| name | aget-close-project |
| description | Close a PROJECT_PLAN with verifiable-assertion gate (V-tests + commits + retrospective), deferred-surface scan for next-plan handoff, and status transition (ACTIVE → COMPLETE / CLOSED / ABANDONED / SUPERSEDED). Strict counterpart to /aget-create-project (D71 Layer 2). Closes asymmetric verb-pair gap at PROJECT_PLAN lifecycle. |
/aget-close-project
Terminally close a PROJECT_PLAN with verifiable assertion, closure checklist, and deferred-surface handoff. Strict counterpart to /aget-create-project.
Input
$ARGUMENTS — PROJECT_PLAN filename (or slug; resolved against planning/)
Mode Detection
| Input Pattern | Mode | Behavior |
|---|
| Empty | Interactive | List candidate plans (status=IN PROGRESS or all gates [x]), prompt for selection |
<filename> or <slug> | Explicit | Resolve to planning/PROJECT_PLAN_<name>.md; close that plan |
<filename> --reason <text> | Explicit with reason | Required for non-COMPLETE closures (CLOSED, ABANDONED, SUPERSEDED) |
<filename> --override <text> | L178 override | Bypasses gate-completion gate (Step 2) with recorded reason |
Project Closure Process
Step 0: Scope-Fit + Identity Check
- Read
.aget/identity.json — extract name, domain
- Resolve PROJECT_PLAN path; verify file exists under
planning/
- If file absent: ERROR with candidate-list suggestion
Step 1: Input Analysis
Parse $ARGUMENTS:
- Plan filename or slug
- Optional
--reason <text> (required for CLOSED/ABANDONED/SUPERSEDED)
- Optional
--override <text> (L178 path — bypasses Step 2 with recorded reason)
Step 2: Gate-Completion Gate (Strict — C-CLOSE-001)
Automate the scan, don't eyeball it (C-P1 guard, v3.20; L736 assert-before-verify):
python3 scripts/close_gate_check.py planning/PROJECT_PLAN_<name>.md
Exit 2 = BLOCK (unchecked conformance signals listed: Pending/In-Progress gate status, PENDING V-test rows, unchecked Closure/Finalization items). Exit 0 = clean. The script is the consumer's check (C-P4) that backs the prose criteria below — do not assert closure-readiness without running it.
REFUSE close if any of:
- Any gate marked
[ ] (unmarked) in plan body — UNLESS override path
- Any V-test result missing for a CAP that has gates
- Plan header
**Status:** field absent or not parseable
close_gate_check.py exits 2 (unchecked conformance signals) — UNLESS override path
Output on refusal:
REFUSE: /aget-close-project gate-completion gate failed
Plan: planning/PROJECT_PLAN_<name>.md
Unmarked gates: <list>
Missing V-tests: <list>
Override path: re-invoke with --override "<reason per L178>"
Override path (L178): principal supplies reason; recorded in retrospective + commit.
Step 2.5: Authorization Gate (Strict — C-CLOSE-002; L1102 / Q3:A hardening)
A principal-attributed close MUST link its authorizing event; an irreversible consequence MUST be legible. This closes the L1102 root cause — the v3.23 close recorded Reason (principal-ruled): ... private milestone / fold to v3.24 with no linked authorization event and no legibility on the irreversible consequence (burning the v3.23.0 public number).
python3 scripts/close_authorization_guard.py planning/PROJECT_PLAN_<name>.md
Exit 1 = BLOCK. Two checks fire only when relevant (an agent-autonomous close with no irreversible consequence passes — guard N/A):
- CHECK-A: the close reason attributes the decision to the principal (
principal-ruled, approved by the principal, …) but carries no authorization-event pointer (a /aget-go record, an Authorization log entry, an AskUserQuestion/Q#:X selection, a dated principal quote). Free-text "(principal-ruled)" is not provenance.
- CHECK-B: the close carries an irreversible / identity-level consequence (private milestone, skip/burn a public version, fold to a later version, abandon a public release) that is not made legible — the consequence must be surfaced explicitly, never buried under a mechanism label, and never agent-recommended against a standing requirement (e.g. "release publicly each weekend").
REFUSE close if the guard exits 1 — UNLESS --override with a recorded L178 reason. On a principal-attributed close, the fix is to add the event pointer (link the GO/selection), not to override.
