Tend

Tend worktrees

Survey inactive Git worktrees, explain what can be removed or caught up, and carry out the lifecycle work the human authorizes. Parking records work and session identity for later reconstruction; it does not itself authorize removal. Use maintain for a carried fork's integration and publication.

Read the survey and lifecycle procedure before a survey, parking, removal, catch-up, or resume. Resolve this skill's directory before running its shipped helper:

bun scripts/watch.ts --once

The helper uses Git, the Herdr roster, local processes, recent repository activity, ignored-content checks, and the parked document. Its existing CLI subprocesses are supported implementation details; there is no MCP survey or park producer to substitute for it. A Herdr-managed caller is required by the helper. If its ownership evidence is unavailable, report the failed check.

Choose the scope

Start with the requested repository or exact worktrees when known. Use --worktree PATH for an exact target or --worktree-root PATH for an explicit survey boundary; the reference explains defaults and proposal fields.

An advisory /tend survey is read-only. An instruction to act on specific items or an explicit batch supplies that scope; honor it without asking for the same approval again. When scope or ownership remains unclear, prepare a concrete proposal and ask for the missing decision. A proposal is evidence, not permission. Do not carry an item's approval to unrelated worktrees.

Lead with the session's human-readable name and the proposed action. Include paths, ancestry, digests, and exact identities in written evidence as needed. Explain parked items and unassessable repositories without repeatedly asking about a decision already made. Notify only when the procedure's notification trigger applies.

Enforce the lifecycle checks

Before each action, re-read the exact target and require the helper's current verdict. Compare state_digest; a changed digest requires a fresh proposal. Use --assert-action as control flow, not a status message printed before an unconditional removal. Read the reference before overriding any downgrade.

A missing agent row is not proof of absent ownership. A process, recent activity, ignored content, a protected fork branch, or incomplete evidence may reduce a proposal to inspect. Preserve those gates. Use the bus MCP workflow for authorized owner coordination and address a verified session ID.

Remove only an authorized, currently eligible registered worktree with git worktree remove <exact path> and no --force; retain its branch. Never replace that with rm -rf. Ignored files may be the only copy even when Git reports a clean tree. Catch-up and removal are separate actions with separate checks unless the user's scope explicitly includes both.

Use the helper for parking and unparking; never hand-edit its records. Recreate the recorded worktree and uncommitted snapshot before resuming the session. Preserve snapshots until reconstruction is verified. Read the full park procedure for absent worktrees, shared checkouts, and multiple sessions.

Report completed work, parked items, and outstanding decisions or failed checks. Keep already authorized work moving while another decision is pending. Silence supplies no new lifecycle authority.