speckit-stale-tasks-guard-implement

Stale-Tasks Guard (lifecycle hook — before_implement)

The before_implement hook invoked this command before the /speckit-implement body runs, so this guard applies no matter which preset owns that body.

Hook targets do not receive the triggering command's $ARGUMENTS. This is a best-effort check, not a tool-enforced gate: look at the arguments the user actually typed on the /speckit-implement invocation still visible earlier in this conversation. If --force appears anywhere in them, log ⚠️ Stale-tasks guard skipped (--force) and skip the rest of this section.

1. Resolve the script path and run it:

   ROOT="${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)}"
   SCRIPT="$ROOT/.specify/extensions/stale-tasks-guard/scripts/python/stale_tasks_guard.py"
   if [ -f "$SCRIPT" ]; then
     python3 "$SCRIPT"
     STATUS=$?
   else
     echo "stale-tasks-guard script not found — skipping guard" >&2
     STATUS=0
   fi
   

2. Check STATUS:

   • 0 — not stale, or the guard didn't apply (missing spec.md/tasks.md, or an unresolvable feature directory — either way the script printed why on stderr, and this is not a staleness signal). Proceed to the implementation loop.
   • 1 — the script printed a STALE TASKS DETECTED banner with the delta and next steps. Halt immediately, print that banner, and do not invoke /speckit-implement's body. No implementation code is written until the operator reconciles tasks (/speckit-tasks) or opts in with --force.

The script resolves the feature directory the same way core Spec Kit does (common.sh's get_feature_paths()): the SPECIFY_FEATURE_DIRECTORY env var first (an explicit override, e.g. a temporarily pinned feature), falling back to SPECIFY_FEATURE and then the current git branch (specs/<branch>). It then compares each file's last-commit time (falling back to its filesystem mtime only when the file has uncommitted local changes), not raw mtime — a plain mtime comparison would be defeated by git checkout/clone resetting both files' mtimes to checkout time in a fresh worktree.

Failure Policy

• Exit 1 from the script is a hard stop before the implementation loop starts for this hook invocation — but the --force check above depends on the orchestrating agent correctly recalling the original invocation's arguments, since hook targets get no $ARGUMENTS. Treat it as a strong safeguard, not an unconditional guarantee.
• A skip (exit 0 with an stderr note) is not stale tasks; the core command's existing error paths for a missing spec.md/tasks.md/feature directory are unchanged.