@yemi33/minions 0.1.1960 → 0.1.1962

package/engine/lifecycle.js

@@ -2332,6 +2332,38 @@ function checkForLearnings(agentId, agentInfo, taskDesc) {
   log('info', `${agentInfo?.name || agentId} didn't write learnings — no follow-up queued`);
 }
 
+// E2.a (W-mp7goxe4000p75f7): name-normalised dedup against the personal-scope
+// skill dir. Strips a trailing `-[a-z0-9]{4,8}` random-suffix on the candidate
+// and re-checks against existing stems; also does simple prefix-match.
+// Returns the matched existing stem, or null if no near-duplicate.
+// Read-only — never deletes or renames existing skills.
+function _findNearDuplicateSkill(personalSkillRoot, candidateName) {
+  if (!personalSkillRoot || !candidateName) return null;
+  let entries;
+  try {
+    entries = fs.readdirSync(personalSkillRoot, { withFileTypes: true })
+      .filter(d => d.isDirectory())
+      .map(d => d.name);
+  } catch { return null; }
+  if (entries.length === 0) return null;
+
+  // 1. Strip trailing `-[a-z0-9]{4,8}` random suffix and re-check.
+  const stripped = candidateName.replace(/-[a-z0-9]{4,8}$/, '');
+  if (stripped !== candidateName && entries.includes(stripped)) {
+    return stripped;
+  }
+
+  // 2. Prefix-match against existing stems. Either direction:
+  //    - candidate `foo-bar-x4y2` vs existing `foo-bar`
+  //    - candidate `foo` vs existing `foo-bar`
+  for (const existing of entries) {
+    if (existing === candidateName) continue;
+    if (candidateName.startsWith(existing + '-')) return existing;
+    if (existing.startsWith(candidateName + '-')) return existing;
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
 function skillWriteTargets(runtimeName, project = null) {
   try {
     const runtime = resolveRuntime(runtimeName || 'claude');
@@ -2408,22 +2440,42 @@ function extractSkillsFromOutput(output, agentId, dispatchItem, config, runtimeN
       const personalSkillRoot = skillWriteTargets(effectiveRuntime).personal;
       const skillDir = path.join(personalSkillRoot, name.replace(/[^a-z0-9-]/g, '-'));
       const skillPath = path.join(skillDir, 'SKILL.md');
-      if (!fs.existsSync(skillPath)) {
-        // Native skill format: only name + description in frontmatter. The
-        // `Auto-extracted` marker is an HTML comment so the dashboard's
-        // autoGenerated detection picks it up without polluting the body
-        // an agent reads.
-        const description = m('description') || m('trigger') || `Auto-extracted skill from ${agentName}`;
-        const body = fmMatch[2] || '';
-        const marker = `<!-- Auto-extracted by ${agentName} on ${dateStamp()} -->`;
-        const ccContent = `---\nname: ${name}\ndescription: ${description}\n---\n\n${marker}\n\n${body.trim()}\n`;
-        if (!fs.existsSync(skillDir)) fs.mkdirSync(skillDir, { recursive: true });
-        shared.safeWrite(skillPath, ccContent);
-        try { require('./queries').invalidateSkillsCache(); } catch {}
-        log('info', `Extracted skill "${name}" from ${agentName} → ${skillPath}`);
-      } else {
+      if (fs.existsSync(skillPath)) {
         log('info', `Skill "${name}" already exists, skipping`);
+        continue;
+      }
+      // E2.a (W-mp7goxe4000p75f7): catch random-suffix and prefix-match
+      // near-duplicates BEFORE writing. Logs + flags for human review;
+      // no existing skills are deleted or renamed.
+      const nearDup = _findNearDuplicateSkill(personalSkillRoot, name.replace(/[^a-z0-9-]/g, '-'));
+      if (nearDup) {
+        log('warn', `Skill "${name}" appears to be a near-duplicate of "${nearDup}", skipping`);
+        const flaggedPath = path.join(ENGINE_DIR, 'skills-flagged.json');
+        mutateJsonFileLocked(flaggedPath, (data) => {
+          const arr = Array.isArray(data) ? data : [];
+          arr.push({
+            timestamp: ts(),
+            candidate: name,
+            existing: nearDup,
+            agent: agentName,
+            dispatchId: dispatchItem?.id || null,
+          });
+          return arr;
+        });
+        continue;
       }
+      // Native skill format: only name + description in frontmatter. The
+      // `Auto-extracted` marker is an HTML comment so the dashboard's
+      // autoGenerated detection picks it up without polluting the body
+      // an agent reads.
+      const description = m('description') || m('trigger') || `Auto-extracted skill from ${agentName}`;
+      const body = fmMatch[2] || '';
+      const marker = `<!-- Auto-extracted by ${agentName} on ${dateStamp()} -->`;
+      const ccContent = `---\nname: ${name}\ndescription: ${description}\n---\n\n${marker}\n\n${body.trim()}\n`;
+      if (!fs.existsSync(skillDir)) fs.mkdirSync(skillDir, { recursive: true });
+      shared.safeWrite(skillPath, ccContent);
+      try { require('./queries').invalidateSkillsCache(); } catch {}
+      log('info', `Extracted skill "${name}" from ${agentName} → ${skillPath}`);
 
