| name | audit-skill-md |
| description | Audit the user-facing skill at skills/datafusion_python/SKILL.md against the current public Python API. Find new APIs that should be documented, stale mentions of removed/renamed APIs, examples that drifted from current idiomatic style, and places that need a "requires datafusion-python NN or newer" note. Run after upstream syncs and before each release. |
Audit skills/datafusion_python/SKILL.md
You are auditing the user-facing skill at
skills/datafusion_python/SKILL.md
against the current state of the Python API. The skill is the source of truth
for how AI coding assistants are taught to write datafusion-python code, so
it must match what the project actually ships. This skill identifies gaps
caused by upstream syncs, refactors, or renames, and (if asked) applies the
edits directly to SKILL.md.
The skill is most usefully run after the check-upstream step of an
upstream sync (see dev/release/upstream-sync.md) — once any new APIs are
exposed, this skill makes sure they get documented.
What the skill covers
The user-facing SKILL.md documents these public surfaces. This list is not
exhaustive — if a new top-level area is added (e.g., a new Catalog API
exposed at the package root), include it.
| Surface | Module | Sections in SKILL.md |
|---|
SessionContext | python/datafusion/context.py | "Data Loading" |
DataFrame | python/datafusion/dataframe.py | "DataFrame Operations Quick Reference", "Executing and Collecting Results", "Idiomatic Patterns" |
Expr | python/datafusion/expr.py | "Expression Building", "Common Pitfalls" |
functions | python/datafusion/functions/__init__.py | "Available Functions (Categorized)", scattered uses throughout |
functions.spark | python/datafusion/functions/spark.py | "Available Functions (Categorized)" → "Spark-Compatible Functions" subsection |
Top-level helpers (col, lit, WindowFrame, ...) | python/datafusion/__init__.py | "Import Conventions", "Core Abstractions" |
Scope argument
The user may specify a scope via $ARGUMENTS to limit the audit. If no scope
is given or all is specified, audit every area.
| Scope | Audit target |
|---|
session-context | SessionContext methods and the "Data Loading" section |
dataframe | DataFrame methods and the operations / executing / patterns sections |
expr | Expr methods/operators and the "Expression Building" section |
functions | functions/__init__.py __all__ and the "Available Functions (Categorized)" section |
spark-functions | functions/spark.py __all__, the "Spark-Compatible Functions" subsection, and the divergent-semantics table |
patterns | "Idiomatic Patterns" section — confirm patterns still match recommended style |
pitfalls | "Common Pitfalls" — confirm each pitfall still reproduces, drop ones fixed upstream |
version-notes | Cross-check version annotations (see below) |
all | Everything above |
Inputs to read
Before producing the report:
skills/datafusion_python/SKILL.md — the document being audited.
- The relevant Python module(s) for the chosen scope. Public surface is the
__all__ list (where defined) plus class and def symbols not prefixed
with _.
Cargo.toml (root) for the current datafusion-python version — read
the version field under [workspace.package] (format NN.0.0). The
major version always matches the upstream datafusion crate, so a
single datafusion-python version expresses both.
python/datafusion/__init__.py's __version__ is the same value
exposed at runtime.
- Recent commits touching the relevant module(s) for context on what
changed since the last sync:
git log --oneline -- python/datafusion/dataframe.py | head -20
What to look for
Walk through each scoped area and flag four kinds of issues.
1. New APIs not mentioned
For each public symbol in the module's __all__ (or each public class
method), check whether it appears anywhere in SKILL.md. A symbol is
"covered" if it shows up in:
- A code block (the strongest signal — it's demonstrated).
- The "Available Functions (Categorized)" list.
- The SQL-to-DataFrame Reference table.
Decide whether each missing symbol deserves an entry. Not every public
symbol belongs in SKILL.md — the skill is curated for the patterns users
hit daily, not exhaustive API reference. Use these heuristics:
- Add it if it replaces or supersedes something already in the skill
(e.g., a new operation that is the idiomatic alternative to a documented
workaround).
- Add it if it fits a category already present (a new aggregate function
goes in the aggregate list; a new join type goes in the joining section).
- Add it if it changes how a documented pattern should be written.
- Skip it if it is genuinely niche / advanced / experimental.
- Skip it if it is internal plumbing exposed for FFI but not user-facing.
When you flag a missing symbol, include a one-line proposed insertion point
(which section / which table row) so a reviewer can decide quickly.
2. Stale mentions
For each function name, method name, or import shown in SKILL.md, verify it
still exists in the current API:
- Function names mentioned in prose or in the categorized list should appear
in
python/datafusion/functions/__init__.py's __all__.
- Spark function names mentioned in the "Spark-Compatible Functions"
subsection should appear in
python/datafusion/functions/spark.py's
__all__. Also confirm the divergent-semantics table still matches the
current spark vs. main signatures.
- Method calls in code blocks should resolve against the current class.
- Imports (
from datafusion import ...) should succeed against the current
__init__.py.
A quick way to check imports without running them:
python -c "from datafusion import SessionContext, col, lit; from datafusion import functions as F; print('ok')"
For each stale mention, propose either:
- a rename to the current name, or
- removal if the API is gone with no replacement.
