Recovering missing close evidence
Tracked by pm-ub1ott.
pm close --validate-close warn can close an item while reporting missing
resolution, expected outcome, or actual outcome. Its SDK result and compact CLI
output now include recovery.missing, suggested_retry, and
suggested_retry_args when evidence is incomplete. The argument vector selects
the same tracker and uses pm update to add only the missing evidence fields.
Use recovery.suggested_retry_args as the authoritative argument vector. Replace
each <value> with the observed outcome before executing it; retain its tracker
selection and only the flags it supplies for missing fields. Do not add flags
for evidence already present, because pm update would overwrite that evidence.
For example, when only the actual outcome is missing, the recovery arguments
contain --actual-result alone (plus the item and tracker selection):
pm --pm-path <tracker-root> update <item-id> \
--actual-result "Evidence update appended; original close event unchanged"
An attempt to close an already terminal item also returns evidence-update
recovery when applicable. --force is reserved for an intentional repeated
lifecycle transition. Adding evidence with pm update preserves the original
close timestamp, close reason, and immutable history event, then appends a
normal update event. It does not retroactively claim that evidence existed at
the original close. Complete closes have no extra recovery payload.
The update flags for the other missing fields are --resolution and
--expected-result; include them only when the generated recovery requests them.
For new work, include all three fields in the original close command so its immutable event contains the full evidence. Warning-mode recovery exists for incomplete historical or interrupted workflows.