| name | legacybridge-oss-cobol |
| description | Plan and execute AI-assisted COBOL to Java migrations with LegacyBridge OSS COBOL. |
| license | MIT |
| metadata | {"author":"ltoscano","version":"1.0.0","source":"https://github.com/ltoscano/legacybridge-oss-cobol"} |
LegacyBridge OSS COBOL
Overview
Use this skill when migrating COBOL applications to Java with an agent-assisted workflow. The upstream project, ltoscano/legacybridge-oss-cobol, describes AI-powered COBOL to Java migration using Atomic Agents and Instructor.
Compatibility: COBOL, Java, Python, Atomic Agents, and Instructor.
Workflow
- Identify the migration slice: a program, transaction, batch job, or bounded business capability.
- Gather source COBOL, copybooks, sample inputs, expected outputs, database schemas, and operational documentation.
- Generate a structured understanding of data definitions, control flow, file operations, database calls, and business rules.
- Create Java equivalents incrementally, keeping one conversion unit small enough to review and test.
- Build characterization tests from existing examples before refactoring generated Java into idiomatic application structure.
- Compare output records, numeric precision, error behavior, and edge cases against the COBOL baseline.
Guardrails
- Keep generated Java behavior-first until equivalence is proven; postpone architectural cleanup that could obscure semantic drift.
- Flag COBOL features that need manual review, including GO TO-heavy control flow, REDEFINES, OCCURS DEPENDING ON, packed decimals, and environment-specific I/O.
- Treat missing sample data as a blocker for equivalence claims, not as a reason to infer behavior.
- Read the upstream project README before using its tooling because setup and supported migration paths may change.
Expected Output
Return a migration slice plan, parsed COBOL behavior summary, generated Java review notes, equivalence test checklist, and remaining manual-review items.