Step 3: Research Phase
Before writing closure artifacts, gather context:
3.1 Read full PROJECT_PLAN body
- All gate sections
- All V-test result blocks
- Existing retrospective section (if any)
- All deferred-surface markers ("deferred to next session", "Loading Dock", "spawn", "future")
3.2 Read sibling closed plans for closure-pattern grounding
grep -l "^\*\*Status\*\*:\s*COMPLETE" planning/PROJECT_PLAN_*.md | head -3
Read the most recent 1-2 closed plans to ground retrospective style.
3.3 Read commit log for this plan
git log --oneline -- planning/PROJECT_PLAN_<name>.md
Build V-test → commit-SHA mapping (per L001: gate completion = plan update + commit).
Step 4: Closure Checklist Authoring (C-CLOSE-002)
Generate or update these sections in the plan body (per AGET_PROJECT_PLAN_SPEC template, CAP-PP-013/016/018):
- Retrospective (required, non-empty):
- Worked: What landed as intended
- Didn't Work: Friction, rework, gaps
- Spawned: Items routed to other plans / initiatives / L-docs
- Velocity Analysis: gates planned vs gates landed; time-on-plan vs estimate
- Closure Checklist (per template — 10 items spec-defined)
- Finalization Checklist — pre-close gates: index updated, supervisor notified, handoff filed if applicable
Step 5: Status Transition (C-CLOSE-003 — Verifiable Assertion)
Update **Plan_Status**: header field to one of:
| Status | Meaning | Required Evidence |
|---|
| COMPLETE | All gates [x], V-tests pass, retrospective recorded | Full closure checklist + V-test SHA mapping |
| CLOSED | Terminated without full completion (deferred/superseded/abandoned) | --reason text + reroute targets in retrospective |
| ABANDONED | Closed without success, no reroute | --reason text + lesson-record link |
| SUPERSEDED | Replaced by another plan | Pointer to replacement plan filename |
Verifiable-Assertion requirement (per CAP-PRJ-001): Status transition is NOT text-edit alone. The transition is valid only when accompanied by:
- V-test summary block referencing commit SHAs
- Closure timestamp + closing agent identity
- Retrospective section non-empty
Step 6: Deferred-Surface Scan (C-CLOSE-004 — MANDATORY)
Scan plan body for deferred-surface markers and emit a structured list for next-plan handoff (L913 closure):
## Deferred Surface (emitted by /aget-close-project — consumed by /aget-propose-actions Step 2 KB review)
| Item | Source line | Suggested route |
|------|-------------|-----------------|
| <text matching "deferred to next session" / "Loading Dock" / "spawn" / "future"> | line N | <next-plan candidate or initiative stream> |
This block MUST be written verbatim into the plan body (under section ## Deferred Surface). /aget-propose-actions SKILL-024 v1.3.0+ scans for this header at next-plan-creation time (per #1186 wiring).
Step 7: Output Summary
Emit one-page summary to stdout:
=== /aget-close-project: <plan-slug> ===
Plan: planning/PROJECT_PLAN_<name>.md
Status transition: <prev> → <new>
Gates: <X/Y> [x] V-tests: <A/B> recorded
Retrospective: <N> lines Deferred-surface items: <N>
Closure timestamp: <ISO-8601>
Closing agent: <identity from .aget/identity.json>
Commit prep: ready (run `git add` + `git commit` per L001)
Step 7.5: Self-Verification (C-CLOSE-005)
For each closure-checklist item, emit PASS/FAIL line:
self-verify:
retrospective: PASS (3 sub-sections non-empty)
velocity_analysis: PASS
closure_checklist: PASS (10/10 items addressed)
finalization: PASS
deferred_surface: PASS (N items scanned)
status_assertion: PASS (V-test SHA mapping recorded)
If any FAIL: do NOT proceed to Step 8; surface for principal review.
Step 8: Cross-Plan Coordination
- If
planning/INDEX_PROJECT_PLANS.md exists (Stream 3 deliverable of INIT-PROJECT-MATURATION): update row for this plan
- Scan plan body for "Spawned" items in retrospective; flag any that lack a target plan/initiative/L-doc
- Update owning initiative file (if plan references one) — mark stream/deliverable status if applicable
Step 9: INDEX update (C-CLOSE-006)
When planning/INDEX_PROJECT_PLANS.md exists: MUST update the row corresponding to this plan with new status + closure date. If INDEX absent (Stream 3 not yet landed): emit a one-line note in the closure summary noting the gap.
