SDD Archive

Complete a change by moving its directory to the archive.

SPECS_ROOT is resolved by the sdd router before this skill runs. Replace .specs/ with your project's actual specs root in all paths below.

Writing Style

Write the archive report in the voice of a professional technical writer. Prefer ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English: short sentences, one instruction per sentence, active voice, and one term per concept. Keep identifiers, commands, paths, and RFC 2119 keywords exact.

When to Use

• All tasks in tasks.md are complete (- [x])
• Delta specs have been synced into main specs with sdd-sync
• Ready to close out the change

When Not to Use

• Tasks are incomplete — finish implementation first
• Delta specs exist but haven't been synced — consider running sdd-sync first (no automatic check; user judgement)

Invocation Notice

• Tell the user when this skill is running: sdd-archive.

Skip the notice when the user asked for the skill by name or slash command; spelling and spacing need not match. A phrase from this skill's own trigger list is not a name — naming the work is not naming the skill.

Soft Gate

Check tasks.md for unchecked tasks before archiving.

If incomplete tasks remain:

"{N} tasks are still incomplete. Archive anyway?"

Wait for user confirmation before proceeding.

Process

Phase 1: Confirm

1. Confirm which change to archive (ask if multiple active changes exist)
2. Read tasks.md — count complete vs. total tasks
3. If incomplete tasks: issue soft gate warning, wait for user

Phase 2: Check Target

Target path: .specs/changes/archive/YYYY-MM-DD-<change-name>/

Where YYYY-MM-DD is today's date.

If the target already exists:

"Archive target already exists: .specs/changes/archive/{date}-{name}/. Suggest using {name}-2 or waiting until tomorrow."

Stop and ask the user how to proceed.

Phase 3: Move

mkdir -p .specs/changes/archive/
mv .specs/changes/<name>/ .specs/changes/archive/YYYY-MM-DD-<name>/

Confirm the move succeeded by checking the archive path exists.

The change's .verify/ scratch (if present) is self-gitignored, so it never enters the archived commit even though mv carries it along — leave it or delete it; it is not part of the archived record.

Phase 4: Update Change Order

If .specs/changes/ORDER.md exists, update it per references/sdd-change-formats.md § 6.5:

1. Remove the archived change from every section.
2. Remove each Starts after entry and each Reasons bullet that names the archived change.
3. Remove each shared requirement line that now names fewer than two changes.
4. Update Last reviewed.
5. If no Starts after entry, no shared requirement, and no ## Not scheduled change remains, delete ORDER.md.

Check the result against the rules in § 6.4. Every active change directory must appear in exactly one section, and no archived change may appear anywhere.

Phase 5: Report

Archived: .specs/changes/<name>/ → .specs/changes/archive/YYYY-MM-DD-<name>/
Tasks: {N}/{N} complete
Change order: {updated | deleted | no ORDER.md}
Ready to start: {each change in ORDER.md whose Starts after entries are all met, or "none"}

Common Mistakes

• Deleting instead of moving (archive, not delete — change history is preserved)
• Archiving before syncing delta specs into main specs
• Not checking for the target path existence before moving
• Leaving the archived change in ORDER.md as a met prerequisite, instead of removing it
• Keeping ORDER.md after the remaining changes can apply in any order

References

• references/sdd-change-formats.md — change order format and maintenance (§ 6)