From 17b42c8128919944c58d581b1ec690dba3c35655 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Drew Ritter Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2026 12:14:55 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] fix(finishing): name the actual files in the refusal prompt MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit `git status --porcelain` collapses a wholly-untracked directory to a single `?? docs/` line. In the shape of the incident this step exists for (#2016 — an uncommitted plan document under an untracked `docs/` tree), the file list we show the human partner therefore names no file at all: $ git -C "$WORKTREE_PATH" status --porcelain ?? docs/ $ git -C "$WORKTREE_PATH" status --porcelain -uall ?? docs/superpowers/plans/2026-08-04-csv-export-rollout.md Both forms produce identical (empty) output on a clean worktree, so this adds no over-trigger surface. Found while running this PR's behavioral micro-tests. Every treatment agent dug past `?? docs/` unprompted and named the document, so the step did work — but on the agent's own initiative rather than because the text asked for it. That initiative is not reliable one tier down: Claude Haiku 4.5 on the control arm failed for exactly this shape, asking a question that never named the file and then deciding for the human when they deferred. Nothing in the prior wording stopped a treatment agent from relaying `?? docs/` verbatim and satisfying the letter of the instruction. Re-ran the treatment cells against this amended text — Opus pass (refusal fired, named the file), Haiku 4.5 pass (named the file) — no regression. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) --- skills/finishing-a-development-branch/SKILL.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/skills/finishing-a-development-branch/SKILL.md b/skills/finishing-a-development-branch/SKILL.md index 4ca486be..fa8aecaf 100644 --- a/skills/finishing-a-development-branch/SKILL.md +++ b/skills/finishing-a-development-branch/SKILL.md @@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ or scratch work. Never `--force` on your own initiative. Show your human partner what is at stake and ask: ```bash -git -C "$WORKTREE_PATH" status --porcelain +git -C "$WORKTREE_PATH" status --porcelain -uall ``` ```