ba-auto-daily/.claude/skills/clean-scratchpad/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
clean-scratchpad	Delete this session's temporary probe scripts, debug screenshots, and logs from scratchpad/ (locally and on nik-gpu) via clean_scratchpad.sh, avoiding Claude Code's permission prompts on destructive commands. Use when asked to clean up scratchpad, or proactively per CLAUDE.md's workflow step 13 once temporary investigation files from the current session are no longer useful.

/clean-scratchpad

Removes this session's disposable files from scratchpad/ — locally and, when relevant, on nik-gpu — using clean_scratchpad.sh at the repo root.

Why a script, and why it's still safe

Claude Code's permission engine blocks any destructive command (rm, mv, cp) where the deletion target is computed dynamically in the visible command text — confirmed live across a raw shell glob, a find-piped while IFS= read loop, and find -exec {} +. All three were flagged. But a command that just invokes an external script (bash clean_scratchpad.sh 'PATTERN') is not itself a write operation in the command text — the actual rm lives inside the script file, which the permission engine does not parse. Confirmed live, with the user watching for a prompt: zero prompts, both locally and over ssh to nik-gpu, for a real wildcard pattern that actually deleted matching files.

This does mean the runtime guard no longer applies once the script exists — clean_scratchpad.sh's own logic is the only safety net. It is written defensively for exactly that reason:

• The target directory is derived from the script's own location (dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}"/scratchpad), never from the caller's current directory or an argument.
• It refuses to run if that resolved path's basename isn't literally scratchpad, if the directory doesn't exist, or if it resolves (via pwd -P, so symlinks can't hide this) anywhere other than exactly <script's own dir>/scratchpad.
• Every pattern argument is rejected if it contains / or .. — a pattern can only ever match plain filenames directly inside scratchpad/, never traverse into a parent or subdirectory.
• It only ever deletes files (-type f, -maxdepth 1) — never directories, never recursively.

Do not add a way to override the target directory (no $1 used as a path, no --force/-r type flags). If you need to widen what it can touch, that is a deliberate design change to discuss, not a quick patch.

Steps

1. List what's actually in scratchpad first:

   ls -la scratchpad/
   

   Decide what's disposable (this session's probe screenshots, debug .png/.log output, one-off probe_*.py scripts) versus anything that looks like a reusable calibration asset worth keeping across sessions (e.g. named probes referenced from plan.md or CLAUDE.md, like past probe_arena_*/probe_badge_ocr*/probe_find_best* scripts). If unsure whether something is reusable, ask rather than deleting it.

2. Delete locally, passing one or more filename patterns (exact names or globs — both are fine, the script resolves them internally via find -name, never via shell expansion):

   bash clean_scratchpad.sh '*.png' '*.log' 'probe_ocr_now.py'
   

   It prints each file it deletes and a final count. Nothing else in scratchpad/ is touched.

3. Delete remotely on nik-gpu, only if this session also pushed probe files there (e.g. via scp/rsync during live testing). First confirm clean_scratchpad.sh on nik-gpu is up to date — if you've edited it locally since the last deploy, scp clean_scratchpad.sh nik-gpu:~/repo/ba-auto-daily/clean_scratchpad.sh (or a full /deploy-gpu) before relying on it remotely. Then:

   ssh nik-gpu 'bash ~/repo/ba-auto-daily/clean_scratchpad.sh "*.png" "*.log"'
   

4. Confirm the result:

   ls -la scratchpad/
   

   Report what was deleted and what was intentionally kept, rather than just reporting exit code 0. If a permission prompt appears at any point, say so explicitly rather than assuming success from a clean exit code — a silently-approved prompt still means something is off.