Repository Lifecycle

The governed lifecycle of a repository, from idea to archival, with governance expectations at each stage. This aligns the lifecycle and maturity fields already used in the Repo Registry with an explicit stage model. Evidence-first; the maturity language matches the digests (ADR 0002).

The lifecycle

graph LR
    P[Proposal] --> E[Evaluation]
    E -->|approved| C[Creation]
    E -->|rejected| X[Not created — recorded]
    C --> AD[Active Development]
    AD --> OP[Operational]
    OP --> MA[Maintenance]
    MA --> RE[Retirement]
    RE --> AR[Archival]
    OP -.superseded.-> RE

Stage detail & governance expectations

Stage	Meaning	Registry `lifecycle` / `maturity`	Governance expectations
Proposal	A repo is suggested to fill a need	`idea` / `concept`	Pass the four-part test and the Decision Matrix; confirm it isn’t a pack/skill/feature instead
Evaluation	Placement & necessity reviewed	`idea` / `concept`	Architecture review; ADR if structural; confirm it won’t trap a reusable capability in a venture
Creation	Repo scaffolded	`prototype` / `early-development`	Root `README` + `CLAUDE.md` from day one; register a repo row + (if relevant) a capability page
Active Development	Being built in phases	`active` / `active-development`	Phase-gated review (Principle 10); digest kept current; ADRs for decisions
Operational	In real use	`active` / `operational`	Digest `last_reviewed` current; dependencies surfaced in the dependency map; reuse/duplication tracked
Maintenance	Stable, low change	`maintenance` / `operational`	Periodic review (annual, see Review Lifecycle); pin-freshness for any consumed packs
Retirement	Being wound down / superseded	`deprecated`	ADR recording why + successor; consumers migrated off; dependency map updated
Archival	Frozen, read-only	`archived`	Digest marked archived (not deleted); links preserved; provenance retained

Governance gates between stages

graph TD
    P[Proposal] -->|four-part test + Decision Matrix| E[Evaluation]
    E -->|architecture review + ADR if structural| C[Creation]
    C -->|README + CLAUDE.md + registry row| AD[Active Development]
    AD -->|phase reviews + current digest| OP[Operational]
    OP -->|dependencies surfaced + reuse checked| MA[Maintenance]
    MA -->|annual review| RE[Retirement]
    RE -->|migration + successor ADR| AR[Archival]

Rules

No repo without root docs. A created repo must have README + CLAUDE.md (repo-level source of truth).
No repo without a registry row. Registration is part of creation (no orphan repos — update-conventions).
Retirement is a decision, not a deletion. Record an ADR; migrate consumers first; keep the archived digest.
Stage is state, not location — advancing a repo is a field/maturity change plus evidence, never a silent move (Principle 4).
Prefer not creating a repo. Domain expansion → a pack; shared behaviour → a skill; reusable service → Platform Services. A new repo needs a distinct owner + change-rate + one-paragraph rationale.

Current repositories against this lifecycle (from the registry)

Repo	Stage (per registry)
`shared-skills`	Operational
`personalops` (FIP)	Active Development (early-development)
`website-intelligence-lab`	Active Development (early-development)
`intelproducts`	Operational (contract)
`inexisstudios`	Active Development
`leadplatform`	Active Development (in-progress)
`outreachagent`	Operational
`portfolio-portal`	Active Development

leadplatform, outreachagent, and inexisstudios are registered but not yet fully digested — a governance to-do recorded in the status dashboard.