skill-audit

name	skill-audit
description	Audit skill files for drift — script paths, file references, prerequisites, handoffs, chain position. Skills are behavior, not reference — they need a different audit than doc-audit.
version	1.0
updated	"2026-04-17T00:00:00.000Z"
tags	["engine","active"]
effort	medium
disable-model-invocation	true
argument-hint	[group]

/skill-audit — Skill File Drift Audit

Purpose

Skills are the most active documents in the project — they define behavior and change every session. A skill can drift (script path moved, step consolidated, file renamed, handoff broken) without anyone checking.

This is different from /doc-audit which audits reference documents for accuracy. Skill-audit checks whether the skills still work — do their scripts exist, do their handoffs connect, do their prerequisites match what the previous skill produces.

Groups

cycle-pipeline — The full cycle chain

Skill	Verify
/run-cycle	Calls /pre-flight, /pre-mortem, /engine-review, /build-world-summary. All referenced skills exist.
/pre-flight	Sheet names match actual spreadsheet (Oakland_Sports_Feed, Initiative_Tracker, Edition_Coverage_Ratings). Service account lib path current.
/pre-mortem	Phase folder patterns match actual engine structure. Hook references current.
/engine-review	Input sheet names match. Output file path output/engine_review_c{XX}.md used consistently.
/build-world-summary	Riley_Digest and Oakland_Sports_Feed reads via service account work. Engine review file path match engine-review output. Output format matches C91 template.
/city-hall-prep	Prerequisites (world summary, engine review) match build-world-summary and engine-review outputs. Voice routing table matches agent directories at .claude/agents/.
/city-hall	Voice agent paths match actual directories. Tracker update script applyTrackerUpdates.js exists. Media handoff format matches what sift expects to read.
/sift	Prerequisites match outputs from build-world-summary, city-hall, newsroom memory. Criteria file references (story_evaluation, brief_template, citizen_selection) exist. Output path output/reporters/{reporter}/c{XX}_brief.md matches what write-edition reads.
/write-edition	Reads sift's brief output paths. Reporter agent list matches .claude/agents/. validateEdition.js + ingestEdition.js scripts exist.
/post-publish	All 13 steps reference existing scripts. Criteria file paths match. Newsroom memory path current.

post-cycle-media — Coverage skills within a cycle

Skill	Verify
/edition-print	generate-edition-photos.js, photoQA.js, generate-edition-pdf.js, saveToDrive.js all exist. DJ Hartley agent path current.
/write-supplemental	Reads world summary + city-hall log. 24 reporter voice files at docs/media/voices/ exist. Post-supplemental ingest scripts exist.
/dispatch	Reporter selection table matches voice files. Brief template path current. Post-dispatch ingest scripts exist.
/interview	Both modes (voice, paulson) documented. Voice agent paths match. ingestEditionWiki + ingestEdition scripts exist.
/podcast	Podcast template at editions/SUPPLEMENTAL_TEMPLATE.md or similar. podcast-desk agent at .claude/agents/podcast-desk/ exists. SHOW_FORMATS path current (docs/media/podcast/SHOW_FORMATS.md).

identity-session — Boot and close

Skill	Verify
/session-startup	Workflow file references current. PERSISTENCE, JOURNAL_RECENT paths current.
/session-end	DOCUMENTATION_LEDGER path. Journal, persistence, project state update steps.
/boot	Identity file references (PERSISTENCE, identity.md, JOURNAL_RECENT) current. Wiki layer step references existing docs/SCHEMA.md and docs/index.md.

How to Audit

Step 1: Read the skill

Open the skill file. Extract every:

• Script reference (node scripts/xxx.js)
• File path reference (output/, docs/, editions/, .claude/agents/)
• Skill cross-reference (/run-cycle, /sift, etc.)
• MCP tool reference (lookup_citizen, search_canon, etc.)

Step 2: Verify each reference

• Scripts: does the file exist at the path?
• File paths: does the directory exist? Do recent cycle outputs match the path pattern?
• Skill cross-references: does the referenced skill exist?
• MCP tools: is the tool still in the MCP server?

Step 3: Verify handoffs

For chain skills, verify the handoff:

• What does this skill produce? (output files section)
• What does the next skill expect to read? (prerequisites section)
• Do they match?

Example: sift produces output/reporters/{reporter}/c{XX}_brief.md. Write-edition expects to read the same path. If sift's output changed but write-edition's prerequisite wasn't updated, the handoff is broken.

Step 4: Check for stale script references

Legacy scripts may still be referenced in skills that got consolidated. Look for:

• buildDeskPackets.js, buildDeskFolders.js, buildVoiceWorkspaces.js — legacy, preserved but not in current pipeline
• editionIntake.js — writes to tabs engine doesn't read (intake not wired)
• truesource_reference.json — replaced by MCP get_roster("as")

If a skill still uses these without marking them legacy, flag it.

Output Format

SKILL AUDIT — [group] — [date]
================================================

BROKEN HANDOFFS (skill A produces X, skill B expects Y):
1. [skill] produces [path], [skill] expects [different path]

DEAD SCRIPTS (referenced but don't exist):
2. [skill] references scripts/xxx.js — not found

STALE REFERENCES (legacy infrastructure still cited):
3. [skill] uses truesource_reference.json — should be get_roster MCP

MISSING AGENTS (skill references .claude/agents/X but X doesn't exist):
4. [skill] references X-desk — directory not found

================================================
Skills audited: N
Handoffs: N broken | Scripts: N dead | References: N stale | Agents: N missing
Next group due: [group name]

Audit Tracker

Group	Last Audited	Session	Notes
cycle-pipeline	—	—	Never audited as group
post-cycle-media	—	—	Never audited as group
identity-session	—	—	Never audited as group

When to Run

• /skill-audit cycle-pipeline — after any edition cycle where skills felt off
• /skill-audit post-cycle-media — after supplemental/dispatch/interview work
• /skill-audit identity-session — rare, only after boot/session changes
• /skill-audit (no group) — rotates to oldest

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Audit reference docs — that's /doc-audit
• Audit engine code — that's /tech-debt-audit
• Fix issues — this flags them. Fixing happens in a focused session.