v1.0 to v1.0

27 added, 14 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: gentle-ai-chained-pr

description: "Trigger: PRs over 400 lines, stacked PRs, review slices. Split oversized changes into chained PRs that protect review focus."

license: Apache-2.0

metadata:

author: gentleman-programming

version: "1.0"

---

## Activation Contract

Load this skill when a planned PR may exceed **400 changed lines**, an ODD feature's forecast or running authored changed-line count from work-unit commits exceeds about 400, or the user asks for chained/stacked PRs, review slices, or reviewer-load control. The per-task advisory 400 authored-line heuristic does not itself require a PR split.

## Hard Rules

- - Split PRs over **400 changed lines** unless a maintainer explicitly accepts `size:exception`.

+ - Recommend slicing PRs over **400 changed lines**; offer the ordered oversized-delivery menu below and follow the user's selection subject to the destination repository's documented contribution/size policy.

+ - `size:exception` is a Gentle-owned repository policy, not a universal label requirement. Never request, create, or add this label for generic users unless the destination policy uses it. Preserve that policy's maintainer acceptance gates and protected-label human authorization; selection alone grants neither.

- The budget constrains how work is **sliced**, never the code itself. Never delete comments, blank lines, docs, or tests, and never compress or restyle code, to fit under the budget.

- - Slicing is bounded: make **one** honest slicing pass. If no cohesive split brings every slice within budget, stop iterating, keep the best cohesive split, and report the final line count with a `size:exception` recommendation.

+ - Slicing is bounded: make **one** honest slicing pass. If no cohesive split brings every slice within budget, stop iterating, keep the best cohesive split, and report the final line count and rationale. Recommend a size exception only when the destination policy provides that route.

- Keep each PR reviewable in about **≤60 minutes**.

- - Use one deliverable work unit per PR; keep tests/docs with the unit they verify.

+ - In a chain, use one deliverable work unit per PR; keep tests/docs with the unit they verify. A selected single PR may contain multiple coherent work-unit commits.

- State start, end, prior dependencies, follow-up work, and out-of-scope items in every chained PR.

- Every child PR must include a dependency diagram marking the current PR with `📍`.

- In Feature Branch Chain, create a draft/no-merge tracker PR; child PR #1 targets the tracker branch, later children target the immediate parent branch.

- Treat polluted diffs as base bugs: retarget or rebase until only the current work unit appears.

- Do not mix chain strategies after the user chooses one.

- Before creating branches or PRs, verify the target repository's default branch; use it as the integration base, not an assumed `main`. `stacked-to-main` is the historical strategy token even when the default branch has another name.

+ ## Oversized Delivery Menu

+ Offer exactly three choices in this semantic order; English examples are illustrative and localizable, not mandatory copy. Generate the complete user-facing question, every option label, description, and recommendation marker in the active user's conversation language (English for an English user, Spanish for a Spanish user, etc.). Machine strategy tokens remain unchanged and untranslated.

+ 1. **Feature/tracker branch chain** — `chain_strategy=feature-branch-chain`; review child slices before final feature integration.

+ 2. **Verified default/main branch chain** — `chain_strategy=stacked-to-main`; land independently reviewable slices in order on the verified default branch, whatever its name.

+ 3. **One single PR — least recommended** — `delivery_strategy=single-pr`; keep the entire change in one PR rather than a chain.

+ The third choice overrides the pending chaining path: clear the chain choice as inapplicable and suppress later chain prompts. `single-pr` is not a `chain_strategy` token. Do not automatically select `exception-ok` or imply an accepted policy exception.

+ The least recommended marker applies only to this oversized menu. An oversized single PR increases reviewer cognitive load, slows feedback, and couples rollback of otherwise separable work; a focused single PR within 400 changed lines remains reasonable. Delivery selection does not authorize push, PR creation, merge, or changes to review mode or candidate consent.

## Decision Gates

| Condition | Action |

|---|---|

| PR ≤400 changed lines and focused | Keep single PR. |

- | PR >400, each slice can land independently | Use Stacked PRs to the verified default branch. |

- | PR >400, feature must integrate before the default branch | Use Feature Branch Chain with tracker. |

- | Generated/vendor/migration diff cannot split cleanly | Ask maintainer for `size:exception`. |

- | No cohesive split fits the budget after one slicing pass | Stop; deliver the best split, report the overage and why it cannot shrink further, and recommend `size:exception`. |

- | ODD `delivery_strategy` is `ask-on-risk` | When the budget is exceeded, ask for a chain strategy before the next work-unit commit. |

+ | PR >400, each slice can land independently | Recommend Stacked PRs to the verified default branch; respect the selected delivery strategy. |

+ | PR >400, feature must integrate before the default branch | Recommend Feature Branch Chain with tracker; respect the selected delivery strategy. |

+ | Generated/vendor/migration diff cannot split cleanly | Report the overage; follow destination policy for any required exception. |

+ | No cohesive split fits the budget after one slicing pass | Stop slicing; report the best cohesive split and why it cannot shrink further, then apply the selected delivery strategy and destination policy. |

+ | ODD `delivery_strategy` is `ask-on-risk` | When the budget is exceeded, ask once using the menu above for a chain strategy or single PR before the next work-unit commit. |

| ODD `delivery_strategy` is `auto-chain` | Ask for a chain strategy only when missing; otherwise use the cached choice. |

- | ODD `delivery_strategy` is `single-pr` | Require `size:exception` for an over-budget single PR; do not ask for a chain strategy. |

- | ODD `delivery_strategy` is `exception-ok` | Record accepted `size:exception` for an over-budget single PR; do not ask for a chain strategy. |

+ | ODD `delivery_strategy` is `single-pr` | Follow the destination repository's documented contribution/size policy for the overage; do not ask for a chain strategy. |

+ | ODD `delivery_strategy` is `exception-ok` | Record the explicitly accepted exception under destination policy, including `size:exception` only where applicable; do not ask for a chain strategy. |

## Execution Steps

1. Estimate changed lines and identify independent work units.

- 2. Apply the delivery-strategy gate above; ask for a chain strategy only on a chaining path that needs a choice.

+ 2. Apply the delivery-strategy gate above; offer the menu only on a chaining path that needs a choice. For `auto-chain`, use a cached chain strategy without prompting again; if missing, offer all three choices.

3. Verify the target repository's default branch before creating branches/PRs; use the chosen strategy only.

- 4. Add Chain Context to each PR without replacing the repo PR template.

+ 4. On chaining paths only, add Chain Context to each child PR without replacing the repo PR template.

5. Verify each PR independently: CI/tests/docs/manual checks, rollback scope, and clean diff.

- 6. Keep tracker PR draft/no-merge until all child PRs are reviewed and integrated.

+ 6. For Feature Branch Chain only, keep tracker PR draft/no-merge until all child PRs are reviewed and integrated.

## Output Contract

- Return the chosen strategy, PR order, current PR boundary, dependency diagram, review budget (`additions + deletions`), verification plan, and any `size:exception` rationale.

+ Return the chosen delivery strategy, review budget (`additions + deletions`), scope, verification plan, and any destination-policy exception rationale. For chaining, also return PR order, current PR boundary, and dependency diagram. For `single-pr`, require no tracker, child dependency diagram, or Chain Context; use the destination PR template without chain-only artifacts.

## References

- [references/chaining-details.md](references/chaining-details.md) — strategy diagrams, PR body section, branch commands, and reviewer guidance.