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:

• Filename match: find . -name "keyword"

• Content match: grep -r "keyword" .

• README.md index: Search README.md files for references

2. Read Directory RULE.md

Locate and read RULE.md:

• Check file's directory for RULE.md

• If not found, check parent directories (inheritance)

• 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:

• Use Grep to find links to this file: grep -r "filename" .

• Search for references in README.md files

• Check for reverse links (files this file links to)

• 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:

• Read current README.md

• Find entry for deleted file

• Remove entry from file list

• Add to "Recent Changes" section:

• YYYY-MM-DD: Removed filename.md

• Update "Last updated" timestamp

• 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:

• 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:

• Warn user: "RULE.md indicates this directory should not have deletions"

• Explain policy reasoning

• Ask: "Do you want to override this rule?"

• If yes: proceed with deletion and log rule override

• If no: cancel operation

Archive-Only Policy

If RULE.md requires archival instead:

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

Process:

• Don't offer permanent deletion

• Execute archive operation

• Update both original and archive README.md

• Report archive location

Batch Deletion

If user requests deleting multiple files:

User: "Delete all old notes from last year"

Process:

• Identify all matching files

• Check each file's RULE.md

• Check dependencies for each

• Present summary: "X files match, Y have dependencies"

• Request batch confirmation

• Execute deletions one by one

• Report summary of all deletions

Directory Deletion

If user wants to delete entire directory:

User: "Delete the old-project directory"

Process:

• Read directory RULE.md for deletion rules

• Check parent directory RULE.md for subdirectory rules

• Scan all files in directory for external dependencies

• Present comprehensive summary

• Warn: "This will delete X files and Y subdirectories"

• Request explicit confirmation

• Execute recursive deletion or archive

• 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:

• Don't delete file physically

• Update frontmatter: status: deleted

• Update README.md: mark as [DELETED] filename.md

• 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:

• Searches for file → Finds Research/AI/2025-10-15-transformer-draft.md

• Reads Research/AI/RULE.md → Deletions allowed with confirmation

• Checks dependencies → No references found

• Asks confirmation: "Delete transformer-draft.md? No dependencies found."

• User confirms

• Executes rm Research/AI/2025-10-15-transformer-draft.md

• Updates Research/AI/README.md (removes entry)

• Reports: "✅ Deleted transformer-draft.md"

Example 2: Archive Instead

User: "Delete the 2024 work logs"

Skill workflow:

• Finds Work/WorkLog/2024/ directory

• Reads Work/WorkLog/RULE.md → "Move old logs to Archive/ instead of deleting"

• Checks dependencies → Some cross-references to meeting notes

• Presents: "Found 2024 logs (52 files). RULE.md policy: archive instead of delete"

• User confirms

• Creates Work/WorkLog/Archive/2024/ if not exists

• Executes mv Work/WorkLog/2024/* Work/WorkLog/Archive/2024/

• Updates README.md files

• Reports: "✅ Archived 52 log files to Archive/2024/"

Example 3: High-Impact Deletion

User: "Delete the core-concepts document"

Skill workflow:

• Finds Research/core-concepts.md

• Reads Research/RULE.md → Deletions allowed

• Checks dependencies → 25 files reference this document

• Warns: "⚠️ HIGH IMPACT: 25 files reference core-concepts.md"

• Shows first 5 most critical dependencies

• Recommends: "This is a foundational document. Consider archiving instead?"

• User still chooses delete

• Asks: "Are you absolutely sure? Type 'delete core-concepts' to confirm"

• User confirms

• Executes deletion

• Updates README.md

• Reports broken references: "25 files need attention"

• Offers to help fix broken links

Best Practices

• Always check dependencies - Prevent broken knowledge base

• Read RULE.md first - Respect deletion policies

• Archive when possible - Preserve content instead of permanent deletion

• Confirm before deleting - No accidental deletions

• Update README.md immediately - Keep index accurate

• Handle broken links - Offer to fix cross-references

• Report clearly - User should know what was deleted and impact

• 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)