# Ceratops Repo Lifecycle

> Route Ceratops repository lifecycle work to action references for repository creation, compatibility, contracts, health, dependencies, local promotion, remote release publication, deterministic local deployment, GitHub shipping, and PR merge. Use when Codex should create or harden a repository, make it Ceratops-compatible, review its contracts, disposition CodeQL, maintain dependencies, promote selected task branches into a local release branch with or without deployment, ship a staged branch through guarded GitHub merge, post-merge release publication, and local deployment, or finalize an already-ready PR.

- Skill: `ceratops-code/ceratops-repo-lifecycle` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 89 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ceratops-code/ceratops-repo-lifecycle`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ceratops-code/ceratops-repo-lifecycle/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Author: Ceratops-Code (https://skillmd.com/u/ceratops-code)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ceratops-code/ceratops-repo-lifecycle

---


# Ceratops Repository Lifecycle

## Goal

Route repository compatibility, local Git, GitHub, release publication, and
deployment lifecycle work to the narrowest action reference. Keep repository
state transitions in one skill while each repository owns declared remote
release publication, artifact identity, and local deployment in
`sdlc/sdlc.yml`.

## Context

### Action References

- Create or publish a repository: `references/create-or-publish.md`
- Make an existing repository Ceratops-compatible:
  `references/make-repo-compatible.md`
- Review GitHub, code, PR, artifact, registry, and release contracts:
  `references/contracts-review.md`
- Validate or apply a CodeQL alert disposition:
  `references/codeql-disposition.md`
- Audit or repair repository health: `references/health-audit.md`
- Maintain dependency PRs or alerts: `references/dependency-maintenance.md`
- Promote selected branches with or without deployment:
  `references/promote-change.md`
- Ship, synchronize, publish, deploy, and finalize selected work:
  `references/ship.md`
- Finalize an already-ready PR: `references/merge-pr.md`

### Inputs To Capture

- Target repository, checkout, task worktree, branch, selected source branches,
  PR, artifact, dependency queue, compatibility gap, or creation request that
  identifies the action.
- Whether promotion should stop after assembling `release/local`, run an
  explicit ordered selection of `deploy.operations`, or continue directly
  into terminal shipping with selected release and deployment operations only
  at their lifecycle-owned phases.
- Required live GitHub, local repository, CI, artifact, credential, and
  deployment context named by the selected action reference.

## Constraints

### Skill-Specific Rules

- Keep local promotion, GitHub publication, guarded merge, synchronization,
  deployment routing, repository compatibility, and selected-source cleanup in
  this skill.
- Execute only named structured operations from the `release` and `deploy`
  sections of `sdlc/sdlc.yml` through the operation runner. Do not interpret
  prose as executable commands.
- Use `references/merge-pr.md` for standalone PR finalization. Integrated ship
  must preserve every readiness, CI, Codex-review, and exact-head gate before
  its final admin merge.
- Inspect only branches and worktrees named by the selected pending-work scope.

### Boundaries

- Use this skill for repository creation, compatibility, local Git promotion,
  GitHub lifecycle work, deterministic deployment, dependency maintenance,
  CodeQL disposition, and PR merge decisions.
- Use `$ceratops-skill-lifecycle` for skill-domain creation, mutation, managed
  deployment, contract review, or consistency review; accept its promotion or
  shipping handoff and return the managed-skill phase.
- Use `references/contracts-review.md` for contract review rather than
  lifecycle execution.
- Use a generic GitHub capability only when no Ceratops repository action fits
  or the selected reference explicitly requires it.

### Workflow

#### 1. Classify the action

- Use `create-or-publish`, `make-repo-compatible`, `contracts-review`,
  `codeql-disposition`, `health-audit`, or `dependency-maintenance` for their
  named repository surfaces.
- Use `promote` when selected committed branches should join a local
  `release/local` branch without deployment.
- Use `promote-and-deploy` when the same promotion should run explicitly
  selected repository operations in order, execute returned handoffs in that
  order, and report managed skills when no handoff is declared.
- Use composed promotion and shipping when selected committed branches should
  enter the complete ship workflow immediately after promotion; only shipping
  may publish a release or deploy in this mode.
- Use `ship` for the complete staged-branch PR, gate, merge, main sync,
  ordered remote release publication, ordered local repository deployment,
  returned handoff handling, late recheck, and selected-source cleanup
  workflow.
- Use `merge-pr` only when standalone PR finalization is the whole task.

#### 2. Close from action evidence

- Report retained branches, worktrees, scopes, PRs, artifacts, or external side
  effects only when the selected action requires them.

## Done When

### Completion Gate

- Repository, release-publication, deployment, GitHub, artifact, and
  local-state claims are limited to the checks and live data actually verified.

### Output Contract

Report only:

- selected action and final outcome
- intentionally retained branches, scopes, PRs, artifacts, worktrees, or
  external side effects with reasons

### Example Invocation

`Use $ceratops-repo-lifecycle to promote these task branches into release/local
without deployment.`