reveng-worktree-hygiene

name	reveng-worktree-hygiene
description	Prunes REVENG merged/prunable git worktrees and local feature branches without blind-merging unfinished work to main (L51/L52 companion). Use when cleaning .worktrees/, after Wave closeout, when git worktree list shows prunable tips, when tempted to merge foreign worktrees/PRs wholesale, or when disposing session temp thinktank/Sol artifacts on Windows.

REVENG worktree hygiene (no blind-merge)

Overview

A clean tree is a happy tree — after confirming tips are ancestors of main (or intentionally abandoned). Blind-merge of every worktree/PR is forbidden (Thinktank Option 1 / L51). Prefer git worktree remove + git worktree prune over rm -rf (git-scm docs; Exa 2026-08-22).

Protocol

1. Inventory

   git worktree list
   gh pr list --state open --limit 30
   

2. Ancestor check before remove (per worktree branch):

   git merge-base --is-ancestor <branch> main && echo MERGED
   

   • MERGED → safe to git worktree remove --force <path> then git branch -d <branch> (or -D if already gone remotely).
   • NOT_MERGED → do not merge to main from hygiene alone. Park, open a scoped PR, or leave until Thinktank/Sol wave. Never “merge everything even if not yours.”
3. Remove + prune

   git worktree remove --force <path>
   git worktree prune -v
   

   If the directory was deleted by hand first, prune alone clears $GIT_DIR/worktrees metadata.
4. Merged local feature branches (after fetch prune):

   git fetch --prune
   git branch -vv | findstr ": gone]"
   # delete only gone / ancestor-of-main feature refs — never main
   

5. Open PRs
   • Product waves: leave or close with reason; do not mass-merge.
   • Dependabot: leave open unless a wave scoped them — not “agent litter.”
6. Windows thinktank temp (L52)
   • Prefer "C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe" for tt_council.sh.
   • Clear %TEMP%\tt_* / sol_* / commit-msg temps with PowerShell Remove-Item, never WSL rm -rf "$O"/* with a mangled path.
7. No stash across worktrees (see reveng-named-path-commit).

Anti-patterns

Excuse	Reality
"User said clean everything — merge all worktrees to main"	Hygiene ≠ merge. Ancestor check first (L51).
"rm -rf .worktrees/foo is fine"	Prefer worktree remove; then prune if you already deleted.
"Close all Dependabot PRs to tidy"	Dep bumps are not stale agent worktrees; leave unless wave-scoped.
"WSL bash for tt_council out-dir clear"	L52 — Git Bash or PowerShell Remove-Item.

Cross-refs

• reveng-named-path-commit (L38/L49/L56 staging)
• reveng-sol-frozen-tip / reveng-release-honesty (wave closeout)
• CEO: docs/architecture/ceo-update-2026-08-21-wave10-closeout.md
• Lessons: L51, L52, L54