[robzolkos]

What

A move or copy command refuses a container flag it inherits but doesn't read. Since v0.20.0, that refusal is a usage error. But help still listed those flags. messages copy --help offered --message-board as "required if project has multiple", and following it failed with "does not read --message-board". The new test found 28 such flags across 20 commands, for example --message-board, --schedule, --questionnaire, --card-table on copy, and --vault/--folder on docs, uploads and folders.

Change

• FilingIgnores (internal/commands/filing.go) is now the one rule for "this command refuses this inherited flag". The guard and help (parentScopedFlags in internal/cli/help.go, used by both text help and --agent help) both read it.
• The refusal hint says to drop the flag before suggesting a --to-* destination.
• .surface doesn't change. The flags still parse, so they can be refused.

Evidence

• TestFilingCommandHelpOffersOnlyTheContainerFlagsItReads renders help for every guarded command. It checks that refused flags are absent and flags the command reads (e.g. cards move --card-table) are present. It fails on main with 28 offers and passes here.
• bin/ci passes locally.
• Prod, v0.20.0. In a project with several boards, schedules, Check-ins and card tables, following the help made 4 in-place copies fail. Without the flag they succeeded.
• Fresh agent sessions on dev bc3. I gave Opus four "duplicate in place" requests: a message, an event, a check-in question and a column. Each build had its own project with duplicate tools. Both this build and v0.20.0 went 4/4, and a readback shows each copy in the right container. Agents already avoided the trap. This fix is for anyone following help as written.

---

Summary by cubic

Fixes move and copy help so it no longer offers container flags the command refuses.

Since v0.20.0, messages copy --message-board (and 27 similar flags across 20 commands) failed with a usage error, but --help still listed the flag as usable.

• Help and the refusal guard now share one rule (FilingIgnores), so the two cannot drift.
• The refusal hint now says to drop the flag before naming a destination.
• The surface diff records these 28 flags leaving agent help as removals.

^{Written for commit fc4748c. Summary will update on new commits.}

[Copilot]

🟢 Approved

No active review issues are reported for the help-text and refused-flag updates.

No open issues 🎉

What changed in this PR

Aligns move and copy help with the container flags those commands actually accept, while preserving flag parsing and usage-error behavior.

Changes:

• Shares FilingIgnores between the refusal guard and text/agent help.
• Clarifies refusal hints to tell users to drop the unsupported flag.
• Adds regression coverage verifying that help hides refused flags and retains supported ones.

[!TIP]
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File	Description
internal/​commands/​filing.go	Centralizes refused-flag detection and clarifies recovery hints.
internal/​commands/​filing_guard_test.go	Tests help visibility for inherited container flags.
internal/​cli/​help.go	Omits refused container flags from shared help output.

_{Review effort: Balanced}

[Copilot]

🟢 Approved

No active review issues block approval of the move and copy help changes.

No open issues 🎉

_{Review effort: Balanced}