     }
   }

package/engine/pipeline.js

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const fs = require('fs');
 const path = require('path');
 const shared = require('./shared');
 const queries = require('./queries');
-const { safeJson, safeJsonNoRestore, safeWrite, safeRead, safeReadDir, uid, log, ts, dateStamp, mutateJsonFileLocked, mutateWorkItems, slugify, formatTranscriptEntry, WI_STATUS, WORK_TYPE, PLAN_STATUS, PR_STATUS, PIPELINE_STATUS, STAGE_TYPE, MEETING_STATUS, ENGINE_DEFAULTS, MINIONS_DIR } = shared;
+const { safeJson, safeJsonNoRestore, safeWrite, safeRead, safeReadDir, uid, log, ts, dateStamp, mutateJsonFileLocked, mutateWorkItems, slugify, formatTranscriptEntry, WI_STATUS, WORK_TYPE, PLAN_STATUS, PR_STATUS, PIPELINE_STATUS, STAGE_TYPE, MEETING_STATUS, READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES, ENGINE_DEFAULTS, MINIONS_DIR } = shared;
 const routing = require('./routing');
 const http = require('http');
 const { parseCronExpr, shouldRunNow } = require('./scheduler');
@@ -388,13 +388,20 @@ function executeTaskStage(stage, stageState, run, config, pipeline = {}) {
       const projectSlug = _pipelineProjectSlug(project);
       const id = `PL-${run.runId.slice(4, 12)}-${stage.id}-${i}${projectResolution.projects.length > 1 || project ? '-' + projectSlug : ''}`;
       const wiPath = _pipelineWorkItemsPath(project);
+      const wiType = routing.normalizeWorkType(item.type || stage.taskType, WORK_TYPE.EXPLORE);
+      // W-mp8ho6w500034a58: read-only stages don't commit, so a pipeline
+      // branch label is meaningless to them — omit it entirely so the
+      // dispatcher's read-only fast-path runs without ceremony.
+      const wiBranch = READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES.has(wiType)
+        ? null
+        : `pipeline/${run.pipelineId}/${stage.id}`;
       mutateWorkItems(wiPath, workItems => {
         if (workItems.some(w => w.id === id)) { createdIds.push(id); return workItems; }
         workItems.push({
           id,
           title: item.title || stage.title,
           description: item.description || stage.description || '',
-          type: routing.normalizeWorkType(item.type || stage.taskType, WORK_TYPE.EXPLORE),
+          type: wiType,
           priority: item.priority || stage.priority || 'medium',
           // Agent is a soft routing hint unless agentLock/hardAgent is set.
           ...(item.agent || stage.agent ? { agent: item.agent || stage.agent } : {}),
@@ -403,7 +410,7 @@ function executeTaskStage(stage, stageState, run, config, pipeline = {}) {
           status: WI_STATUS.PENDING,
           created: ts(),
           createdBy: 'pipeline:' + run.pipelineId,
-          branch: `pipeline/${run.pipelineId}/${stage.id}`,
+          ...(wiBranch ? { branch: wiBranch } : {}),
           _pipelineRun: run.runId,
           _pipelineStage: stage.id,
         });
@@ -430,11 +437,18 @@ function executeTaskStageLegacy(stage, stageState, run, config) {
       const item = items[i % items.length];
       const id = `PL-${run.runId.slice(4, 12)}-${stage.id}-${i}`;
       if (workItems.some(w => w.id === id)) { createdIds.push(id); continue; }
+      const wiType = routing.normalizeWorkType(item.type || stage.taskType, WORK_TYPE.EXPLORE);
+      // W-mp8ho6w500034a58: read-only stages don't commit, so the branch
+      // label is meaningless — omit it so dispatch takes the read-only path
+      // without recomputing a worktree placement that will never be used.
+      const wiBranch = READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES.has(wiType)
+        ? null
+        : `pipeline/${run.pipelineId}/${stage.id}`;
       workItems.push({
         id,
         title: item.title || stage.title,
         description: item.description || stage.description || '',
-        type: routing.normalizeWorkType(item.type || stage.taskType, WORK_TYPE.EXPLORE),
+        type: wiType,
         priority: item.priority || stage.priority || 'medium',
         // Agent is a soft routing hint unless agentLock/hardAgent is set.
         ...(item.agent || stage.agent ? { agent: item.agent || stage.agent } : {}),
@@ -442,7 +456,7 @@ function executeTaskStageLegacy(stage, stageState, run, config) {
         status: WI_STATUS.PENDING,
         created: ts(),
         createdBy: 'pipeline:' + run.pipelineId,
-        branch: `pipeline/${run.pipelineId}/${stage.id}`,
+        ...(wiBranch ? { branch: wiBranch } : {}),
         _pipelineRun: run.runId,
         _pipelineStage: stage.id,
       });
@@ -571,7 +585,8 @@ async function executePlanStage(stage, stageState, run, config, pipeline = {}) {
               id: wiId, title: `Convert plan to PRD: ${existingPlanFile}`,
               type: WORK_TYPE.PLAN_TO_PRD, priority: 'high', status: WI_STATUS.PENDING,
               planFile: existingPlanFile, created: ts(), createdBy: 'pipeline:' + run.pipelineId,
-              branch: `pipeline/${run.pipelineId}/${stage.id}`, _pipelineRun: run.runId, _pipelineStage: stage.id,
+              // W-mp8ho6w500034a58: PLAN_TO_PRD is read-only — no branch needed.
+              _pipelineRun: run.runId, _pipelineStage: stage.id,
               ...(project ? { project: project.name } : {}),
             });
           }
@@ -665,7 +680,7 @@ async function executePlanStage(stage, stageState, run, config, pipeline = {}) {
           planFile: path.basename(filePath),
           created: ts(),
           createdBy: 'pipeline:' + run.pipelineId,
-          branch: `pipeline/${run.pipelineId}/${stage.id}`,
+          // W-mp8ho6w500034a58: PLAN_TO_PRD is read-only — no branch needed.
           _pipelineRun: run.runId,
           _pipelineStage: stage.id,
           ...(project ? { project: project.name } : {}),

