the cleanup first.

Posted automatically by ward agent claude headless pre-flight (ward#147, ward#149).

— Claude (she/her), via ward agent

### 🛫 ward pre-flight: NO-GO `ward agent claude headless` ran a pre-flight feasibility read on this issue before detaching a fire-and-forget run, and the agent judged it **NO-GO** - it should not be carried unattended until a human weighs in. > issue explicitly defers the A-D decision, and the CI-gate option can't land green without an unbounded prerequisite sweep of existing main violations — a human should pick the option and scope the cleanup first. No container was launched. Review the issue (clarify the scope, resolve the unknown, or split it), then re-dispatch - `ward agent claude headless <ref> --no-preflight` skips this gate once you've decided it's good to go. <details><summary>full pre-flight read</summary> This is squarely ward-repo work (Forgejo Actions workflow + pre-commit config), so the repo is right and option A is technically straightforward to implement. The blocking concern is twofold: the issue explicitly says **"no decision yet"** among options A-D, and it states main "is currently not green by default" — so a CI gate that fails red would either immediately red-flag main or force me to also land an unbounded green-the-tree sweep (the kind of work ward#150 deferred) just to make my own landing pass. That second-order scope is not bounded by the issue text, and picking a direction the owner deliberately left open is a fork where the wrong call is costly to unwind. NO-GO: issue explicitly defers the A-D decision, and the CI-gate option can't land green without an unbounded prerequisite sweep of existing main violations — a human should pick the option and scope the cleanup first. </details> --- Posted automatically by `ward agent claude headless` pre-flight (ward#147, ward#149).  — Claude (she/her), via `ward agent`

coilysiren commented

2026-06-18 06:18:22 +00:00

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Options (no decision yet)

my decision: make the harness wrapper (whatever ward can be understood as in this context) run precommit itself and kick back to the agent twice if precommit fails

> Options (no decision yet) my decision: make the harness wrapper (whatever ward can be understood as in this context) run precommit itself and kick back to the agent twice if precommit fails

coilysiren commented

2026-06-18 06:18:47 +00:00

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Owner

🛫 ward pre-flight: NO-GO

ward agent claude headless ran a pre-flight feasibility read on this issue before detaching a fire-and-forget run, and the agent judged it NO-GO - it should not be carried unattended until a human weighs in.

issue is explicitly an undecided multi-path policy fork (A/B/C/D) that reshapes the canonical landing flow — a human should pick the approach before implementation.

No container was launched. Review the issue (clarify the scope, resolve the unknown, or split it), then re-dispatch - ward agent claude headless <ref> --no-preflight skips this gate once you've decided it's good to go.

full pre-flight read

The core unknown is direction: the issue explicitly says "no decision yet" and lays out four materially different approaches (A CI gate, B linear-history landings, C pre-push hook, D periodic sweep) that reshape the canonical landing flow in incompatible ways. Option B changes how every feature lands on main, and even A requires committing to keeping main green by default plus first greening the current tree — these are policy choices with externally-visible workflow consequences, not a mechanical fix I can pick a default for unattended. The work is feasible (a Forgejo Actions workflow running pre-commit run --all-files is well-scoped), but choosing which lever is a judgment the author deliberately reserved.

NO-GO: issue is explicitly an undecided multi-path policy fork (A/B/C/D) that reshapes the canonical landing flow — a human should pick the approach before implementation.

Posted automatically by ward agent claude headless pre-flight (ward#147, ward#149).

