♻️ Adopt setup: prefix and retire the stray use: script

Introduce a setup: prefix for one-time clone configuration (mutates the
local environment, never a hook or CI step) with setup as its umbrella
aggregator. Move use:git-commit-message to setup:git-commit-message as
its first member, retiring use: — the undocumented prefix tracked in the
backlog. Update both CONTRIBUTING.md prefix lists, the bare-command
inventory, and the stale use: reference in branch.sh.

.pi/npm/.gitignore

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+*
+!.gitignore

.pi/settings.json

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "packages": ["npm:@spences10/pi-lsp@0.0.46"]
+}

.vscode/extensions.json

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
     "recommendations": [
         "oxc.oxc-vscode",
         "streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker",
-        "typescriptteam.native-preview"
+        "typescriptteam.native-preview",
+        "sandy081.todotasks"
     ]
 }

AGENTS.md

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ first-action facts. Do not restate evolving prose here — it will drift.
 
 - Project: F#-style pattern matching for TypeScript/ESM. Node `>=26` (pinned via `.node-version`), ESM-only (no CommonJS shim).
 - **While iterating:** `npm run test` (`check:tsc` + the unit suite) for fast feedback on the files you changed.
+- **Optional code intelligence:** this repo installs `@spences10/pi-lsp` (pinned in `.pi/settings.json`) as a project-local pi extension. It talks to the repo's own TypeScript 7 via `tsc --lsp --stdio` and exposes **read-only** tools — `lsp_hover`, `lsp_definition`, `lsp_references`, `lsp_find_symbol`, `lsp_document_symbols`, `lsp_diagnostics(_many)`. Prefer `lsp_references` over `grep -w` for widely-colliding identifiers (`matches`, `type`, …); use `lsp_hover` to read inferred types on generic-heavy code. It has no rename / code-action / apply-edit surface — the write side is pi's `edit` tool + `check:tsc`. Treat empty LSP output as _inconclusive_, not success: **`npm run test` / `npm run verify` remain the sole authoritative gate** (see the next bullet).
 - **Definition of done — run this before you call the work finished:** `npm run verify`. If all green, commit. If red, look at the output, fix the root cause, and re-run.
 - **On commit:** write a good message (see [CONTRIBUTING.md § Commit messages](./CONTRIBUTING.md#commit-messages)). Lefthook's pre-commit hook already runs the fast, offline, staged-file checks — don't run them by hand. If the hook fails on style, `npm run fix`, restage, recommit.
 - **`npm run maintain` is NOT part of the feature loop.** Its scans are advisory, never a gate; run them only on an explicit maintenance / update-deps branch.
@@ -26,12 +27,36 @@ Don't silence the type system to force a green run. As an agent these are forbid
 - `// oxlint-disable` / `// oxlint-disable-next-line`
 - `as` casts used to push an expression through (type-aware oxlint already flags unsafe assertions)
 
-Fix the root cause with the type system instead — narrowing, generics, `satisfies`, conditional / mapped types, utility types (`NonNullable`, `Exclude`, …). TypeScript can express it; that's the intended tool. The `oxlint-disable`-location rule in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Rules the tools don't enforce](./CONTRIBUTING.md#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce) is a **human** last-resort convention (so a reviewer can spot a deliberate suppression) — it is not permission for you to add one. If the types genuinely cannot express something, stop and surface the conflict (commit message / MR) rather than suppress it.
+Fix the root cause with the type system instead — narrowing, generics, `satisfies`, conditional / mapped types, utility types (`NonNullable`, `Exclude`, …). TypeScript can express it; that's the intended tool. The `oxlint-disable`-location rule in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Rules the tools don't enforce](./CONTRIBUTING.md#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce) is a **human** last-resort convention (so a reviewer can spot a deliberate suppression) — it is not permission for you to add one. If the types genuinely cannot express something, stop and surface the conflict (commit message / handover) rather than suppress it.
 
