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PlanetScale Safe Orchestrator

PlanetScale Safe OrchestratorSkill

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Summary

The master skill in PlanetScale's official pack: runs a full read-only best-practices assessment of a database or org, then produces one evidence-backed report.

Features

  • Runs every assessment phase in order and emits one unified report
  • Read-only by default; mutations need approval of a named change set
  • Covers branches, safe migrations, backups, roles, pooling, Insights, webhooks and Traffic Control
  • Maps expensive query patterns back to the code that produces them when the repo is present
  • Every claim carries the command that produced it; every recommendation an ID, gate and rollback
  • Grounds CLI and API usage in planetscale.com/docs/llms.txt and the OpenAPI spec

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Skill Content

Markdown Content

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---
name: planetscale-safe-orchestrator
description: Master skill that runs the full PlanetScale safe best-practices assessment — inventory, engine review, Insights, Traffic Control, webhooks, schema recommendations, codebase instrumentation, and agent operating model — then produces a unified recommendations report. Never applies changes without explicit approval. Use when the user asks to run the full assessment, all skills, or PlanetScale best-practices review.
---

# PlanetScale safe orchestrator (master skill)

## Purpose

Run the complete PlanetScale safe best-practices skill pack end to end. Load and execute each sub-skill in order, accumulate evidence, and produce one unified recommendations report. The first pass is assessment-only.

## Non-negotiable safety contract

Default to read-only.

You may inspect configuration, branches, query telemetry, recommendations, webhooks, roles, backups, traffic budgets, and repository code. You must not mutate PlanetScale, the database, the repository, the network posture, credentials, schema, production traffic controls, or automation endpoints without explicit approval of a named change set.

Class C/D/E mutations require approval per `../planetscale-change-gates-and-approval-contract/SKILL.md`. When in doubt, stop and add to the proposed change set instead of executing.

One exception exists: if the operator explicitly acknowledges the risk and names a scope per `../planetscale-autonomous-execution-mode/SKILL.md`, execution proceeds autonomously under that skill's status and halt discipline instead of stopping for per-change approval. The assessment phases below are identical either way.

Sub-skills are sibling folders next to this skill, referenced by relative path; if a referenced path does not exist, locate the sibling skill whose frontmatter `name` matches and use it instead.

Ground all CLI and API usage in the official documentation rather than guessing: the docs index is at https://planetscale.com/docs/llms.txt (append `.md` to any docs URL for the markdown version) and the API reference is https://planetscale.com/docs/openapi.yaml. When a command or endpoint fails, check the docs for the correct form before recording an evidence gap. Tooling and access failures belong in the internal run log, never in the customer report.

## Before you start

1. Read this file completely.
2. Copy the progress checklist below into your working notes and update it as you go.
3. Collect inputs (ask or infer from `AGENTS.md`, MCP context, environment, repository):

   - Organization slug
   - Database name
   - Branch name
   - Engine: PlanetScale Vitess or PlanetScale Postgres
   - Production branch or branches
   - Connected application repository path, if available
   - Application language, framework, ORM, query builder, connection pooling
   - Operator tolerance: report-only, PR-generation, branch-only migrations, or supervised production apply

If inputs are missing, continue with discovery. Do not block on completeness.

## Progress checklist

Copy and track:

```
Master assessment progress:
- [ ] Phase 0: Safety contract loaded
- [ ] Phase 1: Read-only inventory
- [ ] Phase 2: Engine safety review (Vitess OR Postgres)
- [ ] Phase 3: Query Insights and tags
- [ ] Phase 4: Traffic Control (Postgres only — skip for Vitess)
- [ ] Phase 5: Webhook automation
- [ ] Phase 6: Schema recommendations agent loop
- [ ] Phase 7: Codebase SQLCommenter instrumentation
- [ ] Phase 8: MCP agent operating model
- [ ] Phase 9: Best-practices matrix coverage check
- [ ] Phase 10: Unified customer report
- [ ] Phase 11: Change gates verified — stop, no mutations
```

## Interface preference order

1. PlanetScale MCP insights-only server — autonomous analysis without query execution
2. Full PlanetScale MCP with read-only scope — schema or limited read queries
3. `pscale` CLI and `pscale api` — structured inventory and exact API state
4. Repository inspection — codebase analysis and instrumentation recommendations
5. Direct SQL — read-only introspection only when operator grants database read access

The operator's stated interface constraint overrides this order. If the
run is restricted to specific interfaces (for example CLI-only), use those
interfaces; this is not a conflict and needs no workaround or note in the
customer report beyond the Scope section's interfaces line.

