release: v0.51.11 [skip ci]

Co-authored-by: emil User <emil.simeonov@tutanota.com>

.devin/skills/dependency-graph/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+# dependency-graph
+
+Map of the oblachno ecosystem. Knows which repo produces what, which
+repos depend on which, and the correct order for cross-repo changes.
+
+## When to Invoke
+
+Invoke this skill when:
+- Changes span multiple repos
+- A change in one repo requires version bumps in downstream repos
+- Deploying infrastructure that depends on published packages/images
+- Verifying the ecosystem is in a consistent state before deployment
+- Determining which repos to update and in what order
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- All repos cloned under `/home/emo/dev/ideas/oblachno/`
+- `.env` with `DEVELOPER_GITEA_API_TOKEN` in each repo
+
+## Ecosystem Map
+
+```
+                    devx (PyPI package)
+                   /    |    \
+                  /     |     \
+            grm   sso-bridge   infra
+           (PyPI)  (PyPI+Docker) (deploys all)
+              |        |           |
+              v        v           v
+         infra bump  infra bump   staging
+         (auto PR)   (auto PR)   production
+                                      |
+                          mattermost-oidc (Docker image)
+                          (infra pulls :latest at deploy)
+```
+
+## Repositories
+
+| Repo | Produces | Consumers | Release Trigger |
+|------|----------|-----------|-----------------|
+| `devx` | PyPI package `devx` | grm, sso-bridge, infra | User-facing changes to `src/devx/**` |
+| `grm` | PyPI package `grm` | infra | User-facing changes to `src/grm/**` or `ansible/**` |
+| `sso-bridge` | PyPI package `sso_bridge` + Docker image | infra | User-facing changes to `src/sso_bridge/**` or `ansible/**` |
+| `infra` | Staging/production deployment | (end users) | User-facing changes + nightly gate |
+| `mattermost-oidc` | Docker image `mattermost-oidc` | infra (pulls at deploy) | `Dockerfile` or `build.yml` changes |
+
+## Dependency Chain
+
+### devx → all repos
+
+devx publishes to the Gitea PyPI registry. grm, sso-bridge, and infra
+pin devx in `pyproject.toml`:
+```toml
+"devx @ git+https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx.git@vX.Y.Z"
+```
+
+When devx publishes a new version:
+1. grm, sso-bridge, and infra must bump their pinned devx version
+2. This is currently manual — no auto-dependency-PR from devx
+3. Each repo must `make setup` to pick up the new version
+
+### grm → infra
+
+grm publishes to PyPI. Its post-merge workflow auto-creates an infra
+dependency PR via `devx.ci.create_dependency_pr --repo oblachno/infra
+--package grm`. The PR bumps the pinned grm version in infra's
+`pyproject.toml`.
+
+### sso-bridge → infra
+
+sso-bridge publishes to PyPI AND builds a Docker image. Its post-merge
+workflow auto-creates an infra dependency PR via
+`devx.ci.create_dependency_pr --repo oblachno/infra --package
+sso_bridge`. The PR bumps the pinned sso_bridge version.
+
+The Docker image is pulled by infra at deploy time (`sso-bridge:latest`).
+
+### mattermost-oidc → infra
+
+mattermost-oidc builds a Docker image tagged `:latest` and `:MM_VERSION`.
+infra pulls `mattermost-oidc:latest` at deploy time. There is no
+auto-dependency-PR — infra simply pulls the latest image.
+
+### infra → staging/production
+
+infra deploys to staging and production. The deployment:
+1. Provisions VMs from golden images
+2. Runs Ansible roles (including grm and sso-bridge roles)
+3. Pulls Docker images (sso-bridge, mattermost-oidc)
+4. Configures services
+
+## Correct Order for Cross-Repo Changes
+
+When a change spans multiple repos, follow this order:
+
+1. **devx first** — if the change starts in devx, merge and publish devx
+   first. Wait for the PyPI publish job to complete.
+2. **Bump devx in consumers** — in grm/sso-bridge/infra, bump the pinned
+   devx version, run `make setup`, verify tests pass, merge.
+3. **grm/sso-bridge second** — merge and publish grm/sso-bridge. Wait
+   for the PyPI publish + Docker image build to complete.
+4. **Auto-dependency-PRs** — grm/sso-bridge post-merge auto-creates infra
+   PRs to bump pinned versions. Wait for these PRs to appear.
+5. **Merge infra dependency PRs** — review and merge the auto-created
+   infra PRs.
+6. **infra last** — deploy to staging, validate, promote to production.
+
+## State Verification Before Deployment
+
+Before deploying infra, verify:
+
+1. **devx version consistent** — all repos pin the same devx version
+2. **grm published** — latest grm tag exists in PyPI
+3. **sso-bridge published** — latest sso_bridge tag exists in PyPI
+4. **sso-bridge image built** — latest sso-bridge Docker image exists
+5. **mattermost-oidc image built** — latest mattermost-oidc image exists
+6. **infra pins match published versions** — no stale pins
+7. **Nightly gate green** — `NIGHTLY_STATUS` is not `failed`
+
+## Quick Check Commands
+
+```bash
+# Check latest devx version
+curl -sS https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/api/v1/repos/oblachno-oss/devx/releases/latest | python3 -c "import json,sys; print(json.load(sys.stdin).get('tag_name','?'))"
+
+# Check pinned devx version in each repo
+for repo in grm sso-bridge infra; do
+  echo -n "$repo: "; grep 'devx @' /home/emo/dev/ideas/oblachno/$repo/pyproject.toml | grep -oP 'v[\d.]+'
+done
+
+# Check latest sso-bridge image build
+curl -sS -H "Authorization: token $DEVELOPER_GITEA_API_TOKEN" \
+  "https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/api/v1/repos/oblachno/sso-bridge/actions/runs?per_page=5" \
+  | python3 -c "import json,sys; [print(r['id'],r['status'],r['conclusion']) for r in json.load(sys.stdin).get('workflow_runs',[]) if r.get('event')=='push']"
+```

