Agent Stack Audit#

Bottom line: Run this monthly. Your agent stack accumulates dead weight faster than you think — zombie crons, unused APIs still billing you, scripts referencing killed strategies, and duplicate tools doing the same job. This skill finds all of it in one pass.

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When to Invoke#

Scheduled: First Monday of every month, 05:00 local time. Quick scan: Every Sunday (cron health only — 5 min). Manual trigger: Any time the stack feels bloated, bills are unexpected, or reliability has degraded. Trigger phrases: "stack audit", "clean up my automations", "what's still running?", "am I paying for anything unused?", "why are my API costs high?"

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Audit Scope (6 Categories)#

1. Crons — Are they alive and earning their keep?#

For each launchd agent / cron job / scheduled task:

• Is the process actually running? (check PID, plist/cron status)
• When did it last fire successfully?
• What does it produce? Is that output being consumed by anything?
• Is there a newer/better approach that renders this obsolete?

Questions to answer:

• "This cron runs every hour. Has its output file been read in the last 30 days?"
• "This watchdog monitors a bot that was killed 2 months ago — is the watchdog still running?"

2. Scripts — Dead code?#

Scan your automation directories for Python/shell scripts:

• Last modified date vs last executed date
• Scripts referencing killed bots or cancelled APIs
• Scripts built for old projects that are now closed
• Duplicate scripts doing the same job

3. API Keys — Are you paying for something unused?#

Cross-reference your API inventory against actual script usage:

• Any API key configured but never called in the last 30 days?
• Any paid subscription that maps to zero active script usage?
• Any free-tier key that's been maxed out — is an upgrade worthwhile?

Common culprits: data providers, news APIs, notification services, AI APIs at old models.

4. Skills — Superseded or never used?#

Review your installed skills:

• Any skill built but never actually invoked?
• Any skill replaced by a newer, better version?
• Any skill with overlapping functionality that could be merged?

5. Memory Files — Stale project context?#

Review project memory and context files:

• Any project memory not updated in 30+ days?
• Projects marked "on hold" for 60+ days with no activity?
• Contradictions between your main context file and individual project files?

6. Tools & Subscriptions — Better option available?#

Using web search:

• "Is [tool] still the best option for [use case] as of [current month]?"
• Check for: price drops on existing tools, new free tiers, open source alternatives, better APIs
• Flag if a paid tool now has a free/cheaper replacement

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Classification Framework#

For each item found, classify as:

ClassificationMeaningAction🔴 ZOMBIERunning but producing nothing usefulRecommend DELETE🟡 REDUNDANTSuperseded by newer/better approachRecommend REPLACE or MERGE🟠 OUTDATEDStill useful but using old tech/APIRecommend UPGRADE🟢 HEALTHYWorking, used, best current approachNo action⚪ UNKNOWNCan't determine without user inputFlag for user decision

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Output Format#

File: state/stack_audit_YYYY-MM-DD.md

markdown

# Stack Audit — [DATE]
_Scope: Crons, Scripts, APIs, Skills, Memory, Tools_
_Items scanned: [N] | Issues found: [M] | Recommended actions: [K]_

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## 🔴 RECOMMEND DELETE (zombies)
| Item | Type | Reason | Risk if deleted |
|---|---|---|---|
| old_watchdog.sh | Cron | Bot killed Mar 12, watchdog still running | None — bot is dead |

## 🟡 RECOMMEND REPLACE/MERGE (redundant)
| Item | Type | Replaced By | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| old_intelligence_scan.py | Script | Tech Scout skill | Kill script, activate skill |

## 🟠 RECOMMEND UPGRADE (outdated)
| Item | Type | Current | Better Option | Est. Saving/Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| image_gen API call | API | DALL-E 3 | [Cheaper/better alternative] | ~40% cost reduction |

## 🟢 HEALTHY — No Action
[List with one-line confirmation each]

## ⚪ NEEDS USER INPUT
[Items that require your decision — presented as yes/no questions]

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## Summary
- Recommended deletes: [N items] — saves [X $/mo or compute]
- Recommended upgrades: [N items]
- Estimated cleanup time if approved: ~[X hours]
- Most important action: [single highest-leverage item]

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Execution Rules#

1. Never delete anything without explicit user approval — only RECOMMEND
2. One exception: If a script references a dead API that has been confirmed cancelled → safe to comment out the call and log it. Don't delete the file.
3. If unsure → classify as ⚪ UNKNOWN. Never guess on deletions.
4. After approvals: execute cleanup and write state/stack_cleanup_YYYY-MM-DD.md confirming what was removed and what the before/after count was.

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Quick Scan (Sunday Cron Health Check)#

Lighter weekly version — runs in 5 minutes:

1. Check all scheduled tasks/crons are firing on schedule
2. Check all PID files match running processes
3. Check for any ERROR or FAILED in last 24h logs
4. Output: state/cron_health_YYYY-MM-DD.md — just a pass/fail list, no detail

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Why This Matters#

Left unchecked, automation stacks accumulate:

• Zombie crons that run every hour and log to files no one reads
• API subscriptions billing monthly for services killed 6 months ago
• Duplicate scripts that were "temporary" but became permanent
• Stale context files that feed wrong information to your agents

The monthly audit is what separates a clean, reliable stack from a pile of debt that fails when you need it most. Most teams discover 20-40% of their crons are either dead or redundant on the first pass.