# Skill Lifecycle

> Skills evolve over time. This guide covers updating, deprecating, and archiving skills.

- Skill: `tools-only/skill-lifecycle` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tools-only/skill-lifecycle`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tools-only/skill-lifecycle/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: tools-only (https://skillmd.com/u/tools-only)
- Updated: 2026-09-29
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tools-only/skill-lifecycle

---

# Skill Lifecycle

Skills evolve over time. This guide covers updating, deprecating, and archiving skills.

## Updating Existing Skills

### When to Update

Update an existing skill when:
- You've discovered additional edge cases or exceptions
- A better solution exists than what's documented
- The original solution had errors or gaps
- New versions of tools or libraries change the approach
- You've found clearer ways to explain the concept

### How to Update

1. **Add, don't replace** (unless the original was wrong)
   - Add new edge cases to a "Variations" or "Edge Cases" section
   - Keep the original solution if it still works for the common case

2. **Bump the version** in frontmatter if using versioning
   ```yaml
   version: 1.1.0  # was 1.0.0
   ```

3. **Add a changelog** at the bottom for significant updates
   ```markdown
   ## Changelog
   - 2025-01-15: Added workaround for v2.0 API changes
   - 2024-06-01: Initial extraction
   ```

4. **Update triggers** in the description if new symptoms were discovered

### What NOT to Do When Updating

- Don't remove working solutions just because you found a "better" one - document both
- Don't change the skill name unless the scope has fundamentally changed
- Don't update based on a single new case - wait for a pattern

## Deprecating Skills

### When to Deprecate

Deprecate a skill when:
- The underlying tool, library, or API has changed significantly
- The problem the skill solved no longer exists (e.g., a bug was fixed upstream)
- A better skill now covers the same ground
- The approach is now considered bad practice

### How to Deprecate

1. **Add a deprecation notice** at the top of the skill:
   ```markdown
   > **DEPRECATED (2025-01-15):** This skill applies to v1.x only.
   > For v2.x, see [new-skill-name](path/to/new-skill).
   ```

2. **Update the description** to include "DEPRECATED":
   ```yaml
   description: |
     DEPRECATED - See new-skill-name instead. [Original description...]
   ```

3. **Keep the skill** for users who might still be on older versions
   - Don't delete immediately
   - Move to deprecation after 6+ months if the old version is truly dead

### Deprecation vs Deletion

- **Deprecate** when some users might still need it
- **Delete** only when the skill is actively harmful or completely irrelevant

## Archiving Skills

### When to Archive

Archive a skill when:
- It's been deprecated for 6+ months with no usage
- The technology it covers is completely obsolete
- It was project-specific and the project is dead

### How to Archive

1. **Move** to an `archived/` directory:
   ```
   ~/.claude/skills/archived/old-skill-name/SKILL.md
   ```

2. **Or delete** if archiving isn't worth the disk space

3. **Document why** in a brief note if keeping:
   ```markdown
   > Archived 2025-01-15: Python 2 is EOL, this is no longer relevant.
   ```

## Lifecycle Summary

| Stage | Trigger | Action |
|-------|---------|--------|
| **Create** | New non-obvious knowledge | Extract via /skill-extractor |
| **Update** | Edge cases, improvements, corrections | Edit existing SKILL.md |
| **Deprecate** | Tool changed, better approach exists | Add deprecation notice |
| **Archive** | Long-deprecated, obsolete | Move to archived/ or delete |

## Review Cadence

Consider reviewing skills periodically:
- **After major tool updates** - Check if skills for that tool still apply
- **When a skill triggers but doesn't help** - It may need updating or deprecation
- **Every 6-12 months** - Quick scan for obviously outdated content