Consolidate

Consolidate sub-skills (sub-skill.consolidate)

Execute the reorganization by moving user-specified skills into a parent bundle, forming a sub-skill hierarchy.

When to use

• The user has approved a grouping proposal (typically from sub-skill.review) and wants to apply it.
• Migrating standalone skills into a new or existing parent bundle.

Process

1. Confirm the plan. Restate which skills will move and where, and ask the user to confirm before making any file changes.
2. Back up every original skill directory. Before moving anything, create a timestamped backup of each skill directory that will be modified.
   • For a skill at <root>/<skill-name>/SKILL.md, back up the entire <skill-name> directory:

     cp -r <skill-name> "<skill-name>.$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).bak"
     

   • Keep all backups; never overwrite an existing backup file.
3. Create or update the parent bundle.
   • If the parent does not exist, create <parent-name>/SKILL.md with has-sub-skill: true in the frontmatter.
   • If the parent already exists, ensure its frontmatter includes has-sub-skill: true.
4. Move child skills into the parent. Move each child skill's entire directory under the parent bundle.
   • Example: web-search/ → web-research/web-search/
5. Keep documentation directory alignment. When moving documentation, references, examples, assets, or other payload directories, align them with the new skill directory layout.
   • Preserve relative links from SKILL.md to files such as references/, assets/, examples/, or templates.
   • If a child skill moves from <root>/<child>/ to <root>/<parent>/<child>/, its documentation payload should move with that child unless the approved plan says otherwise.
   • Do not leave documentation in the old location or merge unrelated documentation directories together.
6. Verify the result. List the new directory structure and confirm each moved skill still has a valid SKILL.md with required frontmatter (name and description). Check documentation directory alignment and relative links after the move.
7. Report the change. Summarize what was moved, the new structure, any documentation directories that moved, and where backups are located.

Don'ts

• Never move skills without backing up first.
• Never overwrite an existing backup — always use a fresh timestamped suffix.
• Don't drop frontmatter or payload files during the move; the entire directory must be preserved.
• Don't break documentation directory alignment — references, assets, examples, and templates must stay aligned with the skill directory that uses them.
• Don't create deeply nested hierarchies (3+ levels) unless the user explicitly requests it.