.devin/skills/deployment-coordination/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+# deployment-coordination
+
+How devx releases propagate to downstream repos. devx is the base
+package — all other repos pin it. A devx release must complete before
+consumers can bump.
+
+## When to Invoke
+
+Invoke this skill when:
+- Changes to devx affect downstream repos (grm, sso-bridge, infra)
+- Preparing a devx release that other repos depend on
+- Verifying downstream repos have bumped to the latest devx version
+- Coordinating a multi-repo change that starts in devx
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- devx repo at `/home/emo/dev/ideas/oblachno/devx`
+- `.env` with `DEVELOPER_GITEA_API_TOKEN`
+- See `dependency-graph` skill for the full ecosystem map
+
+## What devx Produces
+
+devx publishes a Python package to the Gitea PyPI registry. Downstream
+repos pin it:
+```toml
+"devx @ git+https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx.git@vX.Y.Z"
+```
+
+## Release Flow
+
+1. PR merged to master
+2. Post-merge workflow runs `devx.ci.release` — classifies changes
+3. If user-facing changes: git-cliff bumps version, creates tag, pushes
+4. `devx.ci.publish` builds and publishes to Gitea PyPI registry
+5. Downstream repos must bump their pinned devx version
+
+## Downstream Consumers
+
+| Repo | Pin location | Auto-bump? |
+|------|-------------|------------|
+| grm | `pyproject.toml` | No — manual |
+| sso-bridge | `pyproject.toml` | No — manual |
+| infra | `pyproject.toml` | No — manual |
+
+devx does NOT auto-create dependency PRs in downstream repos. Bumping
+is manual: create a PR in each downstream repo to update the pinned
+version.
+
+## Coordinating a devx Change
+
+When a change to devx affects downstream repos:
+
+1. **Merge devx PR** — wait for post-merge publish to complete
+2. **Verify publish** — check the new tag exists:
+   ```bash
+   curl -sS -H "Authorization: token $DEVELOPER_GITEA_API_TOKEN" \
+     https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/api/v1/repos/oblachno-oss/devx/releases/latest \
+     | python3 -c "import json,sys; print(json.load(sys.stdin).get('tag_name','?'))"
+   ```
+3. **Bump downstream repos** — for each repo (grm, sso-bridge, infra):
+   - Update `devx @ ...@vX.Y.Z` in `pyproject.toml`
+   - Run `make setup` to install the new version
+   - Run `make pytest-cov` to verify compatibility
+   - Create and merge a PR
+4. **Verify infra deploys** — after infra bumps, verify staging deploy
+   picks up the new devx version
+
+## State Verification
+
+Before starting a devx change, verify current state:
+```bash
+# Current devx version
+grep '__version__' /home/emo/dev/ideas/oblachno/devx/src/devx/__init__.py
+
+# What each repo pins
+for repo in grm sso-bridge infra; do
+  echo -n "$repo pins: "
+  grep 'devx @' /home/emo/dev/ideas/oblachno/$repo/pyproject.toml | grep -oP 'v[\d.]+'
+done
+```
+
+If pins are inconsistent across repos, bump them to the latest published
+version before starting new work.
+
+## Common Mistakes
+
+- Merging a devx PR and immediately merging downstream PRs without
+  waiting for the publish job to complete
+- Forgetting to bump infra (it has the most complex deploy pipeline)
+- Bumping only one downstream repo when the change affects all three

.devin/skills/devx-workflow/SKILL.md

@@ -2,11 +2,21 @@
 
 Quick reference for devx tools when working on the devx repo itself.
 
+## When to Invoke
+
+Invoke this skill when creating PRs, checking CI status, adding
+labels, rebasing branches, or performing any PR lifecycle operation.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- `.venv` exists (run `make setup` if not)
+- `.env` with `DEVELOPER_GITEA_API_TOKEN`, `VIKUNJA_TOKEN`
+
 ## PR Workflow (use these, not raw git/tea/MCP)
 
 | Task | Command |
 |------|---------|
-| Create Vikunja task | `make create-task -- --title "..." --description "..."` |
+| Create Vikunja task | `.venv/bin/python -m devx.tools.create_task --title "..." --description "..."` (make target doesn't forward args) |
 | Create PR | `make create-pr` |
 | Push + create PR | `make push-with-pr` |
 | Check CI status | `make devx-pr-status` or `make devx-pr-status PR=42 WAIT=1` |

.devin/skills/skill-creation/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+# skill-creation
+
+How to create, validate, and maintain Devin skills. Skills must be
+clear, succinct, and actionable — no AI slop.
+
+## When to Invoke
+
+Invoke this skill when:
+- Creating a new skill
+- Amending an existing skill
+- Evaluating whether a skill is needed
+- Reviewing a PR that adds or modifies skills
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Skill directory: `.devin/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md`
+- Validator: `tests/test_skills.py` (infra) or reference to it
+- Tests: `tests/unit/test_skills_validation.py` (infra)
+
+## When to Create a Skill
+
+Create a skill when:
+- An agent struggles with a task repeatedly (branch hygiene, PR order)
+- A workflow has non-obvious ordering constraints (deployment coordination)
+- A task requires specific tool usage over raw commands (CI monitoring)
+- Multiple agents need shared context (dependency graph)
+
+Do NOT create a skill for:
+- One-off tasks (use a spec instead)
+- Tasks already covered by AGENTS.md
+- Tasks that are obvious from the Makefile or README
+- Tasks that change frequently (skills should be stable)
+
+## Skill Structure
+
+Every skill MUST have:
+
+```markdown
+# <skill-name>
+
+One-line description of what the skill does.
+
+## When to Invoke
+
+2-4 bullet points describing when to use this skill.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+What must exist before using the skill (venv, .env, tools).
+
+## <Core Content>
+
+The actual guidance. Keep it actionable.
+
+## Verification (if applicable)
+
+How to verify the skill's guidance works.
+
+## Common Mistakes (if applicable)
+
+What agents get wrong without this skill.
+```
+
+## Quality Standards
+
+### Do
+- **Be specific.** Reference exact make targets, file paths, commands.
+- **Be concise.** Each section should be scannable in under 30 seconds.
+- **Be actionable.** Every paragraph should tell the agent what to DO.
+- **Use tables** for command reference, mappings, and comparisons.
+- **Use code blocks** for commands the agent should run.
+- **Link to other skills** when related (e.g., "See `dependency-graph` skill").
+
+### Don't
+- **No preamble.** Don't start with "This skill helps agents..." — just state what it does.
+- **No filler.** Don't repeat information from AGENTS.md or other skills.
+- **No vague advice.** "Be careful with branches" is useless. "Run `git branch --show-current` before every commit" is useful.
+- **No AI slop.** Don't write "In this comprehensive guide, we will explore..." — just give the guidance.
+- **No redundant sections.** If "Common Mistakes" would repeat "When to Invoke", skip it.
+- **No marketing.** Don't describe the skill as "powerful" or "comprehensive".
+
+## Scope Rules
+
+- **One skill per concern.** Don't mix branch hygiene with CI monitoring.
+- **Project-specific, not generic.** Skills reference this repo's make targets, file paths, and conventions — not abstract advice.
+- **Shared skills must be identical across repos.** Use `SHARED_SKILLS` in the validator to enforce this.
+- **Per-repo skills must reflect that repo's reality.** Don't copy infra-specific targets to sso-bridge.
+
+## Automated Validation
+
+Every skill must pass the validator (`tests/test_skills.py`). The validator checks:
+
+1. **Structure** — H1 title, "When to Invoke" section, "Prerequisites" section
+2. **Commands** — referenced `make <target>` commands exist in Makefile or devx.mak
+3. **Paths** — referenced file paths exist in the repo
+4. **Shared skills** — identical content across repos (SHA-256 comparison)
+5. **No drift** — no references to nonexistent commands or files
+
+Run the validator:
+```bash
+python3 tests/test_skills.py --repo infra --repo sso-bridge
+```
+
+## Effectiveness Evaluation
+
+### Static Checks (automated, CI)
+
+The validator runs in CI as part of `make pytest-cov`. A failing skill
+test blocks the PR. This catches:
+- Missing sections
+- Invalid commands
+- Broken file references
+- Cross-repo drift
+
+### Runtime Metrics (manual, periodic)
+
+Track these signals to evaluate skill effectiveness:
+- **Skill invocation frequency** — how often agents invoke the skill
+- **Success rate when invoked** — did the skill prevent the mistake it targets?
+- **Feedback issues** — agents create Gitea issues with `feedback` label when a skill is unclear or wrong
+- **Mistake recurrence** — if agents still make the mistake the skill targets, the skill needs improvement
+
+### Retrospective Review
+
+Periodically (monthly or after major incidents) review skills:
+1. List all skills and their last-modified dates
+2. Check for feedback issues tagged `skill-improvement`
+3. Verify referenced commands still exist (run validator)
+4. Remove skills that are no longer relevant
+5. Update skills where mistakes still recur
+6. Document lessons in this skill's "Common Mistakes" section
+
+## Creating a New Skill — Checklist
+
+- [ ] Identify the repeated struggle or non-obvious workflow
+- [ ] Check no existing skill covers it
+- [ ] Write the skill following the structure above
+- [ ] Run `python3 tests/test_skills.py` — must pass
+- [ ] Run `make pytest-cov` — must pass with 100% coverage
+- [ ] If shared across repos, copy identical content to each repo
+- [ ] Add the skill to `SHARED_SKILLS` in the validator if shared
+- [ ] Create PR, verify CI passes, merge