 The same applies to the checks themselves: **never `git commit --no-verify`** (or otherwise skip a pre-commit / pre-push hook). The checks are fast and offline, so a redundant run is fine — bypassing a hook to get green is the identical anti-pattern. If a commit already skipped a hook, redo it through one: `git reset --soft HEAD~1 && git commit -C <skipped-sha>`.
 
 Never start a long-lived / blocking process such as `npm run watch`. It runs until a human stops it with Ctrl-C, so in an agent turn it hangs forever and floods the context with continuous output. Reach for a one-shot command instead — `npm run test` (or `npm run check`) — to get feedback.
 
+## Backlog
+
+`backlog.tasks` uses the vscode-todotasks format (not Markdown). A line ending in `:` is a project; every other line is a task. Status glyphs: `☐` open, `✔` done, `✘` cancelled; subtasks nest by indentation. Inline `@tags` carry metadata — `@done` / `@cancelled` mark completion, `@critical` / `@high` / `@low` / `@today` set priority. The `(…)` timestamp after `@done` is editor-generated: omit it when checking off by hand.
+
+**Required coupling:** a `✔` line _must_ also carry `@done`, and a `✘` line _must_ carry `@cancelled`. The `sandy081.todotasks` extension treats the glyph as the completion signal, then unconditionally searches for the matching tag to decorate; a bare `✔`/`✘` with no tag makes it compute an illegal `Range` (negative character offset) that throws and kills all highlighting/decoration for the document. A `☐` may stand alone. So check off by hand as `✔ … @done` (optionally `@done (timestamp)`), never a lone `✔`.
+
+### Working on tasks
+
+- **Task with subtasks** (a task that has indented children): create the branch with `npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>`, inferring the prefix from the task content (`feature/…` / `fix/…` / `chore/…`) — do not hand-write `git switch -c`, the command enforces the clean-tree / current-`main` / green-baseline precondition. Work on each subtask with commits, then present a concise handover for the user to review. Use this fixed shape:
+
+    ```md
+    ## Handover — <branch>
+
+    **Implemented:** <what was built, and how>
+    **Judgement calls:** <where the task was unclear, and what you assumed>
+    **Known problems:** <open issues, caveats, follow-ups>
+    ```
+
+    Once the user has no further objections, merge back: `git checkout main && git merge --no-ff <branch>`. The branching model is documented in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Branching model](./CONTRIBUTING.md#branching-model).
+
+- **Leaf task** (no indented children): implement on the current branch and commit.
+
+In both cases, follow [CONTRIBUTING.md § Testing discipline (type-driven)](./CONTRIBUTING.md#testing-discipline-type-driven). Each subtask gets one or more commits.
+
 ## Read these
 
 - [CONTRIBUTING.md § Rules the tools don't enforce](./CONTRIBUTING.md#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce) — the constraints the linters don't catch; CI/review bounce these. **The most important section.**

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -7,14 +7,15 @@ This document is for maintainers and contributors working on the project itself.
 CI and review will bounce these even though `npm run check` and the linters don't catch them. They're the high-frequency things a contributor (or an agent) reaches for by default:
 
