fabioc-aloha Upgrade Curation
Finalize brain upgrades by recovering project-specific content from backups
After upgrade-brain.cjs runs, each project has a .github-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS/ directory containing the pre-upgrade brain. This skill guides the curation process: scan backups, identify what needs attention, and merge project-specific content into the fresh v8 brain.
When to Use
- After running
node scripts/upgrade-brain.cjs --mode Upgradeor--mode Full - After the VS Code extension's Initialize command on a project
- When a project reports missing customizations post-upgrade
- To clean up
.github-backup-*directories fleet-wide
Quick Reference
Muscle
# Scan all projects for pending backups and generate curation report
node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode Scan
# Curate a single project (interactive)
node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode Curate --include "ProjectName"
# Auto-restore non-brain content the upgrade missed
node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode AutoRestore
# Clean up backups after curation is complete
node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode Clean --include "ProjectName"
What the Upgrade Leaves Behind
The upgrade script auto-restores these from backup:
| Auto-Restored Dirs | Auto-Restored Files |
|---|---|
workflows/ |
PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md |
ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ |
dependabot.yml |
episodic/ |
CODEOWNERS |
memory/ |
FUNDING.yml |
domain-knowledge/ |
MEMORY.md |
Everything else in the backup that isn't a brain directory needs manual curation.
Curation Categories
Category 1: Project-Specific Root Files
Files in .github/ root that aren't part of the brain and weren't in the auto-restore list:
| File | Action |
|---|---|
NORTH-STAR.md |
Copy to new .github/ — project vision document |
README.md |
Copy — project-specific .github readme |
REPO-CONFIG.md |
Copy — repository configuration |
repository-metadata.md |
Copy — project metadata |
DK-*.md |
Copy — domain knowledge files at root level |
hooks.json |
Skip — replaced by hooks/ directory in v8 |
Category 2: Non-Standard Directories
Directories not in BRAIN_SUBDIRS and not in RESTORE_DIRS:
| Directory | Action |
|---|---|
templates/ |
Copy — project-specific templates |
scripts/ |
Copy — project-specific scripts |
docs/ |
Copy — project-specific documentation |
| Any unknown dir | Copy — preserve project content |
Category 3: copilot-instructions.md Curation
The upgrade installs a generic v8 copilot-instructions.md. The backup contains the old one with project-specific context.
Curation steps:
Open
copilot-instructions.backup.md(saved by upgrade script)Look for these project-specific sections:
## Context → Merge into v8 ## Context section ## Active Context → Merge or discard (may be stale) ## Coding Standards → Merge into v8 ## Context section ## Tech Stack → Merge into v8 ## Context sectionCopy relevant content into the v8
copilot-instructions.mdDelete
copilot-instructions.backup.mdwhen done
Category 4: Config Merging
The v8 brain installs standard config files. Some projects had custom config:
| Config File | Action |
|---|---|
taglines.json |
Merge — project-specific taglines |
visual-memory.json |
Keep v8 — schema may have changed |
session-metrics.json |
Keep v8 — schema may have changed |
MASTER-ALEX-PROTECTED.json |
Skip — Master-only |
Curation Workflow
Per-Project Flow
1. Run muscle: node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode Scan
2. Review report for each project
3. For each finding:
a. ROOT_FILE → copy to .github/
b. UNKNOWN_DIR → copy to .github/
c. CI_CUSTOM → merge project context into v8 CI
d. OLD_ARTIFACT → skip (hooks.json, old assets)
4. Mark project as curated
5. Delete backup when confident
Fleet-Wide Flow
1. Scan: node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode Scan
2. AutoRestore: node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode AutoRestore (safe auto-copy)
3. Manual: node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode Curate --include "project" (CI merging)
4. Verify: node scripts/upgrade-brain.cjs --mode Verify (confirm brain intact)
5. Clean: node .github/muscles/curate-upgrade.cjs --mode Clean (remove backups)
Safety Rules
- Never delete backups before verifying — run
node scripts/upgrade-brain.cjs --mode Verifyfirst - Never overwrite brain dirs — only copy non-brain content from backups
- CI merging is additive — add project context to v8 template, don't replace it
- When in doubt, keep the backup — disk is cheap, lost data isn't
Related Skills
- heir-sync-management — Master-to-heir sync
- heir-bootstrap — Post-initialize customization
- identity-customization — CI personalization