Dependency Management

Manage third-party dependencies safely: minimize surface area, keep lockfiles honest, audit regularly, and upgrade deliberately. Use when adding, updating, or reviewing dependencies, or when addressing vulnerability reports.

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Dependency Management

Overview

Every dependency is a liability as well as an asset. Treat the dependency graph with care.

When to Use

  • Adding a new library
  • Upgrading dependencies
  • Responding to security advisories
  • Reviewing the overall dependency footprint

Core Practices

  • Prefer standard library or existing internal utilities when sufficient
  • Check maintenance status, popularity, and known vulnerabilities before adding
  • Always commit and review the lockfile
  • Upgrade one dependency (or a small related group) at a time
  • Read changelogs for non-trivial upgrades
  • Run the test suite after upgrades

Red Flags

  • Large numbers of transitive dependencies for a small benefit
  • Unmaintained packages
  • Overly broad version ranges without a lockfile
  • Bulk "bump everything" PRs without review

Verification

  • Lockfile is committed and up to date
  • New dependencies have a clear justification
  • Known high-severity vulnerabilities are addressed or explicitly accepted

itsual/agent-skills-collection/tree/main/skills/engineering/dependency-management commit aeca72477c

Frequently asked questions

npx skillmds@latest add itsual/dependency-management