---
name: autopilot-pr-merge-worker
activation_card: on
description: >-
  Drive ONE already selected open pull request in microsoft/apm
  to mergeable. Classifies copilot-pull-request-reviewer[bot]
  inline review, runs autopilot-pr-review-worker, folds (by default)
  every recommendation inside the PR's stated scope, pushes to the
  head branch or a superseding PR that preserves authorship via
  commit trailers,   watches CI to green (`agent-merge` when that skill or
  `<agent_merge_state>` is present; otherwise `gh pr checks --watch`),
  and iterates under fixed caps until ready-to-merge,
  advisory-with-deferred, superseded, or blocked. Plan before any
  fold, push, or reviewer request. Never spawned by
  autopilot-pr-review-scheduler. That scheduler is advisory only.
  Invoke this skill by name when the caller asked to drive a PR
  to merge.
---

# autopilot-pr-merge-worker - per-PR drive-to-merge convergence loop

Writes are optional via the activation card (`write: on` default).
`autopilot-pr-review-scheduler` never spawns this skill.
The PR review scheduler never comments, labels, assigns, or
requests reviewers.

`panel-review` requests a review. `status/accepted` is the human
action flag. No accepted, no review. If `status/accepted` is
missing on this PR and every linked issue: remove `panel-review`
if present, do not comment, stop. Never assign. The scheduler
and panel stop the same way and leave no comment.

## Activation card

`activation_card: on`. Before any PR read or GitHub write, emit
this Enter card with every field filled. Missing field -> stop.

```text
skill: autopilot-pr-merge-worker
skill_path: <resolved directory of this SKILL.md>
mode: run
subject: microsoft/apm#<pr-number>
path: merge
intent: drive one already-selected PR
origin: unattended | actor-session
write: on | off
repo: microsoft/apm
pr: <positive integer>
invocation: agentic-workflow | actor-session
invocation_mode: composed-implementation-review
```

Rules:

- `write` defaults to `on` when the caller omitted it.
- `write: off` returns the filled template only. Do not comment,
  add labels, remove labels, push, or request reviewers.
- If `write: on`, post the one advisory comment via
  `autopilot-comment` (`source_skill:
  autopilot-pr-merge-worker`) and fold/push inside the PR's
  stated scope. Never assign. Never request the implementer as
  a reviewer. Do not call `gh pr comment` yourself.
- `origin` fail-closed unknown -> `unattended`.
- Unattended never assigns and never requests reviewers.
- One PR. Do not nest a scheduler path.
- `plan_first` defaults to `yes`. Do not fold, push, or request
  reviewers until Step 0.P exists. Copilot App spawn uses
  `kickoff_mode: plan`. If the session started interactive, still
  write that plan in-session and do not skip it. Wait for operator
  approval when a plan-mode gate is present.

After the loop, emit this Exit receipt:

```text
skill: autopilot-pr-merge-worker
subject: microsoft/apm#<pr-number>
path: merge
write: on | off
posted: yes | no
pushed: yes | no
reviewer_requested: no
approved: n/a
```

This SKILL.md is the natural-language module derived from a genesis
design packet; refactors re-run the genesis skill from that packet.

This skill is a BUILDING BLOCK, not the PR-review queue.
`autopilot-pr-review-scheduler` never composes it. Invoke it by
name when the caller asked to drive a PR to merge. It COMPOSES
the [autopilot-pr-review-worker](../autopilot-pr-review-worker/SKILL.md)
skill for the advisory pass -- it does NOT re-implement panel
review.

## Boundary (what this skill does and does NOT do)

DOES: take ONE PR that already exists and drive it to a terminal
landing-ready state; resolve cross-PR merge conflicts; emit the
PR-facing advisory and supersede comments; return a schema-valid
`completion_return`.

Does NOT: triage issues, decide which issues are worth fixing, open
the first PR for an issue, choose the batch, or maintain the
orchestrator's ground-truth table. Those are the parent
orchestrator's responsibility. If you find yourself triaging or
opening greenfield PRs, you are in the wrong skill.

## How an orchestrator composes this skill

The parent scheduler, for each PR in its batch, spawns ONE
autopilot-pr-merge-worker subagent with the spawn body in
[assets/worker-prompt.md](assets/worker-prompt.md).
The orchestrator passes the inputs that prompt declares (PR_NUMBER,
ISSUE_NUMBER, AUTHOR, HEAD_REPO, HEAD_BRANCH, MAINTAINER_CAN_MODIFY,
REPO_ROOT, ORIGIN, optional PANEL_PRIOR). The subagent owns the whole
convergence loop end-to-end and returns a `completion_return`.

