cflx-rejection-guide

name	cflx-rejection-guide
description	Guide users through handling Conflux/OpenSpec changes that ended in `REJECTED.md`, `Rejected`, `Blocked`, `Rejecting`, or informal states like "rejected gated". Use whenever the user asks what to do with a rejected proposal, how to recover a blocked change, how to interpret rejecting review outcomes, or how to choose between closing, blocking, and resuming a change.

Conflux Rejection / Blocked Change Guide

Operator-facing guidance for deciding what to do with a change after it entered rejecting review or produced REJECTED.md.

Core Decision

Normalize the situation into one of these outcomes:

• CONFIRM: close the change as terminal rejection
• BLOCK: keep the change valid but paused until prerequisites are unblocked
• RESUME: dismiss the rejection proposal and return to apply

If the user says "rejected gated" or similar, usually treat it as ambiguity between a rejection proposal and a blocked hold.

Read references/guide.md when you need fuller classification examples.

Inspect First

Use repository evidence, not guesses.

Recommended commands:

cflx openspec show <change-id>
cflx openspec validate <change-id> --strict
git status --short

Read when present:

• openspec/changes/<change-id>/proposal.md
• openspec/changes/<change-id>/tasks.md
• openspec/changes/<change-id>/REJECTED.md

Decision Rules

Choose CONFIRM when

• REJECTED.md gives a concrete closure reason
• tasks.md blocker evidence is specific and actionable
• recovery would require changing the proposal premise itself
• another change has made this one obsolete

Choose BLOCK when

• the change remains valid
• the blocker is real and concrete
• immediate retry would likely fail again
• recovery depends on information, dependency, environment, or spec follow-up

Choose RESUME when

• the rejection proposal is under-evidenced
• there is a plausible in-repo recovery path
• the change should continue now rather than wait

Recommended Next Action

• CONFIRM: keep the durable rejection record and treat the change as closed
• BLOCK: keep the change alive, make unblock/recovery work explicit in tasks.md
• RESUME: remove worktree-local REJECTED.md, append recovery work to tasks.md, return to apply

Default Recovery Workflow for Rejected Changes

When the user wants to handle a rejected change, prefer repairing the existing change instead of creating a replacement change. A REJECTED.md file is a review artifact and recovery signal, not automatic proof that the change should be abandoned.

Use this sequence by default:

1. Re-review the rejected change:
   • Read openspec/changes/<change-id>/REJECTED.md.
   • Read proposal.md, tasks.md, design.md if present, and relevant spec deltas.
   • Run cflx openspec show <change-id> and cflx openspec validate <change-id> --strict when available.
2. Analyze the rejection cause:
   • Identify whether the blocker is a real terminal mismatch, missing implementation work, incomplete tests, environment failure, or agent mistake.
   • Cite concrete files, commands, or task entries rather than relying on the rejection summary alone.
3. Repair the existing change:
   • Update implementation, tests, specs, or tasks.md in the same openspec/changes/<change-id>/ scope as needed.
   • Add or update recovery tasks in tasks.md so the reason for resuming is durable.
4. Remove REJECTED.md only after the repair path is understood and the change is ready to continue.
5. Verify:
   • Re-run strict OpenSpec validation.
   • Run the targeted tests or checks relevant to the repaired cause.
6. Commit the repair if the workflow or user explicitly asks for a commit; otherwise leave the repaired worktree ready for review.

Do not create a new change merely because the current change has REJECTED.md. Create a new change only when analysis shows the original proposal premise is obsolete, the required scope is materially different, or the user explicitly asks to abandon the original change.

Response Format

Structure guidance as:

1. Observed state
2. Interpretation
3. Recommended disposition
4. Next action

Output Quality Bar

• Cite concrete repository evidence when available.
• Prefer Blocked over Rejected for temporary, resumable blockers.
• Prefer Rejected only when closure is genuinely correct.
• If evidence is insufficient, say what must be checked next.