Remove skill

Take out something Alterbrain built for you, and put every setting back the way it was.

When to use

• "Remove the skill you built last week", "I don't need the case summary any more".
• "Turn off the Zotero tool", "Stop the morning brief".
• A build failed halfway and needs cleaning up.
• A blueprint's How to undo says to run /remove-skill.

Before you start

1. No clarify needed. You only need to know what to remove.
2. Find it: node system/scripts/built.mjs list --json. Match the user's words to a name, blueprint or mcp id. If several match, ask one AskUserQuestion with the candidates.
3. Not in state/built.json?
   • A folder .claude/skills/my-<slug>/ or file .claude/agents/my-<slug>.md exists: treat those as the paths to remove.
   • A built-in skill (no my- prefix, not in state/built.json): don't remove it. Say kindly: "That one is part of Alterbrain itself, so I can't remove it. You can simply not use it." Stop.
4. Read the proposal card (proposal in the entry) and, for a blueprint, its How to undo section. Blueprint undo steps take priority over the generic ones below.

Steps

1. Show the plan in plain words, one line each:
   • files that will be deleted (only my-* skill and agent files, and other paths listed in the entry);
   • routine notes (paths under vault/90_routines/): pause (recommended) or delete, see step 2;
   • tools that will be switched off (mcp ids → config/mcp.selected.json);
   • channels that go back to draft (channels → config/autonomy.json);
   • things only the user can do (delete a scheduled task in the app, remove a key from .env.local, revoke a sign-in);
   • what stays: "Your notes and anything it already wrote stay in your vault." Ask: "Remove it?" Remove it (recommended) / Keep it.
2. Delete files. The my-* skill and agent files are deleted by the script in step 6 (built.mjs remove <name> --delete-files), which works on Windows and Mac and refuses to delete anything else. For each path in the entry:
   • .claude/skills/my-* and .claude/agents/my-*.md: nothing to do here.
   • A routine note (a path in the entry under vault/90_routines/): ask once per note with AskUserQuestion. "Pause it (recommended): the note stays with its run history and is no longer checked or flagged late. / Delete it: the list is clean, but the history is gone." Pause by setting status: "paused" in the note's frontmatter (one line, nothing else); delete only after a clear yes. Whichever they pick, the job keeps running on its host until they delete the schedule there: step 5 covers that. If the note is already gone, skip it. A routine note whose runs is a different skill is not this build's: leave it.
   • Any other path (for example a view in vault/_views/): ask about each one first; default keep.
   • Never delete anything without the my- prefix under .claude/, anything in system/, or anything in vault/40_sources/raw/.
3. Switch off tools. Remove the entry's mcp ids from config/mcp.selected.json enabled, unless another entry in state/built.json still lists the same id. Run node system/scripts/mcp-gen.mjs. Say: "Close and reopen this project so the tool disappears."
4. Reset channels. For each channel in the entry's channels: set config/autonomy.json channels.<name>.level to draft (recommended) or approve if the user prefers. Remove any extra keys the blueprint added for that channel (for example caps, quiet_hours, auto_rules), after showing before and after.
5. User-only steps. For each one, give the exact clicks and add a task: node system/scripts/tasks.mjs add "<step>" --tag remove-skill --priority medium.
   • Scheduled task: "In the Claude app, open Scheduled tasks, find '<name>', and delete it." Always give this step when the build had a routine note or a schedule, and say plainly that pausing or deleting the note does not stop the job: only deleting the schedule on the host does (a Claude cloud routine: its page in the Claude app; a server: its own scheduler, for example the crontab line).
   • Key: offer to open the keys file (Windows notepad .env.local, Mac open -e .env.local, run in the background after a yes), then: "Delete the line that starts with <NAME>=, save and close." Never ask them to paste it.
6. Update the records.
   • node system/scripts/built.mjs remove <name> --delete-files. This forgets the entry and deletes its my-* skill folder and agent file. It lists anything it kept.
   • The proposal card: status: "removed".
   • node system/scripts/proposals.mjs mark <key> rejected (so it isn't suggested again).
   • Tick any open #ab/build or #ab/propose tasks for it.
7. Check and save. Run node system/scripts/validate.mjs (it must still pass), then node system/scripts/git-auto.mjs commit.
8. Tell the user in 3 lines: what was removed, what they still need to do (if anything), and "Changed your mind? Say 'build <name>' and I'll set it up again. A copy also stays in your backup history."

Outputs

• Deleted: the entry's my-* skill or agent files, and a routine note only if the user chose delete. Paused: a routine note the user chose to keep (status: "paused").
• Updated: config/mcp.selected.json + .mcp.json, config/autonomy.json (channels back to draft), state/built.json, state/proposals.json, the proposal card (status: "removed").
• Tasks tagged #ab/remove-skill for steps only the user can do.

Safety

• Always show the plan and get a yes before deleting.
• Only my-* files and paths recorded for this build. Never framework files, never raw sources, never the user's notes.
• Removing a sending add-on always puts its channel back to draft or approve, never leaves auto.
• Never handle keys or passwords; the user edits .env.local themselves.