json-and-config-surgery

name	json-and-config-surgery
description	Use this skill when the user asks to edit JSON, config files, manifests, scheduled job JSON, model routing config, team config, heartbeat config, integration state, skill manifests, or any structured file where commas/brackets can break runtime state. Triggers on phrases like edit config, fix JSON, update manifest, skill manifest, config surgery, model routing JSON, cron jobs JSON, managed teams JSON, validate JSON, and rewrite config safely. Use it to read the full structure, modify minimal fields, validate syntax, write the whole file when needed, and verify readback.
emoji	🧩
version	1.1.0
triggers	edit config, fix JSON, update manifest, skill manifest, config surgery, model routing JSON, cron jobs JSON, managed teams JSON, validate JSON, rewrite config safely, config file edit, JSON surgery, update skill manifest, edit jobs.json

JSON and Config Surgery

JSON files are not line-safe. Never use edit() (replace_lines) on a JSON file. One misplaced comma or bracket corrupts the entire file silently.

The only safe pattern is: Read → Parse → Modify → Validate → Write.

---

The Golden Rule

read → understand the full structure → construct corrected JSON → write the whole file back

This applies to every Prometheus JSON file without exception.

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Prometheus Config File Map

File	Path	What it controls
Main config	D:\Prometheus\.prometheus\config.json	Models, gateway, tools, agents[], workspace path
Managed teams	D:\Prometheus\.prometheus\managed-teams.json	Team definitions, subagent IDs, manager config, chat
Cron jobs	D:\Prometheus\.prometheus\cron\jobs.json	All scheduled jobs (source of truth)
Heartbeat config	D:\Prometheus\.prometheus\heartbeat\config.json	Per-agent heartbeat enable/interval
Integrations state	D:\Prometheus\.prometheus\integrations-state.json	MCP server connection status
Skills state	D:\Prometheus\workspace\skills\_state.json	Installed skill metadata

---

Safe Edit Procedure

Step 1: Read and validate the file

read(".prometheus/config.json")

Read the entire file. Understand the full structure before touching anything. Identify:

• The exact key path to the field you're changing
• What the current value is
• What the new value should be
• What other fields are siblings (so you don't accidentally delete them)

Step 2: Validate JSON before writing

Before writing, review your constructed JSON mentally:

• Every { has a matching }
• Every [ has a matching ]
• Every key has a value
• No trailing commas on the last item in an object or array
• All strings are quoted
• Numbers and booleans are NOT quoted

Common mistakes that break JSON:

// WRONG — trailing comma
{ "a": 1, "b": 2, }

// WRONG — unquoted string
{ "name": hello }

// WRONG — missing comma between fields
{ "a": 1 "b": 2 }

// WRONG — single quotes
{ 'name': 'value' }

Step 3: Write the entire file

write(".prometheus/config.json", "<full corrected JSON>")

Write the complete file, not just the changed section.

Step 4: Verify by reading back

read(".prometheus/config.json")

Confirm the file is valid and the change is correct.

---

Common Operations

Add a new agent to config.json

// Current agents array:
"agents": [
  { "id": "agent_a", "name": "Agent A", ... }
]

// After adding agent_b — note NO trailing comma after last item:
"agents": [
  { "id": "agent_a", "name": "Agent A", ... },
  { "id": "agent_b", "name": "Agent B", "description": "...", "maxSteps": 15 }
]

Always prefer spawn_subagent() for creating agents — it handles config registration automatically. Only edit config.json directly for targeted patches.

Update a cron schedule in jobs.json

// Find the job by ID, update just the "schedule" field
// Leave all other fields exactly as they are
{
  "id": "job_abc123",
  "name": "X Poster",
  "schedule": "0 9 * * *",   // change this
  "prompt": "...",             // leave this
  "enabled": true              // leave this
}

Always prefer schedule_job({ action: "update", job_id: "...", ... }) for schedule changes. The tool handles validation and hot-reload. Only edit jobs.json directly if the tool is unavailable.

Update managed-teams.json

managed-teams.json is large and nested. Be extra careful:

1. Read the whole file
2. Identify the specific team by id
3. Within that team, find the exact field
4. Make the minimum change needed
5. Write back the entire file

Always prefer team_manage() for team changes. Direct JSON edits bypass the in-memory cache invalidation — the change may not take effect until gateway restart.

---

Validating JSON via PowerShell

After writing any JSON file, validate it immediately:

powershell -Command "try { Get-Content '.prometheus\config.json' | ConvertFrom-Json; Write-Output 'VALID' } catch { Write-Output 'INVALID: ' + $_.Exception.Message }"

If it returns INVALID, you have a syntax error. Read the file again, find the error, fix it, rewrite.

---

Backup Before Risky Edits

For config.json or managed-teams.json (the two most critical files), always back up before a large edit:

shell("copy D:\Prometheus\.prometheus\config.json D:\Prometheus\.prometheus\config.json.bak")

If the write goes wrong, the backup is your recovery path.

---

What Happens When JSON is Corrupted

File corrupted	Effect
config.json	Gateway fails to start. Prometheus is down until fixed.
managed-teams.json	Teams panel broken. Teams may reset to defaults.
cron/jobs.json	All scheduled jobs disappear on next gateway restart.
heartbeat/config.json	Heartbeat falls back to defaults. Agents may stop ticking.

Recovery: Restore from .bak backup, or reconstruct from the gateway error logs which will show a JSON parse error with the line number.

---

Formatting Standards

All Prometheus JSON files use 2-space indentation. Match this when writing:

{
  "key": "value",
  "nested": {
    "inner": "value"
  },
  "array": [
    "item1",
    "item2"
  ]
}

Not 4-space, not tabs, not minified. Consistent formatting makes diffs readable and avoids unnecessary git noise.

---

When to Use Tools vs. Direct File Edit

Situation	Use tool	Use direct file edit
Create/update agent	spawn_subagent()	Only for targeted patches tool can't do
Create/update schedule	schedule_job()	Only if tool unavailable
Update team config	team_manage()	Only if tool unavailable
Update heartbeat	update_heartbeat()	Only if tool unavailable
Add a custom field not exposed by any tool	—	Direct edit (with backup)

Rule: Prefer tools. They validate inputs, handle cache invalidation, and reload live state. Direct JSON edits are a last resort.