playbooks

home / skills / a5c-ai / babysitter / build-system-migrator

build-system-migrator skill

/plugins/babysitter/skills/babysit/process/specializations/code-migration-modernization/skills/build-system-migrator

This skill migrates legacy build systems to modern tools by converting build files, migrating plugins, and integrating CI/CD for faster, reliable workflows.

npx playbooks add skill a5c-ai/babysitter --skill build-system-migrator

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (2)
SKILL.md
2.2 KB
---
name: build-system-migrator
description: Migrate build systems to modern alternatives with build file conversion and CI/CD integration
allowed-tools: ["Bash", "Read", "Write", "Grep", "Glob", "Edit"]
---

# Build System Migrator Skill

Migrates build systems to modern alternatives, handling build file conversion, plugin migration, and CI/CD integration.

## Purpose

Enable build modernization for:
- Build file conversion
- Plugin migration
- Dependency management migration
- CI/CD integration
- Cache optimization

## Capabilities

### 1. Build File Conversion
- Convert build configurations
- Migrate between tools
- Preserve build logic
- Handle custom tasks

### 2. Plugin Migration
- Map plugin equivalents
- Configure replacements
- Handle custom plugins
- Document gaps

### 3. Dependency Management Migration
- Convert dependency declarations
- Handle version management
- Migrate lockfiles
- Manage repositories

### 4. CI/CD Integration
- Update pipeline configurations
- Adapt build commands
- Handle caching
- Optimize parallelization

### 5. Cache Optimization
- Configure build caches
- Set up remote caching
- Handle cache invalidation
- Optimize cache keys

### 6. Incremental Build Setup
- Configure incremental builds
- Handle change detection
- Optimize rebuild time
- Manage artifacts

## Tool Integrations

| From/To | Tools | Integration Method |
|---------|-------|-------------------|
| Maven -> Gradle | Gradle init | CLI |
| Webpack -> Vite | Manual/Codemods | CLI |
| Make -> Bazel | Manual | Config |
| npm -> pnpm | pnpm import | CLI |
| Lerna -> Nx | Nx migrate | CLI |
| Turborepo | turbo init | CLI |

## Output Schema

```json
{
  "migrationId": "string",
  "timestamp": "ISO8601",
  "source": {
    "buildTool": "string",
    "version": "string"
  },
  "target": {
    "buildTool": "string",
    "version": "string"
  },
  "artifacts": {
    "buildFile": "string",
    "configFiles": [],
    "ciConfig": "string"
  },
  "plugins": {
    "migrated": "number",
    "manual": "number"
  }
}
```

## Integration with Migration Processes

- **build-system-modernization**: Primary migration tool

## Related Skills

- `configuration-migrator`: Config conversion

## Related Agents

- `build-pipeline-migrator`: CI/CD migration

Overview

This skill automates migrating legacy build systems to modern alternatives, converting build files, migrating plugins, and integrating CI/CD changes. It focuses on preserving build logic while reducing manual effort and minimizing disruption to developers. Outputs include a traceable migration artifact and a migration report for review.

How this skill works

The skill analyzes the source build configuration and maps constructs to the target tool using codemods, CLI helpers, and custom rules. It updates dependency declarations, translates plugins and tasks, and produces updated CI/CD pipeline files. It also generates cache and incremental build recommendations and a structured migration artifact for auditing and rollback.

When to use it

  • Replatforming a repository to a newer build tool (e.g., Maven→Gradle, Webpack→Vite)
  • Consolidating multiple projects on a single modern build system
  • Migrating dependency management (npm→pnpm) or monorepo tooling (Lerna→Nx)
  • Modernizing CI/CD pipelines to align with the new build commands and cache strategy
  • Improving build performance through cache and incremental-build configuration

Best practices

  • Run migrations in a feature branch and include the generated migration artifact in PRs for reviewers
  • Start with automated conversion, then run targeted manual fixes and tests for custom tasks and plugins
  • Preserve original build logic; document any deliberate behavioral changes in the migration report
  • Validate CI pipelines in a staging environment before deploying to production
  • Add cache and incremental-build recommendations incrementally to observe performance impact

Example use cases

  • Convert a Maven multi-module project to Gradle while preserving custom lifecycle tasks
  • Migrate a JavaScript app from Webpack to Vite and update GitHub Actions workflows with optimized caching
  • Replace npm with pnpm and import lockfiles to reduce install times across CI agents
  • Move a Make-based project to Bazel with remote cache configuration for faster shared builds
  • Migrate Lerna-managed monorepo to Nx and adapt pipeline parallelization for CI

FAQ

What does the migration artifact include?

It includes translated build files, updated CI configs, a list of migrated and manual plugins, and a JSON migration summary with timestamps and source/target metadata.

Can it handle custom plugins or tasks?

Yes—automated mapping is attempted first; custom plugins/tasks are flagged and documented for manual implementation with suggested replacements when available.

How are caches and incremental builds handled?

The skill adds recommended cache keys, remote cache configuration, and incremental-build settings, plus guidance on invalidation policies and tuning steps.