skill-rollback
Roll back to a previous checkpoint via git — use when a change went wrong and you need to revert
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/nyldn/claude-octopus /tmp/skill-rollback && cp -r /tmp/skill-rollback/.claude/skills/skill-rollback ~/.claude/skills/skill-rollbackSKILL.md
# Checkpoint Rollback
Safely rollback to a previous checkpoint while preserving lessons learned.
**Core principle:** List checkpoints → Confirm explicitly → Create safety backup → Restore → Preserve lessons.
---
## Subcommand Detection
Parse the user's request to determine mode:
| User Request | Mode | Action |
|--------------|------|--------|
| `list`, `show checkpoints`, no argument | LIST | Show available checkpoints |
| `octo-checkpoint-*` tag name | ROLLBACK | Rollback to specific checkpoint |
---
## Mode: LIST (Default)
### Step 1: Fetch Available Checkpoints
```bash
# List all octo checkpoints with dates
git tag -l "octo-checkpoint-*" --sort=-creatordate --format='%(refname:short)|%(creatordate:short)|%(contents:subject)'
```
### Step 2: Present Checkpoint Table
```markdown
## Available Checkpoints
| Tag | Created | Description |
|-----|---------|-------------|
| octo-checkpoint-post-discover-20260203-143022 | 2026-02-03 | After Discover phase |
| octo-checkpoint-post-define-20260203-150145 | 2026-02-03 | After Define phase |
Usage: `/octo:rollback <tag-name>`
```
**If no checkpoints found:**
```
No checkpoints found. Checkpoints are created automatically after each Octopus phase.
To create a manual checkpoint:
git tag -a octo-checkpoint-manual-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S) -m "Manual checkpoint"
```
---
## Mode: ROLLBACK
### Step 1: Validate Checkpoint Exists
```bash
# Check if tag exists
git tag -l "$CHECKPOINT_TAG" | grep -q . || echo "TAG_NOT_FOUND"
```
**If tag not found:**
```
Checkpoint '$CHECKPOINT_TAG' not found.
Available checkpoints:
[show list output]
```
**STOP. Do not proceed.**
### Step 2: Show What Will Be Affected
```bash
# Get list of files that will be changed
git diff --name-status HEAD $CHECKPOINT_TAG
```
Present clearly:
```markdown
## Rollback Preview
**Rolling back to:** `octo-checkpoint-post-discover-20260203-143022`
**Created:** 2026-02-03 14:30:22
**Description:** After Discover phase
### Files That Will Be Changed
| Status | File |
|--------|------|
| M | src/auth/login.ts |
| D | src/auth/oauth.ts |
| A | src/legacy/old-auth.ts |
Legend: M=Modified, D=Deleted, A=Added (relative to current state)
### Protected Files (Will NOT be changed)
- `.octo/LESSONS.md` - Lessons are always preserved
```
### Step 3: Require Explicit Confirmation (MANDATORY)
```
To confirm this rollback, type ROLLBACK exactly.
Any other input will cancel.
```
**Wait for exact confirmation: `ROLLBACK`**
**CRITICAL:** Do NOT proceed without explicit "ROLLBACK" confirmation.
### Step 4: Create Safety Checkpoint
Before any rollback, create a pre-rollback checkpoint:
```bash
# Generate timestamp
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
# Create safety checkpoint
git tag -a "octo-checkpoint-pre-rollback-$TIMESTAMP" -m "Safety checkpoint before rollback to $CHECKPOINT_TAG"
```
Report:
```
Created safety checkpoint: octo-checkpoint-pre-rollback-$TIMESTAMP
You can return to current state with:
/octo:rollback octo-checkpoint-pre-rollback-$TIMESTAMP
```
### Step 5: Preserve LESSONS.md
```bash
# Save current LESSONS.md if it exists
if [ -f ".octo/LESSONS.md" ]; then
cp .octo/LESSONS.md /tmp/LESSONS_PRESERVED.md
LESSONS_PRESERVED=true
fi
```
### Step 6: Execute Rollback
```bash
# Restore files from checkpoint (does NOT move HEAD)
git checkout $CHECKPOINT_TAG -- .
# Restore preserved LESSONS.md
if [ "$LESSONS_PRESERVED" = "true" ]; then
cp /tmp/LESSONS_PRESERVED.md .octo/LESSONS.md
fi
```
**Important:** This uses `git checkout <tag> -- .` which:
- Restores all files to checkpoint state
- Does NOT move HEAD or change branch
- Preserves current commit history
- Allows immediate commit of the restored state
### Step 7: Update STATE.md (If Exists)
```bash
if [ -f ".octo/STATE.md" ]; then
# Append rollback entry to history
echo "" >> .octo/STATE.md
echo "## Rollback - $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')" >> .octo/STATE.md
echo "" >> .octo/STATE.md
echo "- **Target:** $CHECKPOINT_TAG" >> .octo/STATE.md
echo "- **Safety checkpoint:** octo-checkpoint-pre-rollback-$TIMESTAMP" >> .octo/STATE.md
echo "- **Reason:** User requested rollback" >> .octo/STATE.md
fi
```
### Step 8: Report Success
```markdown
Rollback Complete
**Restored to:** `$CHECKPOINT_TAG`
**Files restored:** N files
**LESSONS.md:** Preserved (not rolled back)
**Safety checkpoint created:** `octo-checkpoint-pre-rollback-$TIMESTAMP`
### Next Steps
1. Review the restored files
2. Commit the rollback if satisfied:
```bash
git add -A && git commit -m "chore: rollback to $CHECKPOINT_TAG"
```
3. Or return to previous state:
```bash
/octo:rollback octo-checkpoint-pre-rollback-$TIMESTAMP
```
```
---
## Safety Measures
| Measure | Implementation |
|---------|----------------|
| **Always create safety checkpoint** | Pre-rollback tag created BEFORE any file changes |
| **Preserve LESSONS.md** | Copy before rollback, restore after |
| **Require explicit confirmation** | Must type "ROLLBACK" exactly |
| **Show affected files first** | Preview before confirmation |
| **No history modification** | Uses checkout, not reset |
---
## Red Flags - Never Do
| Action | Why It's Dangerous |
|--------|-------------------|
| Rollback without confirmation | Loses work unexpectedly |
| Skip safety checkpoint | No recovery path |
| Rollback LESSONS.md | Loses accumulated knowledge |
| Use `git reset --hard` | Destroys commit history |
| Force push after rollback | Affects collaborators |
| Delete checkpoint tags | Removes recovery points |
---
## Checkpoint Tag Format
All Octopus checkpoints follow this format:
```
octo-checkpoint-{type}-{timestamp}
Where:
- type: post-discover, post-define, post-develop, post-deliver, pre-rollback, manual
- timestamp: YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS
```
Examples:
- `octo-checkpoint-post-discover-20260203-143022`
- `octo-checkpoint-post-define-20260203-150145`
- `octo-checkpoint-pre-rollback-20260203-161530`
- `octo-checkpoint-manual-20260203-170000`
---
## Quick ReBackend architect. Delegate only when the user explicitly starts an Octopus workflow.
Cloud architect. Delegate only when the user explicitly starts an Octopus workflow.
Code reviewer. Delegate only when the user explicitly starts an Octopus workflow.
Database architect. Delegate only when the user explicitly starts an Octopus workflow.
Debugger. Delegate only when the user explicitly starts an Octopus workflow.
Documentation architect. Delegate only when the user explicitly starts an Octopus workflow.
Frontend developer. Delegate only when the user explicitly starts an Octopus workflow.
Performance engineer. Delegate only when the user explicitly starts an Octopus workflow.