 - **Source imports use `.ts` extensions, never `.js`.** `node --strip-types` resolves the `.ts` form at test time; `rewriteRelativeImportExtensions` emits `.js` in `dist/`. "Pre-fixing" an import to `.js` breaks the inner loop. (rationale: README § Tooling decisions)
-- **A new `npm run` script must reuse an existing prefix** (`check:` / `fix:` / `test:` / `watch:` / `maintain:` / `publish:`). If none fits, that's a signal the script doesn't belong in the pipeline — not a reason to invent a new prefix. (see [Script prefix convention](#script-prefix-convention))
+- **A new `npm run` script must reuse an existing prefix** (`create:` / `check:` / `fix:` / `test:` / `watch:` / `maintain:` / `publish:` / `setup:`). If none fits, that's a signal the script doesn't belong in the pipeline — not a reason to invent a new prefix. If it genuinely does belong, add the prefix to both lists here in the same commit; an undocumented prefix becomes invisible and quietly accrues members. (see [Script prefix convention](#script-prefix-convention))
 - **`oxlint-disable` directives live in source, not `.oxlintrc.json`.** The trade-off must sit next to the code it silences. This is a _human_ last-resort convention; agents must not add these — see [AGENTS.md § Never do](./AGENTS.md#never-do). (rationale: README § Tooling decisions)
 - **Don't put slow / network / whole-project scans in `check` or pre-commit.** Advisory scans are not correctness gates; they belong under `maintain:`. (see [Feedback tiers](#feedback-tiers) and [Script prefix convention](#script-prefix-convention))
+- **New work starts with `npm run create:branch`, never a hand-written `git switch -c`/`git checkout -b`.** The command carries the branch precondition; branching around it skips the clean-tree, current-`main` and green-baseline checks, and the skip is invisible until a failure can no longer be attributed. (see [Branching model](#branching-model))
 - **There is no local `npm run publish`, and `publish:publint` / `publish:attw` don't go in `check`.** (see [Publishing workflow](#publishing-workflow))
 
 ## Commit messages
 
-Gitmoji subject, imperative mood, 50/72 wrapping. The template is `commit-message-template`; run `npm run use:git-commit-message` once after cloning to register it as git's `commit.template`.
+Gitmoji subject, imperative mood, 50/72 wrapping. The template is `commit-message-template`; run `npm run setup:git-commit-message` once after cloning to register it as git's `commit.template` (or `npm run setup` to run every one-time clone step).
 
 Examples from history: `:sparkles: Add watch tier with watch:test child`, `:recycle: Move type-aware config to .oxlintrc.json; use source-level disable directives`, `:memo: Restore unique maintainer content as CONTRIBUTING.md`. The body explains _what and why_, not _how_; link issues with `Resolves #...`.
 
@@ -22,16 +23,18 @@ Examples from history: `:sparkles: Add watch tier with watch:test child`, `:recy
 
 Script names in `package.json` use a prefix that signals _when_ the script is intended to run. A `<prefix>:<name>` script is implicitly aggregated by a `<prefix>` script (if one exists) and run by the corresponding lefthook hook or CI step. Picking the right prefix documents the script's intended lifecycle:
 
+- `create:*` — front doors of the repo's own workflow; these mutate git state rather than the source. `create:branch` opens a unit of work (asserts a clean tree, a current `main` and a green baseline before it branches), `create:release` closes one (maintainer-only). No bare `create` aggregator on purpose — see `publish:*` for the precedent.
 - `check:*` — read-only verification; never modifies files. Aggregated by `npm run check`.
 - `fix:*` — mutating counterpart of a `check:*` script. Aggregated by `npm run fix`; the diff is the review surface.
 - `test:*` — test scripts. `test` is the canonical entry point (`check:tsc` + unit tests); `test:unit` skips the typecheck for fast local iteration; `test:ci` adds c8 coverage.
 - `watch:*` — long-running watchers for the manual inner dev loop. Aggregated by `watch`; currently a single child (`watch:test`), and a future `watch:oxlint` / `watch:tsc` would run concurrently under that umbrella.
 - `maintain:*` — advisory repo-maintenance scans: read-only, but whole-project and/or network-bound, so never a correctness gate. Aggregated by `npm run maintain`.
 - `publish:*` — validates the _publishable artifact_ (e.g. `dist/`) rather than the source, so it needs a fresh build. (see [Rules the tools don't enforce](#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce) and [Publishing workflow](#publishing-workflow))
+- `setup:*` — one-time configuration of a fresh clone; mutates the local environment (git config, editor settings) rather than the repo source, so it is never part of a hook or CI step. Aggregated by `npm run setup` (the umbrella), run once after cloning.
 