— Claude (she/her), via ward agent

### 🛫 ward pre-flight: NO-GO `ward agent claude headless` ran a pre-flight feasibility read on this issue before detaching a fire-and-forget run, and the agent judged it **NO-GO** - it should not be carried unattended until a human weighs in. > issue is explicitly an undecided multi-path policy fork (A/B/C/D) that reshapes the canonical landing flow — a human should pick the approach before implementation. No container was launched. Review the issue (clarify the scope, resolve the unknown, or split it), then re-dispatch - `ward agent claude headless <ref> --no-preflight` skips this gate once you've decided it's good to go. <details><summary>full pre-flight read</summary> The core unknown is direction: the issue explicitly says "no decision yet" and lays out four materially different approaches (A CI gate, B linear-history landings, C pre-push hook, D periodic sweep) that reshape the canonical landing flow in incompatible ways. Option B changes how every feature lands on `main`, and even A requires committing to keeping `main` green by default plus first greening the current tree — these are policy choices with externally-visible workflow consequences, not a mechanical fix I can pick a default for unattended. The work is feasible (a Forgejo Actions workflow running `pre-commit run --all-files` is well-scoped), but choosing *which* lever is a judgment the author deliberately reserved. NO-GO: issue is explicitly an undecided multi-path policy fork (A/B/C/D) that reshapes the canonical landing flow — a human should pick the approach before implementation. </details> --- Posted automatically by `ward agent claude headless` pre-flight (ward#147, ward#149).  — Claude (she/her), via `ward agent`

coilysiren added the

consult

label

2026-06-18 06:25:05 +00:00

coilyco-ops added

P3

and removed

P1

labels

2026-06-24 04:12:00 +00:00

coilyco-ops added

and removed

labels

2026-06-24 17:19:51 +00:00

coilyco-ops commented

2026-06-24 17:26:24 +00:00

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Re-triage (goose-triage method, claude-macos-kais-macbook-pro-2 as the judgment engine, 2026-06-24)

P2 - Merge-commit landings keep slipping pre-commit debt onto main and red-tree-block local commits, recurring real friction. Raised to next tier.
interactive - The fix is a CI backstop with a design choice (where/how), agent works it and pauses for the approach.

**Re-triage** (goose-triage method, claude-macos-kais-macbook-pro-2 as the judgment engine, 2026-06-24) - **P2** - Merge-commit landings keep slipping pre-commit debt onto main and red-tree-block local commits, recurring real friction. Raised to next tier. - **interactive** - The fix is a CI backstop with a design choice (where/how), agent works it and pauses for the approach.

coilyco-ops commented

2026-06-24 17:28:42 +00:00

Member

Re-triage (goose-triage method, claude-macos-kais-macbook-pro-2 as the judgment engine, 2026-06-24)

P2 - Merge-commit landings keep slipping pre-commit debt onto main and red-tree-block local commits, recurring real friction. Raised to next tier.
interactive - The fix is a CI backstop with a design choice (where/how), agent works it and pauses for the approach.

**Re-triage** (goose-triage method, claude-macos-kais-macbook-pro-2 as the judgment engine, 2026-06-24) - **P2** - Merge-commit landings keep slipping pre-commit debt onto main and red-tree-block local commits, recurring real friction. Raised to next tier. - **interactive** - The fix is a CI backstop with a design choice (where/how), agent works it and pauses for the approach.

coilyco-ops referenced this issue

2026-07-02 00:21:41 +00:00

Increase golang code quality measures #196

coilysiren commented

2026-07-06 18:59:34 +00:00

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Re-spec: premise drifted. Kai's recorded decision (wrapper runs pre-commit + kicks back twice) differs from body options A-D, and ward#133 partly delivered it (in-container commit gate), but the CI backstop is still absent (.forgejo/workflows has only mirror + release). The A-D option framing is stale; re-scope to just the remaining CI-backstop gap. Re-triage 2026-07-06.

coilysiren commented

2026-07-06 19:58:24 +00:00

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External CI verification is nice but heavier than I personally want right now - my preference is a flow where the harness runs precommit + ward exec test

coilysiren closed this issue

2026-07-06 20:34:03 +00:00

Rows
Columns

Merge-commit landings keep slipping pre-commit debt onto main (no CI backstop) #154

Problem

Why it slips

Options (no decision yet)

Context

🛫 ward pre-flight: NO-GO

🛫 ward pre-flight: NO-GO