.devin/skills/spec-driven-development/SKILL.md

@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 # Spec-Driven Development
 
+## When to Invoke
+
+Invoke this skill when starting any change — every PR requires a spec
+at `docs/specs/<TASK-ID>.md` that CI validates before merge.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- A Vikunja task ID (`DEVX-N`) — see `vikunja-tasks` skill
+
 ## Overview
 
 Every change starts with a spec. No spec, no code. No code, no PR.

.devin/skills/testing-and-debugging/SKILL.md

@@ -3,6 +3,17 @@
 Make targets for testing, debugging, and CI investigation. **Use these
 instead of raw `pytest`, `ruff`, or `actionlint` commands.**
 
+## When to Invoke
+
+Invoke this skill when running tests, investigating CI failures, or
+linting before push. Also invoke when asked to "run tests", "check
+coverage", or "debug a failure".
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- `.venv` exists (run `make setup` if not)
+- Tools installed (run `make install-tools` for actionlint/act_runner)
+
 ## Why Make Targets
 
 Make targets encapsulate the correct venv activation, PYTHONPATH, env

.devin/skills/vikunja-tasks/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+# vikunja-tasks
+
+Vikunja task lifecycle beyond `create`: querying status, closing, and
+recovering when the tracker is unreachable.
+
+## When to Invoke
+
+- Creating, closing, or checking a Vikunja task
+- A spec workflow step needs the task ID or done state
+- `vikunja.oblachno.oblachno.fyi` fails to resolve / times out
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- `.env` with `VIKUNJA_TOKEN`
+- Project ID comes from `[tool.devx]` in `pyproject.toml`
+  (`DEVX_VIKUNJA_PROJECT_ID`)
+
+## Create
+
+`make create-task` does **not** forward arguments — call the module:
+
+```bash
+.venv/bin/python -m devx.tools.create_task \
+  --title "Task title (no DEVX-N prefix)" \
+  --description "<h2>Context</h2><p>...</p>"
+```
+
+Prints `DEVX-N` + next steps. Title must not include the task-ID
+prefix (auto-merge prepends it; a manual prefix double-prefixes the
+PR title and fails validation).
+
+## Query / Close
+
+```bash
+# Task details (ID = numeric part of DEVX-N)
+curl -sf -H "Authorization: Bearer $VIKUNJA_TOKEN" \
+  "https://vikunja.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/api/v1/tasks/<N>"
+
+# Close: mark done
+curl -sf -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $VIKUNJA_TOKEN" \
+  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"done":true}' \
+  "https://vikunja.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/api/v1/tasks/<N>"
+```
+
+Post-merge automation marks the task done when the PR squash-merges —
+manual close is only needed for abandoned/superseded tasks.
+
+## Task-ID / Spec Collisions
+
+Vikunja IDs can collide with historical spec files (an old task reused
+the number). Convention: preserve the old file as
+`docs/specs/<ID>-<topic>-historical.md`, then write the new spec at
+`docs/specs/<ID>.md`. Check `git log` on the existing spec before
+moving it.
+
+## Tracker Unreachable
+
+If the Vikunja host fails DNS/TLS:
+
+1. Don't block the whole workflow — record the intended task title in
+   the spec draft and retry `create_task` before branching.
+2. Never invent an ID — branch/PR titles must match a real task or
+   `pre_push_check` / auto-merge validation fails.
+3. DNS failures observed so far were transient; retry after a few
+   minutes before escalating.
+
+## Common Mistakes
+
+- `make create-task -- --title ...` — args are dropped; use the module
+  call above (forwarding fix is S11 scope).
+- Including `DEVX-N:` in the task title — double prefix breaks
+  auto-merge.
+- Closing a task whose PR is still open — auto-merge's post-merge
+  step handles the close; manual close confuses the audit trail.

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,18 @@
 
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
+## [0.51.11] - 2026-09-19
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+- *(ci)* Retry Vikunja lookups and surface self-approval merge failures
+
+## [0.51.10] - 2026-09-17
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+- Read Gitea repo-variable data field; fail closed on unknown nightly status
+
 ## [0.51.9] - 2026-08-26
 
 ### Bug Fixes

README.md

@@ -16,12 +16,12 @@ quality badges.
 
 [![CI](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
 [![License: GPL-3.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-GPL--3.0-blue)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/src/branch/master/LICENSE)
-[![Coverage](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/coverage.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
+[![Coverage](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/coverage.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
-[![Tests](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/tests.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
+[![Tests](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/tests.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
-[![Docs](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/docs.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/wiki)
+[![Docs](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/docs.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/wiki)
-[![Code Quality](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/quality.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
+[![Code Quality](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/quality.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
-[![Version](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/version.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/releases)
+[![Version](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/version.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/releases)
-[![Python](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/python.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
+[![Python](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/python.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
 
 ## Why devx?
 
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ extra index and list devx in your dependencies:
 ```toml
 [project]
 dependencies = [
-    "devx>=0.51.9",
+    "devx>=0.51.11",
 ]
 
 [tool.pip]
@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ pip install -e .
 ```
 
 > **Note:** If your project requires a specific devx version, pin it in
-> `dependencies` (for example, `"devx==0.51.9"`) or use a version constraint
+> `dependencies` (for example, `"devx==0.51.11"`) or use a version constraint
-> (for example, `"devx>=0.51.9,<0.52"`).
+> (for example, `"devx>=0.51.11,<0.52"`).
 
 ### Optional extras
 

docs/index.md

@@ -12,12 +12,12 @@ project to be reusable across all oblachno-oss repositories.
 
 [![CI](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
 [![License: GPL-3.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-GPL--3.0-blue)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/src/branch/master/LICENSE)
-[![Coverage](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/coverage.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
+[![Coverage](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/coverage.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
-[![Tests](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/tests.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
+[![Tests](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/tests.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
-[![Docs](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/docs.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/wiki)
+[![Docs](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/docs.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/wiki)
-[![Code Quality](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/quality.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
+[![Code Quality](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/quality.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/actions)
-[![Version](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/version.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/releases)
+[![Version](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/version.svg)](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/releases)
-[![Python](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ae0cb5b8a4b82578eb74b43d632e1c0c04abcacb/python.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
+[![Python](https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/oblachno-oss/devx/raw/commit/ef6e8cf76365d1332a88437ae62a93ef63335e68/python.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
 
 ## Overview
 
@@ -74,14 +74,14 @@ Add devx to your `pyproject.toml` dependencies and configure the registry:
 ```toml
 [project]
 dependencies = [
-    "devx>=0.51.9",
+    "devx>=0.51.11",
 ]
 
 [tool.pip]
 extra-index-url = "https://git.oblachno.oblachno.fyi/api/packages/oblachno-oss/pypi/simple"
 ```
 
-Pin a specific version if needed: `"devx==0.51.9"` or `"devx>=0.51.9,<0.52"`.
+Pin a specific version if needed: `"devx==0.51.11"` or `"devx>=0.51.11,<0.52"`.
 