## Execution plan

For each phase: **read the skill file**, follow its instructions, capture its required output, and carry findings forward. Do not skip phases unless the checklist says to skip.

### Phase 0 — Safety contract

Read: `../planetscale-change-gates-and-approval-contract/SKILL.md`

Internalize operation classes A–E. All later phases operate under Class A unless the operator explicitly approves a named change.

### Phase 1 — Read-only inventory

Read and execute: `../planetscale-readonly-inventory/SKILL.md`

Deliverables to carry forward:

- Inventory table with evidence (source, path/command, timestamp, confidence)
- Missing evidence table
- Risk flags
- Confirmed engine (Vitess or Postgres)
- Branch topology and production branch

If engine is still unknown after inventory, determine it before Phase 2.

### Phase 2 — Engine safety review

Run exactly one:

| Engine | Skill file |
|--------|------------|
| Vitess | `../planetscale-vitess-safety-review/SKILL.md` |
| Postgres | `../planetscale-postgres-safety-review/SKILL.md` |

Deliverables: engine-specific safety gaps, workflow gaps, and proposed changes requiring approval.

### Phase 3 — Query Insights and tags

Read and execute: `../planetscale-query-insights-and-tags/SKILL.md`

Deliverables: query risk table, tag coverage table, bad/high-cardinality tags, recommended tag schema, candidate Traffic Control slices, candidate schema and code changes.

### Phase 4 — Traffic Control (Postgres only)

**Skip this phase for Vitess.** Mark checklist item complete with note "N/A — Vitess".

For Postgres, read and execute: `../planetscale-traffic-control-recommendations/SKILL.md`

Deliverables: proposed budgets (name, mode, traffic slice, rule type, limits rationale, test/rollback plan).

If query tags are weak, note "tagging first" per that skill and defer enforce-mode recommendations.

### Phase 5 — Webhook automation

Read and execute: `../planetscale-webhook-automation-recommendations/SKILL.md`

Deliverables: webhook inventory, missing subscriptions, destination quality review, automation opportunities, unsafe automation risks.

### Phase 6 — Schema recommendations agent loop

Read and execute: `../planetscale-schema-recommendations-agent-loop/SKILL.md`

Deliverables: per-recommendation triage (type, severity, evidence, safe implementation path, validation/rollback plan).

### Phase 7 — Codebase SQLCommenter instrumentation

Read and execute: `../planetscale-codebase-sqlcommenter-instrumentation/SKILL.md`

Skip only if no repository is available. Note "no repository reviewed" in the final report.

Deliverables: detected stack, current tagging state, recommended package/path, proposed tag schema, files likely to change.

### Phase 8 — MCP agent operating model

Read and execute: `../planetscale-mcp-agent-operating-model/SKILL.md`

Deliverables: recommended MCP server choice, AGENTS.md additions, allowed/disallowed autonomous work, proposed agent loops.

### Phase 9 — Best-practices matrix coverage check

Read and execute: `../planetscale-best-practices-matrix/SKILL.md`

Cross-check every matrix item against Phases 1–8 findings. For each item record:

- Applies: yes / no / unknown
- Current state
- Gap
- Recommendation ID (see ID scheme below)
- Approval requirement

Fill gaps: if a matrix item was not covered by earlier phases, gather missing evidence now (read-only only).

### Phase 10 — Unified customer report

Read and execute: `../planetscale-customer-report-template/SKILL.md`

Synthesize **all** phase deliverables into one report. Do not dump raw phase outputs — merge, deduplicate, and rank by impact.

#### Recommendation ID scheme

| Prefix | Domain |
|--------|--------|
| `OBS-*` | Insights and query tags |
| `VIT-*` | Vitess safety and deploy workflow |
| `PG-*` | Postgres roles, pg_strict, Traffic Control, PITR, network |
| `WEB-*` | Webhooks and automation |
| `APP-*` | Repository instrumentation |
| `AGENT-*` | MCP and agent workflows |

Assign stable IDs across the report. Reference the same IDs in the proposed change set.

#### Ranking guidance

Order recommendations by:

1. Production safety and availability risk (highest first)
2. Observability gaps blocking diagnosis or Traffic Control
3. Automation that reduces mean time to detect/respond
4. Performance and schema improvements with clear evidence

### Phase 11 — Stop gate

Re-read: `../planetscale-change-gates-and-approval-contract/SKILL.md`

Verify:

- No Class C/D/E actions were taken
- Every proposed mutation has an ID, target, interface, effect, risk, rollback, and test plan
- Report ends with the required final sentence

**Stop.** Do not apply changes — unless a valid autonomous-mode acknowledgment (per `../planetscale-autonomous-execution-mode/SKILL.md`) accompanied the request, in which case present the report and the execution plan, then continue directly into execution under that skill.

