| name | update-local-skills |
| description | Update existing repo-local skill copies from global seed skills while preserving local divergence. Use when the user asks to refresh, sync, compare, or update local skills from their global/source versions, especially after global skill taxonomy or workflow changes. |
Update Local Skills
Local Precedence
If the current repo already has skills/update-local-skills/SKILL.md, read and follow the repo-local skill first. Treat the global skill as fallback seed material. Preserve this repo's Open Austin-specific write-safety and public-org boundaries.
Purpose
Use this skill when a repo already has local skills/ and the user wants to update one or more local copies from a global seed source.
Default seed source:
~/configs/skills/
Default local target:
repo/skills/
This is different from first-time vendoring. Use setup-local-skills when copying skills into a repo that does not yet carry them.
Core Rule
Never silently overwrite a local skill.
The value of this workflow is the comparison: what changed upstream, how the local copy diverged, and whether those differences should be preserved, merged, or replaced.
Workflow
- Identify the repo root and the local
skills/ directory.
- Identify the requested skill names. If the user asked for "all," list local skills and matching seed skills.
- Read each global seed
SKILL.md and each local SKILL.md in full.
- Compare:
- upstream changes in the seed
- local project-specific divergence
- direct conflicts where both changed the same guidance
- Report the comparison before editing unless the user explicitly requested a verbatim overwrite.
- Apply upstream changes while preserving intentional local divergence.
- If a conflict is substantive, ask the user rather than guessing.
- Validate edited skills when practical.
- Report updated skills and any skills left untouched.
What To Preserve
Project-local divergence may include:
- exact repo paths
- project-specific authority order
- validation commands
- public/private boundaries
- local docs taxonomy
- domain vocabulary
- user taste or quality rules
Do not replace these with generic seed text unless the user explicitly asks to reset the local copy.
Rename Handling
When a global skill has been renamed:
- Check whether the local repo still has the old skill name.
- Confirm the rename maps to the same workflow.
- Move the local skill folder to the new name if the project should follow the rename.
- Update references in local docs and
AGENTS.md.
- Preserve local content while adapting names and paths.
Do not leave both old and new local skill names active unless the user wants a transition period.
No Metadata Merge System
Do not add version fields, hashes, merge markers, or source metadata to skill files. The repo's version control is the undo mechanism, and the human review is the merge mechanism.
