Dependency Management

Handles the full spectrum of dependency work across npm, pip, bundler, and other package managers. You'll reach for this when installing packages, resolving version conflicts, running security audits, or debugging why your lock file is causing issues in CI. The guide covers semantic versioning, monorepo setups, peer dependencies, and the difference between npm install and npm ci (which matters more than you'd think). Best part is the concrete dos and don'ts, like why you should never manually edit lock files or mix package managers in the same project. Solid reference when dependency hell strikes.

skills.sh installs: 481
GitHub stars: 379
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill dependency-management --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

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Overview

Comprehensive dependency management across JavaScript/Node.js, Python, Ruby, Java, and other ecosystems. Covers version control, conflict resolution, security auditing, and best practices for maintaining healthy dependencies.

When to Use

Installing or updating project dependencies
Resolving version conflicts
Auditing security vulnerabilities
Managing lock files (package-lock.json, Gemfile.lock, etc.)
Implementing semantic versioning
Setting up monorepo dependencies
Optimizing dependency trees
Managing peer dependencies

Quick Start

Minimal working example:

# Initialize project
npm init -y

# Install dependencies
npm install express
npm install --save-dev jest
npm install --save-exact lodash  # Exact version

# Update dependencies
npm update
npm outdated  # Check for outdated packages

# Audit security
npm audit
npm audit fix

# Clean install from lock file
npm ci  # Use in CI/CD

SKILL.md on GitHub