package/engine/playbook.js

@@ -619,6 +619,54 @@ function buildSystemPrompt(agentId, config, project) {
   return prompt;
 }
 
+// E2.b (W-mp7goxe4000p75f7): build the `## Existing Skills (do not duplicate)`
+// section for buildAgentContext. Lists name + first-line description for every
+// personal-scope/installed-plugin skill discovered by queries.getSkills().
+// Caps at ~2KB by truncating alphabetically with a "_...and N more_" tail.
+// Returns '' when there are no personal-scope skills to advertise.
+const EXISTING_SKILLS_MAX_BYTES = 2048;
+const PERSONAL_SKILL_SCOPES = new Set(['claude-code', 'copilot', 'agent-skill', 'plugin', 'copilot-plugin']);
+
+function _buildExistingSkillsSection(config) {
+  let skills;
+  try {
+    skills = queries.getSkills(config) || [];
+  } catch { return ''; }
+  const personal = skills
+    .filter(s => PERSONAL_SKILL_SCOPES.has(s.scope))
+    .map(s => ({
+      name: String(s.name || '').trim(),
+      description: String(s.description || '').split('\n')[0].trim(),
+    }))
+    .filter(s => s.name)
+    .sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));
+  if (personal.length === 0) return '';
+
+  const header = `## Existing Skills (do not duplicate)\n\nThese personal-scope skills already exist on disk. Do NOT emit a \`\`\`skill block whose name duplicates or near-duplicates one of these — the engine will flag it for human review and skip the write.\n\n`;
+  const lines = personal.map(s => s.description ? `- ${s.name} — ${s.description}` : `- ${s.name}`);
+
+  let body = lines.join('\n') + '\n\n';
+  if (Buffer.byteLength(header + body, 'utf8') <= EXISTING_SKILLS_MAX_BYTES) {
+    return header + body;
+  }
+
+  // Truncate alphabetically until we fit, leaving room for the tail line.
+  let kept = lines.length;
+  while (kept > 0) {
+    const dropped = lines.length - kept;
+    const tail = `_...and ${dropped} more (alphabetical truncation; full list on disk)_\n\n`;
+    body = lines.slice(0, kept).join('\n') + '\n' + tail;
+    if (Buffer.byteLength(header + body, 'utf8') <= EXISTING_SKILLS_MAX_BYTES) {
+      return header + body;
+    }
+    kept--;
+  }
+  // Pathological: header alone exceeds the cap. Return at least the header
+  // with a tail showing every skill was dropped, so the agent still sees the
+  // section heading.
+  return header + `_...and ${lines.length} more (alphabetical truncation; full list on disk)_\n\n`;
+}
+
 // Bulk context: history, notes, conventions, skills — prepended to user/task prompt.
 // This is the content that grows over time and would bloat the system prompt.
 function buildAgentContext(agentId, config, project) {
@@ -671,7 +719,12 @@ function buildAgentContext(agentId, config, project) {
 
