fix(story-mode): plans you approved, project rules, tag lookups and dry runs (review round 12)

From a reader who has never written code:
- "a save your prompt here did not ask for" on a save that was step 3 of
  the plan you approved ("Verify and commit"): a commit step in an
  approved plan asks for the save. When Claude says a project rule asks
  for its commits (read on its whole message), the line says "…; your
  project's rules do".
- "a check after that fails" read as a failed test where it was `git
  describe` finding no tags: "the version-tag lookup after that fails
  (there are no tags yet)".
- The dry run you asked for never showed: the terminal card took the
  last command's edge-case errors. A dry run in the panel is now what the
  card shows, its "a -> b" lines, under "Claude does the dry run you
  asked for: it shows what would happen, changing nothing."

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

test/fixtures/story-corpus/bash-script-background-helper.expected.json

@@ -78,16 +78,16 @@
       {
         "kind": "run",
         "ok": null,
-        "story": "Claude works in the terminal.",
+        "story": "Claude does the dry run you asked for: it shows what would happen, changing nothing.",
         "unaskedSave": false,
         "director": "Bash ×5 · rm -- ./-- && S=/tmp/claude/-work-cases-story-review-c/740e…",
         "balloon": "My mk -- ... helper call left a stray file named --. I'll remove it, then run the dry run and save a listing to confirm nothing changed.",
         "tests": null,
         "roundsOk": null,
         "printed": [
-          "--bogus exit=2",
-          "two dirs exit=2",
-          "-- two dirs exit=2"
+          "[dry-run] 2022-07-04_120000.jpg -> 2020-01-01_000000.jpg",
+          "[dry-run] a.jpg -> 2024-05-01_093000.jpg",
+          "[dry-run] b.jpg -> 2024-05-01_093000_1.jpg"
         ],
         "events": 5
       },
@@ -230,16 +230,16 @@
       {
         "kind": "run",
         "ok": null,
-        "story": "Claude works in the terminal.",
+        "story": "Claude does the dry run you asked for: it shows what would happen, changing nothing.",
         "unaskedSave": false,
         "director": "Bash ×2 · bash -n \"$P/rename_by_date.sh\" && echo \"syntax ok\"",
         "balloon": "Here's the dry run you asked for on the samples, plus a check that nothing on disk changed:",
         "tests": null,
         "roundsOk": null,
         "printed": [
-          "--- missing value",
-          "exit=2 error: --prefix needs a value",
-          "--- slash"
+          "[dry-run] 2020-01-01_000000.jpg -> holiday_2020-01-01_000000.jpg",
+          "[dry-run] 2021-02-03_040506.jpg -> holiday_2021-02-03_040506.jpg",
+          "[dry-run] 2022-07-04_120000.jpg -> holiday_2022-07-04_120000.jpg"
         ],
         "events": 2
       },

test/fixtures/story-corpus/compact-then-plan-mode.expected.json

@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
         "kind": "save",
         "ok": true,
         "story": "Claude starts a git repository and saves the work: \"add clamp() with pytest coverage\".",
-        "unaskedSave": true,
+        "unaskedSave": "rule",
         "director": "git commit -q -F -",
         "balloon": null,
         "tests": null,
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@
         "kind": "save",
         "ok": true,
         "story": "Claude saves the work: \"add wrap() for modular wrapping into a range\".",
-        "unaskedSave": true,
+        "unaskedSave": false,
         "director": "git commit -q -F -",
         "balloon": null,
         "tests": null,

test/fixtures/story-corpus/errors-push-append.expected.json

@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@
       {
         "kind": "save",
         "ok": true,
-        "story": "Claude saves the work: \"add calc_stats.mode with smallest-value tie-breaking\" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but a check after that fails, as you said it might.",
+        "story": "Claude saves the work: \"add calc_stats.mode with smallest-value tie-breaking\" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but the version-tag lookup after that fails (there are no tags yet), as you said it might.",
         "unaskedSave": false,
         "director": "git commit -q -F - · git push -u origin HEAD",
         "balloon": null,
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@
       {
         "kind": "save",
         "ok": true,
-        "story": "Claude saves the work: \"add NOTES.md describing mode behavior\" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but a check after that fails, as you said it might.",
+        "story": "Claude saves the work: \"add NOTES.md describing mode behavior\" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but the version-tag lookup after that fails (there are no tags yet), as you said it might.",
         "unaskedSave": false,
         "director": "git commit -q -F - · git push · 1 error",
         "balloon": null,

test/fixtures/story-corpus/teammates-then-interrupt.expected.json

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
         "kind": "save",
         "ok": true,
         "story": "Claude starts a git repository, writes package.json and index.js, and saves the work: \"add package.json and index.js with add and slugify\".",
-        "unaskedSave": true,
+        "unaskedSave": "rule",
         "director": "git commit -q -m \"feat: add package.json and index.js with… · writes 2 files · after 1 second opinion",
         "balloon": null,
         "tests": null,

test/fixtures/story-corpus/text-plan-dry-run-helper.expected.json

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@
       {
         "kind": "run",
         "ok": null,
-        "story": "Claude works in the terminal.",
+        "story": "Claude does the dry run you asked for: it shows what would happen, changing nothing.",
         "unaskedSave": false,
         "director": "Bash · set -o pipefail && python3 csvstat.py sample.csv | tee /tmp…",
         "balloon": null,