After every driven PR returns `ready-to-merge`, the orchestrator
runs the conflict-resolution phase: probe mergeability and, on
DIRTY / BEHIND / CONFLICTING, spawn one conflict-resolution subagent
per [assets/conflict-resolution-prompt.md](assets/conflict-resolution-prompt.md).
The step-by-step gate procedure is in
[references/mergeability-gate.md](references/mergeability-gate.md)
(load it when entering that phase).

## Dependency declaration (read before composing)

This skill is a same-repo LOCAL SIBLING. A consuming orchestrator
MUST declare the dependency at its own distribution surface and PROBE
for this skill before spawning. The probe is a tool call, not an
assertion from recall (A9 SUPERVISED EXECUTION; truth #2 CONTEXT
EXPLICIT):

```
test -f ../autopilot-pr-merge-worker/assets/worker-prompt.md \
  && test -f ../autopilot-pr-merge-worker/assets/completion-schema.json \
  && test -f ../autopilot-pr-merge-worker/scripts/owner_touch_gate.py \
  && echo "autopilot-pr-merge-worker present" \
  || echo "MISSING autopilot-pr-merge-worker - stop and ask the operator"
```

On a probe MISS the orchestrator stops and asks the operator rather
than re-implementing the loop inline (avoids HAND-ROLLED
HALLUCINATION and PHANTOM DEPENDENCY).

This skill itself COMPOSES [autopilot-pr-review-worker](../autopilot-pr-review-worker/SKILL.md).
A consuming orchestrator inherits that transitive dependency; the
spawned autopilot-pr-merge-worker subagent PROBES for it at preflight (all
load-bearing panel assets under
`$REPO_ROOT/.agents/skills/autopilot-pr-review-worker/`) and returns
`status: blocked` ONLY on a genuine asset MISS, before any checkout
(see the spawn body Step 0.0). Note: a missing `skill` TOOL is NOT a
miss -- in the normal subagent context the panel is executed INLINE
from its on-disk SKILL.md + schemas (Step X.1.1), which is a
first-class path, not a fallback.

## Convergence loop contract (per PR)

The autopilot-pr-merge-worker subagent runs this loop (full detail in the spawn
body):

0. Phase 0.P -- plan before implement (hard gate). Compare work to
   date with the original task/scope (PR body + linked issue). Then
   plan: fresh panel, fold in-scope findings and requirement gaps,
   CI green via `agent-merge` when available else
   `assets/ci-recovery-checklist.md`. Do not checkout, fold, or
   push until that plan exists (and is approved when plan-mode).
1. Phase X.0 -- fetch + classify `copilot-pull-request-reviewer[bot]`
   inline review per
   [assets/copilot-classification-prompt.md](assets/copilot-classification-prompt.md).
2. Phase X.1 -- run the `autopilot-pr-review-worker` against the PR: via the
   `skill` tool if present, otherwise (the normal subagent case)
   execute it INLINE from its on-disk SKILL.md + schemas. Both paths
   produce the same single recommendation comment.
3. Phase X.2 -- merge follow-ups (LEGIT Copilot + panel
   `recommended_followups`) and apply the fold-vs-defer rubric per
   [assets/fold-vs-defer-rubric.md](assets/fold-vs-defer-rubric.md).
4. Phase X.2.5 -- canonical-owner + functional-evidence gate (FAIL
   CLOSED). Run
   [scripts/owner_touch_gate.py](scripts/owner_touch_gate.py) against
   the exact base/head. It parses the single canonical owner table in
   `.apm/instructions/architecture.instructions.md`; no LLM
   self-classification may override a detected touch. Every touched
   owner requires executed exact-head functional test IDs/evidence in
   addition to the boundary lint and any required dual guardrail.
   Schema-validate and semantically verify the version 2 completion
   evidence. Missing evidence stays in the loop or returns `blocked`;
   it is never deferred.
5. Phase X.3 -- edit code; fold every FOLD item. Run the mutation-
   break gate on any new regression-trap test.
6. Phase X.4 -- run the lint contract until silent.
7. Phase X.5 -- push (head branch; fall back to a superseding PR that
   preserves authorship via commit trailers).
8. Phase X.6 -- CI to green. Prefer the `agent-merge` skill when it
   is loaded or the prompt contains `<agent_merge_state>` (do not
   sleep/watch inside that tick; never merge). Otherwise watch +
   recover per
   [assets/ci-recovery-checklist.md](assets/ci-recovery-checklist.md).
9. Phase X.7 -- decide terminal vs next iteration.
10. Phase X.8 -- at terminal, capture `head_sha`, `mergeable`,
    `mergeStateStatus`, and CI status for the completion return.

