Merge pull request #176 from codex-bot-andresmgsl/build/175-post-merge-queue-state

feat: add post-merge issue queue state

BUILDER.md

@@ -141,7 +141,12 @@ triage bug, and the move is to say so on the issue, not to guess.
   merge — a live proof of a workflow trigger, a released-artifact check,
   anything whose subject does not exist until the change is on the base
   branch — the same-repo PR uses `Refs #N` instead, and triage closes the
-  issue by hand on the evidence, exactly as it does for cross-repo work.
+  issue by hand on the evidence, exactly as it does for cross-repo work. The
+  merge releases the claim: the issue moves to `post-merge`, the builder
+  walks away, and triage owns verification and closure. If evidence later
+  requires corrective build work, triage returns it to `ready` or mints a
+  fresh `ready` issue; any builder claims from current `main`, and the
+  original builder has no special standing.
   The issue body is what says so; you never judge which issues qualify, and
   absent that instruction `Closes #N` remains the default. The exception was
   bought the hard way: #143 carried `Closes #137` as doctrine then required,

LABELS.md

@@ -52,14 +52,32 @@ strips it on sight).
 | `ready` | `#0E8A16` | triaged, spec complete, unblocked — a builder can start now and succeed | triage |
 | `claimed` | `#1D76DB` | a builder owns it: assignee set, a draft PR expected shortly | the claiming builder |
 | `blocked` | `#6A737D` | waiting on another issue or PR (`Blocked by #N` in the body names it) | triage; anyone may correct it |
+| `post-merge` | `#006B75` | the Refs-linked PR merged; post-merge acceptance criteria remain; the claim is released — nothing here is buildable and nobody owes a draft | the sweep or triage |
 | `epic` | `#5319E7` | organizes other issues via a dependency-ordered task list; **builders never pick an epic** | triage |
 
 The work-queue sweep enforces the invariant a board scan relies on: every open issue is either
 `needs-triage`, `epic`, or carries exactly one of `ready` / `claimed` /
-`blocked`. It flags conflicts rather than guessing intent. A `claimed` issue
+`blocked` / `post-merge`. It flags conflicts rather than guessing intent. A `claimed` issue
 with no open PR and no activity for 48 hours is reclaimed by the sweep: it
 comments, unassigns the stale owner, and restores `ready`.
 
+When a merged PR references a `claimed` issue with `Refs #N` and unchecked
+criteria remain, the sweep moves the issue to `post-merge`, clears the
+assignee, and comments with the remaining criteria verbatim. The comment says
+that the claim is released and that triage owes a follow-up naming the owner
+and wake condition for completion. Triage writes that full transition comment
+in the same tick when it or the operator makes the move by hand. The sweep
+never reclaims `post-merge`: weeks of quiet can be the state working.
+
+`post-merge` never composes with `blocked`; the transition comment carries the
+wait. It never composes with `attention`, because releasing the claim clears
+the assignee and leaves nobody parked-for. An assigned `post-merge` issue is
+flagged rather than repaired: a hand-assignment is intent. `needs-ruling`
+still composes. When the remainder becomes buildable, triage moves
+`post-merge` to `ready` or mints a fresh `ready` issue. Any builder may claim
+that work from current `main`; the original builder has no special standing,
+and re-entry does not set `attention`.
+
 ## Cross-cutting (PRs and issues)
 
 | Label | Color | Meaning |
@@ -155,7 +173,12 @@ unanswered `attention` is exactly the silence the 48-hour reclaim should
 take. It is hand-set doctrine only: nothing in `actions/` sets, clears,
 reads, or validates it, and no reconciler enforces the assignee requirement.
 An `attention` issue without an assignee is therefore a board bug, not a
-demand; anyone may assign it or remove the flag.
+demand; anyone may assign it or remove the flag. It never composes with
+`post-merge`, whose released claim has no assignee to answer the demand. The
+one machine-clear exception is the derived `claimed` → `post-merge`
+transition: releasing the assignee clears a carried `attention` in the same
+edit. A hand-created `post-merge` + `attention` composition is flagged, not
+rewritten.
 