-A new script should pick the prefix that matches its lifecycle, not invent a new one. If no existing prefix fits, that's a signal the script doesn't belong in the standard pipeline.
+A new script should pick the prefix that matches its lifecycle, not invent a new one. If no existing prefix fits, that's a signal the script doesn't belong in the standard pipeline. When it genuinely does belong, a new prefix is allowed — but it enters both lists in this file in the same commit as its first member, otherwise the rule "reuse an existing prefix" silently develops an exception (the old `use:` prefix was exactly that; it is now retired into `setup:`).
 
-Separately, some top-level scripts are **bare** (no prefix): the entry points that either run a single tool (`build`, `clean`) or aggregate a `prefix:*` family (`check`, `fix`, `test`, `watch`, `maintain`), plus `verify` — a cross-cutting convenience composing `check` + `test:unit` into one whole-project correctness gate. It deliberately uses `test:unit` rather than `test` because `check` already runs `check:tsc`, so the type checker runs exactly once. Bare commands are how you invoke a tier; the `prefix:*` scripts are what those tiers are made of.
+Separately, some top-level scripts are **bare** (no prefix): the entry points that either run a single tool (`build`, `clean`) or aggregate a `prefix:*` family (`check`, `fix`, `test`, `watch`, `maintain`, `setup`), plus one convenience that composes across tiers: `verify` — composing `check` + `test:unit` into one whole-project correctness gate (it deliberately uses `test:unit` rather than `test` because `check` already runs `check:tsc`, so the type checker runs exactly once). Bare commands are how you invoke a tier; the `prefix:*` scripts are what those tiers are made of.
 
 ## Feedback tiers
 
@@ -46,8 +49,8 @@ The tools are organized into a feedback ladder. Each tier catches different thin
 | `npm run verify`                 | manual                 | Definition of done: `npm run check` + unit tests, one shot            | ~6s   |
 | `npm run fix`                    | manual                 | Auto-resolve fixable issues (lint, format)                            | ~3s   |
 | `npm run maintain`               | manual / CI (advisory) | `maintain:knip` + `maintain:outdated` (whole-project + network scans) | ~10s  |
-| CI build (auto)                  | on push/PR             | `npm run check` + `npm run test:ci`                                   | ~30s+ |
+| CI build (auto)                  | on push to `main`      | `npm run check` + `npm run test:ci`                                   | ~30s+ |
-| CI maintain (auto, non-blocking) | on push/PR             | `npm run maintain` — reports, never fails the build                   | ~10s  |
+| CI maintain (auto, non-blocking) | on push to `main`      | `npm run maintain` — reports, never fails the build                   | ~10s  |
 | CI publish (auto)                | on tag                 | `publish:publint` + `publish:attw`, then `npm publish`                | ~10s  |
 
 ### Why these splits?
@@ -71,18 +74,22 @@ For this library the types _are_ the feature — narrowing, `exhaustive()` retur
 
 This is why every test in the suite pairs an `expectTypeOf(...)` with an `assert.*` — keep them together. Type-first is also enforced structurally: `npm test` runs `check:tsc` before the test runner, so a wrong type can never be papered over by a passing assertion. Per [AGENTS.md § Never do](./AGENTS.md#never-do), reach green honestly — fix the types so both the type check and the runtime assertion pass, never suppress the ones you can't make pass.
 
