Breaking Changes Management

Use this skill when behavior, interfaces, configuration, or compatibility contracts change in a way that can break consumers.

Activation Conditions

• Releasing a major version
• Renaming or removing public APIs
• Changing request or response shapes
• Replacing config keys, env vars, CLI flags, or file formats
• Writing migration notes, deprecation notices, or upgrade checklists

Workflow

1. Identify the exact consumer-visible break.
2. State who is affected and from which version.
3. Provide the replacement path or mitigation.
4. Add before/after examples.
5. Update CHANGELOG.md and any setup or usage docs that changed.

Required Outputs

• Changelog entry with a clear BREAKING label
• Migration guide with old usage, new usage, and upgrade steps
• Deprecation timeline if removal is delayed
• Validation notes for any examples or scripts that changed

Migration Checklist

• Old behavior described precisely
• New behavior described precisely
• Replacement path documented
• Upgrade steps ordered and testable
• Rollback or compatibility notes included
• README/setup docs updated if user-facing behavior changed

References & Resources

Documentation

• Deprecation Procedures - Deprecation wording, timelines, and migration guidance patterns

Scripts

• Migration Guide Scaffold - Generate a migration guide skeleton with version, impact, and step sections

Related Skills

Skill	Relationship
documentation-patterns	Templates for migration guides and breaking change docs
code-examples-sync	Update code examples after breaking API changes
development-workflow	Versioning and release lifecycle management