Database Migrations
xu-xiang/everything-claude-code-zh
跨 PostgreSQL、MySQL 及常用 ORM(Prisma、Drizzle、Django、TypeORM、golang-migrate)的模式变更(schema changes)、数据迁移、回滚及零停机部署(zero-downtime deployments)的数据库迁移最佳实践。
Safe, reversible database migration patterns: forward-only production changes, expand-contract zero-downtime renames, concurrent indexes, batched backfills, and per-tool workflows for PostgreSQL…
$ npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install affaan-m/ECC database-migrations --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/database-migrations .claude/skills/database-migrations && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "database-migrations" agent skill from https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC/tree/main/skills/database-migrations into .claude/skills/database-migrations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "database-migrations", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC/tree/main/skills/database-migrationsType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install affaan-m/ECC database-migrations --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/database-migrations .agents/skills/database-migrations && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "database-migrations" agent skill from https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC/tree/main/skills/database-migrations into .agents/skills/database-migrations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "database-migrations", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install affaan-m/ECC database-migrations --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/database-migrations .cursor/skills/database-migrations && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "database-migrations" agent skill from https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC/tree/main/skills/database-migrations into .cursor/skills/database-migrations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "database-migrations", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC.git --path skills/database-migrations--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install affaan-m/ECC database-migrations --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/database-migrations .gemini/skills/database-migrations && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "database-migrations" agent skill from https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC/tree/main/skills/database-migrations into .gemini/skills/database-migrations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "database-migrations", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install affaan-m/ECC database-migrationsInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/database-migrations .github/skills/database-migrations && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "database-migrations" agent skill from https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC/tree/main/skills/database-migrations into .github/skills/database-migrations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "database-migrations", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install affaan-m/ECC database-migrations --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/database-migrations .opencode/skills/database-migrations && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "database-migrations" agent skill from https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC/tree/main/skills/database-migrations into .opencode/skills/database-migrations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "database-migrations", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
database-migrationsSafe, reversible database migration patterns: forward-only production changes, expand-contract zero-downtime renames, concurrent indexes, batched backfills, and per-tool workflows for PostgreSQL…
Database Migrations is an agent skill from affaan-m/ECC. Safe, reversible database migration patterns: forward-only production changes, expand-contract zero-downtime renames, concurrent indexes, batched backfills, and per-tool workflows for PostgreSQL, Prisma, Drizzle, Kysely, Django, and golang-migrate. Use when writing a schema or data migration, adding a column or index to a large table, planning a rollback, or preparing a zero-downtime deploy.
Its SKILL.md is about 3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Databases, covering ORMs and data access, Database migrations and Backend development. It works with Prisma, PostgreSQL, Django and Go. The repository describes itself as: The agent harness performance optimization system. Skills, instincts, memory, security, and research-first development for Claude Code, Codex, Opencode, Cursor and beyond. The licence is MIT.
5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 4eb71d9. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
npxpythonFrom the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npx, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Database Migrations loads about 3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 104 tokens; SKILL.md has 367 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
The full file from affaan-m/ECC at commit 4eb71d9, republished under its MIT licence (© affaan-m). 367 words, ~3,005 tokens.
.claude/skills/database-migrations/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).Safe, reversible database schema changes for production systems.