## Required final report structure

Use the template in `../planetscale-customer-report-template/SKILL.md`. Minimum sections:

1. **Scope** — org, database, branches, engine, repository, interfaces, time window; changes applied: none
2. **Executive summary** — 3–7 bullets on highest-risk gaps and highest-value improvements
3. **Current state** — database topology, safety workflow, observability, automation, repository instrumentation (with evidence)
4. **Recommendations** — ranked table with IDs, target, benefit, risk, approval needed, test first, evidence
5. **Proposed change set requiring approval** — every Class C/D item with exact change, interface, rollback, production impact
6. **Changes intentionally not applied** — explicit list of what was not changed
7. **Evidence appendix** — source, command/path, timestamp, value, notes
8. **Final required sentence** (verbatim):

   > No changes have been applied. Approve specific change IDs before any mutation.

## Handling partial runs

If MCP, CLI, API, or repository access is unavailable:

- Continue with available interfaces
- Record missing evidence in the report
- Lower confidence on affected recommendations
- Do not invent state — mark unknown

## After the report

Two paths into execution:

**Per-change approval.** The operator approves specific change IDs:

1. Re-read `../planetscale-change-gates-and-approval-contract/SKILL.md`
2. Execute only the named IDs
3. Produce the post-execution report defined in that skill

**Autonomous mode.** The operator explicitly acknowledges the risk with a named scope ("I accept the risk — apply all report recommendations to storefront-demo, production included"):

1. Read `../planetscale-autonomous-execution-mode/SKILL.md` and validate the acknowledgment against its activation contract
2. Present the dependency-ordered execution plan, then execute end to end with continuous status, per-step verification, and the halt rules from that skill
3. Produce the run summary and run log

Never interpret "apply best practices", "fix everything", or "go ahead" as either approval or risk acknowledgment.

## Quick invocation

When the user says "run the full assessment" or "run all PlanetScale best-practices skills":

1. Load this skill
2. Run Phases 0–11 in order
3. Return the unified report
4. Stop

Usage Instructions

Learn how to use this skill with different AI agents.

Generic Instructions
npx skills add planetscale/skills -g -y

Or clone and run the installer, which detects every agent you have:

git clone https://github.com/planetscale/skills.git
cd skills && script/setup

Example Usage

Run the full PlanetScale best-practices assessment on my-org/my-db. My application repository is in this workspace: include query attribution and instrumentation recommendations for it. Read-only: propose everything, change nothing.

Description

PlanetScale ships an official skill pack that turns a coding agent into a database reviewer, and this is its entry point. Ask for a best-practices assessment and this skill loads the sub-skills in order, accumulates evidence from each phase, and emits a single unified recommendations report.

Read-only is the default, and it is a contract

The safety section is not advisory. The agent may inspect configuration, branches, query telemetry, recommendations, webhooks, roles, backups, traffic budgets and your repository code. It may not mutate PlanetScale, the database, the repository, network posture, credentials, schema, production traffic controls or automation endpoints without explicit approval of a named change set. When a step is ambiguous, the instruction is to stop and add the item to the proposed change set rather than execute it.

There is exactly one way past that, and it is deliberately hard to trip: the operator explicitly acknowledges the risk and names a scope, at which point the autonomous-execution sub-skill takes over with its own halt discipline. "Go ahead" does not qualify.

What one pass covers

Inventory and engine review (Vitess or PlanetScale Postgres), branch topology and schema-change workflow, safe migrations and deploy requests, backups and restore posture, roles and credentials, connection pooling and network configuration, Query Insights behaviour, anomalies, SQL comment and query-tag coverage, open schema recommendations, webhooks, Traffic Control, and — when the application repository is in the workspace — codebase instrumentation.

That last one is where the pack earns its keep. With the repo in view the agent can map an expensive query pattern in Insights back to the route, job or ORM call that produces it, rather than reporting an anonymous slow query.

Evidence, not assertions

Every claim in the report carries the command that produced it; every recommendation carries a measured finding, a gate and a rollback path, and an ID you approve by name. Tooling failures go in an internal run log, never in the customer-facing report. The skill grounds its CLI and API usage in planetscale.com/docs/llms.txt and the published OpenAPI spec instead of guessing at command syntax.

Works with any agent that reads SKILL.md — Cursor, Claude Code, and anything following the open agent-skills convention. Sub-skills must stay siblings on disk; they reference each other by relative path.

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