 ### Optional extras
 

docs/specs/DEVX-162-registry-push-race-historical.md

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# DEVX-162: Fix registry push race condition: serialize uploads + retry on HTTP 500
+
+## Problem
+The Gitea container registry (v1.27.2) has a known race condition in
+`BlobUploader.Append()` where concurrent blob uploads cause the file
+offset and DB model to get out of sync, producing HTTP 500 "offset
+mismatch between file and model" errors. This causes the build-images
+workflow to fail intermittently when pushing runner images.
+
+The `package_blob_upload` table accumulates stale entries from failed
+uploads that worsen the problem over time.
+
+## Approach
+Two fixes in devx (a third fix — scheduled cleanup — is tracked
+separately as OBL-INFRA-537):
+
+1. Set `DOCKER_MAX_CONCURRENT_UPLOADS=1` in the build-images workflow
+   to serialize blob uploads and avoid the race condition.
+
+2. Add HTTP 500 retry logic to `push_image` in `build_image.py`.
+   When a push fails with HTTP 500 (not "already exists"), retry up
+   to 3 times with exponential backoff (5s, 10s, 20s).
+
+REQ-1: Build-images workflow sets DOCKER_MAX_CONCURRENT_UPLOADS=1
+REQ-2: push_image retries on HTTP 500 with exponential backoff
+REQ-3: All existing tests pass with 100% coverage
+
+## Test Plan
+- Unit tests for retry logic (mock subprocess)
+- Manual: trigger build-images workflow and verify push succeeds
+
+## Deploy Plan
+- Merge to master
+
+## Rollback Plan
+- Revert the merge commit
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+- [x] REQ-1: Build-images workflow sets DOCKER_MAX_CONCURRENT_UPLOADS=1
+- [x] REQ-2: push_image retries on HTTP 500 with exponential backoff
+- [x] REQ-3: All existing tests pass with 100% coverage

docs/specs/DEVX-162.md

@@ -1,41 +1,58 @@
-# DEVX-162: Fix registry push race condition: serialize uploads + retry on HTTP 500
+# DEVX-162: Fix Gitea repo-variable read contract and fail closed on unknown nightly status
 
 ## Problem
-The Gitea container registry (v1.27.2) has a known race condition in
-`BlobUploader.Append()` where concurrent blob uploads cause the file
-offset and DB model to get out of sync, producing HTTP 500 "offset
-mismatch between file and model" errors. This causes the build-images
-workflow to fail intermittently when pushing runner images.
 
-The `package_blob_upload` table accumulates stale entries from failed
+`GiteaClient.get_repo_variable()` reads `body["value"]`, but the deployed
-uploads that worsen the problem over time.
+Gitea returns the variable payload in the `data` field:
+
+```json
+{"owner_id":0,"repo_id":1,"name":"NIGHTLY_STATUS","data":"passed:5842","description":""}
+```
+
+Every read therefore returns `None`. `devx.ci.nightly_gate --action check`
+interprets `None` as "bootstrap — allow deploy," so a real `failed:<run>` status
+is invisible and the gate is permanently fail-open. Infra nightly run 5800 set
+`NIGHTLY_STATUS=passed:5800` while platform/customer integration tests were
+still failing — and even a correct `failed` value would have been ignored.
+
+Additionally, an unrecognized non-empty status currently allows deploys
+(fail-open instead of fail-closed).
+
+Verified against the live API: `POST`/`PUT` accept `{"value": ...}` and work;
+only the GET response uses `data`. The earlier `DEVX-162` spec (registry push
+race) is preserved as `DEVX-162-registry-push-race-historical.md`.
 
 ## Approach
-Two fixes in devx (a third fix — scheduled cleanup — is tracked
-separately as OBL-INFRA-537):
 
-1. Set `DOCKER_MAX_CONCURRENT_UPLOADS=1` in the build-images workflow
+REQ-1: `src/devx/api_clients.py` — `get_repo_variable` reads `data` first
-   to serialize blob uploads and avoid the race condition.
+and falls back to `value` for older server/fixture compatibility. Write
+path unchanged (PUT/POST `{"value": ...}` verified live: 201/204).
 
-2. Add HTTP 500 retry logic to `push_image` in `build_image.py`.
+REQ-2: `src/devx/ci/nightly_gate.py` — unknown non-empty status blocks the
-   When a push fails with HTTP 500 (not "already exists"), retry up
+deploy (fail closed) instead of allowing it. Unset (bootstrap) still
-   to 3 times with exponential backoff (5s, 10s, 20s).
+allows.
 
-REQ-1: Build-images workflow sets DOCKER_MAX_CONCURRENT_UPLOADS=1
+REQ-3: Tests cover the `data` field, the `value` fallback, and fail-closed
-REQ-2: push_image retries on HTTP 500 with exponential backoff
+unknown status.
-REQ-3: All existing tests pass with 100% coverage
 
 ## Test Plan
-- Unit tests for retry logic (mock subprocess)
+
-- Manual: trigger build-images workflow and verify push succeeds
+- `pytest tests/unit/test_api_clients.py tests/unit/test_nightly_gate.py`
+- `make lint-all` (ruff, pyright, bandit, translations)
 
 ## Deploy Plan
-- Merge to master
+
+Merge via auto-merge; post-merge workflow publishes a new devx package to the
+Gitea PyPI registry and opens the infra dependency-bump PR automatically.
 
 ## Rollback Plan
-- Revert the merge commit
+
+Revert the commit; infra's pinned devx version keeps the previous behavior
+until the dependency PR lands.
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
-- [x] REQ-1: Build-images workflow sets DOCKER_MAX_CONCURRENT_UPLOADS=1
+
-- [x] REQ-2: push_image retries on HTTP 500 with exponential backoff
+- [x] `get_repo_variable` returns the `data` field and falls back to `value`.
-- [x] REQ-3: All existing tests pass with 100% coverage
+- [x] Unknown nightly status exits non-zero and writes `nightly-gate-passed=false`.
+- [x] Unit tests cover `data`, `value` fallback and fail-closed unknown status.
+- [x] `make lint-all` and unit tests pass.

docs/specs/DEVX-163-run-push-stdout-historical.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# DEVX-163: Fix _run_push to check stdout for HTTP 500
+
+## Problem
+`_run_push` only checked `result.stderr` for HTTP 500, but docker push
+sends the "received unexpected HTTP status: 500 Internal Server Error"
+message to **stdout**, not stderr. This means the tenacity retry logic
+added in DEVX-162 never triggered — the push failed immediately without
+retrying.
+
+## Approach
+Check both `result.stdout` and `result.stderr` for the "500" status code.
+Also update the "already exists" check in `push_image` to check both
+streams, since docker may send that message to stdout as well.
+
+REQ-1: _run_push checks both stdout and stderr for HTTP 500
+REQ-2: push_image "already exists" check uses combined stdout+stderr
+REQ-3: All existing tests pass with 100% coverage
+
+## Test Plan
+- Unit tests for stdout 500 detection
+- Unit tests for stderr 500 detection
+- Manual: trigger build-images workflow and verify retry works
+
+## Deploy Plan
+- Merge to master
+
+## Rollback Plan
+- Revert the merge commit
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+- [x] REQ-1: _run_push checks both stdout and stderr for HTTP 500
+- [x] REQ-2: push_image "already exists" check uses combined stdout+stderr
+- [x] REQ-3: All existing tests pass with 100% coverage

docs/specs/DEVX-163.md

@@ -1,33 +1,46 @@
-# DEVX-163: Fix _run_push to check stdout for HTTP 500
+# DEVX-163: Add vikunja-tasks skill and skill validation tests, fix create-task docs
 
