Finalize Rolling-Wave Slices with Confidence

Where this fits

You've just implemented a rolling-wave slice on a branch. The code compiles, tests pass, but you know the real gate is whether it matches the slice contract you wrote weeks ago. Manually diffing branch state against docs/rolling-wave/{project}/slices/NNN-slug.md is tedious and error-prone. finalize-slice automates that review loop, confirming required findings, fixing them, and leaving the slice in a clean in review state for the next pipeline step.

Why agents benefit

• Contract-aware review: The skill reads the slice's status and contract, then compares the branch against it—not just against generic coding standards.
• Iterative fix loop: It repeats review and verification until no required findings remain, so the agent doesn't stop at the first pass.
• Explicit pushback: When a finding would materially change project shape or contradict assumptions, the agent asks before accepting—preserving user intent and avoiding silent scope creep.
• State recording: It updates project.md and the slice file with the review outcome, keeping the rolling-wave ledger accurate for complete-slice.
• Single-slice focus: Each invocation resolves exactly one slice, preventing cross-slice contamination and making failures traceable.

Practical scenarios

Pre-review sanity check before a demo

You're about to show a feature to stakeholders. Run finalize-slice to catch missing acceptance criteria or stale documentation before the demo—no more last-minute scramble.

Handoff between agent sessions

You switch from implementation to review mode. The skill picks up the slice's ready for review status, reviews the branch, and either fixes issues or reports blockers, so the next agent (or human) knows exactly where things stand.

Enforcing project invariants across a large codebase

When multiple slices are in flight, finalize-slice ensures each one adheres to the same status conventions and file structure, preventing drift that would break later automation.

Add it to your agent workflow

Install the skill and invoke it on your current branch:

npx skills add rijkvanzanten/rolling-wave-engineering --skill finalize-slice

Then, in Codex, prompt: "Finalize the current branch's slice for review." The skill will resolve the slice, run the review, fix required findings, and update the state files. For more context, see the skill page that details its invariants and pushback format.

Compare before adopting

Before committing, compare against alternatives: check the skill's GitHub stars (currently 13) and recent commit activity for maintenance freshness. Evaluate whether the rolling-wave methodology fits your team's planning cadence—it works best when slices are small and contracts are explicit. Weigh it against simpler checklist-based review agents if you don't need full state tracking.

Why it is worth tracking

finalize-slice addresses a real pain point: turning an implemented feature into a reviewable artifact without human babysitting. Its focus on contract verification and explicit pushback signals a thoughtful design. As rolling-wave engineering gains traction, this skill could become a standard step in slice pipelines. Track it now to see how its review logic evolves, and evaluate it when your slice workflow starts producing too many rework cycles or stale statuses.