| name | managing-crates-io |
| description | Use when working with Crates Io — crates.io Rust package registry management.
Covers crate publishing, version management, dependency resolution, feature
flags, build configurations, and crate metadata analysis. Use when managing
Rust crates, publishing to crates.io, analyzing dependency trees, or
configuring feature flags.
|
| connection_type | crates-io |
| preload | false |
crates.io Registry Management Skill
Manage and analyze Rust crates, publishing, dependencies, and feature configurations.
MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern
Always check current Cargo.toml configuration before modifying crate settings.
Phase 1: Discovery
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Crate Configuration ==="
cat Cargo.toml 2>/dev/null | head -25
echo ""
echo "=== Workspace Members ==="
grep -A20 '\[workspace\]' Cargo.toml 2>/dev/null | grep 'members' -A10 | head -12
echo ""
echo "=== Rust Toolchain ==="
rustc --version 2>/dev/null
cargo --version 2>/dev/null
cat rust-toolchain.toml 2>/dev/null | head -5
Phase 2: Analysis
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Dependency Tree ==="
cargo tree --depth=1 2>/dev/null | head -20
echo ""
echo "=== Outdated Dependencies ==="
cargo outdated 2>/dev/null | head -15
echo ""
echo "=== Security Audit ==="
cargo audit 2>/dev/null | tail -15
Output Rules
- TOKEN EFFICIENCY: Target <=50 lines per output
- Summarize dependency trees at depth 1
- Report audit findings by severity
- List feature flags with their dependencies
Common Operations
Crate Lookup
#!/bin/bash
CRATE="${1:?Crate name required}"
echo "=== Crate Info: $CRATE ==="
curl -s "https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/${CRATE}" | jq '{
name: .crate.name,
max_version: .crate.max_version,
downloads: .crate.downloads,
description: .crate.description,
repository: .crate.repository
}' 2>/dev/null
Publish Dry Run
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Publish Preview ==="
cargo publish --dry-run 2>&1 | tail -15
cargo package --list 2>/dev/null | head -15
Safety Rules
- Use
cargo publish --dry-run before actual publishing
- Run
cargo audit before releases to catch known vulnerabilities
- Never yank crate versions without publishing a fix first
- Review feature flag combinations for compile-time correctness
Output Format
Present results as a structured report:
Managing Crates Io Report
═════════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]
Resource Status Key Metric Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name] [ok/warn] [value] [findings]
Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]
Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.
Anti-Hallucination Rules
- NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
- NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or
--help output.
- NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
- ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
- ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.
Counter-Rationalizations
| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|---|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |
