Codex skill rename alias preservation

Skill whyy9527/codexception/examples/codex-skill-rename-alias-preservation

Codex-native continuous learning skill for extracting reusable debugging and workflow knowledge into SKILL.md files

Install

npx -y skills add whyy9527/codexception --skill codex-skill-rename-alias-preservation

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Rename a Codex skill without losing retrieval from the old name. Use when changing ~/.codex/skills/<old>/SKILL.md to a new skill name, hook tag, or activation phrase.

SKILL.md

1.7 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it

Codex Skill Rename Alias Preservation

Use When

A Codex-native skill is being renamed.
A hook tag or script name changes with the skill name.
Users may still say the old skill name, a typo, or a legacy trigger phrase.

Failure Mechanism

Codex retrieves skills primarily from names and descriptions. If a rename removes the old name from the new description, old prompts stop matching even when the new skill has the same behavior.

Procedure

Rename the directory and frontmatter name to the new canonical name.
Keep old names and common typos in the new frontmatter description.
Update hook script names, hook JSON paths, and hook additionalContext tags.
Remove the old directory only after aliases exist in the new description.
Run a text search for stale runtime references.

Example description fragment:

description: |
  Continuous learning and skill extraction for Codex. Use when the user asks for
  "codexception", "claudeception", or "claudexception".

Verification

rg -n "old-name|old-script" ~/.codex/hooks.json ~/.codex/hooks ~/.codex/skills/<new>
git -C ~/.codex status --short --untracked-files=all
The old name appears only as an alias or historical reference, not as an executable hook path.

High-Risk Actions

Do not delete the old skill name from all retrieval text during a rename.
Do not keep two active copies of the same skill unless there is a clear runtime split.
Do not leave hooks.json pointing at a deleted script.