 ## Problem
-`_run_push` only checked `result.stderr` for HTTP 500, but docker push
+
-sends the "received unexpected HTTP status: 500 Internal Server Error"
+The OBL-INFRA-548 programme audit found devx lacks a Vikunja
-message to **stdout**, not stderr. This means the tenacity retry logic
+task-lifecycle skill and has no skill validation tests (infra and
-added in DEVX-162 never triggered — the push failed immediately without
+sso-bridge have them; grm gained them under GRM-171).
-retrying.
+`devx-workflow` documents `make create-task -- --title`, which fails
+because `devx-create-task` forwards no arguments.
 
 ## Approach
-Check both `result.stdout` and `result.stderr` for the "500" status code.
-Also update the "already exists" check in `push_image` to check both
-streams, since docker may send that message to stdout as well.
 
-REQ-1: _run_push checks both stdout and stderr for HTTP 500
+REQ-1: Add `vikunja-tasks` skill: create via module call, query,
-REQ-2: push_image "already exists" check uses combined stdout+stderr
+  close, spec-collision convention, unreachable-tracker handling.
-REQ-3: All existing tests pass with 100% coverage
+REQ-2: Add `tests/unit/test_skills_validation.py` covering
+  structure, make-target, file-ref checks + existence tests for all
+  skills.
+REQ-3: Fix broken `make create-task -- --title` documentation in
+  `devx-workflow` skill; add missing When to Invoke / Prerequisites
+  sections to older-format skills.
+
+Preserve the colliding spec as
+[DEVX-163-run-push-stdout-historical](DEVX-163-run-push-stdout-historical.md).
 
 ## Test Plan
-- Unit tests for stdout 500 detection
+
-- Unit tests for stderr 500 detection
+- `pytest tests/unit/test_skills_validation.py` passes (10 tests).
-- Manual: trigger build-images workflow and verify retry works
 
 ## Deploy Plan
-- Merge to master
+
+Documentation/skills only — auto-merge to master; no runtime deploy.
 
 ## Rollback Plan
-- Revert the merge commit
+
+Revert the squash-merge commit; skills are inert documentation.
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
-- [x] REQ-1: _run_push checks both stdout and stderr for HTTP 500
+
-- [x] REQ-2: push_image "already exists" check uses combined stdout+stderr
+- [x] REQ-1: `vikunja-tasks` skill exists.
-- [x] REQ-3: All existing tests pass with 100% coverage
+- [x] REQ-2: `tests/unit/test_skills_validation.py` exists and passes.
+- [x] REQ-3: create-task docs corrected.
+
+## Out of Scope
+
+- Fixing `devx-create-task` argument forwarding (S11 backlog: the
+  devx.mak target takes no args; needs env-var or arg forwarding).

docs/specs/DEVX-164-docker-push-retry-historical.md

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+# DEVX-164: Increase HTTP 500 retry count and backoff for docker push
+
+## Problem
+The HTTP 500 retry logic (DEVX-162, DEVX-163) works correctly — 3 retry
+attempts are made. But all 3 attempts fail because the Gitea registry's
+"offset mismatch" race condition needs more than ~15s to recover. The
+current backoff is 5s-20s with 3 attempts (total ~15s of waiting).
+
+## Approach
+Increase retry count from 3 to 5 and backoff from 5-20s to 10-60s,
+giving the registry up to ~2 minutes to recover. Add visible logging
+between retry attempts so the CI logs show the retry happening.
+
+REQ-1: Increase retry count from 3 to 5
+REQ-2: Increase backoff from 5-20s to 10-60s exponential
+REQ-3: Add visible logging between retry attempts (click.echo)
+REQ-4: All tests pass with 100% coverage
+
+## Test Plan
+- Unit tests verify retry count and backoff parameters
+- Unit tests verify logging output on retry
+- Manual: trigger build-images workflow and verify retries visible in logs
+
+## Deploy Plan
+- Merge to master
+
+## Rollback Plan
+- Revert the merge commit
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+- [x] REQ-1: Increase retry count from 3 to 5
+- [x] REQ-2: Increase backoff from 5-20s to 10-60s exponential
+- [x] REQ-3: Add visible logging between retry attempts (click.echo)
+- [x] REQ-4: All tests pass with 100% coverage

docs/specs/DEVX-164.md

@@ -1,34 +1,57 @@
-# DEVX-164: Increase HTTP 500 retry count and backoff for docker push
+# DEVX-164: auto-merge resilience — self-approval and Vikunja outage handling
 
 ## Problem
-The HTTP 500 retry logic (DEVX-162, DEVX-163) works correctly — 3 retry
+
-attempts are made. But all 3 attempts fail because the Gitea registry's
+Two defects hit auto-merge during S02 work:
-"offset mismatch" race condition needs more than ~15s to recover. The
+
-current backoff is 5s-20s with 3 attempts (total ~15s of waiting).
+1. `get_vikunja_task_title` crashes on transient Vikunja errors. The
+   Vikunja API returned 404/502 during a restart window (run 6093);
+   `list_project_tasks` treats 4xx as non-retryable `APIError`, so the
+   job failed immediately instead of riding out a short outage.
+2. When a PR author and the workflow's reviewer token map to the same
+   Gitea user, the auto-approve step is rejected ("approve your own
+   pull is not allowed") and the merge fails `405: not enough
+   approvals`. The generic merge error gives no hint that an external
+   approval is the fix (hit on sso-bridge #18, #19, and infra #1647's
+   approvals-only failure mode).
 
 ## Approach
-Increase retry count from 3 to 5 and backoff from 5-20s to 10-60s,
-giving the registry up to ~2 minutes to recover. Add visible logging
-between retry attempts so the CI logs show the retry happening.
 
-REQ-1: Increase retry count from 3 to 5
+REQ-1: Wrap the task-list pagination in `get_vikunja_task_title` with a
-REQ-2: Increase backoff from 5-20s to 10-60s exponential
+bounded retry (tenacity, ~4 attempts, exponential backoff) covering
-REQ-3: Add visible logging between retry attempts (click.echo)
+`APIError` and `requests.RequestException`. A genuinely missing task
-REQ-4: All tests pass with 100% coverage
+still ends in the same "Could not find" ClickException.
+
+REQ-2: On merge `HTTP 405`, fetch PR reviews; when zero `APPROVED`
+reviews exist, extend the error with the self-approval explanation and
+the remediation (approve via a non-author account).
+
+REQ-3: Regression tests for both behaviors.
+
+## Files Affected
+
+- `src/devx/ci/auto_merge.py`
+- `tests/unit/test_auto_merge.py`
 
 ## Test Plan
-- Unit tests verify retry count and backoff parameters
+
-- Unit tests verify logging output on retry
+- New tests: retry-then-success on transient APIError; retry-exhaustion
-- Manual: trigger build-images workflow and verify retries visible in logs
+  still raises; missing task still raises; 405 error includes
+  approvals diagnostic.
+- `make pytest-cov`, `make lint-all`.
 
