fix(playbooks): repo-sweep next stops on a conflicting sweep PR

plugins/playbooks/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "$schema": "https://json.schemastore.org/claude-code-plugin-manifest.json",
   "name": "playbooks",
-  "version": "0.14.4",
+  "version": "0.14.5",
   "description": "Doctrine and knowledge playbooks as on-demand skills, repo-sweep for running a catalog of hygiene skills through a repository one commit per step, plus a maintainer-facing update skill. boris carries Boris Cherny's Claude Code workflow tips (howborisusesclaudecode.com), skill-authoring carries Anthropic's internal skill-authoring playbook, and fable-5 carries Claude Fable 5's operating doctrine (self-authored, no upstream). The boris and skill-authoring packs vendor a verbatim upstream baseline; /playbooks:update drift-checks and syncs those baselines centrally (maintainers).",
   "author": {
     "name": "Melodic Software",

plugins/playbooks/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -4,6 +4,15 @@ All notable changes to the `playbooks` plugin are recorded here. The `version` i
 `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` is the delivery vehicle. A consumer receives a change
 only after that version increases.
 
+## [0.14.5] - 2026-09-29
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **`repo-sweep next` stops when the sweep PR conflicts with its base** ([#5206](https://github.com/melodic-software/claude-code-plugins/issues/5206)).
+  GitHub runs no `pull_request` workflows on a conflicting PR, so step commits pushed to it got no
+  CI. `state.sh` now prints `mergeable CONFLICTING`, and `next` stops before any step and asks the
+  user to merge the base branch into the sweep branch and push.
+
 ## [0.14.4] - 2026-09-29
 
 ### Fixed

plugins/playbooks/skills/repo-sweep/SKILL.md

@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ error everywhere; codes 10 and up carry the meanings below; any other non-zero c
 | `history.sh <catalog>` | TSV id, recommendation (`run`, `rerun`, `rerun-optional`), reason, from merged sweep PRs then `Playbook-Step` trailers | 1 catalog error |
 | `render.sh --checklist <catalog> <selection-line> [<recs-tsv>]` | The PR checklist block plus `Not run:` | 1 bad id, selection, or TSV |
 | `render.sh --page <catalog> <recs-tsv>` | The filled selection page on stdout | 1 as above, or template missing |
-| `state.sh` | `key value` lines: `pr`, `branch`, `pr-state`, `playbook`, `dirty`, `untick-committed <id> <sha> <skill@version>...`, `done-unverified <id>`, `next <id> in-progress\|pending`, `sweep <n> <branch>` | 0 next step found; 1 no markers; 10 no sweep PR; 11 PR merged or closed; 12 dirty tree, step pending; 13 all done; 14 one open sweep on another branch; 15 several open sweeps |
+| `state.sh` | `key value` lines: `pr`, `branch`, `pr-state`, `mergeable CONFLICTING`, `playbook`, `dirty`, `untick-committed <id> <sha> <skill@version>...`, `done-unverified <id>`, `next <id> in-progress\|pending`, `sweep <n> <branch>` | 0 next step found; 1 no markers; 10 no sweep PR; 11 PR merged or closed; 12 dirty tree, step pending; 13 all done; 14 one open sweep on another branch; 15 several open sweeps |
 | `tick.sh <id> in-progress` / `[--partial <detail>] committed <sha> <skill@version>...` / `no-findings <skill@version>...` / `partial <detail> <skill@version>...` / `not-applicable <evidence> <skill@version>...` / `[--partial <detail>] report-only <n> <skill@version>...` / `[--partial <detail>] declined <n> <skill@version>...` | Sets that checklist line, re-reads the body to confirm | 1 line missing, already done, or edit did not land |
 | `guard.sh <base-sha> <pr-snapshot-file>` | Checks a step stayed on the branch and opened no PR | 10 stop (prints `branch-changed`, `base-not-ancestor`, `new-pr` lines); 11 prints `squash git reset --soft <base-sha>` |
 

plugins/playbooks/skills/repo-sweep/evals/evals.json

@@ -75,6 +75,18 @@
         "Invokes /plugin-quality:audit for the skill defect",
         "Files nothing with gh issue create until the user approves each draft"
       ]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 7,
+      "name": "next-stops-on-conflicting-pr",
+      "prompt": "/playbooks:repo-sweep next (state.sh exits 0 with a pending step and prints mergeable CONFLICTING)",
+      "expected_output": "The skill stops before running any step, says GitHub runs no pull_request workflows on a conflicting PR so pushed commits get no CI, and asks the user to merge the base branch into the sweep branch and push, then rerun next.",
+      "files": [],
+      "expectations": [
+        "Stops on the mergeable CONFLICTING line without running the pending step",
+        "Names merging the base branch into the sweep branch as the fix",
+        "Does not stop when mergeable is UNKNOWN"
+      ]
     }
   ]
 }

