delete-content

name	delete-content
description	Delete files from knowledge base with directory governance. Use when user wants to remove or delete content. Reads RULE.md to check deletion permissions and handles dependencies.

Delete Content Skill

Generic file deletion Skill that checks RULE.md permissions and handles dependencies safely.

When to use this Skill

• User says "delete", "remove", "trash"
• User requests content deletion
• User wants to clean up old files

Workflow

1. Identify Target File

If user provides file path:

• Verify file exists using ls or Read
• Confirm file identity

If user provides topic/title only:

• Search for file using Grep or Glob
• Pattern: **/*keyword*.md
• If multiple matches: present list, ask user to choose
• If no matches: report not found

Search strategies:

1. Filename match: find . -name "*keyword*"
2. Content match: grep -r "keyword" .
3. README.md index: Search README.md files for references

2. Read Directory RULE.md

Locate and read RULE.md:

1. Check file's directory for RULE.md
2. If not found, check parent directories (inheritance)
3. Parse RULE.md for deletion rules

Check for:

• Are deletions allowed? (some directories may be immutable or archive-only)
• Archive-instead rules (move to archive instead of delete)
• Backup requirements (create backup before delete)
• Dependency rules (check cross-references)
• Confirmation requirements

Example RULE.md deletion rules:

## Deletion Rules
- Deletions allowed with confirmation
- Check for cross-references before deleting
- Move to Archive/ subdirectory instead of permanent deletion

3. Check Dependencies

Search for cross-references:

1. Use Grep to find links to this file: grep -r "filename" .
2. Search for references in README.md files
3. Check for reverse links (files this file links to)
4. Identify files that depend on this content

Categorize dependencies:

• Incoming: Files that link to this file (will break if deleted)
• Outgoing: Files this file links to (won't break, but orphans references)
• Bidirectional: Cross-referenced files (mutual dependencies)

Severity assessment:

• Critical: Many incoming links, part of important workflow
• Warning: Some incoming links, moderately used
• Low: Few or no dependencies

4. User Confirmation

Present deletion summary:

⚠️  Delete confirmation required

File: [path to file]
Size: [file size]
Last modified: [timestamp]

Dependencies found:
- [file1.md] links to this file
- [file2.md] links to this file
(Total: X files reference this content)

RULE.md policy: [deletion policy summary]

Are you sure you want to delete this file?
- Yes, delete permanently
- Yes, move to archive (if RULE.md allows)
- No, cancel
- Show me the dependencies first

If user requests dependency review:

• Show each file that references this content
• Show the context (line where reference appears)
• Allow user to reconsider

5. Execute Deletion

Based on RULE.md policy:

Permanent deletion:

rm [file path]

• Only if RULE.md allows or user explicitly overrides
• Use Bash tool with rm command
• Verify deletion successful

Archive instead:

# Create archive directory if not exists
mkdir -p Archive/
# Move file to archive
mv [file path] Archive/[filename]

• Follow RULE.md archive structure
• Preserve filename or add timestamp
• Update archive README.md

Backup then delete:

# Create backup
cp [file path] [backup path]
# Then delete original
rm [file path]

• Create backup per RULE.md specification
• Verify backup successful before deleting

6. Governance Update

Update README.md:

1. Read current README.md
2. Find entry for deleted file
3. Remove entry from file list
4. Add to "Recent Changes" section:

   - YYYY-MM-DD: Removed filename.md
   

5. Update "Last updated" timestamp
6. Save README.md

Update parent README.md if needed:

• If directory now empty, update parent
• Note directory is empty or removed

Handle cross-references:

• Update files that referenced deleted content (if possible)
• Or add note in README.md: "Files with broken references: [list]"
• Offer to update broken links

Verify cleanup:

• Ensure no orphaned references
• Check README.md is valid markdown
• Confirm directory structure intact

7. Report to User

Confirm deletion complete:

✅ File deleted successfully

Deleted: [path to file]
Method: [permanent deletion / moved to archive / backed up then deleted]

README.md updated:
- [directory]/README.md

Dependencies handled:
- [X] files need attention (broken links)
- [List of affected files]

Recommendation: Review affected files to update/remove broken links

If archived instead:

✅ File archived successfully

Original: [original path]
Archived to: [archive path]
Archive method: [per RULE.md policy]

README.md updated:
- [directory]/README.md
- Archive/README.md

Note: File preserved in archive, not permanently deleted

Special Cases

Immutable Directory

If RULE.md specifies immutable:

## RULE.md says: "This directory is immutable - no deletions allowed"

Process:

1. Warn user: "RULE.md indicates this directory should not have deletions"
2. Explain policy reasoning
3. Ask: "Do you want to override this rule?"
4. If yes: proceed with deletion and log rule override
5. If no: cancel operation

Archive-Only Policy

If RULE.md requires archival instead:

## RULE.md says: "Move to Archive/ instead of deleting"

Process:

1. Don't offer permanent deletion
2. Execute archive operation
3. Update both original and archive README.md
4. Report archive location

Batch Deletion

If user requests deleting multiple files:

User: "Delete all old notes from last year"

Process:

1. Identify all matching files
2. Check each file's RULE.md
3. Check dependencies for each
4. Present summary: "X files match, Y have dependencies"
5. Request batch confirmation
6. Execute deletions one by one
7. Report summary of all deletions

