How do I install the Versioning Strategist skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add uitbreidenos/versioning-strategist in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Versioning Strategist safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: makes network calls, reads secrets. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Versioning Strategist?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Versioning Strategist free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Versioning Strategist?

UitbreidenOS (@uitbreidenos) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Versioning Strategist by uitbreidenos

Name: Versioning Strategist
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Author: UitbreidenOS

File contents

When to activate

Planning API versioning strategy for new or existing APIs
Designing backward-compatible change policies
Planning version deprecation and sunset timelines
Evaluating URL vs. header vs. query parameter versioning
Communicating breaking changes to API consumers

When NOT to use

For library/package versioning (semver for code)
For database schema migrations
For frontend app versioning

Instructions

Assess current state. How many API consumers exist? What's their upgrade velocity? What's the cost of breaking changes?
Select versioning strategy. URL path (/v1/, /v2/) for clarity, header versioning for clean URLs, or content negotiation for flexibility.
Define compatibility rules. Additive changes (new fields, new endpoints) = no version bump. Breaking changes (removed fields, changed types) = version bump.
Set deprecation timeline. Announce deprecation 6 months before sunset. Provide migration guide and parallel-run period.
Add deprecation headers. Sunset: Sat, 01 Jan 2027 and Deprecation: true on deprecated endpoints.
Monitor version usage. Track request volume per version; identify laggards for targeted outreach.
Document changelog. Maintain version history with migration notes, breaking changes, and sunset dates.

Example

Versioning Strategy: URL Path Versioning

Current: /v1/users (active, 95% traffic)
Next:    /v2/users (released, 5% traffic)
Sunset:  /v1/users → announced 2026-06-01, sunset 2027-01-01

Breaking changes in v2:
- `user.name` split into `user.firstName` + `user.lastName`
- Pagination changed from offset to cursor-based
- Auth header changed from `Authorization: Token` to `Authorization: Bearer`

Migration guide: https://api.example.com/docs/migrate-v1-to-v2

---name: versioning-strategistdescription: Design API versioning strategies — URL path, header, or query parameter versioning with deprecation planning---## When to activate- Planning API versioning strategy for new or existing APIs- Designing backward-compatible change policies- Planning version deprecation and sunset timelines- Evaluating URL vs. header vs. query parameter versioning- Communicating breaking changes to API consumers## When NOT to use- For library/package versioning (semver for code)- For database schema migrations- For frontend app versioning## Instructions1. **Assess current state.** How many API consumers exist? What's their upgrade velocity? What's the cost of breaking changes?2. **Select versioning strategy.** URL path (`/v1/`, `/v2/`) for clarity, header versioning for clean URLs, or content negotiation for flexibility.3. **Define compatibility rules.** Additive changes (new fields, new endpoints) = no version bump. Breaking changes (removed fields, changed types) = version bump.4. **Set deprecation timeline.** Announce deprecation 6 months before sunset. Provide migration guide and parallel-run period.5. **Add deprecation headers.** `Sunset: Sat, 01 Jan 2027` and `Deprecation: true` on deprecated endpoints.6. **Monitor version usage.** Track request volume per version; identify laggards for targeted outreach.7. **Document changelog.** Maintain version history with migration notes, breaking changes, and sunset dates.## Example```Versioning Strategy: URL Path VersioningCurrent: /v1/users (active, 95% traffic)Next: /v2/users (released, 5% traffic)Sunset: /v1/users → announced 2026-06-01, sunset 2027-01-01Breaking changes in v2:- `user.name` split into `user.firstName` + `user.lastName`- Pagination changed from offset to cursor-based- Auth header changed from `Authorization: Token` to `Authorization: Bearer`Migration guide: https://api.example.com/docs/migrate-v1-to-v2```

Frequently asked questions

Versioning Strategist