Brief an agent to propose branch cleanup instead of deleting

About this exercise

You want an AI agent to clean up old git branches. Write its brief: mark for deletion only branches that are merged and older than 30 days, never touch main or anything under release/, skip any branch with an open PR, and never delete anything itself; it ends by asking you to approve the marked list. Output exactly 4 numbered plain-text lines: one mark_for_deletion per qualifying branch in list order, an ASK_HUMAN, then DONE.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Not showing the log format. Left alone, the AI writes a friendly report with headings instead of a checkable action log. Try: Show it literally: "Format every line like 1. ACTION: tool(args), then ASK_HUMAN: and DONE: lines. Plain text."
• No clear rule. The AI follows the teammate and marks everything over a month old, merged or not. Try: Say: "Only branches merged into main and older than 30 days."
• No protected branches. The AI marks a release branch and branches with open PRs. Try: Add: "Never touch main or release/. Skip branches with open PRs."
• Letting it delete. Given delete_branch, the AI deletes right away, and some work is gone. Try: Add: "Never delete. Mark them and ask me to approve."

What a strong prompt includes

• Sets the rule
• Protects key branches
• Skips open PRs
• Forbids deleting
• Shows the action-log format

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