@lead: issue #16 — fully-automatic autopilot (label-gated @pm auto-delegate + @qa merge)

.gitea/workflows/agent.yml

@@ -86,8 +86,10 @@ jobs:
           git config user.email "$name@ffaerber.duckdns.org"
           API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
           hdr=(-H "Authorization: token $TOK" -H "Content-Type: application/json")
+          branch_ref=""
           if [ -n "$IS_PR" ]; then                     # comment on a PR -> resume its branch
             ref=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GT" "$API/pulls/$NUM" | jq -r .head.ref)
+            branch_ref="$ref"
             git fetch origin "$ref" && git checkout "$ref"
             { echo "branch=$ref"; echo "new=false"; } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           else                                         # comment on an issue -> new branch
@@ -102,6 +104,21 @@ jobs:
             fi
           fi
 
+          # --- Autopilot gate: read the `fully-automatic` label FRESH every run. ---
+          # Presence of this label is the opt-in switch (and the kill switch: remove it mid-flight
+          # and the next run reverts to normal human-approval behavior). When @qa is triggered on a
+          # PR thread, the label lives on the ORIGIN issue (ai/issue-N), so resolve N from the branch.
+          issnum="$NUM"
+          case "$IS_PR" in ?*) issnum=$(printf '%s' "$branch_ref" | sed -nE 's,^ai/issue-([0-9]+).*,\1,p');; esac
+          [ -z "$issnum" ] && issnum="$NUM"
+          autopilot=false
+          if curl -sS -H "Authorization: token $GT" "$API/issues/$issnum/labels" 2>/dev/null \
+               | jq -e 'any(.[]?; .name=="fully-automatic")' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            autopilot=true
+          fi
+          echo "autopilot (fully-automatic label on #$issnum)=$autopilot"
+          { echo "autopilot=$autopilot"; echo "issnum=$issnum"; } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
       - name: Install opencode + provider config (+ Playwright MCP for browser agents)
         env:
           OLLAMA_URL: ${{ secrets.OLLAMA_URL }}
@@ -392,6 +409,7 @@ jobs:
           MODE: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.mode }}
           HAS_IMAGES: ${{ steps.imgs.outputs.has_images }}
           BRANCH: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.branch }}
+          AUTOPILOT: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.autopilot }}
           NUM: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
           TITLE: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
           IBODY: ${{ github.event.issue.body }}
@@ -438,6 +456,36 @@ jobs:
              END_SUBTASKS
              The automation creates the milestone + one sub-issue per line (each linked to this issue). It
              does NOT auto-start any dev — the maintainer @mentions an agent on each sub-issue when ready."
+              if [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ]; then
+                ACTION="$ACTION
+             AUTOPILOT MODE IS ACTIVE (this issue carries the 'fully-automatic' label). This OVERRIDES the
+             two-phase approval gate above: do NOT ask '@ffaerber ready to start building?' and do NOT wait
+             for a 'yes'. When the task is clear, present your SHORT plan naming the best teammate to build it
+             AND end your reply with a 'DELEGATE: @<agent>' line in the SAME turn to hand off immediately.
+             Prefer @junior for small/low-risk (mostly YAML/compose/config), @senior/@lead for complex or
+             multi-file work. Only skip delegating (and instead ask @ffaerber) if the task is genuinely
+             ambiguous or unsafe — otherwise plan-and-delegate now."
+              fi
+            fi
+            if [ "$NAME" = "qa" ]; then
+              ACTION="$ACTION
+             As QA you verify a change works: read the PR/issue, drive the web app with your headless
+             browser if there is a URL, and report bugs or confirm behavior. You normally do NOT merge —
+             a human does that."
+              if [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ]; then
+                ACTION="$ACTION
+             AUTOPILOT MODE IS ACTIVE (this issue/PR carries the 'fully-automatic' label). This grants you a
+             NARROW, one-time merge authority for THIS PR only:
+             - If, after verifying, the PR is correct and any CI checks are green, end your reply with EXACTLY
+               one line: 'MERGE_PR'. The automation will then merge the PR and close the linked issue for you.
+               Do NOT merge via any other means; only the MERGE_PR marker triggers the merge.
+             - If you find ANY bug, doubt, or the change is not clearly correct, do NOT merge. Instead describe
+               the problem clearly and end your reply with EXACTLY one line: 'HALT_AUTOPILOT'. The automation
+               removes the 'fully-automatic' label (returning this issue to normal human control) and leaves
+               it for @ffaerber to decide next steps. Never auto-bounce back to a dev.
+             Emit AT MOST one of MERGE_PR or HALT_AUTOPILOT, and only after you have actually verified. When in
+             doubt, prefer HALT_AUTOPILOT."
+              fi
             fi
           else
             ACTION="You start on git branch '${BRANCH}', with git and push credentials already configured.
@@ -538,6 +586,9 @@ jobs:
           TITLE: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
           BRANCH: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.branch }}
           NEW: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.new }}
+          IS_PR: ${{ github.event.issue.pull_request }}
+          AUTOPILOT: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.autopilot }}
+          ISSNUM: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.issnum }}
         run: |
           set +e   # publish is best-effort: a grep-no-match / curl non-zero must NOT kill the step
           # Post/PR as the agent's OWN Gitea user when its token is configured; else the built-in bot.
@@ -552,12 +603,29 @@ jobs:
           hdr=(-H "Authorization: token $TOK" -H "Content-Type: application/json")
           post() { curl -sS -w 'comment -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' -X POST "${hdr[@]}" \
             "$API/issues/$NUM/comments" -d "$(jq -nc --arg b "$1" '{body:$b}')"; }
+          # Remove the 'fully-automatic' label from an issue by resolving its ID first (Gitea's
+          # DELETE label endpoint is by ID, not name). Arg $1 = issue number.
+          del_autopilot_label() {
+            local iss="$1"
+            local lid
+            lid=$(curl -sS "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues/$iss/labels" 2>/dev/null \
+                  | jq -r 'if type=="array" then ([.[]|select(.name=="fully-automatic")][0].id // empty) else empty end')
+            if [ -n "$lid" ]; then
+              curl -sS -X DELETE "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues/$iss/labels/$lid" \
+                -w '\nunlabel -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+            else
+              echo "no 'fully-automatic' label found on #$iss to remove"
+            fi
+          }
 
