feat(agent): require conflict check before submitting PR for review

saltbo · saltbo · commit 1733e58503e8 · 2026-04-14T10:11:45.000-04:00
Worker agents must now check `gh pr view --json mergeable` and resolve
any merge conflicts before calling `task review`. Replaces `ak wait pr`
with `gh pr checks --watch` in the system prompt for consistency.
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/agent/systemPrompt.ts b/packages/cli/src/agent/systemPrompt.ts
@@ -55,8 +55,9 @@ const DEV_LIFECYCLE = `\
 1. **Claim** — \`ak task claim <task-id>\` to confirm you are starting work.
 2. **Work** — Implement the change. Log progress: \`ak create note --task <task-id> "message"\`.
 3. **PR** — Push your branch, create a PR with \`gh pr create\`.
-4. **Wait for CI** — Run \`ak wait pr <pr-number>\` to wait until all CI checks pass. If checks fail, fix the issues, push again, and re-run the wait.
-5. **Deliver** — Once CI is green, submit: \`ak task review <task-id> --pr-url <url>\`. **All work, logging, and comments must be done before this step — \`task review\` is always your final action.**`;
+4. **Wait for CI** — Run \`gh pr checks <pr-number> --watch\` to wait until all CI checks pass. If checks fail, fix the issues, push again, and re-run the wait.
+5. **Check for conflicts** — Run \`gh pr view <pr-number> --json mergeable\`. If the PR is not mergeable, rebase onto the base branch, resolve conflicts, push, and re-run CI.
+6. **Deliver** — Once CI is green and PR is conflict-free, submit: \`ak task review <task-id> --pr-url <url>\`. **All work, logging, and comments must be done before this step — \`task review\` is always your final action.**`;
 
 const OPS_LIFECYCLE = `\
 1. **Claim** — \`ak task claim <task-id>\` to confirm you are starting work.
diff --git a/skills/agent-kanban/SKILL.md b/skills/agent-kanban/SKILL.md
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ You are an agent. Use the `ak` CLI to work on tasks. Your identity is initialize
 3. **Local test** → run the project's test suite and type check before pushing. Fix all failures locally. Skip only if tests cannot run locally.
 4. **PR** → push branch, `gh pr create`
 5. **Wait for CI** → `gh pr checks <pr-number> --watch` — fix failures, push, re-check until green
-6. **Submit for review** once CI passes → `ak task review <id> --pr-url <url>`
+6. **Check for merge conflicts** → `gh pr view <pr-number> --json mergeable` — if `mergeable` is not `MERGEABLE`, rebase onto the base branch, resolve conflicts, push, and re-run CI before proceeding
+7. **Submit for review** once CI passes and PR is conflict-free → `ak task review <id> --pr-url <url>`
 
 ## Commands
 
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@ ak create task --board <id> --title "Title" \
 - **If claim fails, stop immediately** — do not write any code or make any changes. Report the error and wait.
 - **Never call `task complete`** — only humans complete tasks.
 - **Test before pushing** — run the project's test suite and type check locally. All tests must pass before `git push`. Skip only if tests cannot run locally. Do not rely on CI to catch failures you could have caught locally.
+- **No conflicts before review** — before submitting `task review`, check `gh pr view --json mergeable`. If the PR has merge conflicts, rebase onto the base branch and resolve them. Never submit a conflicted PR for review.
 - Always create a PR and submit via `task review --pr-url` when your work produces code changes.
 - Log progress frequently — humans monitor the board.
 - **Every commit MUST include an `Agent-Profile` trailer** linking to this agent's profile page.
diff --git a/tests/systemPrompt.test.ts b/tests/systemPrompt.test.ts
@@ -34,9 +34,14 @@ describe("generateSystemPrompt — dev board", () => {
     expect(prompt).not.toContain("ak task log");
   });
 
-  it("contains ak wait pr in the dev lifecycle", () => {
+  it("contains gh pr checks in the dev lifecycle", () => {
     const prompt = generateSystemPrompt(makeAgent(), "dev");
-    expect(prompt).toContain("ak wait pr");
+    expect(prompt).toContain("gh pr checks");
+  });
+
+  it("contains conflict check step in the dev lifecycle", () => {
+    const prompt = generateSystemPrompt(makeAgent(), "dev");
+    expect(prompt).toContain("Check for conflicts");
   });
 
   it("dev lifecycle has a PR step (gh pr create)", () => {
@@ -52,15 +57,14 @@ describe("generateSystemPrompt — dev board", () => {
   it("dev lifecycle has 5 numbered steps", () => {
     const prompt = generateSystemPrompt(makeAgent(), "dev");
     // Steps 1–5 must all appear in the lifecycle constant
-    for (let i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
+    for (let i = 1; i <= 6; i++) {
       expect(prompt).toContain(`${i}.`);
     }
   });
 
-  it("dev lifecycle does NOT have a 6th numbered lifecycle step", () => {
+  it("dev lifecycle does NOT have a 7th numbered lifecycle step", () => {
     const prompt = generateSystemPrompt(makeAgent(), "dev");
-    // The lifecycle constant ends at step 5 — step 6 is not a lifecycle step
-    expect(prompt).not.toMatch(/^6\.\s+\*\*/m);
+    expect(prompt).not.toMatch(/^7\.\s+\*\*/m);
   });
 
   it("includes agent identity with correct id", () => {
@@ -103,9 +107,9 @@ describe("generateSystemPrompt — dev board", () => {
     expect(prompt).toMatch(/4\.\s+\*\*Wait for CI\*\*/);
   });
 
-  it("Deliver step is step 5", () => {
+  it("Deliver step is step 6", () => {
     const prompt = generateSystemPrompt(makeAgent(), "dev");
-    expect(prompt).toMatch(/5\.\s+\*\*Deliver\*\*/);
+    expect(prompt).toMatch(/6\.\s+\*\*Deliver\*\*/);
   });
 
   it("Handoff is described in its own section, not as a numbered lifecycle step", () => {
@@ -129,9 +133,9 @@ describe("generateSystemPrompt — ops board", () => {
     expect(prompt).not.toContain("ak task log");
   });
 
-  it("does NOT contain ak wait pr (ops has no PR step)", () => {
+  it("does NOT contain gh pr checks (ops has no PR step)", () => {
     const prompt = generateSystemPrompt(makeAgent(), "ops");
-    expect(prompt).not.toContain("ak wait pr");
+    expect(prompt).not.toContain("gh pr checks");
   });
 
   it("does NOT contain gh pr create (ops has no PR step)", () => {
