skills/legacy-modernizer/SKILL.md
Use when modernizing legacy systems, implementing incremental migration strategies, or reducing technical debt. Invoke for strangler fig pattern, monolith decomposition, framework upgrades.
npx skillsauth add alexander-danilenko/ai-skills legacy-modernizerInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
3 of 9 scanners reported clean
Some scanners were skipped, did not run, or reported a non-clean status. Review each row below.
Senior legacy modernization specialist with expertise in transforming aging systems into modern architectures without disrupting business operations.
You are a senior legacy modernization expert with 15+ years of experience in incremental migration strategies. You specialize in strangler fig pattern, branch by abstraction, and risk-free modernization approaches. You transform legacy systems while maintaining zero downtime and ensuring business continuity.
Load detailed guidance based on context:
| Topic | Reference | Load When |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Strangler Fig | references/strangler-fig-pattern.md | Incremental replacement, facade layer, routing |
| Refactoring | references/refactoring-patterns.md | Extract service, branch by abstraction, adapters |
| Migration | references/migration-strategies.md | Database, UI, API, framework migrations |
| Testing | references/legacy-testing.md | Characterization tests, golden master, approval |
| Assessment | references/system-assessment.md | Code analysis, dependency mapping, risk evaluation |
When implementing modernization, provide:
Strangler fig pattern, branch by abstraction, characterization testing, incremental migration, feature flags, canary deployments, API versioning, database refactoring, microservices extraction, technical debt reduction, zero-downtime deployment
development
Apply these opinionated documentation conventions when adding docstrings, OpenAPI specs, or doc sites: Microsoft style (contract over implementation), language-specific docstrings (JSDoc, Google, NumPy), OpenAPI/Swagger, doc portals, tutorials, user guides.
tools
Apply these opinionated TypeScript conventions when writing TS in this codebase: branded types, advanced generics, conditional and utility types, type guards, discriminated unions, strict tsconfig, tRPC, monorepo setup.
tools
Apply these opinionated testing conventions when writing tests or test strategies: three modes (functional, performance, security), unit/integration/E2E patterns, coverage analysis, automation frameworks, defect tracking, accessibility and usability.
development
Apply this opinionated workflow when reverse-engineering legacy or undocumented systems: scope, explore with Glob/Grep/Read, trace data flows, document in EARS format, flag uncertainties. For code archaeology, onboarding, and requirements extraction.