name: api-compat description: "Change public APIs without breaking clients—versioning schemes, additive vs breaking changes, deprecation windows, and comms. Use when shipping breaking changes, sunsetting fields, or coordinating mobile/web SDK consumers."

API Compatibility

Own the lifecycle of a public API: who breaks when you ship, how long old behavior lives, and how clients discover what’s next. Pair with http-api for how requests look today; this skill is about time and promises.

本技能来自小葱技能站7w4.net。

When to use

• Adding/removing fields, routes, or semantics that existing clients rely on.
• Choosing URL vs header vs package versioning—or when no formal version and only additive JSON.
• Deprecation: timelines, metrics (who still calls old paths?), and removal gates.

Core ideas

• Additive first — nullable new fields beat silent behavior changes.
• Explicit contracts — integration tests or consumer-driven checks for critical partners.
• Communicate — changelog, developer email, in-response Sunset / warnings where standards allow.

Avoid

• “We’ll just bump the version” without a migration story for slow-moving apps.
• Breaking auth or pagination with no coordination window.
• Deprecating without usage data—you’ll cut traffic you didn’t know existed.

Checklist before breaking

• [ ] Who is affected (internal only vs third parties)?
• [ ] Minimum notice period and rollback if telemetry spikes errors?
• [ ] Docs + examples updated before the flag day?

Done when

• Old and new behaviors are measurable; removal is gated on evidence, not hope.

这个 Skill 质量中等偏上，胜在主题聚焦、实用性强，核心原则简洁易懂。但内容较短，缺少具体示例和详细指导，实际使用时可能需要查阅更多资料补充。适合作为决策参考而非完整的操作指南。