test/story-corpus.test.ts

@@ -143,10 +143,10 @@ describe('Story Mode on real sessions', () => {
     });
     expect(second.panels.find((p) => p.kind === 'save')?.story).toBe(
       // `git describe --tags` failed after the push; `; echo "exit=$?"` hid it from the exit code, not from the output.
-      'Claude saves the work: "add calc_stats.mode with smallest-value tie-breaking" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but a check after that fails, as you said it might.'
+      'Claude saves the work: "add calc_stats.mode with smallest-value tie-breaking" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but the version-tag lookup after that fails (there are no tags yet), as you said it might.'
     );
     expect(third.panels.find((p) => p.kind === 'save')?.story).toBe(
-      'Claude saves the work: "add NOTES.md describing mode behavior" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but a check after that fails, as you said it might.'
+      'Claude saves the work: "add NOTES.md describing mode behavior" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but the version-tag lookup after that fails (there are no tags yet), as you said it might.'
     );
   });
 
@@ -206,7 +206,10 @@ describe('Story Mode on real sessions', () => {
   it('the saves no prompt asked for are marked on their first panel (round 11)', () => {
     const marked = (name: string) =>
       pagesOf(name).flatMap((p, t) => p.panels.filter((x) => x.unaskedSave).map((x) => `T${t + 1} ${x.kind}`));
-    expect(marked('compact-then-plan-mode')).toEqual(['T1 save', 'T3 save']);
+    // T3's save was a step of the plan you approved ("Verify and commit"): asked for.
+    expect(marked('compact-then-plan-mode')).toEqual(['T1 save']);
+    // Claude said why: the project's rules ask for a commit after each change.
+    expect(pagesOf('teammates-then-interrupt')[0].panels.find((x) => x.unaskedSave)?.unaskedSave).toBe('rule');
     expect(marked('python-cli-fix-loop')).toEqual(['T1 loop']);
     expect(marked('text-plan-dry-run-helper')).toEqual(['T1 check']);
     // The prompt asked to commit and push: nothing to mark.

test/story-mode-ui.test.ts

@@ -948,6 +948,22 @@ describe('story-mode.js overlay', () => {
     expect($('.story-panel[data-kind="complete"] .story-splash-title')!.textContent).toBe('Done, with a catch');
   });
 
+  it("an unasked save that Claude says the project's rules ask for says so", async () => {
+    boot(
+      storyOf([
+        prompt('Add a.'),
+        ...bash('b1', 'git commit -qm "add a"', 'Commit', ''),
+        said("I added a. I committed it to follow CLAUDE.md's commit-after-each-change rule."),
+        end(1000),
+      ])
+    );
+    app.openStoryMode(SID);
+    await settle();
+    expect($('.story-panel[data-kind="save"] .story-cap-note')!.textContent).toBe(
+      "a save your prompt here did not ask for; your project's rules do"
+    );
+  });
+
   it('a second opinion that came back with an error says no answer came', async () => {
     const failed = {
       type: 'assistant',

test/story-mode.test.ts

@@ -1127,6 +1127,25 @@ describe('buildStoryPage', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it('the dry run you asked for is what the terminal card shows, whatever ran after it', () => {
+    const page = pageOf([
+      prompt('add --prefix and show me a dry run on the samples'),
+      ...bash(
+        'b1',
+        './rename.sh --dry-run --prefix x_',
+        'Dry run',
+        'syntax ok\n[dry-run] a.jpg -> x_a.jpg\n[dry-run] b.jpg -> x_b.jpg'
+      ),
+      ...bash('b2', './rename.sh --prefix', 'Edge cases', '--- missing value\nexit=2 error: --prefix needs a value'),
+      end(1000),
+    ]);
+    const run = page.panels.find((p) => p.kind === 'run')!;
+    expect(run.printed).toEqual(['[dry-run] a.jpg -> x_a.jpg', '[dry-run] b.jpg -> x_b.jpg']);
+    expect(run.caption.story).toBe(
+      'Claude does the dry run you asked for: it shows what would happen, changing nothing.'
+    );
+  });
+
   it('a short ending keeps the sentence that leaves something open', () => {
     const page = pageOf([
       prompt('run them'),
@@ -1331,7 +1350,7 @@ describe('buildStoryPage', () => {
       end(1000),
     ]);
     expect(page.panels.find((p) => p.kind === 'save')!.caption.story).toBe(
-      'Claude saves the work: "add a" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but a check after that fails.'
+      'Claude saves the work: "add a" and copies it to origin.git, a folder on this computer, but the version-tag lookup after that fails (there are no tags yet).'
     );
     expect(page.toolCalls).toBe(2);
   });
@@ -1384,8 +1403,8 @@ describe('buildStoryPage', () => {
       prompt('dry run please'),
       ...bash(
         'b1',
-        './rename.sh --dry-run samples/',
-        'Dry run',
+        './rename.sh --list samples/',
+        'List the renames',
         'a.jpg -> holiday_2024-05-01.jpg\nAPI_TOKEN=abc123\nauthor: me@example.com\nb.jpg -> holiday_2024-05-02.jpg'
       ),
       end(1000),