retake

Diagnose a parked GitHub issue's real state and execute one recovery transition.

20|2|Updated May 16, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/reddb-io/red-skills --skill retake-reddb-io
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: retake
Source: https://github.com/reddb-io/red-skills/tree/main/plugins/dev/skills/engineering/retake
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/reddb-io/red-skills --skill retake-reddb-io

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? When an autonomous agent run stalls, an issue ends up parked with ready-for-human and blocked:* labels, but the labels alone do not reveal whether the work is unstarted, half-done in a dirty worktree, or already committed on a branch. Requeueing blindly spawns a second agent that redoes finished work, and flipping labels by hand silently fails because preflight re-reads the unresolved blocker in the issue body. ## Core Features & Use Cases - State Reconstruction: Queries the rs_dev MCP retake tool to rebuild the issue's true state from tracker labels, the active ## Current blocker section, linked PRs, local and remote branches, and worktree cleanliness. - Single Correct Transition: Executes exactly one action per verdict — a plain requeue into ready-for-agent, an adoptBranch landing through the no-agent gate, or a handoff to /hitl for pending human decisions. - Safe Local Setup: The apply mode performs only non-destructive local git operations, such as creating a manual worktree under .red/tmp/worktrees/manual/<slug> or fetching a PR head branch. - Use Case: A maintainer runs /retake #123 after a validation failure, sees that the fix is already committed and pushed on afk/123-foo, and lands it through the no-agent lane instead of re-running an agent. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to run /retake #123 to reconstruct the issue's current state and execute the right recovery action.

Frequently Asked Questions about retake

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I resume a blocked GitHub issue after an agent run stalls?▼

Run /retake with the issue number to reconstruct its state from tracker labels, PRs, branches, and worktrees. Based on the verdict, it either requeues the issue into ready-for-agent, lands a finished branch, or hands off to /hitl.

Why does flipping issue labels back to ready-for-agent not work?▼

AFK preflight re-reads the active Current blocker section in the issue body before starting work, so a hand-flipped label is re-parked immediately. The requeue tool clears the blocker and flips labels in one atomic transition.

When should I use /retake versus /hitl for a blocked issue?▼

Use /retake when the decision is already made, such as retryable blocked:validation or blocked:spec states or a hand-done branch to adopt. Use /hitl when the human decision still needs to be extracted, or for mixed blocked labels and label/body mismatches.

Can /retake land work that was done by hand on a branch?▼

Yes, the requeue tool with adoptBranch set routes the branch through the no-agent landing lane. The shared feedback gate validates it without an agent re-run, landing it on green or re-parking it with blocked:validation on red.

What does the --apply flag do in /retake?▼

The apply mode runs only safe local git operations selected by the diagnosis, such as creating a manual worktree or fetching a PR head branch. It never merges, closes issues, edits labels, or runs the requeue transition.