Zoo Rebase

Zoo Rebase

Read and follow .zoo/zoo.md if it exists. Read and follow .zoo/rebase.md if it exists.

Use this after all trackable Zoo workflow changes outside ignored task roots are committed and before zoo-report or zoo-push.

When invoked from final Zoo workflow closeout, .zoo/task-finish.md must be read first. Its instructions take priority over this skill, including instructions to skip or replace zoo-rebase.

If a task root such as .tasks/, _tasks/, or a repo-specific alternate is ignored by git, files under that root are not Zoo workflow changes for rebase or push-safety gates. Never stage, force-add, commit, or push them to satisfy cleanliness checks, including additions, modifications, or deletions of paths that were already tracked.

Workflow

1. Verify closeout prerequisites:

• All trackable changes from the Zoo workflow outside ignored task roots are committed.
• Any remaining uncommitted changes are fully pre-existing and unrelated. Do not stash, edit, or discard unrelated work.
• There is an upstream branch. If not, write a rebase report that says push safety is unknown and stop.

1. Open a Bureau report with suffix rebase. Record:

• starting branch, upstream, HEAD, upstream commit, and git status
• commands run
• incoming commits and changed files, if any
• conflicts encountered and resolutions made
• validation decision and commands run
• final git status
• Rebase result: clean|not clean
• Safe to push: yes|no|unknown

1. Run git pull --rebase.
2. If conflicts occur:

• Inspect every conflicted file and resolve conflicts directly when the correct integration is clear.
• Preserve both incoming intent and this workflow's intent; do not blindly prefer either side.
• Continue the rebase after resolving conflicts.
• If the correct resolution is unclear, write the report, mark Rebase result: not clean, and stop.

1. Decide whether validation is required:

• Validation is required when incoming changes exist and may affect tests.
• Validation is required when conflicts were resolved in files that may affect tests.
• Treat everything as test-affecting except clearly non-executable docs, README files, changelogs, .zoo/, .codex/skills/, .claude/skills/, _ai/, or other AI instruction-only updates.
• When uncertain, rerun validation.

1. If validation is required, rerun the tests and validation that prove the completed Zoo task. Use the workflow's latest final-state validation reports and .zoo/testing.md to choose commands. If no narrower command is defensible, use the repo's broad quick validation.
2. If validation fails, investigate before deciding ownership:

• If recent incoming commits are definitely broken independently of this workflow, record diagnostics and propose a fix approach. Do not fix incoming commits.
• If this workflow's changes are broken because of incoming commits, route the fix back into the current workflow: in Zoo Heavy or Zoo Lite, add a real subtask for fixing the broken tests and continue the workflow; outside Heavy/Lite, use Zoo Zero to fix this workflow's changes.
• Mark Rebase result: not clean until the routed fix and validation complete.

1. If no validation was required, or required validation passed, mark Rebase result: clean.
2. Report whether the repo is safe to push:

• yes when rebase is clean and git status has no trackable Zoo workflow changes outside ignored task roots left uncommitted
• no when validation failed, conflicts remain unresolved, or trackable workflow changes outside ignored task roots are uncommitted
• unknown when upstream is missing or unrelated dirty work prevents a reliable rebase

Clean Definition

The rebase is clean when no validation run was necessary, or all required validation passed after the rebase. A clean rebase is required before zoo-push may publish changes.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: andreyvit
• Source: andreyvit/zoo
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.