feat(cli): --dry-run on every mutating command

packages/cli/src/commands/absorb.ts

@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ export interface AbsorbResult {
   restacked: string[];
   /** True when the rebase paused on a conflict; user must `dub continue`. */
   conflict: boolean;
+  /** True when invoked with `--dry-run`; no mutations were performed. */
+  dryRun: boolean;
 }
 
 const WIP_SUBJECT_RE = /^(wip\b|fix\b|tmp\b|tweak\b|address|feedback)/i;
@@ -150,17 +152,19 @@ export async function absorb(
     );
   }
 
-  await saveUndoEntry(
-    {
-      operation: 'absorb',
-      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
-      previousBranch: originalBranch,
-      previousState: structuredClone(state),
-      branchTips: await snapshotStackTips(stack, cwd),
-      createdBranches: [],
-    },
-    cwd,
-  );
+  if (!options.dryRun) {
+    await saveUndoEntry(
+      {
+        operation: 'absorb',
+        timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+        previousBranch: originalBranch,
+        previousState: structuredClone(state),
+        branchTips: await snapshotStackTips(stack, cwd),
+        createdBranches: [],
+      },
+      cwd,
+    );
+  }
 
   if (mode === 'auto') {
     return runAutoMode(cwd, originalBranch, state, stack, options);
@@ -201,6 +205,7 @@ async function runAutoMode(
       movedTo: [],
       restacked: [],
       conflict: false,
+      dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
     };
   }
 
@@ -213,6 +218,7 @@ async function runAutoMode(
       movedTo: [],
       restacked: [],
       conflict: false,
+      dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
     };
   }
 
@@ -235,6 +241,7 @@ async function runAutoMode(
         movedTo: [],
         restacked: [],
         conflict: true,
+        dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
       };
     }
     await clearAbsorbProgress(cwd);
@@ -271,6 +278,7 @@ async function runAiMode(
       movedTo: [],
       restacked: [],
       conflict: false,
+      dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
     };
   }
 
@@ -285,27 +293,31 @@ async function runAiMode(
     );
   }
 
-  const config = await deps.readConfig(cwd);
-  const assignments = await aiPickTargets(
-    wipCommits,
-    candidates,
-    commits,
-    deps,
-    config.ai.provider,
-  );
-
+  // Bail before the AI call in dry-run so the preview does not bill against
+  // the user's provider. The plan reports the candidate WIP commits as the
+  // upper bound on what would be absorbed.
   if (options.dryRun) {
     return {
       mode: 'ai',
       branch: originalBranch,
-      absorbed: assignments.filter((a) => a.targetSha !== null).length,
-      skipped: assignments.filter((a) => a.targetSha === null).length,
+      absorbed: wipCommits.length,
+      skipped: 0,
       movedTo: [],
       restacked: [],
       conflict: false,
+      dryRun: true,
     };
   }
 
+  const config = await deps.readConfig(cwd);
+  const assignments = await aiPickTargets(
+    wipCommits,
+    candidates,
+    commits,
+    deps,
+    config.ai.provider,
+  );
+
   const todo = buildCustomRebaseTodo(commits, assignments);
   const assignedCount = assignments.filter((a) => a.targetSha !== null).length;
   const skippedCount = assignments.length - assignedCount;
@@ -319,6 +331,7 @@ async function runAiMode(
       movedTo: [],
       restacked: [],
       conflict: false,
+      dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
     };
   }
 
@@ -341,6 +354,7 @@ async function runAiMode(
         movedTo: [],
         restacked: [],
         conflict: true,
+        dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
       };
     }
     await clearAbsorbProgress(cwd);
@@ -381,6 +395,7 @@ async function runStackMode(
       movedTo: [],
       restacked: [],
       conflict: false,
+      dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
     };
   }
 
@@ -393,6 +408,7 @@ async function runStackMode(
       movedTo: Array.from(new Set(crossFixups.map((f) => f.targetBranch))),
       restacked: [],
       conflict: false,
+      dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
     };
   }
 
@@ -460,6 +476,7 @@ async function runStackMode(
         movedTo: Array.from(movedTo),
         restacked: [],
         conflict: true,
+        dryRun: options.dryRun ?? false,
       };
     }
     await clearAbsorbProgress(cwd);
@@ -496,7 +513,13 @@ async function finishAbsorbWithRestack(
   try {
     const restacked = await restackAfterAbsorb(cwd, state, stack);
     await clearAbsorbProgress(cwd);
-    return { mode, ...fields, restacked, conflict: false };
+    return {
+      mode,
+      ...fields,
+      restacked,
+      conflict: false,
+      dryRun: false,
+    };
   } catch (error) {
     if (error instanceof RestackConflictDuringAbsorb) {
       await clearAbsorbProgress(cwd);
@@ -505,6 +528,7 @@ async function finishAbsorbWithRestack(
         ...fields,
         restacked: error.rebased,
         conflict: true,
+        dryRun: false,
       };
     }
     await clearAbsorbProgress(cwd);
@@ -640,6 +664,7 @@ export async function absorbContinue(cwd: string): Promise<AbsorbResult> {
       movedTo: [],
       restacked: [],
       conflict: false,
+      dryRun: false,
     };
   }
 

packages/cli/src/commands/continue.test.ts

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ describe('continue command', () => {
     vi.mocked(restackContinue).mockResolvedValue({
       status: 'success',
       rebased: ['feat/a'],
+      dryRun: false,
     });
     vi.mocked(rebaseContinue).mockResolvedValue(undefined);
     vi.mocked(aiResolve).mockResolvedValue(undefined);