 The three signals are mutually distinct: `attention` means an assignee owes
 a move; `needs-ruling` means a human owes a decision under

TRIAGE.md

@@ -96,7 +96,12 @@ Every issue you mint carries, in this order:
   rather than `Closes #N`. A criterion that survives the merge only if
   someone remembers to reopen the issue is an incomplete criterion — #137's
   amended body is the worked example, reopened by hand after `Closes #137`
-  closed it with the criterion unmet (#151).
+  closed it with the criterion unmet (#151). The merge moves the issue to
+  `post-merge` and releases the claim. The sweep writes the transition
+  comment when it derives the move; when triage or the operator moves it by
+  hand, triage writes the comment in the same tick. In either case triage
+  follows up with the remaining criteria, their owner, and the wake condition
+  for completion.
 - **Test plan**: what proves it, including the cases that must fail.
 - **Dependencies**: `Blocked by #N` / `Blocks #N`, and `Part of #E` when an
   epic organizes it. Name a cross-repo dependency the same way with its
@@ -126,6 +131,11 @@ itself. Keep the checklist current — a stale epic misleads every scan.
   lands, and flags a blocked issue whose dependency declaration is unreadable.
 - The sweep reclaims abandoned claims after 48 hours: `claimed` + no open PR
   + no activity → comment, unassign, restore `ready`.
+- `post-merge` is triage's completion queue, not a parked claim. Tick verified
+  criteria and close under the criterion's existing contract. If corrective
+  build work becomes necessary, move it to `ready` or mint a fresh `ready`
+  issue: any builder claims from current `main`, the original builder has no
+  special standing, and re-entry does not set `attention`.
 - Automation never guesses intent. Resolve the conflict comments it leaves on
   malformed queue states, and close or extend completed epics when nudged.
 - **Close obsolete issues** with the reason and a link to what obsoleted

actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ ISSUEFLOW_STALE_HOURS="${ISSUEFLOW_STALE_HOURS:-48}"
 }
 NOW="$ISSUEFLOW_NOW"
 STALE_AFTER=$((ISSUEFLOW_STALE_HOURS * 3600))
-QUEUE_LABELS=(ready claimed blocked)
+QUEUE_LABELS=(ready claimed blocked post-merge)
 TRIAGE_ACTORS=()
 
 # The needs-ruling invariants (#52) — one implementation for both surfaces.
@@ -122,6 +122,50 @@ claim_reclaim_marker() { # $1 = last activity epoch
   printf 'claim-reclaimed-%s\n' "$1"
 }
 
+refs_references() { # PR body on stdin -> local issue numbers named by Refs
+  awk '
+    {
+      line = $0
+      lower = tolower(line)
+      if (match(lower, /(^|[^[:alnum:]_-])refs[[:space:]:]+/)) {
+        line = substr(line, RSTART + RLENGTH)
+        if (line ~ /^(#|([[:alnum:]_.-]+\/)?[[:alnum:]_.-]+#)[0-9]+/) {
+          sub(/[.(;].*/, "", line)
+          print line
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  ' | issue_references \
+    | awk -F '\t' '$1 == "LOCAL" { print $2 }' | sort -nu
+}
+
+unchecked_criteria() { # issue body on stdin -> unchecked task-list lines verbatim
+  awk '
+    /^[[:space:]]*([-*]|[0-9]+\.)[[:space:]]+\[[[:space:]]\]/ {
+      sub(/\r$/, "")
+      print
+    }
+  '
+}
+
+post_merge_decision() { # $1 merged Refs PR, $2 linked open PR, $3 already handled
+  local merged="$1" open_pr="$2" handled="$3" unchecked
+  unchecked="$(cat)"
+  if [ -n "$merged" ] && [ "$open_pr" = false ] && [ "$handled" = false ] \
+      && [ -n "$unchecked" ]; then echo TRANSITION
+  else echo KEEP
+  fi
+}
+
+post_merge_pr_for_issue() { # $1 issue; records are ISSUE<TAB>PR
+  awk -F '\t' -v issue="$1" '$1 == issue { print $2 }' \
+    <<<"${MERGED_REF_PR_RECORDS:-}" | sort -n | tail -n1
+}
+
+post_merge_transition_marker() { # $1 merged PR number
+  printf 'post-merge-transition-pr-%s\n' "$1"
+}
+
 issue_references() { # text on stdin -> LOCAL/CROSS<TAB>reference
   # A qualified reference belongs to another repository. Classify the whole
   # token before extracting numbers so rig#112 can never become local #112.
@@ -216,12 +260,16 @@ offsite_resolved_decision() { # PR states on stdin -> NUDGE | QUIET
 # API edge. Marker comments make warnings and nudges idempotent across sweeps.
 ensure_comment() { # $1 issue, $2 marker, $3 message
   local n="$1" marker="$2" message="$3"
-  if gh api --paginate "repos/$REPO/issues/$n/comments" --jq '.[].body' \
+  if issue_comment_has_marker "$n" "$marker"; then return; fi
-      | grep -qF "<!-- issueflow:$marker -->"; then return; fi
   run gh issue comment "$n" -R "$REPO" --body "<!-- issueflow:$marker -->
 $message" >/dev/null
 }
 