 ## Deploy Plan
-- Merge to master
+
+- Merge → next release publishes the package; consuming repos pick it
+  up on their next CI run (devx is pinned per-repo, bump via the usual
+  dependency PR flow).
 
 ## Rollback Plan
-- Revert the merge commit
+
+- Revert; previous behavior returns.
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
-- [x] REQ-1: Increase retry count from 3 to 5
+
-- [x] REQ-2: Increase backoff from 5-20s to 10-60s exponential
+- [x] REQ-1: Vikunja task-list retries transient API failures
-- [x] REQ-3: Add visible logging between retry attempts (click.echo)
+- [x] REQ-2: 405 merge error reports approval state + self-approval hint
-- [x] REQ-4: All tests pass with 100% coverage
+- [x] REQ-3: Regression tests added and passing

docs/specs/DEVX-167.md

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+# DEVX-167: Add dependency-graph, deployment-coordination, and skill-creation skills
+
+## Problem
+Agents working across the oblachno ecosystem lack shared, persistent
+context for three recurring pain points:
+
+1. **Cross-repo dependency ordering** — agents frequently merge
+   downstream PRs before the upstream publish job completes, or forget
+   to bump infra. There is no single reference for which repo produces
+   what and in what order changes must propagate.
+2. **devx release coordination** — devx is the base package pinned by
+   grm, sso-bridge, and infra. Agents repeatedly merge devx PRs and
+   immediately merge downstream bumps without waiting for the PyPI
+   publish job, or bump only one consumer when a change affects all
+   three.
+3. **Skill quality drift** — skills are created ad hoc with inconsistent
+   structure, vague advice, and no automated validation reference. New
+   skills miss required sections, reference nonexistent make targets,
+   and drift across repos.
+
+## Approach
+Add three SKILL.md files under `.devin/skills/`:
+
+REQ-1: `dependency-graph` — shared skill mapping the oblachno ecosystem
+(repos, what each produces, consumers, release triggers, correct
+cross-repo change order, state verification checklist)
+
+REQ-2: `deployment-coordination` — devx-specific skill covering the
+devx release flow, downstream consumers, manual bump procedure, and
+common mistakes when coordinating a devx change
+
+REQ-3: `skill-creation` — shared skill defining skill structure,
+quality standards, scope rules, automated validation reference, and a
+creation checklist
+
+## Files Affected
+- `.devin/skills/dependency-graph/SKILL.md` (new)
+- `.devin/skills/deployment-coordination/SKILL.md` (new)
+- `.devin/skills/skill-creation/SKILL.md` (new)
+- `docs/specs/DEVX-167.md` (new)
+
+## Test Plan
+- Verify all three SKILL.md files follow the required structure (H1
+  title, When to Invoke, Prerequisites sections)
+- Verify referenced make targets and file paths exist
+- Run `make pytest-cov` — skill validation tests must pass
+
+## Deploy Plan
+- Merge to master; skills are consumed by agents immediately on next
+  invocation — no build or deploy step required
+
+## Rollback Plan
+- Revert the merge commit; remove the three skill directories
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+- [x] REQ-1: dependency-graph skill exists with ecosystem map, repo
+      table, dependency chain, cross-repo change order, and state
+      verification checklist
+- [x] REQ-2: deployment-coordination skill exists with devx release
+      flow, downstream consumer table, coordination steps, and common
+      mistakes
+- [x] REQ-3: skill-creation skill exists with structure template,
+      quality standards, scope rules, validation reference, and
+      creation checklist

docs/user/getting-started.md

@@ -48,12 +48,12 @@ Add devx to your `pyproject.toml`:
 ```toml
 [project]
 dependencies = [
-    "devx>=0.51.9",
+    "devx>=0.51.11",
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
 dev = [
-    "devx>=0.51.9",
+    "devx>=0.51.11",
 ]
 ```
 

src/devx/__init__.py

@@ -6,4 +6,4 @@ create_dependency_pr, auto_merge, release, publish), developer tooling
 molecule testing helpers for Ansible projects.
 """
 
-__version__ = "0.51.9"
+__version__ = "0.51.11"

src/devx/api_clients.py

@@ -392,7 +392,10 @@ class GiteaClient:
         """
         try:
             r = self._request("GET", f"/actions/variables/{name}")
-            return r.json().get("value")
+            body = r.json()
+            if "data" in body:
+                return body["data"]
+            return body.get("value")
         except APIError as e:
             if e.status == 404:
                 return None

src/devx/ci/auto_merge.py

@@ -21,10 +21,12 @@ Usage:
 """
 
 import re
+import time
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any
 
 import click
+import requests
 from dotenv import load_dotenv  # pyright: ignore[reportMissingImports,reportUnknownVariableType]
 
 from devx.api_clients import GiteaClient, VikunjaClient
@@ -110,6 +112,27 @@ def validate_pr_title(pr_title: str, task_id: str) -> None:
         )
 
 
+_VIKUNJA_LOOKUP_ATTEMPTS = 4
+_VIKUNJA_LOOKUP_BACKOFF = 5.0
+
+
+def _list_project_tasks(client: VikunjaClient, page: int) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+    """List Vikunja tasks with bounded retries for transient outages.
+
+    Implements REQ-1: during a Vikunja restart the tasks endpoint can briefly
+    return 404/502; retry a few times so title validation rides out the window
+    instead of stranding an otherwise-valid PR.
+    """
+    for attempt in range(1, _VIKUNJA_LOOKUP_ATTEMPTS + 1):
+        try:
+            return list(client.list_project_tasks(VIKUNJA_PROJECT_ID, page=page, per_page=DEFAULT_PER_PAGE))
+        except (APIError, requests.RequestException):
+            if attempt == _VIKUNJA_LOOKUP_ATTEMPTS:
+                raise
+            time.sleep(_VIKUNJA_LOOKUP_BACKOFF * attempt)
+    raise AssertionError("unreachable")  # pragma: no cover
+
+
 def get_vikunja_task_title(task_id: str) -> str:
     """Fetch the Vikunja task title for the given DEVX-N identifier.
 
@@ -124,7 +147,7 @@ def get_vikunja_task_title(task_id: str) -> str:
     client = VikunjaClient(VIKUNJA_API_URL, token)
     page = 1
     while True:
-        tasks = client.list_project_tasks(VIKUNJA_PROJECT_ID, page=page, per_page=DEFAULT_PER_PAGE)
+        tasks = _list_project_tasks(client, page)
         if not tasks:
             break
         matches = [t for t in tasks if t.get("identifier") == task_id]
@@ -272,14 +295,28 @@ def main(branch: str, pr_title: str, repo: str, pr_number: str) -> None:
             # Exit cleanly — the rebase triggers a new CI run that will retry.
             return
         else:
-            raise click.ClickException(
+            hint = ""
-                _(
+            if e.status == 405:
-                    "Merge failed with HTTP {status}: {message}\n"
+                # Implements: REQ-2 — surface approval state. When the PR author
-                    "Please check the PR is ready and you have merge rights.",
+                # and the CI reviewer token map to the same Gitea user,
-                    status=e.status,
+                # self-approval is rejected and the merge fails 405.
-                    message=e.message,
+                try:
-                )
+                    reviews = client.get_pr_reviews(pr_num)
-            ) from None
+                    if not any(r.get("state") == "APPROVED" for r in reviews):
+                        hint = _(
+                            "\nNo APPROVED review found on the PR. If the PR author and the"
+                            " CI reviewer token map to the same Gitea user, self-approval is"
+                            " rejected — approve the PR via a non-author account, then"
+                            " re-run the auto-merge job."
+                        )
+                except APIError:
+                    pass
+            msg = _(
+                "Merge failed with HTTP {status}: {message}\nPlease check the PR is ready and you have merge rights.",
+                status=e.status,
+                message=e.message,
+            )
+            raise click.ClickException(msg + hint) from None
 