Before applying any migration:
-- GOOD: Nullable column, no lock
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN avatar_url TEXT;
-- GOOD: Column with default (Postgres 11+ is instant, no rewrite)
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN is_active BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT true;
-- BAD: NOT NULL without default on existing table (requires full rewrite)
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN role TEXT NOT NULL;
-- This locks the table and rewrites every row-- BAD: Blocks writes on large tables
CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users (email);
-- GOOD: Non-blocking, allows concurrent writes
CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY idx_users_email ON users (email);
-- Note: CONCURRENTLY cannot run inside a transaction block
-- Most migration tools need special handling for thisNever rename directly in production. Use the expand-contract pattern:
-- Step 1: Add new column (migration 001)
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN display_name TEXT;
-- Step 2: Backfill data (migration 002, data migration)
UPDATE users SET display_name = username WHERE display_name IS NULL;
-- Step 3: Update application code to read/write both columns
-- Deploy application changes
-- Step 4: Stop writing to old column, drop it (migration 003)
ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN username;-- Step 1: Remove all application references to the column
-- Step 2: Deploy application without the column reference
-- Step 3: Drop column in next migration
ALTER TABLE orders DROP COLUMN legacy_status;
-- For Django: use SeparateDatabaseAndState to remove from model
-- without generating DROP COLUMN (then drop in next migration)-- BAD: Updates all rows in one transaction (locks table)
UPDATE users SET normalized_email = LOWER(email);
-- GOOD: Batch update with progress
DO $$
DECLARE
batch_size INT := 10000;
rows_updated INT;
BEGIN
LOOP
UPDATE users
SET normalized_email = LOWER(email)
WHERE id IN (
SELECT id FROM users
WHERE normalized_email IS NULL
LIMIT batch_size
FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED
);
GET DIAGNOSTICS rows_updated = ROW_COUNT;
RAISE NOTICE 'Updated % rows', rows_updated;
EXIT WHEN rows_updated = 0;
COMMIT;
END LOOP;
END $$;# Create migration from schema changes
npx prisma migrate dev --name add_user_avatar
# Apply pending migrations in production
npx prisma migrate deploy
# Reset database (dev only)
npx prisma migrate reset
# Generate client after schema changes
npx prisma generatemodel User {
id String @id @default(cuid())
email String @unique
name String?
avatarUrl String? @map("avatar_url")
createdAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
orders Order[]
@@map("users")
@@index([email])
}For operations Prisma cannot express (concurrent indexes, data backfills):
# Create empty migration, then edit the SQL manually
npx prisma migrate dev --create-only --name add_email_index-- migrations/20240115_add_email_index/migration.sql
-- Prisma cannot generate CONCURRENTLY, so we write it manually
CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY IF NOT EXISTS idx_users_email ON users (email);# Generate migration from schema changes
npx drizzle-kit generate
# Apply migrations
npx drizzle-kit migrate
# Push schema directly (dev only, no migration file)
npx drizzle-kit pushimport { pgTable, text, timestamp, uuid, boolean } from "drizzle-orm/pg-core";
export const users = pgTable("users", {
id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
email: text("email").notNull().unique(),
name: text("name"),
isActive: boolean("is_active").notNull().default(true),
createdAt: timestamp("created_at").notNull().defaultNow(),
updatedAt: timestamp("updated_at").notNull().defaultNow(),
});# Initialize config file (kysely.config.ts)
kysely init
# Create a new migration file
kysely migrate make add_user_avatar
# Apply all pending migrations
kysely migrate latest
# Rollback last migration
kysely migrate down
# Show migration status
kysely migrate list// migrations/2024_01_15_001_create_user_profile.ts
import { type Kysely, sql } from 'kysely'
// IMPORTANT: Always use Kysely<any>, not your typed DB interface.
// Migrations are frozen in time and must not depend on current schema types.
export async function up(db: Kysely<any>): Promise<void> {
await db.schema
.createTable('user_profile')
.addColumn('id', 'serial', (col) => col.primaryKey())
.addColumn('email', 'varchar(255)', (col) => col.notNull().unique())
.addColumn('avatar_url', 'text')
.addColumn('created_at', 'timestamp', (col) =>
col.defaultTo(sql`now()`).notNull()
)
.execute()
await db.schema
.createIndex('idx_user_profile_avatar')
.on('user_profile')
.column('avatar_url')
.execute()
}
export async function down(db: Kysely<any>): Promise<void> {
await db.schema.dropTable('user_profile').execute()
}import { Migrator, FileMigrationProvider } from 'kysely'
import { promises as fs } from 'fs'
import * as path from 'path'
// ESM only — CJS can use __dirname directly
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url'
const migrationFolder = path.join(
path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)),
'./migrations',
)
// `db` is your Kysely<any> database instance
const migrator = new Migrator({
db,
provider: new FileMigrationProvider({
fs,
path,
migrationFolder,
}),
// WARNING: Only enable in development. Disables timestamp-ordering
// validation, which can cause schema drift between environments.
