leaf-done

LEAF Done

Close a leaf deliberately. The decision is not "done or not done"; it is what kind of done this work deserves.

• Keep — the leaf remains in place with no citable digest yet.
• Press — the leaf is reference-worthy, so write pressed.md and a ## Press Abstract in 00-status.md.
• Fall — the work should stop being carried, or is completed but not worth future citation; move it to fallen with an explicit reason.

Boundary

• Work only inside .leaf/.
• Run leaf doctor before and after close-out. If it reports a workspace issue, fix the diagnosed issue before trusting inventory output.
• Do not produce or revise the artifact itself.
• Do not clean gate prose except the small status/digest/closure text required by this close-out.
• Do not read, write, infer, or validate .wt/ files.

First Read

git status --short --branch
leaf doctor
leaf review <slug>

Resolve the source:

• Prefer an existing leaf when the slug exists in more than one stage.
• Use a sprout only when the user explicitly asks for provisional close-out.
• Use fallen only when the user explicitly asks to summarize archived material.
• If the source is ambiguous, ask which one is canonical.

Decision

Recommend one option, then let the user decide when the choice is not already explicit:

• Press when the work established reusable knowledge, a durable design decision, a pattern, a citable artifact, or a lesson future leaves should reuse.
• Keep when the work is still useful but not ready for citation, review, or retrospective closure.
• Fall when the work was abandoned, superseded, invalidated, split away, parked, or completed but not reference-worthy.

Name the reason in one sentence. Do not keep a leaf just because effort was spent; keep it because future work should be able to cite it.

Press

Create or refresh <source>/pressed.md. Also write or replace ## Press Abstract in <source>/00-status.md.

Use this pressed.md shape:

# <human-readable title>

- source: <source path>
- pressed at: <local timestamp>
- citation handle: leaf:{slug}
- stage: <leaf / sprout / fallen if known>

## Citation Summary

<One compact paragraph: what the leaf clarified, how it worked, what it
established or produced, and the main caveat.>

## Intent

<Why the work existed. Preserve user wording when it affects meaning.>

## Method

<Gates used, research path, criteria, comparisons, implementation strategy, or
review loop.>

## What Was Done

<Concrete artifacts, decisions, explored alternatives, task graph, or outputs.>

## Key Points To Reuse

- <Reusable point, decision, pattern, or constraint>

## Limits And Open Questions

- <Known limitation, unresolved question, weak evidence, or non-goal>

## Lessons

- <What should influence future work>

## Source Map

- `<source file>`: <why it mattered>

Rules:

• pressed.md is a digest, not source truth; original LEAF files remain authoritative.
• Keep direct quotations short and only when original wording matters.
• If the source is thin, say so instead of filling gaps.
• Write linked.md only when source files evidence a relation to another leaf or the user names one. If no links exist, skip it.

Fall

Use fall when the item should stop being carried and should not become a reference leaf. The reason must be explicit, such as abandoned, superseded, parked, split, invalidated, archived, or completed-not-reference-worthy.

Before falling, verify:

• the user wants it removed from the carried set, or the leaf itself records the close-out decision;
• it is not being kept as a reference-worthy leaf;
• the fallen reason is named;
• closure notes exist, or you can write a concise closure note from available context.

Run:

leaf fall <slug> --reason "<fallen reason>"

Then enrich the fallen status or retrospect only when source context supports it:

• closure summary;
• reusable lessons;
• unresolved limits;
• successor, if one is evidenced or proposed.

Keep

If the right decision is to keep the leaf without pressing or falling, update only the minimal status note needed to make that decision visible. Do not create pressed.md.

Report

Report:

• decision: keep / press / fall;
• source path used;
• user decision or source evidence used;
• files written or moved;
• linked.md written or skipped;
• leaf doctor result;
• confirmation that no .wt/ or execution artifacts were created.