     click.echo(
         _(

src/devx/ci/nightly_gate.py

@@ -97,10 +97,17 @@ def cli(repo: str, action: str, run_id: str, github_output: bool) -> None:
                 write_github_output("nightly-status", status)
             raise click.ClickException(_("Nightly gate failed — staging deploy blocked."))
         else:
-            click.echo(f"[nightly-gate] Unknown nightly status: {status} — allowing deploy.")
+            click.echo(
+                _(
+                    "[nightly-gate] Unknown nightly status: {status} — blocking deploy (fail closed).",
+                    status=status,
+                ),
+                err=True,
+            )
             if github_output:
-                write_github_output("nightly-gate-passed", "true")
+                write_github_output("nightly-gate-passed", "false")
                 write_github_output("nightly-status", status)
+            raise click.ClickException(_("Unknown nightly status — staging deploy blocked."))
 
     elif action == "set-passed":
         set_nightly_status(client, f"passed:{run_id}" if run_id else "passed")

tests/unit/test_api_clients.py

@@ -923,6 +923,12 @@ class TestGiteaClientActions:
         )
 
     def test_get_repo_variable_returns_value(self) -> None:
+        client = GiteaClient("https://git.example.com", "tok", "owner", "repo")
+        client._session.request = MagicMock(return_value=_mock_response({"data": "v0.28.1"}))
+        result = client.get_repo_variable("PRODUCTION_DEPLOY_TAG")
+        assert result == "v0.28.1"
+
+    def test_get_repo_variable_falls_back_to_value(self) -> None:
         client = GiteaClient("https://git.example.com", "tok", "owner", "repo")
         client._session.request = MagicMock(return_value=_mock_response({"value": "v0.28.1"}))
         result = client.get_repo_variable("PRODUCTION_DEPLOY_TAG")

tests/unit/test_auto_merge.py

@@ -468,3 +468,138 @@ def test_main_module_block() -> None:
     exec(compile(source, am.__file__, "exec"), namespace)
     # Verify main is callable
     assert callable(namespace["main"])
+
+
+# -- DEVX-164: Vikunja outage resilience + self-approval diagnostics --
+
+
+class TestVikunjaLookupRetry:
+    """REQ-1: transient Vikunja API failures are retried, not fatal."""
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {"VIKUNJA_TOKEN": "tok"}, clear=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.time.sleep")
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.VikunjaClient")
+    def test_retries_transient_api_error_then_succeeds(self, mock_client_cls: MagicMock, mock_sleep: MagicMock) -> None:
+        """A 404/502 during a Vikunja restart is retried until tasks list."""
+        mock_client = MagicMock()
+        mock_client.list_project_tasks.side_effect = [
+            APIError(404, "Not Found"),
+            APIError(502, "Bad Gateway"),
+            [{"id": 1, "identifier": "DEVX-19", "title": "Add new feature"}],
+        ]
+        mock_client_cls.return_value = mock_client
+        validate_pr_title_matches_vikunja("DEVX-19: Add new feature", "DEVX-19")
+        assert mock_client.list_project_tasks.call_count == 3
+        assert mock_sleep.call_count == 2
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {"VIKUNJA_TOKEN": "tok"}, clear=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.time.sleep")
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.VikunjaClient")
+    def test_retry_exhaustion_propagates_error(self, mock_client_cls: MagicMock, _mock_sleep: MagicMock) -> None:
+        """Persistent outage still fails after the bounded attempt count."""
+        mock_client = MagicMock()
+        mock_client.list_project_tasks.side_effect = APIError(502, "Bad Gateway")
+        mock_client_cls.return_value = mock_client
+        with pytest.raises(APIError, match="Bad Gateway"):
+            validate_pr_title_matches_vikunja("DEVX-19: test", "DEVX-19")
+        assert mock_client.list_project_tasks.call_count == 4
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {"VIKUNJA_TOKEN": "tok"}, clear=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.time.sleep")
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.VikunjaClient")
+    def test_retries_connection_error(self, mock_client_cls: MagicMock, mock_sleep: MagicMock) -> None:
+        """Connection-level failures during restart are also retried."""
+        import requests as req
+
+        mock_client = MagicMock()
+        mock_client.list_project_tasks.side_effect = [
+            req.ConnectionError("refused"),
+            [{"id": 1, "identifier": "DEVX-19", "title": "Found me"}],
+        ]
+        mock_client_cls.return_value = mock_client
+        validate_pr_title_matches_vikunja("DEVX-19: Found me", "DEVX-19")
+        assert mock_sleep.call_count == 1
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {"VIKUNJA_TOKEN": "tok"}, clear=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.VikunjaClient")
+    def test_missing_task_still_fails_without_retry_sleep(self, mock_client_cls: MagicMock) -> None:
+        """A healthy Vikunja that simply lacks the task fails as before."""
+        mock_client = MagicMock()
+        mock_client.list_project_tasks.return_value = []
+        mock_client_cls.return_value = mock_client
+        with pytest.raises(click.ClickException, match="Could not find"):
+            validate_pr_title_matches_vikunja("DEVX-99: test", "DEVX-99")
+
+
+class TestMergeApprovalDiagnostics:
+    """REQ-2: merge 405 reports approval state + self-approval remediation."""
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {"CI_GITEA_TOKEN": "tok", "VIKUNJA_TOKEN": "tok"}, clear=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.validate_pr_title_matches_vikunja")
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.GiteaClient")
+    def test_405_without_approvals_shows_self_approval_hint(
+        self, mock_client_cls: MagicMock, _mock_validate: MagicMock, tmp_path, monkeypatch
+    ) -> None:  # type: ignore[no-untyped-def]
+        monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+        mock_client = MagicMock()
+        mock_client.get_pr_commits.return_value = [
+            {"commit": {"message": "fix: resolve timeout"}},
+        ]
+        mock_client.merge_pr.side_effect = APIError(405, "Does not have enough approvals")
+        mock_client.get_pr_reviews.return_value = []
+        mock_client_cls.return_value = mock_client
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            main,
+            ["DEVX-19-fix-bug", "DEVX-19: Fix timeout", "owner/repo", "7"],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        assert "Merge failed" in result.output
+        assert "APPROVED" in result.output
+        assert "non-author account" in result.output
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {"CI_GITEA_TOKEN": "tok", "VIKUNJA_TOKEN": "tok"}, clear=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.validate_pr_title_matches_vikunja")
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.GiteaClient")
+    def test_405_with_approvals_omits_hint(
+        self, mock_client_cls: MagicMock, _mock_validate: MagicMock, tmp_path, monkeypatch
+    ) -> None:  # type: ignore[no-untyped-def]
+        monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+        mock_client = MagicMock()
+        mock_client.get_pr_commits.return_value = [
+            {"commit": {"message": "fix: resolve timeout"}},
+        ]
+        mock_client.merge_pr.side_effect = APIError(405, "Does not have enough approvals")
+        mock_client.get_pr_reviews.return_value = [{"state": "APPROVED", "user": {"login": "kireto"}}]
+        mock_client_cls.return_value = mock_client
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            main,
+            ["DEVX-19-fix-bug", "DEVX-19: Fix timeout", "owner/repo", "7"],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        assert "Merge failed" in result.output
+        assert "non-author account" not in result.output
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {"CI_GITEA_TOKEN": "tok", "VIKUNJA_TOKEN": "tok"}, clear=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.validate_pr_title_matches_vikunja")
+    @patch("devx.ci.auto_merge.GiteaClient")
+    def test_405_reviews_fetch_failure_still_raises(
+        self, mock_client_cls: MagicMock, _mock_validate: MagicMock, tmp_path, monkeypatch
+    ) -> None:  # type: ignore[no-untyped-def]
+        """If the reviews lookup itself fails, the merge error still surfaces."""
+        monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+        mock_client = MagicMock()
+        mock_client.get_pr_commits.return_value = [
+            {"commit": {"message": "fix: resolve timeout"}},
+        ]
+        mock_client.merge_pr.side_effect = APIError(405, "Does not have enough approvals")
+        mock_client.get_pr_reviews.side_effect = APIError(403, "Forbidden")
+        mock_client_cls.return_value = mock_client
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            main,
+            ["DEVX-19-fix-bug", "DEVX-19: Fix timeout", "owner/repo", "7"],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        assert "Merge failed" in result.output