   appendIndex('Knowledge Base Reference', getKnowledgeBaseIndex(), 8192);
 
-  context += `## Reference Files\n\nKnowledge base entries are in \`knowledge/{category}/*.md\`, and project-local playbooks live in \`projects/<project>/playbooks/\`. Runtime-native skills and commands are left to the selected CLI runtime; Minions does not inject their contents into the task prompt.\n\n`;
+  context += `## Reference Files\n\nKnowledge base entries are in \`knowledge/{category}/*.md\`, and project-local playbooks live in \`projects/<project>/playbooks/\`. Runtime-native skills and commands live in their native indexes (the catalog of names + descriptions is injected below as "Existing Skills"; full skill bodies are not).\n\n`;
+
+  // E2.b (W-mp7goxe4000p75f7): inject existing personal-scope skill catalog
+  // so agents can see what already exists before emitting a near-duplicate
+  // skill block. Caps at ~2KB; truncates alphabetically with a tail count.
+  context += _buildExistingSkillsSection(config);
 
   // Minions awareness: what's in flight, who's doing what
   const dispatch = getDispatch();

package/engine/shared.js

@@ -2883,10 +2883,12 @@ const READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES = new Set(['meeting', 'ask', 'explore', 'plan-to
  *      the drive-root preflight that fires when MINIONS_DIR sits one level
  *      below a filesystem root (resolveProjectRootDir's collapse case).
  *
- * NOTE: Pipeline branches (engine.js `isPipelineBranchName`) override this —
- * they always need a worktree even for read-only types because the worktree
- * IS the pipeline's isolated workspace. The caller must detect the pipeline
- * branch case and recompute worktreeRootDir via `resolveProjectRootDir`.
+ * NOTE (W-mp8ho6w500034a58): Pipeline branches no longer override this.
+ * Read-only pipeline stages don't commit, so a `pipeline/...` branch is a
+ * meaningless label for them — the dispatcher short-circuits read-only WIs
+ * regardless of branch name, and `engine/pipeline.js` now omits the branch
+ * field for read-only stages. Only code-mutating pipeline stages need a
+ * worktree, and they take the normal code-mutating path below.
  *
  * @param {{ localPath?: string|null }|null|undefined} project
  * @param {string} type — work type (e.g. 'fix', 'explore', 'meeting')

package/engine/worktree-pool.js

@@ -148,85 +148,6 @@ function tryBorrow(projectName, dispatchId, opts) {
   return borrowed;
 }
 
