# Ceratops Skill Lifecycle

> Route Ceratops or compatible skill lifecycle work to action references for create, deploy, fast-change, update, skills-contract-review, and skills-consistency-review work. Use when Codex should create or deploy managed skills, apply an eligible direct-release skill change with targeted installation, update skill source or shared governance surfaces, refresh Ceratops skill-design contracts, or audit one manifest-backed installed skill and its coupled source.

- Skill: `ceratops-code/ceratops-skill-lifecycle` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 18 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ceratops-code/ceratops-skill-lifecycle`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ceratops-code/ceratops-skill-lifecycle/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: Ceratops-Code (https://skillmd.com/u/ceratops-code)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ceratops-code/ceratops-skill-lifecycle

---


# Ceratops Skill Lifecycle

## Goal

Route skill lifecycle work to the narrowest action reference, then follow that
reference as the execution contract. Keep one live skill lifecycle capability
surface for standards refresh, repository consistency, creation, and mutation.

## Context

### Action References

- Create a new skill: `references/create.md`
- Deploy manifest-managed skills: `references/deploy.md`
- Apply an eligible direct-release skill change: `references/fast-change.md`
- Update an existing skill or shared maintenance surface: `references/update.md`
- Refresh Ceratops skill-design contracts from current standards evidence:
  `references/skills-contract-review.md`
- Audit one manifest-backed installed skill and its coupled source:
  `references/skills-consistency-review.md`

### Inputs To Capture

- Target skill, installed runtime manifest, repo, branch, and action intent.
- Which repo-owned surfaces are in scope: source skill folders,
  `agents/openai.yaml`, `skills/sections/`, `skills/skill-sections.json`,
  reusable templates, runtime payload declarations, validators, contracts,
  helper scripts, docs, or runtime generation.
- Whether `skills/skill-sections.json` declares a stable
  `runtime_source_id` and either the `ceratops` or `ceratops-compatible`
  validation profile.
- Whether the complete intended scope qualifies for `fast-change`.
- Whether the task should stop at committed task-worktree changes or hand off
  to `$ceratops-repo-lifecycle`.

## Constraints

### Skill-Specific Rules

- Keep skill creation, fast change, update, contract review, and repository
  consistency review inside this multi-action skill and its `references/`
  files.
- For skill-source mutation in this repo, treat source skill text, metadata,
  shared sections, `skills/skill-sections.json`, runtime payloads,
  validators, contracts, helper scripts, and docs as one coupled maintenance
  surface when they exist.
- Classify each executable as repository maintenance, a single-skill
  deliverable, or a multi-skill deliverable. Keep them in `scripts/`, the
  owning skill's `scripts/`, or `skills/sections/scripts/`, respectively, and
  map shared deliverables to installed skill-relative targets through
  `runtime_payloads`.
- Repository maintenance must invoke an installed deliverable or own a
  separate implementation and tests.
- Treat another repo as Ceratops-compatible only when its section manifest
  declares `runtime_source_id`, `validation_profile: ceratops-compatible`, an
  assignment for every source skill, and shared sections when source skills
  exist. Skill names need not use a Ceratops prefix.
- Use the managed runtime installer for ordinary skill deployment. Use
  `scripts/install-skills-bootstrap.py` only for an explicit first install; it
  remains self-contained and never dispatches to lifecycle runtime code.
- Use `fast-change` directly on verified primary `release/local` whenever
  its action contract and one-request orchestrator accept the complete intended
  scope. The orchestrator owns exact-replacement validation, diff generation,
  repository-declared Markdown lint, exact helper tests, targeted installation,
  commit, and compensation. Use a task worktree for `update` and for `create`
  outside this repo; new Ceratops skills continue through repository lifecycle
  `promote-and-deploy`.

### Boundaries

- Use this skill for creating or deploying managed skills, eligible
  direct-release changes, updating existing skills, consistency audits, and
  skill-design contract upkeep.
- If the task is advisory-only skill optimization, use
  `$ceratops-governance-lifecycle` action `optimize-skill`.
- If the task is Ceratops skill-contract standards upkeep, use
  `references/skills-contract-review.md`.
- If the task is manifest-backed installed-skill consistency and contract
  compliance, use
  `references/skills-consistency-review.md`.
- If the task is repository promotion, deployment, shipping, or another Git or
  GitHub lifecycle operation, enter through `$ceratops-repo-lifecycle`; its
  declared managed-skill handoff may route to this skill's `deploy` action.
- If the repository itself needs the `ceratops-compatible` surfaces, use
  `$ceratops-repo-lifecycle` action `make-repo-compatible`, then resume the
  owning skill action when required.

### Workflow

#### 1. Classify the action

- Use `create` when a brand-new skill must be added and integrated with
  available repo governance surfaces.
- Use `deploy` for the managed-skill phase after repository-specific deployment
  work has completed or explicitly no-oped.
- Use `fast-change` whenever the request is exact and its complete selected
  skill-local scope satisfies `references/fast-change.md`.
- Use `update` when an existing skill, shared section, manifest, runtime
  generation, validator, contract, helper interface, or other coupled surface
  falls outside fast-change.
- Use `skills-contract-review` only to refresh the skill-design contracts
  against current registered best-practice evidence.
- Use `skills-consistency-review` to audit one manifest-backed installed skill
  against those contracts and its coupled source, automation, installer, and
  runtime surfaces.

#### 2. Close from action evidence

- Report retained runtime copies, automation prompts, or external side effects
  only when the selected action requires them.

## Done When

### Completion Gate

- Source, runtime, and validation claims are limited to the checks and state
  actually verified.

### Output Contract

Report only:

- selected action and final outcome
- updated skill, standards, contract, or shared maintenance surfaces
- intentionally retained runtime copies, automation prompts, or external side
  effects with reasons

### Example Invocation

`Use $ceratops-skill-lifecycle for this exact skill change. Prefer fast-change
when its complete scope passes readiness; otherwise use update in a task
worktree.`