+## Branching model
+
+**GitHub Flow (single-developer).** Every change — feature, fix, refactor — branches off `main` and is merged back via a local commit (no PR workflow on Gitea yet). Collaborative review via Gitea UI is not in place — Gitea is the lab; when something is tested and ready for production it will be promoted to GitHub.
+
+- **Base branch:** `main`
+- **Branch naming:** `feature/<desc>` / `fix/<desc>` / `chore/<desc>`
+- **Starting work:** `npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>`. It refuses, without changing anything, unless the working tree is clean (untracked files included), no merge/rebase/cherry-pick is in progress, `main` matches its upstream, and `npm run test` is green on `main` — so a later failure is always attributable to your edits. The prefix is still _your_ call, inferred from the task; the script validates it rather than guessing it.
+- **Merging:** `git checkout main && git merge --no-ff <branch>` (local PR — review the diff yourself before closing the branch).
+- CI runs `npm run check` + `npm run test:ci` on every push to `main` — this is the authoritative gate.
+- **Releases are NOT triggered by pushes.** Only the maintainer triggers a release (see [Publishing workflow](#publishing-workflow)).
+
 ## Publishing workflow
 
-Publishing is CI-only by policy. Local `npm publish` is not supported.
+Publishing is CI-only by policy. Local `npm publish` is not supported. The maintainer triggers releases from `main`:
 
-1. Develop and merge PRs to `main`.
+1. All intended changes are merged to `main` and passing CI.
-2. CI runs `npm run check` + `npm run test:ci` on every push and PR — this is the authoritative gate.
+2. The maintainer runs `npm run create:release` — an interactive prompt suggests a version (based on the latest CHANGELOG entry); the maintainer confirms or edits it.
-3. After all intended changes are on `main`, bump the version locally:
+3. `scripts/release.sh` creates a single release commit (changelog + package.json bump, amended into one commit), tags it, and pushes everything to Gitea.
-    ```sh
+4. CI runs on the push: `npm run check` + `npm run test:ci` on the commit; then the `publish` job fires on the tag: `build` → `publish:publint` → `publish:attw` → `npm publish --access public`. The publish-tier checks must pass before the artifact is published.
-    npm version <patch|minor|major>
-    ```
-4. Push the tag to the forge (Gitea):
-    ```sh
-    git push --follow-tags origin main
-    ```
-5. The `publish` CI job runs on the tag: `build` → `publish:publint` → `publish:attw` → `npm publish --access public`. The publish-tier checks must pass before the artifact is published.

README.md

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ What each tier runs, when it fires and what it costs:
 - **publint** — validates `package.json` for ESM publishing correctness.
 - **@arethetypeswrong/cli** (`attw`) — validates `.d.ts` declarations against multiple module-resolution scenarios.
 - **lefthook** — git hooks.
+- **@spences10/pi-lsp** — read-only LSP code intelligence for AI coding agents (project-local `.pi/settings.json`). Talks to this repo's TypeScript 7 via `tsc --lsp --stdio`.
 
 Each tool's configuration trade-off is recorded in [Tooling decisions](#tooling-decisions); when it runs is in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Feedback tiers](./CONTRIBUTING.md#feedback-tiers).
 
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ The choice and configuration of each tool above is the result of deliberate trad
 - **`check:tsc` runs first** in the `npm run check` chain so a type error short-circuits the rest (faster feedback than letting oxlint/oxfmt run and then failing on tsc at the end).
 - **The pre-commit hook sets the `LEFTHOOK_FILES` env var** to the staged-files list, and the affected scripts use `${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-<default>}` to default to the whole project when invoked manually. This keeps `package.json#scripts` as the single source of truth for the underlying commands — `lefthook.yml` only describes _what to run on which files_.
 - **`tslib` and `type-fest` are deliberately not used.** `tslib` is a runtime helper for old ES3/ES5 targets (the project targets ES2024); `type-fest` was never imported. knip caught both.
+- **`@spences10/pi-lsp` is pinned to `0.0.46` and is read-only by design.** The package inspects `node_modules/typescript`, sees major ≥ 7 with no `lib/tsserver.js` (true of the `typescript-go` / `tsgo` port), and spawns the repo's own `tsc --lsp --stdio` binary — no `typescript-language-server` dependency is required. Earlier releases (`≤ 0.0.10`) hard-wire to `typescript-language-server --stdio` and are TS6-only. The tool is _intermediate_ agent feedback (hover, references, definition, symbols, diagnostics); it has no rename / code-action / apply-edit surface, and never a correctness gate — `npm run check` / `verify` remain that.
 