+issue_comment_has_marker() { # $1 issue, $2 marker
+  gh api --paginate "repos/$REPO/issues/$1/comments" --jq '.[].body' \
+    | grep -qF "<!-- issueflow:$2 -->"
+}
+
 reference_states() {
   local ref state
   while IFS= read -r ref; do
@@ -262,6 +310,8 @@ last_issue_activity() {
 
 reconcile_issue() {
   local n="$1" decision refs cross_refs states age assignees open_pr=false label owners
+  local merged_ref_pr="" transition_marker="" transition_handled=false
+  local unchecked="" remove_claimed=claimed
   decision="$(queue_decision <<<"$ISSUE_LABELS")"
   case "$decision" in
     ADD_NEEDS_TRIAGE)
@@ -269,7 +319,7 @@ reconcile_issue() {
       log "#$n: needs-triage (no queue state)" ;;
     FLAG_CONFLICT)
       ensure_comment "$n" queue-conflict \
-        'The issue-flow sweep found conflicting queue labels. It cannot infer intent safely; triage must leave exactly one of `needs-triage`, `epic`, `ready`, `claimed`, or `blocked`.'
+        'The issue-flow sweep found conflicting queue labels. It cannot infer intent safely; triage must leave exactly one of `needs-triage`, `epic`, `ready`, `claimed`, `blocked`, or `post-merge`.'
       log "#$n: conflicting queue labels; flagged"
       return ;;
   esac
@@ -277,46 +327,83 @@ reconcile_issue() {
   if has_issue_label claimed; then
     assignees="$(jq '.assignees | length' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
     grep -qxF "$n" <<<"${OPEN_PR_ISSUES:-}" && open_pr=true
-    age="$(last_issue_activity "$n" "$(jq -r '.created_at' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
+    merged_ref_pr="$(post_merge_pr_for_issue "$n")"
-    if [ "$(claim_clock_exempt <<<"$ISSUE_LABELS")" = EXEMPT ]; then
+    if [ -n "$merged_ref_pr" ]; then
-      # Legitimately quiet work does not run the reclaim clock. Only the
+      transition_marker="$(post_merge_transition_marker "$merged_ref_pr")"
-      # clock stops: an unassigned claim is still a repair the decision must
+      issue_comment_has_marker "$n" "$transition_marker" \
-      # see, so it runs on a zero age rather than being skipped.
+        && transition_handled=true
-      decision="$(claim_decision "$assignees" "$open_pr" 0)"
-    else
-      decision="$(claim_decision_at "$assignees" "$open_pr" "$age")"
     fi
-    case "$decision" in
+    unchecked="$(unchecked_criteria <<<"$(jq -r '.body // ""' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
-      FLAG_UNASSIGNED)
+    if [ "$(post_merge_decision "$merged_ref_pr" "$open_pr" "$transition_handled" \
-        ensure_comment "$n" claimed-unassigned \
+        <<<"$unchecked")" = TRANSITION ]; then
-          'This issue is `claimed` but has no assignee. The sweep cannot infer an owner; triage must repair the claim.' ;;
+      ensure_comment "$n" "$transition_marker" \
-      RECLAIM)
+        "The Refs-linked PR merged with these acceptance criteria still unchecked:
-        # The last-activity epoch identifies a claim episode. A fixed marker
+
-        # hid the required comment when the same issue was later claimed and
+$unchecked
-        # reclaimed again.
+
-        ensure_comment "$n" "$(claim_reclaim_marker "$age")" \
+The merge releases the claim; no builder owes a draft. Triage owes completion in a follow-up comment that names the owner and wake condition."
-          'This claim has no linked open PR and no activity for 48 hours. The sweep is reclaiming it for the ready queue.'
+      owners="$(jq -r '[.assignees[].login] | join(",")' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
-        owners="$(jq -r '[.assignees[].login] | join(",")' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+      # `attention` is a demand for the assigned builder. The derived
-        if [ -n "$owners" ]; then
+      # transition releases that builder, so carrying the demand forward
-          run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-assignee "$owners" \
+      # would create an impossible parked-for state (#175 D4).
-            --remove-label claimed --add-label ready >/dev/null
+      has_issue_label attention && remove_claimed=claimed,attention
-        else
+      if [ -n "$owners" ]; then
-          run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-label claimed --add-label ready >/dev/null
+        run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-assignee "$owners" \
-        fi
+          --remove-label "$remove_claimed" --add-label post-merge >/dev/null
-        log "#$n: stale claim reclaimed -> ready" ;;
+      else
-    esac
+        run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" \
-    if has_issue_label offsite; then
+          --remove-label "$remove_claimed" --add-label post-merge >/dev/null
-      local timeline
+      fi