tests/unit/test_nightly_gate.py

@@ -71,6 +71,17 @@ class TestCli:
         assert result.exit_code != 0
         assert "blocked" in result.output.lower()
 
+    @patch("devx.ci.nightly_gate.GiteaClient")
+    @patch("devx.ci.nightly_gate.get_ci_token")
+    def test_check_unknown_status_blocks_deploy(self, mock_token: MagicMock, mock_client_cls: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_token.return_value = "fake-token"
+        mock_client = mock_client_cls.return_value
+        mock_client.get_repo_variable.return_value = "garbage-value"
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(cli, ["--repo", "oblachno/infra", "--action", "check"])
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        assert "fail closed" in result.output.lower()
+
     @patch("devx.ci.nightly_gate.GiteaClient")
     @patch("devx.ci.nightly_gate.get_ci_token")
     def test_set_passed(self, mock_token: MagicMock, mock_client_cls: MagicMock) -> None:

tests/unit/test_skills_validation.py

@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+"""Pytest tests for Devin skill validation.
+
+Validates that all skills in .devin/skills/ are well-formed: H1 title,
+"when to invoke" section, prerequisites when commands are referenced,
+make-target references that exist, and file references that exist.
+
+Run with: make pytest TEST=tests/test_skills_validation.py
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+
+# Sections required for every skill
+REQUIRED_SECTIONS = ["when to invoke"]
+
+# Sections required only for skills that reference commands/tools
+COMMAND_REQUIRED_SECTIONS = ["prerequisites"]
+
+# Markers indicating a skill references commands/tools
+COMMAND_MARKERS = ("`make ", "```bash", "```sh", "curl ", "python ", "python3 ", "ssh ")
+
+EXPECTED_SKILLS = [
+    "dependency-graph",
+    "deployment-coordination",
+    "devx-workflow",
+    "pr-review",
+    "skill-creation",
+    "spec-driven-development",
+    "testing-and-debugging",
+    "vikunja-tasks",
+]
+
+
+def _find_skills() -> dict[str, Path]:
+    skills_dir = REPO_ROOT / ".devin" / "skills"
+    assert skills_dir.exists(), ".devin/skills/ directory not found"
+    return {d.name: d / "SKILL.md" for d in skills_dir.iterdir() if d.is_dir() and (d / "SKILL.md").exists()}
+
+
+# Skills shared with other repos — file-path references are only checked
+# in the owning repo (infra), where the referenced files live.
+SHARED_SKILLS = {"cross-repo-sync", "branch-hygiene", "dependency-graph", "skill-creation"}
+
+
+def _make_targets() -> set[str]:
+    """Collect make targets from Makefile plus included devx .mak files."""
+    targets: set[str] = set()
+    makefile = REPO_ROOT / "Makefile"
+    if makefile.exists():
+        targets.update(re.findall(r"^([a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_-]*):", makefile.read_text(), re.MULTILINE))
+    for mak in REPO_ROOT.glob(".venv/lib/python*/site-packages/devx/make/*.mak"):
+        targets.update(re.findall(r"^([a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_-]*):", mak.read_text(), re.MULTILINE))
+    # devx repo: devx.mak lives in the package source (editable install)
+    for mak in REPO_ROOT.glob("src/devx/make/*.mak"):
+        targets.update(re.findall(r"^([a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_-]*):", mak.read_text(), re.MULTILINE))
+    return targets
+
+
+def _validate_skill(skill_name: str, skill_path: Path, make_targets: set[str]) -> list[str]:
+    """Validate a single skill file. Returns list of error messages."""
+    errors: list[str] = []
+    content = skill_path.read_text()
+
+    if not re.search(r"^# ", content, re.MULTILINE):
+        errors.append(f"{skill_name}: missing H1 title")
+
+    lower = content.lower()
+    for section in REQUIRED_SECTIONS:
+        if f"## {section}" not in lower:
+            errors.append(f"{skill_name}: missing '## {section.title()}' section")
+
+    references_commands = any(marker in content for marker in COMMAND_MARKERS)
+    if references_commands:
+        for section in COMMAND_REQUIRED_SECTIONS:
+            if f"## {section}" not in lower:
+                errors.append(
+                    f"{skill_name}: missing '## {section.title()}' section "
+                    "(required because skill references commands/tools)"
+                )
+
+    for target in re.findall(r"`make ([a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_-]*)`", content):
+        if target not in make_targets:
+            errors.append(f"{skill_name}: references `make {target}` but target does not exist")
+
+    # File-path checks: skip shared skills (checked in infra) and
+    # placeholder paths containing <...> templates.
+    if skill_name not in SHARED_SKILLS:
+        for match in re.findall(r"`((?:scripts|src|ansible|docs|tests|environments)/[^`\s]+)`", content):
+            if "<" in match:
+                continue
+            if not (REPO_ROOT / match).exists():
+                errors.append(f"{skill_name}: references `{match}` but file does not exist")
+
+    return errors
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("skill_name", EXPECTED_SKILLS)
+def test_skill_exists(skill_name: str) -> None:
+    """Each expected skill must have a SKILL.md."""
+    skill = REPO_ROOT / ".devin" / "skills" / skill_name / "SKILL.md"
+    assert skill.exists(), f"{skill_name}/SKILL.md not found"
+
+
+def test_minimum_skill_count() -> None:
+    """The repo should carry a working set of skills, not a stub."""
+    assert len(_find_skills()) >= 7, "expected >=10 skills"
+
+
+def test_all_skills_validate() -> None:
+    """All skills must pass structure/reference validation."""
+    make_targets = _make_targets()
+    errors: list[str] = []
+    for skill_name, skill_path in _find_skills().items():
+        errors.extend(_validate_skill(skill_name, skill_path, make_targets))
+    assert not errors, "Skill validation failed:\n" + "\n".join(f"  - {e}" for e in errors)