close-arc

name

close-arc

description

Close an open **arc** — mark its narrative complete (`closed`) or explicitly set aside (`abandoned`), and audit that its closing conditions were actually met. Use this when the user says things like "close the X arc", "we're done with this arc", "abandon arc Y", "wrap up the arc". An arc cannot be `closed` while any of its inquiries are still `open` — this skill invokes `vault_check_transition` to enforce that and surfaces the blockers concretely. Arcs that trail off without explicit closure are the vault's biggest smell; spending two minutes on this skill is how that's avoided.

Close arc

You are closing (or abandoning) an arc in the knowledge-iop vault. Arcs that never get closed are the vault's biggest smell. This skill exists to make closing frictionless enough that it happens.

Two flavors

• closed — the arc reached its closing conditions (as stated in the charter). The narrative resolved.
• abandoned — the arc is set aside without reaching its closing conditions. This is an explicit, logged act — not a euphemism. Abandoning happens when the situation changed, not when the effort stalled.

If you can't articulate which one applies, the answer is usually "abandoned with a reason".

Before closing — verify

1. Ask the user for the arc id.
2. Call vault_edges on the arc id to see what's connected:
   • Inquiries (inquiry.arc = this)
   • Briefs, decisions (artifact.arc = this)
3. Call vault_check_transition with the arc id and new_status: closed. Surface any blockers, in particular:
   • arc_all_inquiries_closed: an open inquiry under this arc must be resolved or abandoned first.
4. Re-read the arc's charter (the body of arcs/<id>.md). Verify:
   • The closing conditions are met (for closed).
   • The expected artifacts are mostly in place — draft briefs or unresolved inquiries may warrant finishing or explicit handoff before close.
   • If they're NOT met, the transition is abandoned, not closed.

Updating the arc

Edit the arc file's frontmatter:

For closed:

status: closed
closed: <YYYY-MM-DD>

For abandoned:

status: abandoned
closed: <YYYY-MM-DD>

Append a closing section to the body:

## Closed <YYYY-MM-DD>

<one paragraph on what got done, what didn't, and why this is the
right time to close>

**Key artifacts:** [<brief-id>, <decision-id>, ...]
**Spawned:** [<successor-arc-id | "none">]
**Unresolved:** <anything explicitly left on the floor, with reason>

For abandoned, append instead:

## Abandoned <YYYY-MM-DD>

<one paragraph on why this arc is being set aside without resolution:
what changed, what became irrelevant, or what proved intractable>

**Picked up by:** <id | "nothing — the situation dissolved">
**Lessons:** <one or two; "we learned we should never again ...">

Drafting workflow

1. Verify (see above). Abort if vault_check_transition returns blockers — fix those first.
2. Edit the arc file's frontmatter and append the closing section.
3. Propose the diff to the user.
4. Apply on approval.
5. Commit: git add arcs/<id>.md && git commit -m "Close arc: <id>" (or "Abandon arc: <id>").

If blockers come back

The most common blocker is an open inquiry. Options:

1. Synthesize the inquiry via the synthesize skill — if the barrier has released, this is the right move.
2. Abandon the inquiry explicitly — edit inquiries/<id>/inquiry.md to status: abandoned, add a reason, commit. Then retry the arc close.
3. Keep the arc open — if the inquiry genuinely isn't ready and can't be abandoned, the arc isn't actually ready to close. Tell the user.

Do not close the arc with a dangling open inquiry. The invariant exists because resolution state is first-class, visible, and non-contagious — pretending the inquiry is gone defeats the point.

Spawning successors

If closing this arc implies a successor arc picks up the thread:

1. Close this arc first, noting the successor in the closing section.
2. Open the successor via open-arc, referencing the predecessor in the charter body.
3. Two separate commits — the handoff stays visible in history.

Do not

• Do not close an arc with vault_check_transition blockers unresolved. There is no force-close.
• Do not conflate closed and abandoned. The vault trusts honest labels.
• Do not silently edit old briefs or decisions to "wrap up" an arc. Their immutability rules apply regardless of whether the arc is closing.