Given / When / Then

Given an operator runs /release-sync vN.N.N after a release, which pushes a sync/main-to-dev-after-vN.N.N branch and opens the main→dev sync PR,
When the PR-creation command fires the validate-pr-create.sh PreToolUse hook,
Then the hook blocks with Branch 'sync/main-to-dev-after-vN.N.N' missing ticket ID — even though the /release-sync skill and apexyard#458 document that sync/ branches are exempt from the ticket-ID rule (the release being synced is the ticket).

Root cause

validate-pr-create.sh (branch-ticket-ID check, ~line 480) only exempts release-cut branches:

if echo "$CURRENT_BRANCH" | grep -qE '^release/v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(-rc[0-9]+)?$'; then

The sync/main-to-dev-after-vN.N.N pattern is absent, so the elif ticket-ID check rejects it. validate-branch-name.sh already whitelists the sync type (#458), and the sibling release exemption exists in this very hook — the sync exemption was simply never added here. The PR-title check on the same hook already accepts the sync(#N): title shape, so the title path works; only the branch-ticket-ID path is wrong.

Repro

1. On the framework repo, complete a release (release PR → merge → tag).
2. Run /release-sync vN.N.N — it creates the sync branch + opens the sync PR.
3. Observe the PR-creation step blocked: Branch 'sync/main-to-dev-after-vN.N.N' missing ticket ID.

(Encountered live during the v3.0.0 release; worked around with a local edit that this ticket lands properly.)

Fix

Add the sync-branch pattern to the exemption alternation, mirroring the release-cut exemption:

if echo "$CURRENT_BRANCH" | grep -qE '^release/v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(-rc[0-9]+)?$|^sync/main-to-dev-after-v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$'; then

Environment

• ApexYard framework repo (me2resh/apexyard), dev branch
• Hook: .claude/hooks/validate-pr-create.sh
• Related: apexyard#458 (sync type whitelist), /release-sync SKILL, validate-branch-name.sh

Severity

Medium — blocks the mandatory post-release sync PR for every release until worked around; not data-affecting. The fix is a one-line addition to the exemption regex.

Glossary