Phase Task Verification Skill

Phase Task Verification

When to Use

Invoked by sequential-phase-task and parallel-phase-task after task implementation to create and verify git-spice branch.

Parameters

RUN_ID: 6-char run ID (e.g., "8c8505")
TASK_ID: Phase-task (e.g., "1-1")
TASK_NAME: Short name (e.g., "create-verification-skill")
COMMIT_MESSAGE: Full commit message
MODE: "sequential" or "parallel"

The Process

Step 1: Stage and create branch

git add .
gs branch create {RUN_ID}-task-{TASK_ID}-{TASK_NAME} -m "{COMMIT_MESSAGE}"

Step 2: Verify based on MODE

MODE: sequential - Verify HEAD points to expected branch:

CURRENT=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
EXPECTED="{RUN_ID}-task-{TASK_ID}-{TASK_NAME}"
[ "$CURRENT" = "$EXPECTED" ] || { echo "ERROR: HEAD=$CURRENT, expected $EXPECTED"; exit 1; }

MODE: parallel - Detach HEAD (makes branch accessible in parent repo):

git switch --detach
CURRENT=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
[ "$CURRENT" = "HEAD" ] || { echo "ERROR: HEAD not detached ($CURRENT)"; exit 1; }

Rationalization Table

| Rationalization | Why It's Wrong | |----------------|----------------| | "Verification is optional" | Silent failures lose work | | "Skip detach in parallel mode" | Breaks worktree cleanup | | "Branch create errors are obvious" | Silent failures aren't detected until cleanup fails | | "Detach can happen later" | Cleanup runs in parent repo - branch must be accessible | | "HEAD verification adds overhead" | <100ms cost prevents hours of lost work debugging |

Error Handling

git add fails:

No changes to stage: Error is expected - task implementation failed or incomplete
- Check if task was actually implemented
- Verify files were modified in expected locations
- Do NOT continue with branch creation
Permission issues: Git repository permissions corrupted
- Check file ownership: ls -la .git
- Verify worktree is accessible
- Escalate to orchestrator

gs branch create fails:

Duplicate branch name: Branch already exists
- Check existing branches: git branch | grep {RUN_ID}-task-{TASK_ID}
- Verify task wasn't already completed
- May indicate resume scenario - escalate to orchestrator
Git-spice errors: Repository state issues
- Run gs repo sync to fix state
- Verify git-spice initialized: gs ls
- Check for uncommitted changes blocking operation
Invalid branch name: Name contains invalid characters
- Verify RUN_ID is 6-char alphanumeric
- Verify TASK_NAME contains only alphanumeric + hyphens
- Do NOT sanitize - escalate to orchestrator (indicates data corruption)

HEAD verification fails (sequential mode):

Expected: gs branch create should checkout new branch automatically
Actual: Still on previous branch or detached HEAD
- Indicates git-spice behavior change or bug
- Do NOT continue - task is not properly staged
- Escalate to orchestrator with exact HEAD state

HEAD verification fails (parallel mode):

Expected: git switch --detach should detach HEAD
Actual: Still on branch after detach command
- Indicates git version issue or repository corruption
- Do NOT continue - cleanup will fail to access branch
- Escalate to orchestrator with git version: git --version

Agent Skills: Phase Task Verification

Skill Files