release-archivist

Release Archivist

Finish a spec-superflow change cleanly with verification evidence. This skill operates while the change state is executing; it is not an active skill after the final transition to closing.

Execution-State Guard

Before verification, ssf audit, any DP state write, or delta-spec merge, run npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf state get <change-dir> state. Continue only when the persisted state is exactly executing. If it is closing → STOP: "Closing is terminal; release, audit, and archival work were completed before this transition." For any other state, or if the state cannot be read → STOP and route through workflow-start; do not perform side effects.

The Iron Law: Verification Before Completion

Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency. Before claiming any status:

1. IDENTIFY the command that proves the claim
2. RUN the full command fresh
3. READ output, check exit code
4. VERIFY output confirms the claim
5. Only THEN make the claim

Forbidden before evidence: "should", "probably", "seems to", expressions of satisfaction without output.

Claim	Requires	Not Sufficient
Tests pass	Test output: 0 failures	Previous run, "should pass"
Linter clean	Linter output: 0 errors	Partial check
Build succeeds	Build exit 0	Linter passing
Bug fixed	Original symptom passes	Code changed
Requirements met	Line-by-line checklist	Tests passing

Verification Steps

Step 1: Test Suite

Run full test suite. Record total/passed/failed/skipped. Zero failures = PASS.

Step 2: Completeness

Compare contract batches against actual diff. Every SHALL/MUST must have implementation evidence. Missing = Critical severity.

Step 3: Coherence

Compare design decisions against code. Check naming consistency. Inconsistencies = IMPORTANT.

Step 4: Unintended Scope

Check for files modified outside scope fence, new dependencies not in design. Unplanned = WARN.

Step 5: Report

Dimension	Status	Findings
Completeness	PASS/FAIL/WARN	[list]
Correctness	PASS/FAIL/WARN	[list]
Coherence	PASS/FAIL/WARN	[list]

Verdict: PASS (all PASS) / CONDITIONAL (WARN only) / FAIL (any FAIL).

• FAIL → fix issues or route back to build-executor
• CONDITIONAL → present WARNs, proceed only with user acceptance
• PASS → proceed to final checks

Final Checks

• Tests passing? (cite command and output)
• All batches complete? (cite batch status)
• Scope added without artifact updates?
• Unresolved blockers or known risks?
• Delta specs exist that need merging?
• Run npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf audit <change-dir> — include decision-point-audit.md in archive

DP-6 (Verification Outcome)

npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf state set <change-dir> dp_6_result "<pass|conditional|fail>: <summary>"
npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf state set <change-dir> dp_6_timestamp $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)

If FAIL, do NOT proceed to DP-7. Route back or ask about abandonment.

After recording a PASS outcome, also record it as the verification gate so the executing → closing transition is allowed (the guard accepts either test_result: pass or a dp_6_result starting with pass):

npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf state set <change-dir> test_result pass

DP-7 (Archive Confirmation)

npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf state set <change-dir> dp_7_result "confirmed: <archive summary>"
npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf state set <change-dir> dp_7_timestamp $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)

Verify DP-0 through DP-6 are recorded before DP-7.

Archive Rule

If implementation diverged from the contract, return to bridging before closure.

Finalize While Executing

Complete every release, delta-spec synchronization, and audit action while the state remains executing. If delta specs exist, invoke spec-merger and resolve its outcome before the final executing → closing transition. Then run npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf state transition <change-dir> closing. executing → closing is the final action: once it succeeds, select no next skill and run no recovery scans.

Lightweight Closure (hotfix/tweak)

Verify files exist and are non-empty, run node --check on code files, skip 5-step verification. Still record DP-6 and DP-7.

Exception Handling

• Parse failures: Report exact file and section
• Missing files: If audit can't generate, run npx --yes --package [email protected] ssf audit manually
• User interruption: Re-run verification from the beginning on resume
• DP gaps: Flag missing DPs during DP-6; ask user whether to proceed or return