packages/cli/src/commands/create.ts

@@ -21,16 +21,19 @@ import {
   hasStagedChanges,
   interactiveStage,
   isValidBranchName,
+  isWorkingTreeClean,
   stageAll,
   stageUpdate,
 } from '../lib/git';
 import { readMetadataTemplates } from '../lib/metadata-templates';
 import {
   addBranchToStack,
+  type DubState,
   ensureState,
   findStackForBranch,
   getDefaultTrunk,
   getStackTrunk,
+  readStateForDryRun,
   writeState,
 } from '../lib/state';
 import { withTempMarkdownFile } from '../lib/temp-text-file';
@@ -43,12 +46,14 @@ interface CreateOptions {
   all?: boolean;
   update?: boolean;
   patch?: boolean;
+  dryRun?: boolean;
 }
 
 interface CreateResult {
   branch: string;
   parent: string;
   committed?: string;
+  dryRun: boolean;
 }
 
 type CreateDependencies = AiMetadataDependencies;
@@ -126,7 +131,14 @@ export async function create(
     ]);
   }
 
-  const state = await ensureState(cwd);
+  const dryRun = normalizedOptions.dryRun ?? false;
+  // Dry-run must not create state on disk; fall back to an empty in-memory
+  // state ONLY when the repo has never been initialized (matches `ensureState`
+  // semantics). Corruption and IO errors still propagate so dry-run can't
+  // promise a plan a real run won't execute.
+  const state: DubState = dryRun
+    ? await readStateForDryRun(cwd)
+    : await ensureState(cwd);
   const currentBranch = await getCurrentBranch(cwd);
   const currentStack = findStackForBranch(state, currentBranch);
   const stackTrunk = currentStack
@@ -137,19 +149,29 @@ export async function create(
   let commitMessage = normalizedOptions.message?.trim();
 
   if (commitMessage || useAi) {
-    if (normalizedOptions.patch) {
-      await interactiveStage(cwd);
-    } else if (normalizedOptions.all) {
-      await stageAll(cwd);
-    } else if (normalizedOptions.update) {
-      await stageUpdate(cwd);
+    if (!dryRun) {
+      if (normalizedOptions.patch) {
+        await interactiveStage(cwd);
+      } else if (normalizedOptions.all) {
+        await stageAll(cwd);
+      } else if (normalizedOptions.update) {
+        await stageUpdate(cwd);
+      }
     }
 
-    if (!(await hasStagedChanges(cwd))) {
-      const isAggregateFlag =
-        normalizedOptions.all ||
-        normalizedOptions.update ||
-        normalizedOptions.patch;
+    const isAggregateFlag =
+      normalizedOptions.all ||
+      normalizedOptions.update ||
+      normalizedOptions.patch;
+    // In dry-run we never mutated the index, so checking the post-stage state
+    // would always be empty when --all/--update/--patch is set. Instead, look
+    // at the working tree — that's what an aggregate flag would have staged.
+    const nothingToCommit = dryRun
+      ? isAggregateFlag
+        ? await isWorkingTreeClean(cwd)
+        : !(await hasStagedChanges(cwd))
+      : !(await hasStagedChanges(cwd));
+    if (nothingToCommit) {
       const message = isAggregateFlag
         ? 'No changes to commit.'
         : 'No staged changes.';
@@ -171,7 +193,7 @@ export async function create(
     }
   }
 
-  if (useAi) {
+  if (useAi && !dryRun) {
     if (!config.aiAssistantEnabled) {
       throw new DubError('AI assistant is disabled for this repo.', [
         "Run 'dub config ai-assistant on' to enable AI for this repo.",
@@ -203,6 +225,14 @@ export async function create(
   }
 
   if (!branchName) {
+    if (dryRun && useAi) {
+      return {
+        branch: '<ai-generated>',
+        parent,
+        ...(commitMessage ? { committed: commitMessage } : {}),
+        dryRun: true,
+      };
+    }
     throw new DubError('Branch name is required.', [
       "Pass '<branch-name>' as the first argument to 'dub create'.",
       "Pass '--ai' to AI-generate the branch name from staged changes.",
@@ -224,6 +254,15 @@ export async function create(
     ]);
   }
 
+  if (dryRun) {
+    return {
+      branch: branchName,
+      parent,
+      ...(commitMessage ? { committed: commitMessage } : {}),
+      dryRun: true,
+    };
+  }
+
   await saveUndoEntry(
     {
       operation: 'create',
@@ -269,8 +308,13 @@ export async function create(
         ],
       );
     }
-    return { branch: branchName, parent, committed: commitMessage };
+    return {
+      branch: branchName,
+      parent,
+      committed: commitMessage,
+      dryRun: false,
+    };
   }
 
-  return { branch: branchName, parent };
+  return { branch: branchName, parent, dryRun: false };
 }

packages/cli/src/commands/delete.test.ts

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ describe('delete command', () => {
     vi.mocked(deleteTrackedBranch).mockResolvedValue({
       deleted: ['feat/a'],
       reparented: [],
+      dryRun: false,
     });
   });
 
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ describe('delete command', () => {
       upstack: false,
       downstack: false,
       force: true,
+      dryRun: false,
     });
   });
 
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ describe('delete command', () => {
       upstack: true,
       downstack: true,
       force: true,
+      dryRun: false,
     });
   });