-          # drop machine-readable markers (DELEGATE / CLOSE_ISSUE / the BEGIN_SUBTASKS..END_SUBTASKS block)
+          # drop machine-readable markers (DELEGATE / CLOSE_ISSUE / MERGE_PR / HALT_AUTOPILOT /
+          # the BEGIN_SUBTASKS..END_SUBTASKS block)
           reply=$(awk '
             /^[[:space:]]*BEGIN_SUBTASKS/{s=1}
             /^[[:space:]]*DELEGATE:[[:space:]]*@/{next}
             /^[[:space:]]*CLOSE_ISSUE[[:space:]]*$/{next}
+            /^[[:space:]]*MERGE_PR[[:space:]]*$/{next}
+            /^[[:space:]]*HALT_AUTOPILOT[[:space:]]*$/{next}
             s{ if(/^[[:space:]]*END_SUBTASKS/){s=0}; next }
             {print}
           ' /tmp/agent_out.md 2>/dev/null)
@@ -581,6 +649,41 @@ jobs:
               curl -sS -X PATCH "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues/$NUM" \
                 -d '{"state":"closed"}' -w '\nclose -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
             fi
+
+            # --- AUTOPILOT: @qa's narrow, label-gated merge / halt authority ---
+            # Only @qa, only when 'fully-automatic' is set, and only on a PR thread. The MERGE_PR /
+            # HALT_AUTOPILOT markers come from the QA prompt. Merge uses TOKEN_QA (the QA user's PAT,
+            # which the maintainer must grant write+merge scope); label removal uses it too.
+            if [ "$NAME" = "qa" ] && [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ]; then
+              if grep -qiE '^[[:space:]]*MERGE_PR[[:space:]]*$' /tmp/agent_out.md; then
+                if [ -z "$IS_PR" ]; then
+                  echo "MERGE_PR marker but this run is not on a PR thread — skipping merge"
+                else
+                  echo "@qa autopilot: merging PR #$NUM (origin issue #${ISSNUM:-$NUM})"
+                  mc=$(curl -sS -o /tmp/merge_resp.txt -w '%{http_code}' -X POST "${hdr[@]}" \
+                        "$API/pulls/$NUM/merge" -d '{"Do":"merge"}')
+                  echo "merge -> HTTP $mc"; cat /tmp/merge_resp.txt 2>/dev/null || true
+                  case "$mc" in
+                    200|201|204)
+                      echo "closing origin issue #${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
+                      curl -sS -X PATCH "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues/${ISSNUM:-$NUM}" \
+                        -d '{"state":"closed"}' -w '\nclose -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+                      post "$(printf '🤖 **@qa** — ✅ verified & merged PR #%s (autopilot). Closed issue #%s.' "$NUM" "${ISSNUM:-$NUM}")"
+                      ;;
+                    *)
+                      # Merge failed (checks not green, conflicts, or TOKEN_QA lacks merge scope) — do
+                      # NOT silently proceed: drop the label so it reverts to human control and report.
+                      del_autopilot_label "${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
+                      post "$(printf '🤖 **@qa** — ⚠️ tried to merge PR #%s but the API returned HTTP %s (checks not green, a conflict, or missing merge permission on TOKEN_QA). Removed the `fully-automatic` label — @ffaerber please take a look.' "$NUM" "$mc")"
+                      ;;
+                  esac
+                fi
+              elif grep -qiE '^[[:space:]]*HALT_AUTOPILOT[[:space:]]*$' /tmp/agent_out.md; then
+                echo "@qa autopilot: HALT — removing 'fully-automatic' label from #${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
+                del_autopilot_label "${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
+                post "$(printf '🤖 **@qa** — 🛑 found a problem, so I did NOT merge. Removed the `fully-automatic` label (back to human control). @ffaerber please decide next steps (details above).')"
+              fi
+            fi
             # BREAKDOWN: from a BEGIN_SUBTASKS block, create a milestone + one sub-issue per line
             # (linked to this issue). Sub-issues are NOT auto-started — maintainer mentions agents later.
             if grep -qiE '^[[:space:]]*BEGIN_SUBTASKS' /tmp/agent_out.md; then
@@ -684,6 +787,17 @@ jobs:
 
