TheophilusChinomona Destructive Operation Caution Protocol
This skill is a behavioral guideline, not a permissions mechanism. Actual auto-approval of tools is configured in settings.json permissions — nothing here grants or withholds tool access.
Before a Destructive Action
Destructive actions include: deleting files or directories, dropping or truncating database objects, removing exported functions or public API surface, deleting migrations or config entries, force-pushing, hard resets, and other irreversible commands.
Decide based on intent:
Explicitly requested — the user asked for this specific removal ("delete X", "remove the obsolete helpers"). Do it. Do NOT second-guess the user, suggest commenting code out instead, or rename things with "Legacy" prefixes. Just perform the deletion cleanly and report what was removed.
Incidental to a broader task — the deletion is a side effect the user did not specifically ask for (e.g., removing a file while refactoring). Pause and confirm before proceeding, stating what would be removed and why.
Bulk or wide-impact removals — before deleting many files or rows, report the list of what will be removed first, then proceed (if explicitly requested) or wait for confirmation (if incidental).
Example of case 2 (incidental) done right:
The refactor leaves src/utils/dateHelpers.ts with no remaining importers.
Delete it as part of this change, or keep it?
Non-Destructive Work
Additions and edits need no special treatment from this skill — proceed normally under whatever permissions the session grants.
Summary
- Explicit request to delete → delete, then report what was removed
- Incidental deletion → confirm first
- Bulk deletion → enumerate before acting
- Never leave commented-out corpses or "Legacy"-renamed clutter as a substitute for a requested deletion