dependency-upgrade
Manage major dependency version upgrades with compatibility analysis, staged rollout, and comprehensive testing. Use when upgrading framework versions, updating major dependencies, or managing breaking changes in libraries.
69
58%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
79%
1.75xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Advisory
Suggest reviewing before use
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./tests/ext_conformance/artifacts/agents-wshobson/framework-migration/skills/dependency-upgrade/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
82%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This is a solid description that clearly communicates both what the skill does and when to use it, with good trigger term coverage. Its main weakness is that the capability descriptions are somewhat high-level ('compatibility analysis', 'staged rollout') rather than listing concrete discrete actions, and it could potentially overlap with more general dependency management or migration skills.
Suggestions
Make capabilities more concrete by listing specific actions, e.g., 'Analyzes changelogs for breaking changes, updates configuration files, runs compatibility checks, and creates migration plans'
Add more distinctive trigger terms to reduce overlap, such as 'semver major bump', 'migration guide', 'deprecation warnings', or specific frameworks/tools
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (dependency upgrades) and some actions ('compatibility analysis, staged rollout, comprehensive testing'), but these are somewhat high-level and not as concrete as listing specific discrete actions like 'update package.json, run migration scripts, fix breaking API changes'. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (manage major dependency version upgrades with compatibility analysis, staged rollout, and comprehensive testing) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause covering upgrading framework versions, updating major dependencies, or managing breaking changes). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes strong natural trigger terms users would say: 'dependency version upgrades', 'upgrading framework versions', 'updating major dependencies', 'breaking changes', 'libraries'. These cover common variations of how users would describe this task. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Reasonably specific to major version upgrades and breaking changes, but could overlap with general dependency management skills, package update skills, or migration skills. The focus on 'major' upgrades and 'breaking changes' helps but doesn't fully eliminate overlap risk. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 10 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
35%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill is comprehensive in coverage but suffers from significant verbosity and redundancy — it explains concepts Claude already knows (semver, what breaking changes are), includes stub code that isn't truly executable, and inlines content that should be in referenced files. The staged upgrade workflow is the strongest section but still lacks robust validation/feedback loops. The skill would benefit greatly from aggressive trimming and moving detailed examples to separate reference files.
Suggestions
Remove the semver review section entirely and trim 'When to Use This Skill', 'Best Practices', and 'Common Pitfalls' sections — Claude already knows these concepts and the pitfalls are just inversions of the best practices list.
Complete the stub code blocks (e.g., checkCompatibility function, peer dependency test) with actual executable logic, or remove them entirely if they don't add actionable value.
Move detailed configurations (Renovate, Dependabot), testing strategy examples, and the compatibility matrix into referenced files, keeping SKILL.md as a concise overview with the staged upgrade workflow as the core content.
Add explicit validation checkpoints with feedback loops in the Phase 2 incremental updates section — e.g., 'If tests fail after upgrading package X, check peer dependencies with npm ls, resolve conflicts, then re-test before proceeding.'
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Extremely verbose with significant redundancy. Explains semver (Claude knows this), includes obvious best practices like 'Read Changelogs', lists common pitfalls that are just inversions of the best practices, and the compatibility matrix JavaScript is a stub with no real logic. The 'When to Use This Skill' section and many comments are unnecessary padding. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | Contains concrete bash commands and some executable code snippets (npm commands, Renovate/Dependabot configs, rollback script), but several code blocks are incomplete stubs (compatibility matrix's checkCompatibility function is empty, peer dependency test says '// Run npm ls and check for warnings' without implementation). The migration script uses synchronous glob callback pattern that's fragile. | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The staged upgrade strategy has a clear 3-phase structure with test-after-each-step guidance, and the upgrade checklist provides good sequencing. However, validation checkpoints are weak — the rollback script is labeled as JavaScript but is actually bash, and there's no explicit feedback loop for handling failures during the incremental update steps beyond 'test again'. The Phase 3 validation tests are incomplete stubs. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | References to external files are listed in the Resources section, which is good structure. However, the main file is a monolithic wall of content (~300 lines) that inlines extensive code examples, configuration files, and testing strategies that would be better split into referenced files. The Resources section references files that may not exist, and the inline content overwhelms the overview purpose of SKILL.md. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 7 / 12 Passed |
Validation
100%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 11 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
No warnings or errors.
- Repository
- Dicklesworthstone/pi_agent_rust
- Commit
6e3d68c
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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