# Plan Safe Backend Migrations

Schema changes can break deployments when rollback, locking, and compatibility are missed. This skill helps plan and review backend migrations for safer database evolution.

## Install

```bash
npx skillstore add eis-its/backend-migrations
```

## Metadata

- Status: approved
- Slug: eis-its-backend-migrations
- Skillstore revision: r1
- Version status: missing
- Tree hash: 8c8abfa631d16c9e7edabd4d22d2b9893d91d8e8f905cabcccde94bd6a0a9638
- Author: EIS-ITS
- GitHub username: EIS-ITS
- License: MIT
- Repository: https://github.com/EIS-ITS/vss-cli/tree/main/.claude/skills/backend-migrations
- Ref: 26421118b848d9f1efc0aa169d8a7a9e7e0a877e
- Supported tools: Claude, Codex, Claude Code
- Audit status: complete
- Agent install advisory: confirmation\_required
- Manual install advisory: allowed
- Artifact signature: available
- Audit attestation: unavailable
- Human verification: not\_verified
- Risk factors: filesystem
- Quality score: 38
- Quality tier: warning
- Public page: https://skillstore.pages.dev/skills/eis-its-backend-migrations
- Manifest: https://skillstore.pages.dev/api/skills/eis-its-backend-migrations/manifest

## Capabilities

- Identifies when to create migration files for schema changes.
- Guides additions, removals, and modifications of tables and columns.
- Supports planning for reversible migrations and rollback paths.
- Encourages separation of schema migrations from data migrations.
- Helps review migration files for deployment safety and data integrity.
- Covers index creation and removal considerations.

## Use Cases

- Plan a Table Change: Prepare a reversible migration before adding, renaming, or removing database fields.
- Prepare a Safe Release: Check migration order, compatibility, and rollback needs before a production deployment.
- Review Migration Risk: Assess migration files for data integrity, reversibility, and schema version control.

## Prompt Templates

### Create a Basic Migration Plan

```
Use the backend-migrations skill to plan a reversible migration for adding [field] to [table]. Include rollout, rollback, and data integrity checks.
```

### Review a Schema Change

```
Use the backend-migrations skill to review this proposed schema change: [describe change]. Identify compatibility risks and rollback concerns.
```

### Design a Zero-Downtime Rollout

```
Use the backend-migrations skill to design a zero-downtime rollout for [migration goal]. Include phased deployment steps and validation checks.
```

### Audit a Migration Set

```
Use the backend-migrations skill to audit these migration files before release: [summarize files]. Prioritize blocking risks and required fixes.
```

## Limitations

- Does not execute migrations or connect to a database by itself.
- Does not include framework-specific migration commands in the reviewed file.
- Depends on project migration tooling and local standards.
- Cannot validate production data volume, locks, or runtime behavior without project context.

## Best Practices

- Create reversible migrations and document the rollback path before merge.
- Separate schema changes from data backfills when either step can fail independently.
- Plan destructive changes as phased releases with compatibility checks.

## Anti Patterns

- Dropping columns in the same release that removes application references.
- Combining large data rewrites with structural schema changes.
- Adding indexes to large production tables without lock and performance planning.

## Security Audit

- Audited at: 2026-07-09T14:02:30.539\+00:00
- Summary: The skill contains a path traversal reference from SKILL.md to a file outside the skill directory. No prompt injection text was found in the reviewed file, but the external instruction dependency is not auditable from this package.

## Stats

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- Downloads: 11
- Favorites: 0
- Popularity score: 0