plugins/playbooks/skills/repo-sweep/reference/next.md

@@ -16,7 +16,14 @@ never combined with `&&` or other commands in one call. The record for these sha
 1. On a `chore/repo-sweep-*` branch, bring it current first: `git fetch origin '<branch>'`, then
    `git merge --ff-only 'origin/<branch>'`. A step committed on another machine is only reconciled
    when its commit is local.
-2. Run `S/state.sh` and act on its exit code:
+2. Run `S/state.sh`. If it printed `mergeable CONFLICTING` (any exit code), stop before the exit
+   code handling below and before any step. GitHub runs no `pull_request` workflows on a
+   conflicting PR, so pushed step commits get no CI. Ask the user to merge the base branch into
+   the sweep branch and push, then rerun `next`. `UNKNOWN` never stops. Basis: the `pull_request`
+   section of
+   <https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/events-that-trigger-workflows>
+   says workflows do not run on pull_request activity while the pull request has a merge conflict.
+   As of: 2026-09-29. Recheck: that section changes. Otherwise act on its exit code:
    - 10: no sweep PR. Point to `/playbooks:repo-sweep plan`. Stop.
    - 11: the sweep PR is merged or closed. Refuse to continue and point to `plan`. Stop.
    - 12: the tree is dirty and no step is in progress. Show `git status --short`, ask the user

plugins/playbooks/skills/repo-sweep/scripts/state.sh

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #   pr <number>
 #   branch <head-branch>
 #   pr-state OPEN|MERGED|CLOSED
+#   mergeable CONFLICTING  a warning: printed only when the open PR conflicts with its base
 #   playbook <name>
 #   dirty yes|no           any change, tracked or untracked, outside .work/
 #   untick-committed <id> <sha> <skill@version>...
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 prefix=chore/repo-sweep-
-fields=number,state,headRefName,baseRefName,body,isCrossRepository
+fields=number,state,mergeable,headRefName,baseRefName,body,isCrossRepository
 # Branch names, playbook names, and step ids reach commands the agent builds, so all three are
 # restricted to safe characters, and fork PRs never count as a sweep.
 safe_branch='^chore/repo-sweep-[A-Za-z0-9._-]+$'
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ fi
 
 jq -r '"pr \(.number)\nbranch \(.headRefName)\npr-state \(.state)"' "$tmp/pr"
 [[ $(jq -r .state "$tmp/pr") == OPEN ]] || exit 11
+jq -r 'select(.mergeable == "CONFLICTING") | "mergeable CONFLICTING"' "$tmp/pr"
 jq -r .body "$tmp/pr" | tr -d '\r' | awk '
   /^<!-- repo-sweep:end -->/ { if (inb) exit; next }
   inb { print; next }

plugins/playbooks/skills/repo-sweep/scripts/state.test.sh

@@ -58,9 +58,9 @@ body() { # <eol> <checklist lines...>
   printf "%s$eol\n" "$@"
   printf '<!-- repo-sweep:end -->%s\n\nNot run:%s\n- tidy: not selected%s\n' "$eol" "$eol" "$eol"
 }
-pr() { # <state> <body> [<number>] [<branch>]
-  jq -n --arg s "$1" --arg b "$2" --argjson n "${3:-7}" --arg h "${4:-$sweep}" \
-    '{number: $n, state: $s, headRefName: $h, baseRefName: "main", body: $b}'
+pr() { # <state> <body> [<number>] [<branch>] [<mergeable>]
+  jq -n --arg s "$1" --arg b "$2" --argjson n "${3:-7}" --arg h "${4:-$sweep}" --arg m "${5:-}" \
+    '{number: $n, state: $s, headRefName: $h, baseRefName: "main", body: $b} + (if $m == "" then {} else {mergeable: $m} end)'
 }
 serve() { jq -s . >"$TMP/gh/$1.json"; }
 run() { # sets out, rc
@@ -132,6 +132,23 @@ pr MERGED "$(body '' '- [ ] a: p:a')" | serve head
 run
 assert_eq "merged PR: exit 11" "11 pr-state MERGED" "$rc $(grep '^pr-state' <<<"$out")"
 
+pr OPEN "$(body '' '- [ ] a: p:a')" 7 "$sweep" CONFLICTING | serve head
+run
+assert_eq "CONFLICTING open PR: warning line, normal exit" "0 mergeable CONFLICTING" "$rc $(grep '^mergeable' <<<"$out")"
+assert_eq "CONFLICTING: line sits between pr-state and playbook" "pr-state OPEN
+mergeable CONFLICTING
+playbook fixture" "$(sed -n 3,5p <<<"$out")"
+
+for m in MERGEABLE UNKNOWN; do
+  pr OPEN "$(body '' '- [ ] a: p:a')" 7 "$sweep" "$m" | serve head
+  run
+  assert_eq "$m open PR: no mergeable line" "0 " "$rc $(grep '^mergeable' <<<"$out")"
+done
+
+pr MERGED "$(body '' '- [ ] a: p:a')" 7 "$sweep" CONFLICTING | serve head
+run
+assert_eq "CONFLICTING but merged PR: exit 11, no mergeable line" "11 " "$rc $(grep '^mergeable' <<<"$out")"
+
 serve head </dev/null
 run
 assert_eq "no PR for the sweep branch: exit 10" "10" "$rc"