| name | talos-submodule-hygiene |
| description | Use when classifying dirty Talos worktrees or submodules, separating intentional edits from generated artifacts, or tightening ignore rules without hiding real source changes. Start from git status evidence, produce a cleanup plan, and keep deletions or ignore updates scoped and justified. |
Talos Submodule Hygiene
Load these first:
../planning/program-anchor-index.md../../../AGENTS.md
Use scripts/classify_dirty_worktree.py for the first pass when the dirty
surface is larger than a few files or spans submodules.
Workflow:
- Capture the real dirty surface. Use
git status --short for the current
repo and include recursive submodules when the task crosses repo boundaries.
- Classify each path as
keep, clean, ignore-candidate, or
inspect-first. Treat tracked source edits as intentional until proven
generated.
- For generated artifacts, name the owning command, build step, or tool
before proposing cleanup.
- Prefer the narrowest ignore scope that solves the recurring noise:
submodule-local ignore before shared root rules, and local excludes for
machine-specific clutter.
- Produce a cleanup plan before deleting files or editing ignore rules.
Include the post-clean verification command.
Helper:
python3 .agent/skills/talos-submodule-hygiene/scripts/classify_dirty_worktree.py --repo-path . --submodules --format markdown- The helper emits per-repo buckets for tracked changes, generated artifacts,
ignore candidates, and ambiguous paths that still need review.
Guardrails:
- Do not ignore tracked files to make
git status look clean.
- Do not delete build output or caches without checking whether an active
service or test still depends on them.
- Do not widen shared
.gitignore for a single developer-local artifact when
.git/info/exclude or a submodule-local ignore is enough.
- Do not assume every untracked file is disposable; generated fixtures and
captured evidence may be intentional.
Done checklist:
- Dirty files grouped by action.
- Generated artifacts mapped to an owning command or tool.
- Ignore recommendations scoped to the correct repo level.
- Verification command listed for the final re-check.
