Delete Content Skill

Generic file deletion Skill that checks RULE.md permissions and handles dependencies safely.

When to use this Skill

• User says "delete", "remove", "trash"
• User requests content deletion
• User wants to clean up old files

Workflow

1. Identify Target File

If user provides file path:

• Verify file exists using ls or Read
• Confirm file identity

If user provides topic/title only:

• Search for file using Grep or Glob
• Pattern: **/*keyword*.md
• If multiple matches: present list, ask user to choose
• If no matches: report not found

Search strategies:

1. Filename match: find . -name "*keyword*"
2. Content match: grep -r "keyword" .
3. README.md index: Search README.md files for references

2. Read Directory RULE.md

Locate and read RULE.md:

1. Check file's directory for RULE.md
2. If not found, check parent directories (inheritance)
3. Parse RULE.md for deletion rules

Check for:

• Are deletions allowed? (some directories may be immutable or archive-only)
• Archive-instead rules (move to archive instead of delete)
• Backup requirements (create backup before delete)
• Dependency rules (check cross-references)
• Confirmation requirements

Example RULE.md deletion rules:

## Deletion Rules
- Deletions allowed with confirmation
- Check for cross-references before deleting
- Move to Archive/ subdirectory instead of permanent deletion

3. Check Dependencies

Search for cross-references:

1. Use Grep to find links to this file: grep -r "filename" .
2. Search for references in README.md files
3. Check for reverse links (files this file links to)
4. Identify files that depend on this content

Categorize dependencies:

• Incoming: Files that link to this file (will break if deleted)
• Outgoing: Files this file links to (won't break, but orphans references)
• Bidirectional: Cross-referenced files (mutual dependencies)

Severity assessment:

• Critical: Many incoming links, part of important workflow
• Warning: Some incoming links, moderately used
• Low: Few or no dependencies

4. User Confirmation

Present deletion summary:

⚠️  Delete confirmation required

File: [path to file]
Size: [file size]
Last modified: [timestamp]

Dependencies found:
- [file1.md] links to this file
- [file2.md] links to this file
(Total: X files reference this content)

RULE.md policy: [deletion policy summary]

Are you sure you want to delete this file?
- Yes, delete permanently
- Yes, move to archive (if RULE.md allows)
- No, cancel
- Show me the dependencies first

If user requests dependency review:

• Show each file that references this content
• Show the context (line where reference appears)
• Allow user to reconsider

5. Execute Deletion

Based on RULE.md policy:

Permanent deletion:

rm [file path]

• Only if RULE.md allows or user explicitly overrides
• Use Bash tool with rm command
• Verify deletion successful

Archive instead:

# Create archive directory if not exists
mkdir -p Archive/
# Move file to archive
mv [file path] Archive/[filename]

• Follow RULE.md archive structure
• Preserve filename or add timestamp
• Update archive README.md

Backup then delete:

# Create backup
cp [file path] [backup path]
# Then delete original
rm [file path]

• Create backup per RULE.md specification
• Verify backup successful before deleting

6. Governance Update

Update README.md:

1. Read current README.md
2. Find entry for deleted file
3. Remove entry from file list
4. Add to "Recent Changes" section:

   - YYYY-MM-DD: Removed filename.md
   

5. Update "Last updated" timestamp
6. Save README.md

Update parent README.md if needed:

• If directory now empty, update parent
• Note directory is empty or removed

Handle cross-references:

• Update files that referenced deleted content (if possible)
• Or add note in README.md: "Files with broken references: [list]"
• Offer to update broken links

Verify cleanup:

• Ensure no orphaned references
• Check README.md is valid markdown
• Confirm directory structure intact

7. Report to User

Confirm deletion complete:

✅ File deleted successfully

Deleted: [path to file]
Method: [permanent deletion / moved to archive / backed up then deleted]

README.md updated:
- [directory]/README.md

Dependencies handled:
- [X] files need attention (broken links)
- [List of affected files]

Recommendation: Review affected files to update/remove broken links

If archived instead:

✅ File archived successfully

Original: [original path]
Archived to: [archive path]
Archive method: [per RULE.md policy]

README.md updated:
- [directory]/README.md
- Archive/README.md

Note: File preserved in archive, not permanently deleted

Special Cases

Immutable Directory

If RULE.md specifies immutable:

## RULE.md says: "This directory is immutable - no deletions allowed"

Process:

1. Warn user: "RULE.md indicates this directory should not have deletions"
2. Explain policy reasoning
3. Ask: "Do you want to override this rule?"
4. If yes: proceed with deletion and log rule override
5. If no: cancel operation

Archive-Only Policy

If RULE.md requires archival instead:

## RULE.md says: "Move to Archive/ instead of deleting"

Process:

1. Don't offer permanent deletion
2. Execute archive operation
3. Update both original and archive README.md
4. Report archive location

Batch Deletion

If user requests deleting multiple files:

User: "Delete all old notes from last year"

Process:

1. Identify all matching files
2. Check each file's RULE.md
3. Check dependencies for each
4. Present summary: "X files match, Y have dependencies"
5. Request batch confirmation
6. Execute deletions one by one
7. Report summary of all deletions

