Close Story Worktree

Close Story Worktree

Clean up a merged story in a strict order. Keep this skill limited to GitHub merge verification and local Git cleanup.

Required inputs

Resolve these before changing state:

• story ID;
• repository root;
• exact head branch;
• exact worktree path;
• PR URL or number;
• base branch.

Read applicable AGENTS.md files. Preserve unrelated worktrees and branches. Accept branch forms such as codex/AL-151, worktree-AL-161, or claude/AL-216; never rewrite one naming convention into another.

Sequence

1. Inspect git status --short --branch and git worktree list --porcelain.
2. Use gh pr view or the GitHub connector to confirm the exact PR has mergedAt set and targets the expected base branch.
3. If the PR is open, draft, closed without merge, or ambiguous, stop. Return the PR URL and leave the worktree and branch unchanged.
4. Require the story worktree to be clean. Never reset, clean, stash, or force removal to make it appear clean.
5. Run scripts/cleanup-merged-story.sh without --apply to preview the exact targets and safety checks.
6. Run the same command with --apply only when the user has placed cleanup in scope. The script fetches the PR base, verifies the branch tip is an ancestor of the updated base, removes the exact worktree without force, then uses git branch -d.
7. Confirm the path no longer appears in git worktree list --porcelain and the local branch no longer exists.
8. Report the merged PR, removed worktree, deleted local branch, and any intentionally retained remote branch.

Safety rules

• Never merge the PR. The human reviews and merges.
• Never run cleanup based only on a story ID guess.
• Never use git worktree remove --force, git branch -D, git reset, git clean, or a recursive filesystem deletion.
• Never remove the primary worktree, repository root, or a dirty worktree.
• Keep source-tracker completion in a separate workflow.
• If a squash merge makes the branch tip not ancestral to the base, stop before removal. Ask the user whether to retain the branch or authorize a separate recoverability plan.
• Do not delete the remote branch unless the user explicitly requests it.

Cleanup command

Preview:

scripts/cleanup-merged-story.sh AL-151 codex/AL-151

Apply with an explicit worktree when useful:

scripts/cleanup-merged-story.sh AL-151 codex/AL-151 \
  --worktree /absolute/path/to/worktree --apply

The script verifies merge state and targets in both modes.