refactor: simplify gardener formula — remove AD check, portfolio, blocked-review, stale-PR #127

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opened 2026-04-01 19:21:04 +00:00 by dev-bot · 0 comments

dev-bot commented

2026-04-01 19:21:04 +00:00

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Problem

The gardener formula has accumulated responsibilities that are now handled elsewhere or are no longer needed. It also has stale references to the old vault file-queue model and phase protocol that the SDK mode doesn't use.

What to remove

Steps to delete entirely

Step 4: blocked-review — dev-poll already checks deps via issue_is_ready(). With #115 (dev-agent cleanup on block), blocked issues get properly recycled. Gardener unblocking is redundant.
Step 5: stale-pr-recycle — #115 fixed dev-agent branch/PR cleanup on failure. Stale PRs should be rare now. If they recur, this can be re-added.

Sections to remove from grooming (step 2)

Item 7: Architecture decision alignment check — The architect agent will develop taste for architecture through its journal/lessons-learned. No need for a mechanical AD-vs-issue cross-check.
Item 9: Portfolio lifecycle — Addressables/observables table maintenance in AGENTS.md. Remove this responsibility.
Processing order items 1-2: remove "AD alignment check" and update numbering

Stale references to fix

Header comment (line 7): "No memory, no journal" — the gardener now has journaling via .profile (#97). Update to reflect this.
Vault procurement (grooming VAULT action): currently writes directly to $OPS_REPO_ROOT/vault/pending/<id>.md. Should use lib/vault.sh:vault_request() instead (PR-based vault model from #73-#77).
PHASE:awaiting_ci in commit-and-pr step: gardener-run.sh uses SDK mode (agent_run), not tmux/phase monitoring. Remove phase protocol instructions from the formula — the orchestrator handles CI/review via pr_walk_to_merge.
Steps header comment: update to Steps: preflight -> grooming -> dust-bundling -> agents-update -> commit-and-pr

After cleanup

The gardener becomes 5 steps:

Preflight — pull latest, record HEAD SHA (unchanged)
Grooming — quality gate, duplicate detection, tech-debt triage, dust classification. Vault items via vault_request().
Dust bundling — accumulate, expire, bundle (unchanged)
AGENTS.md update — watermark freshness, size enforcement (unchanged)
Commit and PR — simplified, no phase protocol

Affected files

formulas/run-gardener.toml (main change — remove steps 4+5, trim grooming, fix stale refs)
gardener/AGENTS.md (update role description to match simplified formula)

Acceptance criteria

Steps 4 (blocked-review) and 5 (stale-pr-recycle) removed
AD alignment check removed from grooming
Portfolio lifecycle removed from grooming
Vault procurement uses vault_request() not direct file write
Phase protocol references removed from commit-and-pr
Header comment updated (gardener now has journaling)
Step ordering comment updated
gardener/AGENTS.md reflects simplified role
CI green

## Problem The gardener formula has accumulated responsibilities that are now handled elsewhere or are no longer needed. It also has stale references to the old vault file-queue model and phase protocol that the SDK mode doesn't use. ## What to remove ### Steps to delete entirely - **Step 4: blocked-review** — dev-poll already checks deps via `issue_is_ready()`. With #115 (dev-agent cleanup on block), blocked issues get properly recycled. Gardener unblocking is redundant. - **Step 5: stale-pr-recycle** — #115 fixed dev-agent branch/PR cleanup on failure. Stale PRs should be rare now. If they recur, this can be re-added. ### Sections to remove from grooming (step 2) - **Item 7: Architecture decision alignment check** — The architect agent will develop taste for architecture through its journal/lessons-learned. No need for a mechanical AD-vs-issue cross-check. - **Item 9: Portfolio lifecycle** — Addressables/observables table maintenance in AGENTS.md. Remove this responsibility. - **Processing order items 1-2**: remove "AD alignment check" and update numbering ### Stale references to fix 1. **Header comment** (line 7): `"No memory, no journal"` — the gardener now has journaling via .profile (#97). Update to reflect this. 2. **Vault procurement** (grooming VAULT action): currently writes directly to `$OPS_REPO_ROOT/vault/pending/<id>.md`. Should use `lib/vault.sh:vault_request()` instead (PR-based vault model from #73-#77). 3. **PHASE:awaiting_ci** in commit-and-pr step: gardener-run.sh uses SDK mode (`agent_run`), not tmux/phase monitoring. Remove phase protocol instructions from the formula — the orchestrator handles CI/review via `pr_walk_to_merge`. 4. **Steps header comment**: update to `Steps: preflight -> grooming -> dust-bundling -> agents-update -> commit-and-pr` ## After cleanup The gardener becomes 5 steps: 1. **Preflight** — pull latest, record HEAD SHA (unchanged) 2. **Grooming** — quality gate, duplicate detection, tech-debt triage, dust classification. Vault items via `vault_request()`. 3. **Dust bundling** — accumulate, expire, bundle (unchanged) 4. **AGENTS.md update** — watermark freshness, size enforcement (unchanged) 5. **Commit and PR** — simplified, no phase protocol ## Affected files - `formulas/run-gardener.toml` (main change — remove steps 4+5, trim grooming, fix stale refs) - `gardener/AGENTS.md` (update role description to match simplified formula) ## Acceptance criteria - [ ] Steps 4 (blocked-review) and 5 (stale-pr-recycle) removed - [ ] AD alignment check removed from grooming - [ ] Portfolio lifecycle removed from grooming - [ ] Vault procurement uses vault_request() not direct file write - [ ] Phase protocol references removed from commit-and-pr - [ ] Header comment updated (gardener now has journaling) - [ ] Step ordering comment updated - [ ] gardener/AGENTS.md reflects simplified role - [ ] CI green