 ### Requirements
 

backlog.tasks

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+Tasks
+
+Backlog and tracking for tiny-pattern-ts. Managed in vscode-todotasks format.
+
+---
+
+Setup:
+☐ Establish release CI workflow: post-tag checks + npm publish after release tag push => pi --session 01a06e72-e61e-7327-b3e9-3e11749a523f @high
+☐ Add gitea release page in CI @high
+☐ Split off template into separate package => pi --session 01a07dde-7050-7054-bb36-1606d7eb2bc3 @high
+✔ Document branching model @done
+    ✔ Describe branching model: when to branch, base branch, naming @done
+    ✔ Clarify release workflow: who pushes `main`, CI as post-merge gate, drop PR usage @done (9/8/2026, 2:54:32 PM)
+✔ Evaluate connecting the agent to lsp typescript server @done
+    - might be more difficult with TS7, since LSP Server has changed from 6
+    - but since vscode is running TS7, maybe it is possible to connect to the TS7 LSP server of vscode
+    - LSP servers in general?
+    - maybe skills?
+    → resolved: adopted @spences10/pi-lsp@0.0.46 as a project-local pi extension (`.pi/settings.json`). It auto-detects the repo's TypeScript 7 (no `lib/tsserver.js`) and spawns `tsc --lsp --stdio` — the same tsgo binary VS Code's native-preview uses. Read-only: hover / definition / references / symbols / diagnostics. No skill; skills don't own persistent processes.
+
+✔ Adopt a `setup:` prefix for one-time clone configuration @done
+    ✔ Register `use:git-commit-message` as its first member (and retire `use:` — it is in no prefix list) @done
+    ✔ Create an umbrella 'setup' task that runs all setup tasks - currently one @done
+
+v1.0:
+☐ API surface is stable and fully typed
+    ☐ Finalize public exports in `src/index.ts`
+    ☐ Document all exported types and functions
+    ☐ Add JSDoc for public APIs
+☐ Test coverage meets threshold
+    ☐ Achieve 100% branch coverage on `src/pattern.ts`
+    ☐ Achieve 100% branch coverage on `src/match.ts`
+    ☐ Achieve 100% branch coverage on `src/index.ts`
+☐ `dist/` output is clean
+    ☐ Verify `.d.ts` declarations match public exports
+    ☐ Ensure `.js` files use `.js` extensions (not `.ts`)
+    ☐ Test `attw --profile esm-only` passes
+
+Bugs:
+
+Enhancements:
+
+Documentation:
+☐ Add usage examples to README.md
+☐ Create `examples/` directory with runnable snippets
+☐ Add comparison section vs. other TS pattern-matching libs
+☐ Write migration guide for users coming from discriminated unions
+☐ Create backlog tasks for implementation
+
+Maintenance:
+✔ Set up lefthook pre-commit hook @done (9/8/2026, 10:52:56 AM)
+✔ Configure tsconfig strictest + node26 profiles @done (9/8/2026, 10:08:37 AM)
+✔ Add check:tsc as first tier in `npm run check` @done (9/8/2026, 10:08:37 AM)
+✔ Pin Node.js >= 26 via `.node-version` @done (9/8/2026, 10:08:38 AM)

cspell.json

@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
         "arethetypeswrong",
         "knip",
         "tsgolint",
+        "tsgo",
+        "tsserver",
         "gitea",
         "pubv",
         "knope",
@@ -29,7 +31,8 @@
         "kacl",
         "bestikk",
         "silverwind",
-        "idris"
+        "idris",
+        "todotasks"
     ],
     "ignorePaths": ["dist", "node_modules", "coverage", "*.svg", ".gitignore"]
 }

