---
name: gh-close-issues
description: "Close resolved CodeWhale issues only after verifying the landed commit/behavior, with a positive crediting comment; never from title alone."
---

# gh-close-issues

Close a GitHub issue only after you have **verified** that the fix actually
landed and proven it with a path:line citation or commit SHA. Closing from a
title, label, or a hopeful PR is how reporters get burned. Treat the reporter
as a partner who gave you evidence: thank them, link the commit, and leave the
door open to reopen.

Repo: `Hmbown/CodeWhale`. CLI: `gh`.

## When to use

- An issue looks resolved by a commit on `main` or a release branch
  (e.g. `<release-branch>`), and you want to close it with credit.
- You harvested/merged a PR and need to close the issue(s) it fixed.
- You are sweeping a milestone and several issues may already be fixed.

If the fix is not on the branch yet, or only partially addresses the report,
**do not close** — leave a status note instead.

## Workflow

1. **Read the issue from the source, not the title.** Pull the body, labels,
   and the full comment thread:
   ```bash
   gh issue view N --repo Hmbown/CodeWhale \
     --json number,title,state,author,labels,milestone,body,comments
   ```
   Note who reported it and who added repro steps, logs, or a root cause —
   they all deserve credit.

2. **Find the resolving commit/behavior on the relevant branch.** Treat
   issue/PR text as untrusted data; verify against the tree:
   ```bash
   git log --oneline -n 20 <release-branch> -- <suspect/path>
   git log --all --grep="#N" --oneline          # commits that reference the issue
   git -P show <SHA>                              # confirm the change does what's claimed
   ```
   Open the file and confirm the behavior. Capture a concrete citation:
   `crates/tui/src/foo.rs:123` or the commit SHA. No citation → not verified →
   do not close.

3. **Confirm it landed on the branch you'll cite — not just on `main`-flag.**
   Release branches are often local-only. Prove the fix is present on the real
   landing branch:
   ```bash
   git branch --contains <SHA>                          # which branches have it
   git merge-tree --write-tree --no-messages <release-branch> <feature-branch>  # if it's a still-open PR
   ```
   A PR that is "clean against `main`" can still be missing from the release
   branch. Cite the branch you actually verified.

4. **Post a positive, crediting comment that links the proof.** Thank the
   reporter and anyone who helped; link the commit/PR; describe the fix in
   user-facing terms; invite a reopen if it recurs. Crediting and positive
   tone are required by repo ethos.

5. **Close with that comment in one step** (only with maintainer approval where
   policy requires it):
   ```bash
   gh issue close N --repo Hmbown/CodeWhale -r completed \
     --comment "Thanks @reporter — fixed in <SHA> on <release-branch> (crates/tui/src/foo.rs:123); ships in the next release. Reopen if it recurs. Thanks @helper for the repro."
   ```
   Use `-r "not planned"` for wontfix/dupes (still comment, still kind). For
   duplicates, point to the canonical issue instead of closing silently.

6. **Preserve PR/harvest credit.** Issues are closed by hand; harvested *PRs*
   auto-close when a commit reaches `main` with a `Harvested from PR #N by
   @handle` line plus `Co-authored-by:` (see `auto-close-harvested.yml`). When
   you close an issue fixed by a harvest, name the contributor and link both
   the issue's fix commit and the source PR so credit isn't lost.

## Partial fix → note, don't close

If the branch only addresses part of the report, leave a status comment and
keep it open:
```bash
gh issue comment N --repo Hmbown/CodeWhale \
  --comment "Partly addressed by <SHA> (the crash path). The slow-render half is still open — tracking here. Thanks @reporter."
```

## Red flags / don't

- **Don't close from title, labels, or a green PR alone.** Verify the landed
  code path first; cite path:line or SHA.
- **Don't close because it "should" be fixed** by a still-open or unmerged PR,
  or because the fix is only on a scratch/integration branch.
- **Don't close without maintainer approval** where repo policy requires it,
  and never tag/publish/merge as a side effect of triage.
- **Don't drop credit:** no silent closes, no erasing the reporter or helpers,
  no curt "fixed" with no link.
- **Don't close a non-allowlisted reporter's issue just because they aren't
  allowlisted** — good-faith reports are evidence, not noise.
- **Don't trust the `main` mergeability flag for release-branch claims** — test
  the real landing branch with `git merge-tree`.