-/**
- * Register a brand-new worktree as a borrowed pool member. Used when a fresh
- * worktree is created (no idle slot available) and the pool has room — we
- * track it from creation so the eventual return is a simple state flip.
- *
- * Honors capacity inside the locked mutation: if the project is already at or
- * over `poolSize`, the registration is rejected and the worktree stays
- * untracked (cleanup will reap it normally).
- */
-function registerBorrowed(projectName, wtPath, dispatchId, opts) {
-  opts = opts || {};
-  if (!projectName || !wtPath || !dispatchId) return false;
-  const poolSize = Number.isFinite(opts.poolSize) ? Math.max(0, Math.floor(opts.poolSize)) : 0;
-  if (poolSize <= 0) return false;
-  const branch = opts.branch || '';
-  const now = Number.isFinite(opts.now) ? opts.now : Date.now();
-  let registered = false;
-  mutateWorktreePool((data) => {
-    const entries = data.entries;
-    // Already tracked? Update the borrower fields and keep going.
-    const existingIdx = _findEntryByPath(entries, wtPath);
-    if (existingIdx !== -1) {
-      const e = entries[existingIdx];
-      e.state = POOL_STATE.BORROWED;
-      e.borrowedBy = dispatchId;
-      e.borrowedAt = _nowIso(now);
-      e.idleSince = null;
-      if (branch) e.lastBranch = branch;
-      e.lastUsed = e.borrowedAt;
-      registered = true;
-      return data;
-    }
-    // Capacity gate — count entries (idle + borrowed) for this project.
-    const projectCount = entries.filter(e => e && e.project === projectName).length;
-    if (projectCount >= poolSize) return data;
-    entries.push({
-      project: projectName,
-      path: wtPath,
-      state: POOL_STATE.BORROWED,
-      borrowedBy: dispatchId,
-      borrowedAt: _nowIso(now),
-      idleSince: null,
-      lastBranch: branch,
-      createdAt: _nowIso(now),
-      lastUsed: _nowIso(now),
-    });
-    registered = true;
-    return data;
-  });
-  return registered;
-}
-
-/**
- * Mark a borrowed entry as idle. Caller is responsible for having already run
- * the git reset/clean/checkout-detach/pull dance — this is purely a state
- * flip. If the entry is unknown, no-op (caller can decide to register first).
- */
-function markIdle(wtPath, opts) {
-  opts = opts || {};
-  if (!wtPath) return false;
-  const now = Number.isFinite(opts.now) ? opts.now : Date.now();
-  const branch = opts.branch || '';
-  let flipped = false;
-  mutateWorktreePool((data) => {
-    const idx = _findEntryByPath(data.entries, wtPath);
-    if (idx === -1) return data;
-    const e = data.entries[idx];
-    e.state = POOL_STATE.IDLE;
-    e.borrowedBy = null;
-    e.borrowedAt = null;
-    e.idleSince = _nowIso(now);
-    e.lastUsed = _nowIso(now);
-    if (branch) e.lastBranch = branch;
-    flipped = true;
-    return data;
-  });
-  return flipped;
-}
-
 /**
  * Return a worktree to the pool — flip an existing borrowed entry to idle, or
  * insert a fresh entry as idle when the project is under capacity. Both paths
@@ -353,8 +274,8 @@ function pruneStale(opts) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Count entries (idle + borrowed) belonging to a project. Used to gate
- * `markIdle` registrations from fresh-create paths.
+ * Count entries (idle + borrowed) belonging to a project. Used for capacity
+ * gating diagnostics and pool-size dashboards.
  */
 function countForProject(projectName) {
   if (!projectName) return 0;
@@ -397,8 +318,6 @@ module.exports = {
   isPoolMember,
   getEntry,
   tryBorrow,
-  registerBorrowed,
-  markIdle,
   returnToPool,
   evictEntry,
   pruneStale,

package/engine.js

@@ -108,10 +108,6 @@ const CHECKPOINT_CAP_FAIL_REASON = 'Exceeded 3 checkpoint-resumes; manual interv
 // re-aliased here for the existing call sites in this file.
 const READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES = shared.READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES;
 
-function isPipelineBranchName(branchName) {
-  return typeof branchName === 'string' && branchName.startsWith('pipeline/');
-}
-
 // ─── Dispatch Management (extracted to engine/dispatch.js) ───────────────────
 