Directory Deletion

If user wants to delete entire directory:

User: "Delete the old-project directory"

Process:

1. Read directory RULE.md for deletion rules
2. Check parent directory RULE.md for subdirectory rules
3. Scan all files in directory for external dependencies
4. Present comprehensive summary
5. Warn: "This will delete X files and Y subdirectories"
6. Request explicit confirmation
7. Execute recursive deletion or archive
8. Update parent README.md

Soft Delete (Mark as Deleted)

If RULE.md specifies soft delete:

## RULE.md says: "Mark files as deleted in frontmatter instead of removing"

Process:

1. Don't delete file physically
2. Update frontmatter: status: deleted
3. Update README.md: mark as [DELETED] filename.md
4. File stays but marked as obsolete

Error Handling

File Not Found

User: "Delete the transformer note"
→ Search for file
→ No matches found
→ Report: "I couldn't find a file about transformers. Nothing to delete."

Multiple Matches

User: "Delete the transformer note"
→ Find 3 files with "transformer"
→ Present list: "I found 3 files. Which one to delete?"
→ User selects → Proceed

RULE.md Forbids Deletion

RULE.md says: "Immutable directory"
→ Warn: "RULE.md forbids deletions in this directory"
→ Explain reasoning
→ Ask for override confirmation
→ If confirmed: proceed with warning note

High-Impact Dependencies

File has 50+ incoming references
→ Warn: "⚠️  HIGH IMPACT: 50+ files reference this content"
→ Show most critical dependencies
→ Recommend: "Consider archiving instead of deleting"
→ Require explicit "yes, delete anyway" confirmation

Deletion Fails

Bash rm command fails (permissions, file locked, etc.)
→ Report error clearly
→ Show exact error message
→ Suggest: "Check file permissions or if file is open in another program"
→ Offer alternatives: archive, rename, mark as deleted

Broken References After Deletion

Deletion successful but broken links remain
→ Report: "Deletion complete, but broken references detected in:"
→ List affected files
→ Offer: "Would you like me to update these files to remove broken links?"
→ If yes: update files to remove/fix references

Integration with Governance

This Skill automatically invokes the governance protocol:

Before deletion:

• Locate and read RULE.md
• Validate deletion is allowed
• Check dependency policy

During deletion:

• Follow RULE.md deletion method (delete, archive, backup)
• Execute safely

After deletion:

• Update README.md
• Handle broken references
• Verify cleanup complete

Examples

Example 1: Simple Deletion

User: "Delete the old transformer draft"

Skill workflow:

1. Searches for file → Finds Research/AI/2025-10-15-transformer-draft.md
2. Reads Research/AI/RULE.md → Deletions allowed with confirmation
3. Checks dependencies → No references found
4. Asks confirmation: "Delete transformer-draft.md? No dependencies found."
5. User confirms
6. Executes rm Research/AI/2025-10-15-transformer-draft.md
7. Updates Research/AI/README.md (removes entry)
8. Reports: "✅ Deleted transformer-draft.md"

Example 2: Archive Instead

User: "Delete the 2024 work logs"

Skill workflow:

1. Finds Work/WorkLog/2024/ directory
2. Reads Work/WorkLog/RULE.md → "Move old logs to Archive/ instead of deleting"
3. Checks dependencies → Some cross-references to meeting notes
4. Presents: "Found 2024 logs (52 files). RULE.md policy: archive instead of delete"
5. User confirms
6. Creates Work/WorkLog/Archive/2024/ if not exists
7. Executes mv Work/WorkLog/2024/* Work/WorkLog/Archive/2024/
8. Updates README.md files
9. Reports: "✅ Archived 52 log files to Archive/2024/"

Example 3: High-Impact Deletion

User: "Delete the core-concepts document"

Skill workflow:

1. Finds Research/core-concepts.md
2. Reads Research/RULE.md → Deletions allowed
3. Checks dependencies → 25 files reference this document
4. Warns: "⚠️ HIGH IMPACT: 25 files reference core-concepts.md"
5. Shows first 5 most critical dependencies
6. Recommends: "This is a foundational document. Consider archiving instead?"
7. User still chooses delete
8. Asks: "Are you absolutely sure? Type 'delete core-concepts' to confirm"
9. User confirms
10. Executes deletion
11. Updates README.md
12. Reports broken references: "25 files need attention"
13. Offers to help fix broken links

Best Practices

1. Always check dependencies - Prevent broken knowledge base
2. Read RULE.md first - Respect deletion policies
3. Archive when possible - Preserve content instead of permanent deletion
4. Confirm before deleting - No accidental deletions
5. Update README.md immediately - Keep index accurate
6. Handle broken links - Offer to fix cross-references
7. Report clearly - User should know what was deleted and impact
8. Follow RULE.md policies - Even if user requests override

Notes

• This Skill works with any directory structure by reading RULE.md
• Checks for dependencies to prevent broken knowledge base
• Offers archival as safer alternative to permanent deletion
• Always requires confirmation for destructive operations
• Maintains README.md index integrity
• Works in parallel with CLAUDE.md subagents
• Never deletes RULE.md files (requires explicit governance agent action)