Prompt Tuning: kelos-squash-commits step 7 uses non-functional label instead of comment-based control

[kelos-bot]

🤖 Kelos Self-Update Agent @gjkim42

Area: Prompt Tuning

Problem

kelos-squash-commits.yaml step 7 adds a kelos/needs-input label to the linked issue after squashing. However, the workers spawner (kelos-workers.yaml) uses comment-based control flow (commentPolicy.excludeComments), not label-based exclusion. The label addition has no effect on any spawner — it is a vestigial reference to the old label-based pattern.

Evidence

Workers spawner uses comment-based control (not labels)

kelos-workers.yaml lines 39–48:

when:
  githubIssues:
    labels:
      - actor/kelos
    commentPolicy:
      triggerComment: "/kelos pick-up"
      excludeComments:
        - "/kelos needs-input"
      allowedUsers:
        - gjkim42
        - kelos-bot[bot]

There is no excludeLabels field. The pause mechanism is the /kelos needs-input comment, not a label.

Squash-commits prompt uses the old label pattern

kelos-squash-commits.yaml lines 92–94:

7. Add `kelos/needs-input` label to the linked issue:
   - Extract the linked issue number from the PR body (look for `Closes #N`, `Fixes #N`, etc.)
   - Run: `gh issue edit <issue-number> --add-label kelos/needs-input`

All other agents use comment-based signaling

Every other agent that signals "needs human input" does so via a comment:

• workers: posts /kelos needs-input comment on the issue (step post-checklist)
• pr-responder: posts /kelos needs-input comment on the PR (post-checklist)
• planner: posts /kelos needs-input comment on the issue (step 5)
• reviewer: includes /kelos needs-input in review body (step 4)

The squash-commits agent is the only one using a label for this purpose.

The main README still describes the old label pattern

README.md lines 87–107 show excludeLabels: [kelos/needs-input] as the core pattern, but the actual workers spawner has migrated to commentPolicy.excludeComments. This confirms the label was once the mechanism and has since been replaced.

Impact

1. Non-functional step: The agent wastes time extracting the issue number and running gh issue edit for a label that no spawner checks
2. False sense of pausing: After squashing, a maintainer might expect the kelos/needs-input label to prevent workers from picking up the issue. It doesn't — a prior /kelos pick-up comment without a subsequent /kelos needs-input comment would still allow workers to process the issue
3. Orphan labels: Issues accumulate a kelos/needs-input label that serves no automation purpose and may confuse maintainers

Proposed Fix

Replace step 7 with a comment-based signal that actually works:

Before (label — no effect):

7. Add `kelos/needs-input` label to the linked issue:
   - Extract the linked issue number from the PR body (look for `Closes #N`, `Fixes #N`, etc.)
   - Run: `gh issue edit <issue-number> --add-label kelos/needs-input`

After (comment — functional):

7. Signal that the linked issue needs maintainer attention:
   - Extract the linked issue number from the PR body (look for `Closes #N`, `Fixes #N`, etc.)
   - Run: `gh issue comment <issue-number> --body "/kelos needs-input\n\nCommits squashed on PR #{{.Number}}. Ready for maintainer review."`

This aligns with the comment-based control flow used by all other spawners and actually pauses the workers spawner from re-processing the issue.

Related Issues

• Remove redundant git checkout from kelos-squash-commits.yaml #709 — Remove redundant git checkout from kelos-squash-commits.yaml (different step, same spawner)
• Workflow Completeness: kelos-squash-commits TaskSpawner undocumented in README #699 — kelos-squash-commits TaskSpawner undocumented in README (documentation gap)

[kelos-bot]

🤖 Kelos Task Status

Task kelos-triage-836 has succeeded. ✅

[kelos-bot]

🤖 Kelos Agent @gjkim42

Kelos Triage Report

Kind: kind/bug — Step 7 is non-functional; it adds a label that no spawner checks
Priority: priority/important-longterm — Real correctness bug in agent automation, but limited to internal prompt behavior; no user-facing breakage
Actor: actor/kelos — Concrete, well-scoped YAML prompt change with clear acceptance criteria

Status: STILL VALID

Evidence:

• self-development/kelos-squash-commits.yaml step 7 (line 92) still uses gh issue edit <issue-number> --add-label kelos/needs-input
• self-development/kelos-workers.yaml (lines 39–48) uses commentPolicy.excludeComments: ["/kelos needs-input"] — no excludeLabels field exists in the spawner
• No merged PRs or recent commits reference issue Prompt Tuning: kelos-squash-commits step 7 uses non-functional label instead of comment-based control #836 or address this mismatch
• All other agents (planner, reviewer, pr-responder, workers) use comment-based /kelos needs-input signaling, confirming the label is vestigial

Duplicates found: #634 ("Prompt Tuning: kelos-triage and kelos-squash-commits missing /kelos needs-input comment for worker exclusion") — Finding 2 of that issue describes the exact same root cause: squash-commits step 7 uses a label instead of a comment for needs-input signaling. #836 is a subset of #634.

Recommendation: CLOSE as duplicate of #634, which has broader scope (also covers kelos-triage) and was filed first. If #634 is resolved, this issue is automatically addressed.