forensics

STOP — DO NOT READ THIS FILE. You are already reading it.

/pbr:forensics — Post-Mortem Investigation

Read-only investigation for failed or stuck workflows. Analyzes git history, .planning/ artifacts, and file system state to detect anomalies. Writes a diagnostic report. Does NOT modify project files.

Step 0 — Banner

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║  PLAN-BUILD-RUN ► FORENSICS                                  ║
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Step 1 — Get Problem Description

If $ARGUMENTS is empty, ask: "What went wrong? Describe the issue — e.g., 'autonomous mode got stuck on phase 3', 'execute-phase failed silently', 'commits seem wrong'."

Step 2 — Gather Evidence

Collect data from all available sources. Missing sources are fine — adapt.

2a. Git History

git log --oneline -30
git log --format="%H %ai %s" -30
git log --name-only --format="" -20 | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -20
git status --short
git diff --stat

Record: commit timeline, most-edited files, uncommitted changes.

2b. Planning State

Read if they exist: STATE.md, ROADMAP.md, config.json. Extract current phase, last session, blockers.

2c. Phase Artifacts

For each phase in .planning/phases/*/, check which artifacts exist vs expected (PLAN, SUMMARY, VERIFICATION, CONTEXT, RESEARCH).

2d. Worktree State

git worktree list

Check for orphaned worktrees from crashed agents.

Step 3 — Detect Anomalies

Stuck Loop Detection

Same file in 3+ consecutive commits within a short time window. HIGH confidence if commit messages are similar.

Missing Artifact Detection

Phase appears complete (has commits, past in roadmap) but lacks PLAN, SUMMARY, or VERIFICATION.

Abandoned Work Detection

Large gap between last commit and now, with STATE.md showing mid-execution.

Crash/Interruption Detection

Uncommitted changes + STATE.md active + orphaned worktrees.

Scope Drift Detection

Recent commits touch files outside current phase's expected scope (from PLAN.md).

Test Regression Detection

Commit messages containing "fix test", "revert", or re-commits of test files.

Step 4 — Generate Report

mkdir -p .planning/forensics

Write to .planning/forensics/report-{YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS}.md:

# Forensic Report

**Generated:** {ISO timestamp}
**Problem:** {user's description}

## Evidence Summary

### Git Activity
- **Last commit:** {date} — "{message}"
- **Commits (last 30):** {count}
- **Uncommitted changes:** {yes/no}
- **Active worktrees:** {count}

### Planning State
- **Current phase:** {N} — {name} ({status})
- **Last session:** {date}
- **Blockers:** {list or "none"}

### Artifact Completeness
| Phase | PLAN | SUMMARY | VERIFICATION | Status |
|-------|------|---------|-------------|--------|
| {N} | {Y/N} | {Y/N} | {Y/N} | {complete/incomplete} |

## Anomalies Detected

### {Anomaly Name}
**Confidence:** {HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW}
**Evidence:** {specific data points}
**Impact:** {what this caused}
**Recommendation:** {what to do}

## Recommendations

1. {Prioritized action items}

Step 5 — Present Findings

Display a summary of findings inline, point to the full report on disk:

Report: .planning/forensics/report-{timestamp}.md

Anomalies found: {count}
  - {anomaly 1}: {brief}
  - {anomaly 2}: {brief}

Recommended: {top action item}

Optionally offer to create a GitHub issue with the findings.

Anti-Patterns

1. DO NOT modify project files — forensics is read-only
2. DO NOT spawn subagents — run everything inline
3. DO NOT guess — base all findings on evidence
4. DO NOT report anomalies without evidence and confidence levels