-      if timeline="$(offsite_timeline "$n")"; then
+      log "#$n: merged Refs PR -> post-merge; claim released"
-        refs="$(offsite_cross_referenced_prs <<<"$timeline")"
+    else
-        states="$(offsite_pr_states <<<"$refs")"
+      age="$(last_issue_activity "$n" "$(jq -r '.created_at' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
-        if [ "$(offsite_resolved_decision <<<"$states")" = NUDGE ]; then
+      if [ "$(claim_clock_exempt <<<"$ISSUE_LABELS")" = EXEMPT ]; then
-          ensure_comment "$n" offsite-resolved \
+        # Legitimately quiet work does not run the reclaim clock. Only the
-            "$(tr '\n' ' ' <<<"$refs" | sed 's/[[:space:]]*$//') is closed; this issue's \`offsite\` flag is still up. Clear it and close the issue, or say what is still outstanding. @$(jq -r '.assignees[0].login' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+        # clock stops: an unassigned claim is still a repair the decision must
-          log "#$n: resolved offsite PRs nudged"
+        # see, so it runs on a zero age rather than being skipped.
+        decision="$(claim_decision "$assignees" "$open_pr" 0)"
+      else
+        decision="$(claim_decision_at "$assignees" "$open_pr" "$age")"
+      fi
+      case "$decision" in
+        FLAG_UNASSIGNED)
+          ensure_comment "$n" claimed-unassigned \
+            'This issue is `claimed` but has no assignee. The sweep cannot infer an owner; triage must repair the claim.' ;;
+        RECLAIM)
+          # The last-activity epoch identifies a claim episode. A fixed marker
+          # hid the required comment when the same issue was later claimed and
+          # reclaimed again.
+          ensure_comment "$n" "$(claim_reclaim_marker "$age")" \
+            'This claim has no linked open PR and no activity for 48 hours. The sweep is reclaiming it for the ready queue.'
+          owners="$(jq -r '[.assignees[].login] | join(",")' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+          if [ -n "$owners" ]; then
+            run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-assignee "$owners" \
+              --remove-label claimed --add-label ready >/dev/null
+          else
+            run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-label claimed --add-label ready >/dev/null
+          fi
+          log "#$n: stale claim reclaimed -> ready" ;;
+      esac
+      if has_issue_label offsite; then
+        local timeline
+        if timeline="$(offsite_timeline "$n")"; then
+          refs="$(offsite_cross_referenced_prs <<<"$timeline")"
+          states="$(offsite_pr_states <<<"$refs")"
+          if [ "$(offsite_resolved_decision <<<"$states")" = NUDGE ]; then
+            ensure_comment "$n" offsite-resolved \
+              "$(tr '\n' ' ' <<<"$refs" | sed 's/[[:space:]]*$//') is closed; this issue's \`offsite\` flag is still up. Clear it and close the issue, or say what is still outstanding. @$(jq -r '.assignees[0].login' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+            log "#$n: resolved offsite PRs nudged"
+          fi
         fi
       fi
     fi
+  elif has_issue_label post-merge; then
+    assignees="$(jq '.assignees | length' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+    if [ "$assignees" -gt 0 ] || has_issue_label attention; then
+      ensure_comment "$n" post-merge-assigned \
+        'This `post-merge` issue has an assignee or `attention`. The sweep will not undo hand-set intent; triage must clear the invalid composition or move the issue back into buildable queue state.'
+      log "#$n: assigned or attention-bearing post-merge issue flagged"
+    fi
   elif has_issue_label blocked; then
     refs="$(blocked_references <<<"$(jq -r '.body // ""' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
     cross_refs="$(blocked_cross_references <<<"$(jq -r '.body // ""' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
@@ -406,6 +493,22 @@ main() {
       }
     }' --jq '.data.repository.pullRequests.nodes[].closingIssuesReferences.nodes[].number' \
     | sort -nu)"
+  MERGED_REF_PR_RECORDS="$(gh api graphql --paginate -f owner="$owner" -f name="$name" -f query='
+    query($owner: String!, $name: String!, $endCursor: String) {
+      repository(owner: $owner, name: $name) {
+        pullRequests(first: 100, states: MERGED, after: $endCursor) {
+          nodes { number body }
+          pageInfo { hasNextPage endCursor }
+        }
+      }
+    }' --jq '.data.repository.pullRequests.nodes[]
+      | .number as $pr | .body | split("\n")[]
+      | [$pr, .] | @tsv' \
+    | while IFS=$'\t' read -r pr body; do
+        while IFS= read -r issue; do
+          [ -n "$issue" ] && printf '%s\t%s\n' "$issue" "$pr"
+        done < <(refs_references <<<"$body")
+      done)"
 
