Cleanup Deletion Governance

cleanup-deletion-governance

Registry Trigger

Use when

• cleanup deletion governance deletion path dead code caller search runtime generated reflection references feature flag removal fallback expiry compatibility branch deprecated API expand contract cleanup telemetry unused rollback cleanup issue

Do not use when

• no task-local cleanup deletion governance decision is required

Skill Role

Define deletion reachability, compatibility and state exit conditions, generated and operational residue, cleanup sequencing, rollback limits, and proof of absence. Exclude broad refactoring and contract migration.

High-Value Rules

• Name the deletion unit and exit condition. Distinguish code, public contract, feature path, flag, fallback, data, configuration, metric, job, credential, or generated artifact and identify the evidence that permits removal.
• Scan producers and consumers across mechanisms. Inspect static references, dynamic loading, reflection, configuration, templates, generated code, scripts, plugins, persisted identifiers, queues, dashboards, alerts, and external consumers relevant to the surface.
• Separate unreachable from unused in one sample. Combine repository evidence with runtime, compatibility, ownership, or policy evidence appropriate to hidden and long-lived consumers; state where absence cannot be proved.
• Respect state and mixed-version lifecycles. Account for old records, queued work, cached values, rollback versions, staged rollout, dormant tenants, disaster recovery, and replay before deleting readers, writers, or bridges.
• Order cleanup around ownership transfer. Remove production, validation, observation, configuration, documentation, generated, and operational remnants without creating a period where no owner can interpret or recover the state.
• Preserve a bounded recovery path. Identify reversible steps, retained source or migration evidence, forward repair, and the point after which deleted data or external state cannot be restored.
• Verify absence after mutation. Re-run targeted scans, builds, contract checks, behavior tests, generated-output checks, and relevant runtime or telemetry queries, with explicit evidence freshness and limits.

Anti-Patterns

• Delete from local text search alone while dynamic, generated, configured, persisted, or external consumption remains possible.
• Remove a flag or fallback while old state, rollback code, queued work, or dormant consumers still require it.
• Leave dead configuration, metrics, alerts, credentials, generated files, documentation, or operator paths after code deletion.

Stop Conditions

Escalate unbounded consumption, unauthorized exit conditions, unreadable old or rollback state, irreversible deletion, governed data, or loss of the sole observation or recovery path.

Output Contract

• deletion decision with bounded unit, consumer and state evidence, exit condition, ordered cleanup, rollback or forward-repair limits, post-mutation proof, and residual owners

Targeted References