shelf archive · shelf docs

shelf archive <name>

Argument	Description
`<name>`	Skill name

Also takes the global options --json and --actor (CLI overview).

What it does

Moves ~/.shelf/library/<name> to ~/.shelf/archive/<name>-<timestamp>/ (UTC, such as commit-messages-2026-10-07T05-35-15) and marks the skill archived. Archived skills disappear from catalog, search, sets and the dashboard. Their snapshots stay in ~/.shelf/objects/.

To restore, move the directory back to ~/.shelf/library/<name>. The next command picks it up with its history.

The archived skill keeps its name: new, rename, duplicate and add refuse to use it.

Project copies and lockfiles carry the skill's name, so archiving a borrowed skill is refused. Return it from every project first. Agents archive skills only when you ask.

Examples

terminal

$ shelf archive commit-messages
Archived commit-messages to /home/me/.shelf/archive/commit-messages-2026-10-07T05-35-15
Its revisions are kept. To restore it, move that directory back into the library.

terminal

$ shelf archive api-design
error: api-design is borrowed by billing-api, storefront. Archiving it would orphan their copies and lockfiles.
hint: Return it from billing-api, storefront first (`shelf return api-design` in each project)

JSON output

json

{"schemaVersion":1,"ok":true,"data":{"skill":"demo-three","path":"/home/me/.shelf/archive/demo-three-2026-10-07T05-51-51"}}

path is where the directory went.

Errors

Code	When
`SKILL_NOT_FOUND`	No skill by that name in the library.
`CONFLICT`	A project borrows the skill.

What it does

Examples

JSON output

Errors

Related