// allowUnorderedMigrations: true,
})
const { error, results } = await migrator.migrateToLatest()
results?.forEach((it) => {
if (it.status === 'Success') {
console.log(`migration "${it.migrationName}" executed successfully`)
} else if (it.status === 'Error') {
console.error(`failed to execute migration "${it.migrationName}"`)
}
})
if (error) {
console.error('migration failed', error)
process.exit(1)
}# Generate migration from model changes
python manage.py makemigrations
# Apply migrations
python manage.py migrate
# Show migration status
python manage.py showmigrations
# Generate empty migration for custom SQL
python manage.py makemigrations --empty app_name -n descriptionfrom django.db import migrations
def backfill_display_names(apps, schema_editor):
User = apps.get_model("accounts", "User")
batch_size = 5000
users = User.objects.filter(display_name="")
while users.exists():
batch = list(users[:batch_size])
for user in batch:
user.display_name = user.username
User.objects.bulk_update(batch, ["display_name"], batch_size=batch_size)
def reverse_backfill(apps, schema_editor):
pass # Data migration, no reverse needed
class Migration(migrations.Migration):
dependencies = [("accounts", "0015_add_display_name")]
operations = [
migrations.RunPython(backfill_display_names, reverse_backfill),
]Remove a column from the Django model without dropping it from the database immediately:
class Migration(migrations.Migration):
operations = [
migrations.SeparateDatabaseAndState(
state_operations=[
migrations.RemoveField(model_name="user", name="legacy_field"),
],
database_operations=[], # Don't touch the DB yet
),
]# Create migration pair
migrate create -ext sql -dir migrations -seq add_user_avatar
# Apply all pending migrations
migrate -path migrations -database "$DATABASE_URL" up
# Rollback last migration
migrate -path migrations -database "$DATABASE_URL" down 1
# Force version (fix dirty state)
migrate -path migrations -database "$DATABASE_URL" force VERSION-- migrations/000003_add_user_avatar.up.sql
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN avatar_url TEXT;
CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY idx_users_avatar ON users (avatar_url) WHERE avatar_url IS NOT NULL;
-- migrations/000003_add_user_avatar.down.sql
DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_users_avatar;
ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN IF EXISTS avatar_url;For critical production changes, follow the expand-contract pattern:
Phase 1: EXPAND
- Add new column/table (nullable or with default)
- Deploy: app writes to BOTH old and new
- Backfill existing data
Phase 2: MIGRATE
- Deploy: app reads from NEW, writes to BOTH
- Verify data consistency
Phase 3: CONTRACT
- Deploy: app only uses NEW
- Drop old column/table in separate migrationDay 1: Migration adds new_status column (nullable)
Day 1: Deploy app v2 — writes to both status and new_status
Day 2: Run backfill migration for existing rows
Day 3: Deploy app v3 — reads from new_status only
Day 7: Migration drops old status column| Anti-Pattern | Why It Fails | Better Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Manual SQL in production | No audit trail, unrepeatable | Always use migration files |
| Editing deployed migrations | Causes drift between environments | Create new migration instead |
| NOT NULL without default | Locks table, rewrites all rows | Add nullable, backfill, then add constraint |
| Inline index on large table | Blocks writes during build | CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY |
| Schema + data in one migration | Hard to rollback, long transactions | Separate migrations |
| Dropping column before removing code | Application errors on missing column | Remove code first, drop column next deploy |
© affaan-m, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Just SKILL.md in skills/database-migrations of affaan-m/ECC.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4eb71d9
We found 10 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 4 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in affaan-m/ECC, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.