 const { mutateDispatch, addToDispatch, addToDispatchWithValidation, isRetryableFailureReason, completeDispatch,
@@ -777,8 +773,13 @@ async function spawnAgent(dispatchItem, config) {
   //     (caller defaults cwd to worktreeRootDir; drive-root collapse throws
   //     WORKTREE_ROOTDIR_COLLAPSED_TO_DRIVE_ROOT — same fail-fast behavior as
   //     the legacy resolveProjectRootDir call this replaced).
-  // Pipeline branches force a worktree even for read-only types — handled
-  // immediately after the resolver call below.
+  // W-mp8ho6w500034a58: read-only task types (meeting/ask/explore/plan/plan-to-prd)
+  // never need a worktree — even when carrying a pipeline branch. Pipeline branches
+  // on read-only stages are a no-op label; the stage doesn't commit anything, so
+  // the worktree had no functional purpose and was only there to absorb a drive-
+  // root preflight that fired against MINIONS_DIR's parent. Read-only pipeline
+  // stages now short-circuit alongside any other read-only WI (see the gate at
+  // `if (branchName && READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES.has(type))` below).
   const _preBranchName = meta?.branch ? sanitizeBranch(meta.branch) : null;
   let cwd, worktreeRootDir;
   try {
@@ -799,29 +800,6 @@ async function spawnAgent(dispatchItem, config) {
     }
     throw rootErr;
   }
-  // Pipeline branches need a worktree even for read-only types (the worktree
-  // IS the pipeline's isolated workspace). When we detect a pipeline branch
-  // on a read-only type, recompute worktreeRootDir so the worktree creation
-  // block has a placement parent — and so the drive-root preflight still fires.
-  if (worktreeRootDir === null && isPipelineBranchName(_preBranchName)) {
-    try {
-      worktreeRootDir = shared.resolveProjectRootDir(project.localPath, MINIONS_DIR);
-    } catch (rootErr) {
-      if (rootErr?.code === 'WORKTREE_ROOTDIR_COLLAPSED_TO_DRIVE_ROOT' || rootErr?.code === 'WORKTREE_ROOTDIR_MISSING_BASE') {
-        log('error', `spawnAgent: pipeline-branch rootDir resolution failed for ${id}: ${rootErr.message}`);
-        completeDispatch(
-          id,
-          DISPATCH_RESULT.ERROR,
-          rootErr.message.slice(0, 800),
-          'Pre-spawn worktree preflight rejected — see failure_class for the specific cause.',
-          { failureClass: FAILURE_CLASS.WORKTREE_PREFLIGHT, agentRetryable: false },
-        );
-        cleanupTempAgent(agentId);
-        return null;
-      }
-      throw rootErr;
-    }
-  }
   // Legacy local alias: downstream git ops (worktree add, prune, fetch) and
   // the `cwd === rootDir` safety warn at line ~1387 reference `rootDir`. For
   // read-only rootless tasks (no worktree, no branch) this is null — the
@@ -910,14 +888,15 @@ async function spawnAgent(dispatchItem, config) {
   };
   _phaseT.afterPrompt = Date.now();
 
-  if (branchName && READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES.has(type) && !isPipelineBranchName(branchName)) {
+  if (branchName && READ_ONLY_ROOT_TASK_TYPES.has(type)) {
     // W-mp7havqf0007ce6b: read-only types (meeting/ask/explore/plan/plan-to-prd)
     // short-circuit BEFORE the worktree-creation block. resolveSpawnPaths returns
     // worktreeRootDir=null for read-only types, and path.resolve(null, ...) throws
-    // ("paths[0] must be of type string. Received null"). Pipeline branches are
-    // exempt — they always need a worktree (the worktree IS the pipeline workspace),
-    // and the recompute at lines ~806-824 ensures worktreeRootDir is non-null
-    // before the worktree-creation block runs for them.
+    // ("paths[0] must be of type string. Received null"). Pipeline branches used
+    // to be exempt — they don't need to be (W-mp8ho6w500034a58): read-only stages
+    // never commit, so a pipeline-branch label is meaningless for them and the
+    // forced worktree only existed to feed the drive-root preflight that this
+    // short-circuit now correctly avoids.
     log('info', `${type}: read-only task with branch ${branchName} — skipping worktree, running in cwd ${cwd}`);
     branchName = null;
     worktreePath = null;
@@ -990,8 +969,15 @@ async function spawnAgent(dispatchItem, config) {
           if (borrowed && borrowed.path && fs.existsSync(borrowed.path)) {
             try { shared.assertWorktreeOutsideProject(borrowed.path, rootDir); }
             catch (assertErr) {
+              // Always evict before deciding what to do — leaves no BORROWED
+              // orphan tied to a dispatch that won't complete normally.
+              // pruneStale would self-heal in ~10 ticks via orphan-borrow, but
+              // that window is unnecessary.
+              const _evictReason = assertErr?.code === 'WORKTREE_NESTED_IN_PROJECT'
+                ? 'nested-in-project'
+                : 'assert-failed';
+              worktreePool.evictEntry(borrowed.path, _evictReason);
               if (assertErr?.code === 'WORKTREE_NESTED_IN_PROJECT') {
-                worktreePool.evictEntry(borrowed.path, 'nested-in-project');
                 _failWorktreePreflight(assertErr); return null;
               }
               throw assertErr;

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@yemi33/minions",
-  "version": "0.1.1960",
+  "version": "0.1.1962",
   "description": "Multi-agent AI dev team that runs from ~/.minions/ — five autonomous agents share a single engine, dashboard, and knowledge base",
   "bin": {
     "minions": "bin/minions.js"