migrate
>-
What it does
!../principles/SKILL_BODY.md
!../tool-gitnexus/SKILL_BODY.md
Migration Workflow
Core Principle
Migrations are multi-module, stateful, and partially irreversible. The core strategy is migrate in dependency order, validate at every checkpoint, and keep rollback options open until all modules are confirmed working.
Distinct from sextant:modify-feature: Modify-feature changes one module's behavior. Migration coordinates changes across many modules in a defined sequence, with compatibility shims and a rollback plan at each phase boundary.
Complete Execution Workflow
Progress tracking: At the start of each step, output an updated progress block so the user knows where the migration stands.
Migration Progress ✓ Step 1: Scope Scan — <N files identified, Tier N impact> ✓ Step 2: Compatibility — <N hard-cutover steps flagged> → Step 3: Migration Plan — in progress ○ Step 4: Per-Module Migration + Validation ○ Step 5: CleanupReplace
○with→for the current step, and✓once complete.
Step 1: Migration Scope Scan
Enumerate all affected files and produce a migration inventory:
- List every file that references the old API, type, pattern, or version
- Score the total impact using the Impact Radius Scorecard (§3.2)
- Identify dependency relationships between affected files
─── Migration Inventory ─────────────────────────────
Migration: <from X> → <to Y>
Impact radius score: N → <Tier>
File | Change Type | Dependency Order
───────────────────────|─────────────────────────|──────────────────────
<file A> | <API call → new API> | leaf (migrate first)
<file B> | <type annotation> | depends on A
<file C> | <core module> | migrate last
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
🔗 When GitNexus is available, use impact MCP tool to enumerate all dependents automatically.
Step 2: Compatibility Assessment
For each breaking change in the migration:
- Is there a compatibility shim available (e.g., an adapter, polyfill, or compatibility layer)?
- What is the backward compatibility window — can the old and new API coexist during migration?
- Is there runtime coercion risk — can old data be silently misinterpreted by the new code?
─── Compatibility Assessment ────────────────────────
Breaking change: <description>
Shim available: Yes (<name / approach>) / No
Old/new coexistence: Yes (window: <duration / version range>) / No
Runtime coercion risk: Yes (describe) / No
Rollback approach: <how to revert this step if it fails>
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If no shim is available and old/new cannot coexist: flag as a hard-cutover migration step. Use the confirmation gate with:
- question: The Compatibility Assessment block for this step, plus:
"This is a hard-cutover step — old and new cannot coexist. Rollback after this point requires manual intervention. Authorize execution?" - options:
"Yes, I authorize this hard-cutover step""No — let's find a compatibility shim or defer this step"
Do not proceed with this step until the user selects "Yes".
Step 3: Migration Order Planning
Ordering rule (per §6.2 dependency direction): migrate leaf modules first, core modules last.
─── Migration Sequence ──────────────────────────────
Phase 1 (no dependents): <leaf files — safe to migrate first>
Phase 2 (depend on Phase 1 only): <next tier>
...
Phase N (core): <modules with the most dependents — migrate last>
Rollback boundary after each phase: if Phase N+1 fails, revert only Phase N.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Each phase should be a separate commit — this preserves rollback granularity and makes the migration history bisectable.
Confirmation Gate (between Step 3 and Step 4)
After completing the Migration Sequence, before executing any module change, use the confirmation gate with:
- question: The full Migration Sequence block above, plus a summary of any hard-cutover steps identified in Step 2
- options:
"Yes, begin execution in this order""No — let's revise the sequence or scope"
Do not begin Step 4 until the user selects "Yes".
If user selects "No": ask "What should change — the order, scope, or approach?", update the Migration Sequence, and use the confirmation gate again.
Step 4: Per-Module Migration + Validation
For each module, in the order established in Step 3:
- Apply the migration to this module only
- Run the associated tests for this module (and its direct callers)
- If tests pass: continue to the next module
- If tests fail: stop. Do not continue to the next module. Diagnose the failure — link
sextant:debugif the root cause is not immediately clear.
─── Per-Module Migration Log ────────────────────────
Module: <file / module name>
Change applied: <description>
Tests run: <test file(s) or test command>
Result: ✅ Pass — proceed to next module / ❌ Fail — stopped (diagnosis below)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Forbidden: Migrating multiple modules between test runs. Each module migration must be validated before the next begins.
Step 5: Legacy Code Cleanup
After all modules pass validation, remove migration scaffolding in a separate commit:
- Delete compatibility shims and adapters
- Remove old type aliases and version-compatibility branches
- Remove
@deprecatedannotations added for this migration - Remove feature flags introduced to gate the migration
─── Cleanup Checklist ───────────────────────────────
[ ] Compatibility shims removed
[ ] Old type aliases / version branches deleted
[ ] @deprecated annotations cleared
[ ] Migration feature flags removed
[ ] Tests updated to remove compatibility-mode paths
[ ] Documentation updated (README, CHANGELOG, migration guide)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Why a separate commit? Cleanup changes are low-risk and mechanical. Keeping them separate from functional migration changes makes both easier to review and easier to bisect if a regression appears later.
Forbidden Actions
- Do not migrate multiple modules in a single step without validating each — this removes rollback granularity
- Do not delete the old API or shim before all consumers have been migrated and tested
- Do not make behavioral changes alongside migration changes — migration commits must be pure migrations (structure changes only, behavior preserved)
Sprint State Integration
If .sextant/state.json exists in the project root and the current task matches a sprint task:
- On start: offer to update the task's
statusfrompending→in_progress. Ask: "Update sprint state to mark Task N as in_progress?" - On completion (acceptance condition met): offer to update
statustodone. Ask: "Update sprint state to mark Task N as done?" - On blocker (test failure, missing dependency, unresolvable ambiguity that halts progress): surface the issue, then ask: "Mark Task N as blocked and record the reason in flags?" If confirmed, set
status: "blocked"and append{"task": N, "reason": "<one-sentence blocker description>"}to the top-levelflagsarray. Do not proceed to the next task while a task is blocked.
Do not write the file without explicit user confirmation. If the user declines, continue without state updates.
Reply Format
Migration Summary:
| # | Item | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| [1] | Scope | <N files; impact radius N → Tier; N phases planned> |
| [2] | Compatibility | <shims available / hard-cutover steps flagged (N require authorization)> |
| [3] | Sequence | <phase-by-phase plan with rollback boundaries> |
| [4] | Current status | <Phase N of M: ✅ complete / ❌ stopped at <module> (diagnosis: <root cause>)> |
| [5] | Needs your input | <hard-cutover steps requiring explicit authorization; test failures to diagnose> |
Capabilities
Install
Quality
deterministic score 0.46 from registry signals: · indexed on github topic:agent-skills · 14 github stars · SKILL.md body (8,135 chars)