| name | complete-task |
| description | Complete an in-progress task by running clean-code, staging, and committing. In trunk repos it also closes the bead; in PR repos it leaves the bead open and offers /create-pr. Use after /verify-task. |
| allowed-tools | Read,Bash(bd:*),Bash(make:*),Bash(git:*),Bash(npm:*),Grep,Glob,Skill,AskUserQuestion |
| model-tier | standard |
| model | sonnet |
| effort | medium |
| version | 1.2.0 |
| author | flurdy |
Complete Task
Run clean-code, stage, and commit an in-progress task — the finalization phase of the development workflow. Whether the bead is closed here depends on the workflow: in a trunk / direct-commit repo the commit is the deliverable, so the bead closes now; in a PR-based repo the deliverable is a merged PR, so the bead is left open and closed later at the /create-pr stage.
When to Use
- Code changes are verified and ready to commit
- After
/verify-task has passed (or verification is not needed)
- Replacing manual Phase 3 (Commit and Close) steps
Prerequisites
Run /verify-task before this skill to confirm requirements are met and test coverage is adequate. If you haven't verified yet, do that first.
Usage
/complete-task # Auto-detect in-progress bead
/complete-task <bead-id> # Complete a specific bead
Instructions
1. Identify the Task
Determine which bead is being completed:
bd show <bead-id>
bd list --status=in_progress
If multiple beads are in progress, ask the user which one to complete.
If no beads are in progress, ask the user what to do.
2. Run Clean Code
make clean-code
If clean-code fails:
- Fix auto-fixable issues
- Re-run to confirm zero warnings and zero errors
- If issues remain that change behavior, ask the user before fixing
3. Stage Changes
Stage only the files changed for this task:
git add <specific-files>
Rules:
- Never use
git add -A or git add .
- Never stage root folders only (e.g.,
git add src/)
- Stage specific files or small subdirectories
- Exclude unrelated changes — if unrelated changes exist, leave them unstaged
- Exclude files that likely contain secrets (.env, credentials, etc.)
4. Commit
Create a commit using conventional commit format:
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
<type>: <concise description>
EOF
)"
Commit message rules:
- Use conventional commit prefix:
feat:, fix:, docs:, chore:, refactor:, perf:, test:
- Infer the type from the bead type (feature →
feat:, bug → fix:, task → contextual)
- Keep the message concise (1-2 sentences) focused on the "why"
- Do not push to remote
5. Detect the Workflow Mode
Only after the commit succeeds, detect whether this repo/branch uses a PR-based workflow — it decides whether the bead closes now or later.
default_branch=$(git symbolic-ref --quiet --short refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's#^origin/##')
if [ -z "$default_branch" ]; then
for c in main master; do git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/$c" && default_branch=$c && break; done
fi
current_branch=$(git branch --show-current)
git remote
Classify:
- Trunk / direct-commit mode —
current_branch equals default_branch, or there is no remote, or HEAD is detached. The commit itself is the deliverable.
- PR mode — on a feature branch (
current_branch ≠ default_branch) with a remote. The deliverable is a reviewed, merged PR; this commit is only the first step.
6. Finalize the Bead
Never close a bead if the commit failed or changes are still uncommitted.
Trunk mode — close the bead now (the commit is the whole deliverable):
bd close <bead-id> --reason="<brief summary of what was done>"
PR mode — do not close the bead here. By convention the bead is closed one step later, at the /create-pr stage (and reopened if review demands major changes); closing at commit time would be premature, before the PR even exists. Instead, tell the user a PR workflow was detected (on branch {current_branch}) and the bead is being left in_progress, then offer the next step with AskUserQuestion:
- Create the PR now (recommended) — invoke the
/create-pr skill via Skill. It pushes, opens the PR, and closes the bead.
- Not yet — leave the branch committed and the bead
in_progress; remind the user to run /create-pr when ready.
- Close the bead anyway — escape hatch for a repo that is actually trunk-based despite the feature branch; close it as in trunk mode.
7. Check for Follow-Up Work
After finalizing:
- If implementation revealed new issues or TODOs, mention them to the user
- Suggest creating follow-up beads if appropriate (but don't auto-create)
8. Report
Summarize what was done:
- Workflow mode (trunk or PR) and the resulting bead state — closed (trunk / close-anyway) or left
in_progress (PR mode, to be closed at /create-pr)
- If a PR was created via the handoff, its URL
- Commit hash and message
- Files changed count
- Any follow-up items noted
Handling Edge Cases
- No in-progress beads: Ask user if they want to complete uncommitted work without a bead, or create one first
- Multiple in-progress beads: List them and ask user to pick
- Clean-code fails repeatedly: After 2 attempts, ask user for guidance
- No changes to commit: Inform user there's nothing to commit; ask if the bead should still be closed
- Unrelated unstaged changes: Warn user about them; suggest creating a separate bead/commit
- Commit hook fails: Investigate the hook failure, fix the underlying issue, and create a new commit (never amend, never skip hooks)
- Feature branch but non-PR repo: detection assumes PR mode on any feature branch with a remote. If the user knows the repo is trunk-based, use the Close the bead anyway option in §6.
- PR already exists for this branch: still leave the bead open;
/create-pr (or the user) handles the existing PR. Don't open a duplicate.
Rules
- Never use
--no-verify or skip git hooks
- Never push to remote yourself — pushing happens via the
/create-pr handoff, not in this skill
- Never amend existing commits
- Never close a bead with uncommitted changes
- In PR mode, do not close the bead — that happens at
/create-pr (reopen later if review demands major changes)
- Always stage specific files, never bulk-add
- If any step fails, stop and inform the user rather than forcing through