   local n
   for n in $(gh api --paginate "repos/$REPO/issues?state=open&per_page=100" \

actions/labels-reconcile/labels-reconcile.sh

@@ -472,6 +472,7 @@ release|0E8A16|Release flow and version/packaging work
 needs-triage|FBCA04|Did not come through triage — owes normalization or conversion to a discussion
 ready|0E8A16|Triaged, spec complete, unblocked — a builder can start now and succeed
 claimed|1D76DB|A builder owns it: assignee set, draft PR expected shortly
+post-merge|006B75|Refs-linked PR merged; post-merge criteria remain and triage owns completion
 epic|5319E7|Organizes other issues via a dependency-ordered task list — builders never pick it
 EOF
 }

changelog.d/175.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Add `post-merge` issue state for merged `Refs` work awaiting triage-owned verification.

test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh

@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ check "one ready queue label is valid" 0 "KEEP" queue_decision <<<"ready"
 check "zero queue labels is derivably needs-triage" 0 "ADD_NEEDS_TRIAGE" queue_decision <<<"enhancement"
 check "multiple queue labels are ambiguous" 0 "FLAG_CONFLICT" queue_decision <<< $'ready\nblocked'
 check "needs-triage plus queue is a conflict" 0 "FLAG_CONFLICT" queue_decision <<< $'needs-triage\nready'
+check "claimed plus post-merge is a conflict" 0 "FLAG_CONFLICT" \
+  queue_decision <<< $'claimed\npost-merge'
+check "post-merge plus needs-ruling is healthy" 0 "KEEP" \
+  queue_decision <<< $'post-merge\nneeds-ruling'
 