package.json

@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@
         "fix": "npm run fix:oxlint && npm run fix:oxfmt",
         "fix:oxfmt": "oxfmt ${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-.}",
         "fix:oxlint": "oxlint --fix src",
-        "release": "./scripts/release.sh",
+        "create:branch": "./scripts/branch.sh",
+        "create:release": "./scripts/release.sh",
         "maintain": "npm run maintain:knip; npm run maintain:outdated",
         "maintain:knip": "knip --include dependencies,exports,files",
         "maintain:outdated": "check-outdated --ignore-pre-releases",
@@ -61,7 +62,8 @@
         "watch:test": "node --test --watch --strip-types \"src/**/*.test.ts\"",
         "publish:attw": "attw . --pack --profile esm-only",
         "publish:publint": "publint",
-        "use:git-commit-message": "git config commit.template commit-message-template"
+        "setup": "npm run setup:git-commit-message",
+        "setup:git-commit-message": "git config commit.template commit-message-template"
     },
     "devDependencies": {
         "@arethetypeswrong/cli": "^0.18.5",

scripts/branch.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -eu
+
+# Branch front-door. Run as `npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>`.
+#
+# How we got here (short): the branching model says every change starts from a
+# clean, current `main`, and the type-driven loop only produces trustworthy
+# results if the baseline was green *before* the first edit. Both facts were
+# prose. Prose rots silently — a rule nobody checks is a suggestion — so the
+# precondition became this script: it asserts, then branches, and the branch
+# only appears if the assertions passed. Cheap checks run first, `npm run test`
+# runs last: the expensive gate is not paid on a tree that was never eligible.
+#
+# Rejected for the prefix name: `run:` / `perform:` (both mean only "do the
+# thing named after them", so every script in the repo would fit under them and
+# the taxonomy collapses); `git:` (names the tool, not the lifecycle moment, and
+# advertises passthrough aliases); `start:` (describes this half, not the
+# release); `cut:` (idiomatic for both, but it needs VCS slang to decode, and a
+# signpost that has to be explained is not one); `flow:` (overloaded in a library
+# about type-level matching); and the existing families — `check:*` is read-only
+# and aggregated by `check`, so CI would run a command that mutates repo state;
+# `fix:*`'s review surface is a file diff, not a branch; `maintain:*` is advisory
+# and explicitly never a gate.
+#
+# `create:` was kept because both members really do create something: a branch,
+# a release. It was added to both prefix lists in CONTRIBUTING.md in the same
+# commit as its first members, because a prefix missing from those lists is
+# invisible — which was the `use:` mistake this repo carried in backlog.tasks (since retired into `setup:`).
+# There is deliberately no bare `create` aggregator: "run all the workflows"
+# describes nothing anyone wants, and `publish:*` already sets the precedent for
+# a prefix without one.
+#
+# Also rejected: a full git-flow CLI wrapping the merge too (merging ends in
+# "review the diff yourself", which is judgment, and only the start half carries
+# a verification burden); and reusing `pubv`'s preflight (release-shaped,
+# third-party, and it would make branch start pay a build + pack it has no use
+# for).
+#
+# Every refusal is non-mutating except the baseline test, which runs on `main`
+# after we switch there — so a red `main` restores the branch you started on
+# rather than stranding you on it.
+
+BASE="main"
+PREFIXES="feature fix chore"
+NAME="${1:-}"
+
+if [ -z "${NAME}" ]; then
+    echo "usage: npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>    (prefix: ${PREFIXES})" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
+    echo "error: not inside a git work tree." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+MATCH=0
+for p in ${PREFIXES}; do