Database Migrations next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Database Migrations this skillaffaan-m/ECC | 276k | 4 repos | ~3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Database Migrationsxu-xiang/everything-claude-code-zh | 2k | — | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Prisma 8 Contract-First ORMprisma/orm | 48k | — | ~3.8k | Automated safety check: Notes | Apache-2.0 | |
| DB Migratorlaolaoshiren/claude-code-skills-zh | 880 | — | ~677 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Migratesoftspark/ai-toolkit | 179 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Notes | Apache-2.0 | |
| Drizzle Ormericrisco/rsc-harness | 180 | — | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
xu-xiang/everything-claude-code-zh
跨 PostgreSQL、MySQL 及常用 ORM(Prisma、Drizzle、Django、TypeORM、golang-migrate)的模式变更(schema changes)、数据迁移、回滚及零停机部署(zero-downtime deployments)的数据库迁移最佳实践。
prisma/orm
Routes Prisma 8 tasks such as contracts, migrations, queries and upgrades to the right reference files for projects on the contract-first @prisma/orm packages.
laolaoshiren/claude-code-skills-zh
数据库迁移助手 - Schema 对比、迁移脚本生成
softspark/ai-toolkit
Run/create DB migrations (Alembic, Prisma, Laravel, Django, Flyway, Drizzle); checks backup.
ericrisco/rsc-harness
A skill your agent uses when modeling data or querying with Drizzle ORM in TypeScript — pgTable schema in .ts, type-safe select/insert/relational queries, drizzle-kit migrations.
ericrisco/rsc-harness
A skill your agent uses when modeling data or writing type-safe queries with Prisma ORM in TypeScript — schema.prisma, prisma.config.ts, the generated Prisma Client, and Prisma Migrate, including…
affaan-m/ECC
Audits your installed Claude skills and commands for quality, with a quick mode for recently changed skills and a full mode that evaluates all of them through subagents.
affaan-m/ECC
Ingests, indexes, searches, edits and monitors video, audio and live streams through the VideoDB Python SDK, returning stream links, clips and timestamps.
affaan-m/ECC
Route broad documentation-governance requests to existing ECC skills and run an opt-in, read-only audit of mapped documentation roles, links, ADR indexes, and evidence references.
affaan-m/ECC
Scans installed skills for principles that recur across them and proposes rule-file changes: append, revise, add a section, create a file or leave as covered.
affaan-m/ECC
Builds DRAFT counterparty agreements from one markdown template and a small JSON spec per party, with clauses picked by the party's role.
affaan-m/ECC
Measures whether agents actually follow a skill, rule or agent definition by generating scenarios at three strictness levels and scoring tool-call traces.
Categories
Safe, reversible database migration patterns: forward-only production changes, expand-contract zero-downtime renames, concurrent indexes, batched backfills, and per-tool workflows for PostgreSQL…. Database Migrations is an agent skill from affaan-m/ECC. Safe, reversible database migration patterns: forward-only production changes, expand-contract zero-downtime renames, concurrent indexes, batched backfills, and per-tool workflows for PostgreSQL, Prisma, Drizzle, Kysely, Django, and golang-migrate.
Database Migrations fits situations like: writing a schema; adding a column; index to a large table; planning a rollback.
Run `npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/database-migrations in affaan-m/ECC) into .claude/skills/database-migrations in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
Run `npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/database-migrations in affaan-m/ECC) into .agents/skills/database-migrations in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add affaan-m/ECC --skill database-migrations -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/database-migrations, .gemini/skills/database-migrations, .github/skills/database-migrations and .opencode/skills/database-migrations in your project.
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Database Migrations needs the command-line tools its instructions call (npx and python). Our summary lists: Python 3; Node.js.
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npx, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
Database Migrations is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
About 3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 12k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Database Migrations: Database Migrations (xu-xiang/everything-claude-code-zh, 2k stars), Prisma 8 Contract-First ORM (prisma/orm, 48k stars), DB Migrator (laolaoshiren/claude-code-skills-zh, 880 stars) and Migrate (softspark/ai-toolkit, 179 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
affaan-m (a GitHub user) maintains it in affaan-m/ECC, which has 276,111 GitHub stars. The repository holds 683 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.
Source: affaan-m/ECC on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.