Artifact Lifecycle Skill

Convenience wrapper for the unified artifact lifecycle workflow.

Overview

This skill provides a simplified interface to the comprehensive artifact lifecycle management workflow at .claude/workflows/core/skill-lifecycle.md.

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create a new artifact (skill, agent, hook, workflow, template, schema)
• Update an existing artifact
• Deprecate an artifact with migration guidance
• Check if an artifact already exists

Quick Start

// Invoke this skill
Skill({ skill: 'artifact-lifecycle' });

Workflow Reference

Full Workflow: .claude/workflows/core/skill-lifecycle.md

Phases

Phase 1: Discovery

Check if artifact exists, compare versions.

Agent: architect Output: Discovery report with recommendations

Phase 2: Decision

Determine action: CREATE, UPDATE, or DEPRECATE.

Agent: planner Output: Action plan with tasks

Phase 3: Action

Execute the determined action.

Agent: developer + appropriate creator skill Tools:

• Skill({ skill: "skill-creator" }) for skills
• Skill({ skill: "agent-creator" }) for agents
• Skill({ skill: "hook-creator" }) for hooks
• Skill({ skill: "workflow-creator" }) for workflows

Phase 4: Integration

Update registries, catalogs, and CLAUDE.md.

Agent: developer Updates:

• creator-registry.json
• skill-catalog.md (for skills)
• CLAUDE.md Section 3 (for agents) or Section 8.5/8.6 (for skills/workflows)

Phase 5: Validation

Test integration and verify references.

Agent: qa Checks:

• Artifact invocable
• References valid
• No broken cross-references

Usage Examples

Create New Skill

User: "Create a skill for Kubernetes deployment"

Router spawns with:
Skill({ skill: "artifact-lifecycle" })

Workflow determines: CREATE mode
Invokes: skill-creator
Updates: registry, catalog, CLAUDE.md
Validates: skill invocable

Update Existing Agent

User: "Update the devops agent to support Terraform Cloud"

Router spawns with:
Skill({ skill: "artifact-lifecycle" })

Workflow determines: UPDATE mode
Version: 1.0.0 → 1.1.0
Updates: agent file, CHANGELOG
Validates: agent referenced correctly

Deprecate Workflow

User: "Deprecate the old deployment workflow"

Router spawns with:
Skill({ skill: "artifact-lifecycle" })

Workflow determines: DEPRECATE mode
Adds: deprecation notice, migration guide
Updates: CLAUDE.md with replacement reference
Validates: no broken references

Configuration

Parameter	Values	Default
artifact_type	skill, agent, hook, workflow, template, schema	auto-detect
operation	create, update, deprecate, integrate	auto-detect
version_bump	major, minor, patch	minor

Iron Laws

1. ALWAYS use type-specific creator skills — never treat artifact-lifecycle as a shortcut that bypasses research-synthesis, companion-check, or validation; each phase exists for a reason.
2. ALWAYS determine operation mode before starting action (CREATE/UPDATE/DEPRECATE) — never begin Phase 3 without a confirmed Phase 2 decision; wrong operation = wasted or dangerous work.
3. NEVER skip Phase 5 validation — artifacts must be verified as invocable before the lifecycle task is marked complete; broken artifacts delivered as complete are worse than none.
4. ALWAYS update catalog and CLAUDE.md in Phase 4 — artifacts without catalog/routing entries are invisible to agents and the router; integration without registration is incomplete.
5. NEVER use artifact-lifecycle for simple single-artifact updates — use type-specific updaters (skill-updater, agent-updater, workflow-updater); lifecycle is for multi-phase orchestration only.

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Skipping research-synthesis before CREATE	Risk of creating a duplicate or outdated artifact	Always run research-synthesis first
Starting action before Phase 2 decision	Wrong operation applied; CREATE when UPDATE needed	Complete Phase 2 before Phase 3
Skipping Phase 5 validation	Broken artifacts delivered as complete	Always run invocability check
No catalog/registry update in Phase 4	Artifact is invisible to agents and router	Always update catalog, registry, and CLAUDE.md
Using artifact-lifecycle for simple version bumps	Heavyweight process for lightweight work	Use skill-updater/agent-updater for UPDATE mode
Not specifying artifact_type	Wrong creator skill invoked silently	Always specify or verify artifact_type in Phase 1

Memory Protocol

1. Read .claude/context/memory/learnings.md before starting
2. Record decisions to .claude/context/memory/decisions.md
3. Record issues to .claude/context/memory/issues.md

Related Skills

• skill-creator - Direct skill creation
• agent-creator - Direct agent creation
• workflow-creator - Direct workflow creation
• codebase-integration - External artifact integration

Related Workflows

• .claude/workflows/core/skill-lifecycle.md - Full lifecycle workflow
• .claude/workflows/core/external-integration.md - External artifact integration
• .claude/workflows/core/router-decision.md - Router decision flow