+    case "${NAME}" in
+    "${p}/"*) MATCH=1 ;;
+    esac
+done
+if [ "${MATCH}" -ne 1 ]; then
+    echo "error: '${NAME}' must start with one of: ${PREFIXES}." >&2
+    echo "       the prefix is inferred from the task, not defaulted here." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+git check-ref-format --branch "${NAME}" >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
+    echo "error: '${NAME}' is not a valid branch name." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/${NAME}" && {
+    echo "error: branch '${NAME}' already exists; switch to it instead." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+START_REF=$(git symbolic-ref --quiet --short HEAD || true)
+if [ -z "${START_REF}" ]; then
+    echo "error: detached HEAD; switch to a branch first." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+STATE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --absolute-git-dir)
+for state in MERGE_HEAD rebase-merge rebase-apply CHERRY_PICK_HEAD BISECT_LOG; do
+    [ -e "${STATE_ROOT}/${state}" ] && {
+        echo "error: a '${state}' operation is in progress; finish or abort it first." >&2
+        exit 1
+    }
+done
+# `--porcelain` is deliberately stricter than `git diff --quiet`: it also reports
+# untracked files, which would otherwise ride silently onto the new branch.
+DIRTY=$(git status --porcelain)
+if [ -n "${DIRTY}" ]; then
+    echo "error: working tree is not clean:" >&2
+    echo "${DIRTY}" | sed 's/^/         /' >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/${BASE}" || {
+    echo "error: no local '${BASE}' to branch from." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Derive the remote rather than hardcoding it: this repo has `origin` (ssh) and
+# `origin_https`, and `main` tracks the latter — `git fetch origin main` would
+# check currency against a ref that is never updated here.
+UPSTREAM=$(git rev-parse --quiet --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name "${BASE}@{upstream}" 2>/dev/null || true)
+if [ -n "${UPSTREAM}" ]; then
+    git fetch --quiet "${UPSTREAM%/*}" "${UPSTREAM#*/}" || {
+        echo "error: '${UPSTREAM}' check failed: could not reach '${UPSTREAM%/*}'." >&2
+        echo "       refusing to branch on a possibly stale '${BASE}'." >&2
+        exit 1
+    }
+    BEHIND=$(git rev-list --count "${BASE}..${UPSTREAM}")
+    AHEAD=$(git rev-list --count "${UPSTREAM}..${BASE}")
+    if [ "${BEHIND}" -ne 0 ] || [ "${AHEAD}" -ne 0 ]; then
+        echo "error: '${BASE}' has diverged from '${UPSTREAM}' (ahead ${AHEAD}, behind ${BEHIND})." >&2
+        [ "${AHEAD}" -ne 0 ] && echo "       not yet pushed commits on '${BASE}': push them, or rebase this work onto them." >&2
+        [ "${BEHIND}" -ne 0 ] && echo "       update it: git switch ${BASE} && git pull --ff-only" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+else
+    echo "warning: '${BASE}' has no upstream; freshness against the remote is unchecked." >&2
+fi
+
+restore() {
+    git switch --quiet "${START_REF}" 2>/dev/null || true
+}
+trap 'restore' EXIT HUP INT TERM
+
+if [ "${START_REF}" != "${BASE}" ]; then
+    git switch --quiet "${BASE}"
+fi
+
+echo "Baseline: npm run test"
+if ! npm run --silent test; then
+    echo "error: baseline is red on '${BASE}'; fix that first so later failures stay attributable." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+git switch --quiet --no-track -c "${NAME}"
+trap - EXIT HUP INT TERM
+
+# push.default=upstream is set here, so an inherited upstream would make a bare
+# `git push` target main. Branching local-from-local does not set one anyway;
+# --no-track says so out loud.
+echo "Created ${NAME} from ${BASE} $(git rev-parse --short "${BASE}")."

scripts/release.sh

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 set -eu
 
-# Release front-door. Run as `npm run release`.
+# Release front-door. Run as `npm run create:release`.
 #
 # How we got here (short): we want hand-written Keep-a-Changelog notes, an
 # [Unreleased] -> "## [x.y.z] - DATE" graduation, and a tag that marks the exact