## Caps (hard limits)

- Outer convergence iterations: 4.
- Copilot classification rounds: 2.
- CI recovery iterations: 3.

When a cap is hit with foldable items still open, return
`advisory-with-deferred` with a scope-boundary note per deferred
item. Caps exist to bound non-determinism; they are not targets.

## Terminal returns

The subagent returns exactly one schema-valid `completion_return`
matching [assets/completion-schema.json](assets/completion-schema.json):

- `ready-to-merge` -- clean convergence; CI observed green; lint
  silent; canonical-owner gate passed with schema-valid and
  semantically verified `architecture_evidence` version 2.
- `advisory-with-deferred` -- iteration cap hit with foldable items
  remaining (rare); each deferred item carries a scope-boundary note.
- `superseded` -- push fell back to a superseding PR (records
  `superseded_by`).
- `blocked` -- CI cap hit, panel assets genuinely absent (Step 0.0
  probe miss -- NOT merely the `skill` tool being unavailable), or
  unresolvable scope conflict (records a one-paragraph `blocker`).

The orchestrator schema-validates every return. On malformed, re-spawn
ONCE; on a second malformed return, mark the row blocked and continue.

## Disciplines enforced (inherited by every consumer)

- Fold-by-default: every follow-up inside the PR's stated scope is
  folded into THIS PR; only scope-crossing items are deferred, each
  with a one-line boundary note.
- Mutation-break gate: every regression-trap test added is proven by
  deleting the guard it protects and confirming the test fails
  without it, then restoring the guard.
- Canonical-owner gate: deterministic detection parses the executable
  selectors in the single canonical architecture owner table. Every
  detected owner touch must map to at least one executed functional
  test ID with exact command, passing evidence, and exact head SHA.
  The version 2 completion contract intentionally replaces version 1
  self-classified `decisions[]`; terminal v1 returns are malformed and
  re-spawn once. A new owner, centralization, or split-authority repair
  also requires the full dual guardrail (behavioral regression test,
  static boundary guard, matching `test_architecture_*.py` assertion,
  and mutation-break evidence) plus a clean
  `scripts/lint-architecture-boundaries.sh`. Missing evidence stays in
  the loop or returns `blocked`; it is never deferred.
- Lint contract: the canonical ruff pair
  (`uv run --extra dev ruff check src/ tests/` and
  `ruff format --check src/ tests/`) must be silent before any push.
- CI-observed-green: terminal `ready-to-merge` requires real CI
  evidence, not an assumption.
- One advisory comment per PR per terminal pass, rendered from
  [assets/pr-comment-templates.md](assets/pr-comment-templates.md)
  and posted by `autopilot-comment`.
- Authorship preservation: superseding PRs credit the original author
  via commit trailers and link back.

## Consequential writes cross a deterministic tool bridge

Every side effect (push, comment, PR open/close, label, CI read,
mergeability probe) goes through a deterministic CLI (`gh`, `git`,
`uv run ruff`) wrapped in plan + execute + verify (A9 SUPERVISED
EXECUTION). Present-state facts (CI status, mergeable, head sha) are
READ from `gh`/`git` at terminal, never asserted from recall.

## Bundled assets

- [assets/worker-prompt.md](assets/worker-prompt.md)
  -- the per-PR convergence-loop spawn body. ONE PR per subagent.
- [assets/fold-vs-defer-rubric.md](assets/fold-vs-defer-rubric.md) --
  the fold-by-default decision authority (Phase X.2).
- [assets/copilot-classification-prompt.md](assets/copilot-classification-prompt.md)
  -- LEGIT/NOT-LEGIT classification of Copilot review (Phase X.0).
- [assets/ci-recovery-checklist.md](assets/ci-recovery-checklist.md)
  -- post-push CI watch + recovery loop (Phase X.6; cap 3).
- [assets/conflict-resolution-prompt.md](assets/conflict-resolution-prompt.md)
  -- cross-PR rebase + faithful conflict resolution spawn body.
- [assets/completion-schema.json](assets/completion-schema.json) --
  JSON schema for the `completion` and `conflict-resolution` return
  shapes. Schema-validate every subagent return.
- [scripts/owner_touch_gate.py](scripts/owner_touch_gate.py) --
  non-interactive deterministic owner-touch detection and terminal
  functional-evidence verification. Run `--help` for its CLI.
- [assets/pr-comment-templates.md](assets/pr-comment-templates.md) --
  PR ADVISORY + SUPERSEDE comment shapes (rendered at terminal).
- [references/mergeability-gate.md](references/mergeability-gate.md) --
  load-on-demand step-by-step for the conflict-resolution phase.