Cross Reference Maintenance

Cross-Reference Maintenance Skill

Maintain cross-references between artifacts and documentation, ensuring reference integrity and completeness.

When to Use

• Use when maintaining reference integrity
• Use when updating references after file moves
• Use when validating cross-references
• Use when identifying missing references

Instructions

Maintenance Process

1. Scan artifacts: Review all artifacts for references
2. Identify missing: Find artifacts that should have references but don't
3. Validate existing: Check that existing references are valid
4. Update broken: Fix broken or outdated references
5. Add missing: Add missing references where appropriate

Reference Identification

Missing References

Look for:

• Related artifacts without cross-references
• Documentation without artifact links
• Artifacts without documentation links
• Broken reference chains

Invalid References

Check for:

• Broken file paths
• References to non-existent files
• Incorrect relative paths
• Outdated references after moves

Reference Updates

When Files Move

1. Find all references: Search for references to moved file
2. Update paths: Update all reference paths
3. Verify links: Ensure links work after update
4. Check documentation: Update documentation references

When Files Are Added

1. Identify related: Find artifacts related to new file
2. Add forward refs: Add references in new file
3. Add backward refs: Add references in related files
4. Update docs: Add to documentation

When Files Are Removed

1. Find all references: Search for references to removed file
2. Remove references: Remove from all artifacts
3. Update documentation: Remove from docs
4. Verify cleanup: Ensure no broken references

Validation Checklist

For each artifact:

• Has "Related Artifacts" section
• References are to existing files
• Paths are correct
• Bidirectional references where appropriate
• Documentation links are current

Examples

Example 1: Adding Missing References

Scenario: New rule created, but related skill doesn't reference it

Action:

1. Identify related skill
2. Add reference to new rule in skill's "Related Artifacts" section
3. Add reference to skill in rule's "Related Artifacts" section
4. Update documentation if needed

Example 2: Fixing Broken References

Scenario: File moved, but references still point to old location

Action:

1. Find all references to old path
2. Update all references to new path
3. Verify links work
4. Check documentation references

Best Practices

• Validate references regularly
• Update immediately when files change
• Maintain bidirectional references when relevant
• Document reference relationships
• Use relative paths consistently

Related Artifacts

• Cross-Referencing Rule
• Update Cross-References Command
• Cross-Reference Maintainer Subagent
• Skills/Commands Patterns