Step 10: Skill completion signal
Emit terminal block:
/aget-close-project: COMPLETE
Plan closed: <path>
Next action: git add <path> && git commit (commit IS structural proof — L001)
Deferred-surface emitted: yes (consumed by next /aget-propose-actions)
Constraints
- C-CLOSE-001 (Strict gate): REFUSE close if any gate
[ ] or any V-test missing. Override path L178 with --reason.
- C-CLOSE-002 (Closure checklist completeness): All template sections must be non-empty before write.
- C-CLOSE-003 (Verifiable assertion): Status transition requires V-test SHA mapping + timestamp + agent identity. Text-edit alone is insufficient.
- C-CLOSE-004 (Deferred-surface scan mandatory): Step 6 MUST execute. Output is consumed by
/aget-propose-actions (L913 closure).
- C-CLOSE-005 (Self-verification): Step 7.5 PASS for every checklist item before Step 8 fires.
- C-CLOSE-006 (INDEX update mandatory when present): When
INDEX_PROJECT_PLANS.md exists, MUST update.
Enforcement Level
Strict (D71 Layer 2 — per AGENTS.md §Structural Skill Routing). Direct status-field edit on a PROJECT_PLAN's **Plan_Status**: from IN PROGRESS to COMPLETE/CLOSED/ABANDONED/SUPERSEDED via Edit/Write is PROHIBITED. The closure must route through this skill so that:
- Gate-completion gate (C-CLOSE-001) fires
- Verifiable-assertion requirement (C-CLOSE-003) is met
- Deferred-surface scan (C-CLOSE-004) emits L913 handoff
Known risk (transparent at v1.0): AGET_PROJECT_PLAN_SPEC is DRAFT (#1180). Strict enforcement before spec finalization is principal-authorized (2026-05-21 GO). Follow-on: when spec lands, V-tests V-PRJ-001/002/004 wire to this skill's constraints.
Override path (L178): --override "<reason>" bypasses Step 2 only. Records reason in retrospective + commit message. Does not waive Steps 4-7.5.
Related Skills
/aget-create-project — sibling verb-pair (Strict, exists). Pair completes lifecycle bookend./aget-propose-actions — consumer of Step 6 Deferred Surface output (SKILL-024 v1.3.0+)./aget-record-lesson — for ABANDONED closures with lesson-record link./aget-close-session — sibling close-mode skill (different artifact class: session vs project).
Traceability
| Link | Reference |
|---|
| Skill ID | SKILL-052 (.aget/specs/skills/SKILL-052_aget-close-project.yaml) |
| Proposal | planning/skill-proposals/PROPOSAL_aget-close-project.md (APPROVED 2026-05-21) |
| Owning Initiative | INIT-PROJECT-MATURATION (Stream 4 — Lifecycle Symmetry; highest-WSJF per PP-020 D4) |
| Sibling verb-pair | /aget-create-project (Strict) |
| Spec (governing) | AGET_PROJECT_PLAN_SPEC.md (DRAFT — #1180) |
| L-docs | L001 (gate discipline), L617 (gate ordering), L649 (closure-time structural gap — originating), L675 (consequence gap), L908 (apply-to-others-not-self), L913 (plan-close→create handoff), L131 (stopping-point bypass), L178 (Human Override), L735 (push window) |
| CAPs | CAP-PRJ-001 (verifiable assertion), CAP-PRJ-002 (closure handoff scan), CAP-PRJ-004 (symmetric close-side gate), CAP-PRJ-007 (Loading Dock detection — consumer) |
| V-tests (pending spec landing) | V-PRJ-001, V-PRJ-002, V-PRJ-004 |
| Cross-fleet evidence | FLEET-UPG-013 + FLEET-UPG-014 D4 root cause (status-field text-edit) |
| Verb registry | close (Active, row 29, Common, added v3.13.0; paired with open) |
| Architecture | SKILL.md-driven (mirrors /aget-create-project); no companion script per 2026-05-21 proposal revision |
aget-close-project v1.0.0
Category: Governance (lifecycle bookend)
Enforcement: Strict (D71 Layer 2)