 # Invariant 2: claims have an owner and either a PR or recent activity.
 check "claim with open PR stays claimed" 0 "KEEP" claim_decision 1 true 999999
@@ -78,6 +82,20 @@ check "attention does not exempt a claimed issue" 0 "SWEEP" \
   claim_clock_exempt <<<"attention"
 check "ready does not exempt a claimed issue" 0 "SWEEP" claim_clock_exempt <<<"ready"
 check "empty labels do not exempt a claimed issue" 0 "SWEEP" claim_clock_exempt </dev/null
+refs_body=$'Refs #12\nAlso refs: #8 and heavy-duty/rig#4.\nCloses #99\nNot refs-ish #7\nfix refs parsing from #200\nCloses #40; refs: none\nRefs #175 (split from #150)'
+check "Refs parser returns only references owned by a valid Refs marker" 0 "" \
+  test "$(refs_references <<<"$refs_body")" = $'8\n12\n175'
+check "unchecked criteria preserve their source lines verbatim" 0 \
+  $'- [ ] first criterion\n  * [ ] indented criterion\n1. [ ] numbered criterion' \
+  unchecked_criteria <<< $'- [x] done\n- [ ] first criterion\r\n  * [ ] indented criterion\n1. [ ] numbered criterion'
+check "merged Refs with unchecked criteria transitions" 0 "TRANSITION" \
+  post_merge_decision 12 false false <<<"- [ ] verify after merge"
+check "open Refs does not transition" 0 "KEEP" \
+  post_merge_decision 12 true false <<<"- [ ] verify after merge"
+check "a handled merged Refs episode does not transition again" 0 "KEEP" \
+  post_merge_decision 12 false true <<<"- [ ] verify after merge"
+check "merged Refs with all criteria checked does not transition" 0 "KEEP" \
+  post_merge_decision 12 false false </dev/null
 check "one closed offsite PR nudges" 0 "NUDGE" offsite_resolved_decision <<<"CLOSED"
 check "two closed offsite PRs nudge" 0 "NUDGE" offsite_resolved_decision <<< $'CLOSED\nCLOSED'
 check "one open offsite PR keeps quiet" 0 "QUIET" offsite_resolved_decision <<< $'CLOSED\nOPEN'
@@ -234,16 +252,22 @@ issue_stub_gh() {
   fi
 }
 
-issue_probe() { # $1 issue, $2 labels, $3 assignees (default 1), $4 open PR
+issue_probe() { # $1 issue, $2 labels, $3 assignees, $4 open PR, $5 merged PR, $6 body
   (
-    local assignees="${3:-1}" open_pr="${4:-false}" assignee_json='[]'
+    local assignees="${3:-1}" open_pr="${4:-false}" merged_ref_pr="${5:-}"
+    local body="${6:-}" assignee_json='[]'
     [ "$assignees" -eq 0 ] || assignee_json='[{"login":"owner-bot"}]'
     REPO=owner/repo NOW="$INOW"
     ISSUE_LABELS="$2"
     ISSUE_JSON="$(jq -n --arg at "$(iso_at $((INOW - 10 * 86400)))" \
-      --argjson assignees "$assignee_json" \
+      --argjson assignees "$assignee_json" --arg body "$body" \
-      '{created_at: $at, assignees: $assignees, body: ""}')"
+      '{created_at: $at, assignees: $assignees, body: $body}')"
     if [ "$open_pr" = true ]; then OPEN_PR_ISSUES="$1"; else OPEN_PR_ISSUES=""; fi
+    if [ -n "$merged_ref_pr" ]; then
+      MERGED_REF_PR_RECORDS="$(printf '%s\t%s\n' "$1" "$merged_ref_pr")"
+    else
+      MERGED_REF_PR_RECORDS=""
+    fi
     run() { "$@"; }
     gh() { issue_stub_gh "$@"; }
     reconcile_issue "$1" 2>&1
@@ -291,6 +315,108 @@ control="$(issue_probe 22 claimed)"
 check "the flag-free control is reclaimed (the clock still runs elsewhere)" 0 "" \
   grep -q 'stale claim reclaimed -> ready' <<<"$control"
 