3. Examples that drifted from idiomatic style
The skill teaches a Pythonic style: prefer plain strings to col(...) when a
column reference is all you need; prefer raw Python values to lit(...)
where auto-wrapping applies. Recent refactors (see the make-pythonic
skill) keep moving more functions toward accepting native types.
For each code example in SKILL.md, check:
- Does it use
lit(value) where a raw value would work? Comparison RHS,
arithmetic with a column, etc. all auto-wrap. (Reserve lit() for the
cases listed in pitfall #2.)
- Does it use
col("name") where a plain string would work? select(...),
aggregate([keys], ...), sort(...), sort_by(...) all accept plain
name strings.
- Do
functions.py calls match the current pythonic signature for that
function? If make-pythonic recently changed a signature (e.g.,
repeat(string, n: Expr | int)), the example should pass 3 rather than
lit(3).
- Does any example use a deprecated or removed parameter name?
For drift, propose the updated snippet. If the change is purely stylistic
and the older form still works, mark the suggestion as non-blocking.
4. Missing or stale version notes
When an API depends on a specific version, the skill should say so —
otherwise an agent referencing the skill in an older project will write
code that fails at import or at runtime.
datafusion-python shares its major version number with the upstream
datafusion crate (e.g., datafusion-python 53.x tracks upstream
datafusion 53). Always express version requirements in terms of
datafusion-python only — there is no need to call out upstream and
package versions separately.
Add a version note when:
- A method or function shown in the skill was added in a specific release
(e.g., a new
DataFrame method that didn't exist before 53).
- A breaking change altered behavior in a specific release (signature
change, default-value change, new required argument).
- A pitfall was fixed in a specific release. Either annotate the pitfall
block with "fixed in datafusion-python NN, kept here for users on older
versions" or remove it once the supported floor moves past that version.
Format for version notes (inline, italicized):
*Requires datafusion-python 53 or newer.*
For each missing/stale version note, propose the exact line and where it
belongs.
How to discover changes since the last audit
If the user supplies a previous version or commit SHA where the audit was
last run, diff against it:
git log --oneline <prev>..HEAD -- python/datafusion/
git diff <prev>..HEAD -- python/datafusion/functions.py | grep '^[+-]def '
If no prior audit point is given, fall back to "since the last upstream
sync" by inspecting commits that touch Cargo.toml's datafusion pin:
git log --oneline -- Cargo.toml | grep -i datafusion | head -5
Output Format
Produce a report grouped by scope. Each finding is one bullet with a
proposed action, so a maintainer can review the list quickly and apply
edits in order.
## SKILL.md Audit (scope: <scope>)
Audited against:
- skills/datafusion_python/SKILL.md @ <git SHA / "working tree">
- datafusion-python <version>
### New APIs to cover
- `DataFrame.foo()` — added in datafusion-python 53. Insert in "DataFrame Operations Quick Reference" under <subsection>.
Proposed snippet:
```python
df.foo(...)
Stale mentions
- "old_function_name" referenced in the categorized list (line N) — renamed to "new_function_name". Replace.
Drifted examples
- "Filtering" section,
df.filter(col("a") > lit(10)) — drop lit(10), auto-wrap applies. (non-blocking)
- "Aggregation" section,
df.aggregate([col("region")], ...) — pass "region" as a plain string per "Projection" guidance.
Version notes
DataFrame.foo() block needs Requires datafusion-python 53 or newer.
- "Common Pitfalls" #N — fixed in datafusion-python 53; remove the pitfall and update the SQL-to-DataFrame row to no longer flag the workaround.
No-change confirmed
SessionContext data-loading section — all entries match current API.
If asked to apply the changes, edit `skills/datafusion_python/SKILL.md`
directly with `Edit` tool calls, one finding at a time, and re-run the
relevant doctest sanity check at the end:
```bash
pytest --doctest-modules python/datafusion -q
What NOT to flag
- Internal helpers / underscored names. Private symbols are not part of
the user-facing surface.
- Functions intentionally omitted. Niche / advanced APIs (custom
catalogs, raw FFI plumbing, low-level execution plan accessors) live in
the API reference, not the skill. If an omission was deliberate and a
comment / commit explains why, leave it out.
- Style nits inside explanatory prose. The skill mixes example code and
prose; only enforce the pythonic style on actual code blocks.
- Function-by-function coverage of every
functions.py symbol. The
"Available Functions (Categorized)" list is curated by category, not
exhaustive. Adding a single new aggregate to the aggregate list is
enough — the user follows the pointer to the API reference for the rest.
Coordination with other skills
- Run
/check-upstream first to expose any missing upstream APIs into the
Python layer. Without that, this skill cannot recommend documenting
something that is not yet exposed.
- Run
/make-pythonic before this skill if a Pythonic-signature pass is
planned for a release — that way this skill can update examples to the
final signature in one shot rather than churning them twice.
- The order during an upstream sync (PR 3 of
dev/release/upstream-sync.md)
is therefore: /check-upstream → /make-pythonic (optional) →
/audit-skill-md.