Directory Deletion

If user wants to delete entire directory:

User: "Delete the old-project directory"

Process:

1. Read directory RULE.md for deletion rules
2. Check parent directory RULE.md for subdirectory rules
3. Scan all files in directory for external dependencies
4. Present comprehensive summary
5. Warn: "This will delete X files and Y subdirectories"
6. Request explicit confirmation
7. Execute recursive deletion or archive
8. Update parent README.md

Soft Delete (Mark as Deleted)

If RULE.md specifies soft delete:

## RULE.md says: "Mark files as deleted in frontmatter instead of removing"

Process:

1. Don't delete file physically
2. Update frontmatter: status: deleted
3. Update README.md: mark as [DELETED] filename.md
4. File stays but marked as obsolete

Error Handling

File Not Found

User: "Delete the transformer note"
→ Search for file
→ No matches found
→ Report: "I couldn't find a file about transformers. Nothing to delete."

Multiple Matches

User: "Delete the transformer note"
→ Find 3 files with "transformer"
→ Present list: "I found 3 files. Which one to delete?"
→ User selects → Proceed

RULE.md Forbids Deletion

RULE.md says: "Immutable directory"
→ Warn: "RULE.md forbids deletions in this directory"
→ Explain reasoning
→ Ask for override confirmation
→ If confirmed: proceed with warning note

High-Impact Dependencies

File has 50+ incoming references
→ Warn: "⚠️  HIGH IMPACT: 50+ files reference this content"
→ Show most critical dependencies
→ Recommend: "Consider archiving instead of deleting"
→ Require explicit "yes, delete anyway" confirmation

Deletion Fails

Bash rm command fails (permissions, file locked, etc.)
→ Report error clearly
→ Show exact error message
→ Suggest: "Check file permissions or if file is open in another program"
→ Offer alternatives: archive, rename, mark as deleted

Broken References After Deletion

Deletion successful but broken links remain
→ Report: "Deletion complete, but broken references detected in:"
→ List affected files
→ Offer: "Would you like me to update these files to remove broken links?"
→ If yes: update files to remove/fix references

Integration with Governance

This Skill automatically invokes the governance protocol:

Before deletion:

• Locate and read RULE.md
• Validate deletion is allowed
• Check dependency policy

During deletion:

• Follow RULE.md deletion method (delete, archive, backup)
• Execute safely

After deletion:

• Update README.md
• Handle broken references
• Verify cleanup complete

Examples

Example 1: Simple Deletion

User: "Delete the old transformer draft"

Skill workflow:

1. Searches for file → Finds Research/AI/2025-10-15-transformer-draft.md
2. Reads Research/AI/RULE.md → Deletions allowed with confirmation
3. Checks dependencies → No references found
4. Asks confirmation: "Delete transformer-draft.md? No dependencies found."
5. User confirms
6. Executes rm Research/AI/2025-10-15-transformer-draft.md
7. Updates Research/AI/README.md (removes entry)
8. Reports: "✅ Deleted transformer-draft.md"

Example 2: Archive Instead

User: "Delete the 2024 work logs"

Skill workflow:

1. Finds Work/WorkLog/2024/ directory
2. Reads Work/WorkLog/RULE.md → "Move old logs to Archive/ instead of deleting"
3. Checks dependencies → Some cross-references to meeting notes
4. Presents: "Found 2024 logs (52 files). RULE.md policy: archive instead of delete"
5. User confirms
6. Creates Work/WorkLog/Archive/2024/ if not exists
7. Executes mv Work/WorkLog/2024/* Work/WorkLog/Archive/2024/
8. Updates README.md files
9. Reports: "✅ Archived 52 log files to Archive/2024/"

Example 3: High-Impact Deletion

User: "Delete the core-concepts document"

Skill workflow:

1. Finds Research/core-concepts.md
2. Reads Research/RULE.md → Deletions allowed
3. Checks dependencies → 25 files reference this document
4. Warns: "⚠️ HIGH IMPACT: 25 files reference core-concepts.md"
5. Shows first 5 most critical dependencies
6. Recommends: "This is a foundational document. Consider archiving instead?"
7. User still chooses delete
8. Asks: "Are you absolutely sure? Type 'delete core-concepts' to confirm"
9. User confirms
10. Executes deletion
11. Updates README.md
12. Reports broken references: "25 files need attention"
13. Offers to help fix broken links

Best Practices

1. Always check dependencies - Prevent broken knowledge base
2. Read RULE.md first - Respect deletion policies
3. Archive when possible - Preserve content instead of permanent deletion
4. Confirm before deleting - No accidental deletions
5. Update README.md immediately - Keep index accurate
6. Handle broken links - Offer to fix cross-references
7. Report clearly - User should know what was deleted and impact
8. Follow RULE.md policies - Even if user requests override

Notes

• This Skill works with any directory structure by reading RULE.md
• Checks for dependencies to prevent broken knowledge base
• Offers archival as safer alternative to permanent deletion
• Always requires confirmation for destructive operations
• Maintains README.md index integrity
• Works in parallel with CLAUDE.md subagents
• Never deletes RULE.md files (requires explicit governance agent action)