           if [ "$NEW" = "true" ]; then
             prpost "$prnum" "$(printf '🤖 **@%s** — ✅ PR ready for review — @ffaerber please review & merge:\n- %s' "$NAME" "$url")"
+            # AUTOPILOT: hand the fresh PR to @qa automatically (via AGENT_TOKEN, so it fires a new
+            # run). @qa then verifies and — if green — merges + closes via its MERGE_PR marker. The
+            # comment lands on the PR thread ($prnum) so the next run resolves the origin issue's
+            # label from the branch name. The '🤖' guard on the trigger gate stops status-comment loops.
+            if [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ] && [ -n "$AGENT_TOKEN" ] && [ -n "$prnum" ]; then
+              echo "autopilot: auto-triggering @qa to review PR #$prnum"
+              curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: token $AGENT_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+                "$API/issues/$prnum/comments" \
+                -d "$(jq -nc --arg b "@qa please verify this PR (autopilot: issue #$NUM is labeled fully-automatic). Merge it if correct, or halt and remove the label if you find a problem." '{body:$b}')" \
+                -w '\ntrigger-qa -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+            fi
           else
             # Resume (comment is on a PR thread): include the write-up here too.
             prpost "$prnum" "$(printf '🤖 **@%s** — updated branch/PR:\n- %s\n\n%s' "$NAME" "$url" "$prdesc")"

AGENTS.md

@@ -11,10 +11,26 @@ the loop guards.
 ## Golden rules
 - You may edit **any file**. **NEVER push to `main`, NEVER merge a PR** — all work goes on a branch
   and becomes a PR a human reviews and merges.
+  - **Narrow exception — `@qa` autopilot merge:** `@qa` (and only `@qa`) MAY merge a single PR **only**
+    when the linked issue carries the `fully-automatic` label, the PR is clearly correct, and any CI
+    checks are green. `@qa` triggers the merge by ending its reply with the `MERGE_PR` marker (the
+    workflow performs the merge + closes the issue). On **any** doubt or bug, `@qa` must NOT merge:
+    it ends with `HALT_AUTOPILOT` instead, which removes the `fully-automatic` label and returns the
+    issue to human control. No other agent may merge, and `@qa` may not merge without the label.
 - **Never print, exfiltrate, or invent secret values.**
 - Keep changes **minimal** and match the conventions already in the file you're editing.
 - Do the work on a **branch** — never paste code or diffs into the issue thread.
 
+## Autopilot (`fully-automatic` label)
+An issue labeled **`fully-automatic`** runs without the usual human checkpoints:
+- `@pm` plans **and** delegates in the same turn (skips the "ready to build? reply yes" gate).
+- After the dev's PR is opened, `@qa` is auto-triggered to verify it, and merges + closes on success
+  (see the QA merge exception above).
+- **Kill switch:** remove the `fully-automatic` label at any time. The label is re-read fresh at the
+  start of every run, so the next agent turn reverts to normal human-approval behavior. `@qa` also
+  removes the label itself whenever it halts on a bug or a failed merge.
+No label (the default) = today's behavior, unchanged.
+
 ## Branches & pull requests
 Start on `ai/issue-<N>`. Split independent changes into separate branches (one PR each). Commit and
 push incrementally. Do NOT open PRs yourself (automated). End your reply with the PR description