+# -- merged Refs work releases the claim before the reclaim clock ------------
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 35)"
+transition="$(issue_probe 35 claimed 1 false 350 $'- [x] built\n- [ ] verify dispatch\n  * [ ] confirm warning clears')"
+check "merged Refs + unchecked criteria transitions in the sweep body" 0 "" \
+  grep -q 'merged Refs PR -> post-merge; claim released' <<<"$transition"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016 # positional parameters belong to bash -c
+check "...names every remaining criterion verbatim in the comment" 0 "" \
+  bash -c 'grep -qF -- "- [ ] verify dispatch" "$1" &&
+    grep -qF -- "  * [ ] confirm warning clears" "$1"' _ "$TMP/posted-35"
+check "...states triage owes completion with owner and wake condition" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF 'Triage owes completion in a follow-up comment that names the owner and wake condition.' \
+  "$TMP/posted-35"
+check "...unassigns and swaps claimed to post-merge" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF -- '--remove-assignee owner-bot --remove-label claimed --add-label post-merge' \
+  "$TMP/issue-edits"
+
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 36)"
+post_merge_quiet="$(issue_probe 36 post-merge 0)"
+check "quiet unassigned post-merge work is not reclaimed" 1 "" \
+  grep -q 'reclaimed' <<<"$post_merge_quiet"
+check "...and causes no comment or edit" 1 "" test -f "$TMP/posted-36"
+
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 37)"
+issue_probe 37 post-merge 1 >/dev/null
+check "assigned post-merge is flagged" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF '<!-- issueflow:post-merge-assigned -->' "$TMP/posted-37"
+check "...and the hand-assignment is not repaired" 1 "" \
+  grep -qF -- 'issue edit 37' "$TMP/issue-edits"
+
+# -- non-triggers stay byte-for-byte outside the transition ------------------
+recent_timeline() {
+  jq -n --arg at "$(iso_at $((INOW - 60)))" \
+    '[{"event":"assigned","created_at":$at}]' >"$(tfix "$1")"
+  printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix "$1")"
+}
+edit_count_before="$(wc -l <"$TMP/issue-edits")"
+recent_timeline 38
+open_refs="$(issue_probe 38 claimed 1 true 380 '- [ ] verify after merge')"
+check "open Refs PR leaves the issue exactly as found" 0 "" \
+  test -z "$open_refs"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016 # positional parameters belong to bash -c
+check "...with no edit or comment" 0 "" \
+  bash -c 'test "$1" -eq "$(wc -l <"$2")" && test ! -f "$3"' _ \
+  "$edit_count_before" "$TMP/issue-edits" "$TMP/posted-38"
+
+recent_timeline 39
+merged_closes="$(issue_probe 39 claimed 1 false "" '- [ ] verify after merge')"
+check "merged Closes PR leaves a recent claim exactly as found" 0 "" \
+  test -z "$merged_closes"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016 # positional parameters belong to bash -c
+check "...with no edit or comment" 0 "" \
+  bash -c 'test "$1" -eq "$(wc -l <"$2")" && test ! -f "$3"' _ \
+  "$edit_count_before" "$TMP/issue-edits" "$TMP/posted-39"
+
+recent_timeline 40
+all_checked="$(issue_probe 40 claimed 1 false 400 '- [x] verified after merge')"
+check "merged Refs with zero unchecked boxes leaves the issue exactly as found" 0 "" \
+  test -z "$all_checked"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016 # positional parameters belong to bash -c
+check "...with no edit or comment" 0 "" \
+  bash -c 'test "$1" -eq "$(wc -l <"$2")" && test ! -f "$3"' _ \
+  "$edit_count_before" "$TMP/issue-edits" "$TMP/posted-40"
+
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 41)"
+attention_transition="$(issue_probe 41 $'claimed\nattention' 1 false 410 '- [ ] verify')"
+check "derived post-merge transition clears attention with the released claim" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF -- '--remove-label claimed,attention --add-label post-merge' "$TMP/issue-edits"
+check "...still completes the transition" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF 'merged Refs PR -> post-merge; claim released' <<<"$attention_transition"
+
+recent_timeline 43
+jq -n --arg b '<!-- issueflow:post-merge-transition-pr-430 -->' \
+  --arg at "$(iso_at $((INOW - 60)))" \
+  '[{"body":$b,"created_at":$at}]' >"$(cfix 43)"
+reentry_edit_count="$(wc -l <"$TMP/issue-edits")"
+historical="$(issue_probe 43 claimed 1 false 430 '- [ ] corrective verification')"
+check "a handled historical Refs merge cannot steal a re-entered claim" 0 "" \
+  test -z "$historical"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016 # positional parameters belong to bash -c
+check "...and re-entry produces no edit or duplicate transition comment" 0 "" \
+  bash -c 'test "$1" -eq "$(wc -l <"$2")" && test ! -f "$3"' _ \
+  "$reentry_edit_count" "$TMP/issue-edits" "$TMP/posted-43"
+
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 44)"
+second_transition="$(issue_probe 44 claimed 1 false 441 '- [ ] second verification')"
+check "a later merged Refs PR gets an episode-specific transition comment" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF '<!-- issueflow:post-merge-transition-pr-441 -->' "$TMP/posted-44"
+check "...and the later episode still transitions" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF 'merged Refs PR -> post-merge; claim released' <<<"$second_transition"
+
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 45)"
+issue_probe 45 $'claimed\npost-merge' >/dev/null
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016 # Markdown backticks are literal evidence
+check "queue-conflict evidence lists every category including post-merge" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF 'needs-triage`, `epic`, `ready`, `claimed`, `blocked`, or `post-merge`' \
+  "$TMP/posted-45"
+
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 42)"
+issue_probe 42 $'post-merge\nattention' 0 >/dev/null
+check "hand-created post-merge plus attention is flagged, not rewritten" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF '<!-- issueflow:post-merge-assigned -->' "$TMP/posted-42"
+
 # -- offsite stops only the reclaim clock ------------------------------------
 offsite="$(issue_probe 25 $'claimed\noffsite')"
 check "a 10-day-quiet offsite claim is not reclaimed" 1 "" \
@@ -475,6 +601,33 @@ check "...stands down without minting" 1 "" test -s "$ARRIVAL/fixtures/edits"
 check "...and the sweep still runs" 0 "" \
   grep -qF 'issueflow: reconciled.' <<<"$pr_out"
 
+# The merged-Refs transition must survive the executable's set -e path too.
+# Keep this at main() granularity: the GraphQL gather and loop are the code
+# a sourced decision probe cannot exercise (#91's lesson).
+printf '%s\n' \
+  '{"data":{"repository":{"pullRequests":{"nodes":[{"number":400,"body":"Refs #40","closingIssuesReferences":{"nodes":[]}}],"pageInfo":{"hasNextPage":false,"endCursor":null}}}}}' \
+  >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/graphql.json"
+printf '[{"number":40}]\n' \
+  >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/repos_owner_repo_issues_state_open_per_page_100.json"
+jq -n --arg at "$(iso_at "$INOW")" \
+  '{number:40,user:{login:"triage-one"},created_at:$at,body:"- [x] built\n- [ ] verify live label",labels:[{name:"claimed"}],assignees:[{login:"builder"}]}' \
+  >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/repos_owner_repo_issues_40.json"
+printf '[]\n' >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/repos_owner_repo_issues_40_comments.json"
+: >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/edits"
+subprocess_out="$(
+  env PATH="$ARRIVAL/stub:$PATH" GH_FIXTURES="$ARRIVAL/fixtures" \
+    REPO=owner/repo LABELS_CONF="$ARRIVAL/labels.conf" \
+    bash "$ROOT/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh" 2>&1
+)"
+subprocess_rc=$?
+check "executable sweep transitions merged Refs work" 0 "" \
+  test "$subprocess_rc" -eq 0
+check "...reaches the transition through GraphQL and the issue loop" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF '#40: merged Refs PR -> post-merge; claim released' <<<"$subprocess_out"
+check "...and performs the release edit from the executable path" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF -- 'issue edit 40 -R owner/repo --remove-assignee builder --remove-label claimed --add-label post-merge' \
+  "$ARRIVAL/fixtures/edits"
+
 # D2 preserved: only the deliberate stand-downs changed; a genuine failure on
 # the arrival path still kills the run loudly.
 : >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/repos_owner_repo_issues_91.json.error"

test/labels-reconcile.test.sh

@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ expect "a 300-char reason passes through whole" 300 "${#exact_reason}"
 # -- a missing core taxonomy row is visible without mutating labels ----------
 core_rows="$(core_label_rows)"
 core_names="$(cut -d'|' -f1 <<<"$core_rows")"
+expect "post-merge core row is byte-exact" \
+  "post-merge|006B75|Refs-linked PR merged; post-merge criteria remain and triage owns completion" \
+  "$(grep '^post-merge|' <<<"$core_rows")"
 expect "a complete core taxonomy does not warn" "" \
   "$(missing_core_labels_warning "$core_rows" "$core_names")"
 expect "one missing core label is named exactly" \