Eol Message
Draft empathetic, structured end-of-life and migration announcements when you sunset a product line or force-upgrade customers.
Overview
EOL Message is an agent skill most often used in Grow (also Operate, Ship) that produces structured end-of-life and migration announcements for discontinuing products.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/deanpeters/product-manager-skills --skill eol-messageWhat is this skill?
- Worked example EOL announcement with transition narrative scaffold
- We / Announcing / Because / Which means for you story structure
- Product context framing (is a / that has served / by providing)
- Balances honesty on infrastructure limits with customer benefit bullets
- Template suitable for workflow SaaS and feature sunsets
- Example narrative references 50,000 small businesses and 20,000 customers over 8 years in the sample template
Adoption & trust: 1.1k installs on skills.sh; 5k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You are shutting down or replacing a product customers still rely on and need messaging that explains why without sounding careless or opaque.
Who is it for?
Solo PM-founders sunsetting a legacy tier, classic app, or acquired feature with an existing user base and a defined replacement.
Skip if: Pre-launch ideas with zero customers, internal-only tool deprecation with no external comms, or legal/regulatory filings that need counsel—not marketing copy.
When should I use this skill?
Discontinuing a customer-facing product, plan, or major feature and you need a structured external announcement with migration rationale.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a narrative-driven EOL announcement draft with clear dates, rationale, and customer-facing benefits to pair with your technical migration plan.
- Markdown EOL announcement draft
- Transition narrative sections (We / Announcing / Because / Which means)
- Product context positioning block
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
EOL messaging is cataloged under Grow because it manages customer lifecycle, retention narrative, and transition—after you have real users on an older offer. Lifecycle subphase covers deprecation, migration, and continuity comms rather than initial launch copy or day-one pricing tests.
Where it fits
Announce Classic tier EOL with a December cutoff and Pro migration benefits for paying small businesses.
Align support macros and status-page copy with the same narrative once engineering sets the hard deprecation date.
Bundle the EOL post with in-app upgrade flows and changelog entries before flipping feature flags off.
How it compares
Use for customer lifecycle communications—not for technical deprecation runbooks or automated changelog generators.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is eol-message for?
It is for indie SaaS operators and product-minded solo builders who own customer communication when a product or plan reaches end of life.
When should I use eol-message?
Use it in Grow when planning lifecycle migration; in Operate when coordinating shutdown timelines; in Ship when preparing launch-grade comms bundles alongside a forced upgrade.
Is eol-message safe to install?
It is copy templates only; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and have counsel review promises, dates, and data-retention claims before sending.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Eol Message
# EOL Message Examples ### Example 1: Good EOL Message (Workflow Automation Product) ```markdown ## End-of-Life Announcement: Acme Workflows Classic ### Product Transition Narrative **We are:** Acme Workflows, a workflow automation platform serving 50,000 small businesses - We're committed to helping you save time and focus on what matters - We continuously evolve our product based on your feedback and technological advances - We're building toward a future where automation is accessible, powerful, and simple **Announcing:** - We are discontinuing Acme Workflows Classic on December 31, 2026, and migrating all customers to Acme Workflows Pro. **Because:** - Acme Workflows Classic runs on outdated infrastructure that limits performance and scalability - Acme Workflows Pro is built on modern technology that enables 3x faster automation, better integrations, and real-time collaboration - Consolidating to one platform allows us to invest 100% of our engineering resources in features you've requested **Which means for you:** - 3x faster automation execution - 50+ new integrations (Slack, Asana, Notion, and more) - Access to new features like real-time collaboration and mobile app - Continued reliability and simplicity you expect from Acme ### Current Product Context **Our product** Acme Workflows Classic - **is a** workflow automation tool that helps small businesses eliminate repetitive tasks - **that has served** over 20,000 customers for 8 years - **by providing** reliable, straightforward automation without requiring technical expertise ### Customer Impact **We understand that this may affect you by:** - Requiring time to migrate workflows from Classic to Pro (estimated 1-2 hours for most customers) - Learning new features and interface changes - Updating API connections if you've customized workflows ### Transition Solution **For** small business owners - **that currently use** Acme Workflows Classic - Acme Workflows Pro - **is a** next-generation workflow automation platform - **that** maintains all the simplicity and reliability you love while adding 3x faster performance, 50+ new integrations, and real-time collaboration ### Differentiation and Continuity - **Like** Acme Workflows Classic, - Acme Workflows Pro - **provides** easy-to-build automations without coding, reliable execution, and straightforward pricing - **while also offering** 3x faster workflows, mobile app access, real-time team collaboration, and integrations with Slack, Asana, and Notion ### Support and Next Steps **To ensure a smooth transition, we will:** - Provide 1-on-1 migration assistance for all customers (schedule via support portal) - Automatically migrate your workflows with your approval (no manual rebuild needed) - Offer a 3-month 20% discount on Acme Workflows Pro for existing Classic customers - Maintain full access to Acme Workflows Classic until December 31, 2026 (no disruption during transition) ### Timeline - **March 1, 2026:** Migration tool available; begin migrating at your convenience - **September 1, 2026:** Acme Workflows Classic becomes read-only (no new workflows, existing workflows still run) - **December 31, 2026:** Acme Workflows Classic fully discontinued; data export must be completed by this date ### Call to Action - Log in to your account at acme.com/migrate to start the migration wizard - Schedule 1-on-1 migration support at acme.com/support - Contact our support team with questions: support@acme.com or 1-800-ACME-HELP ``` **Why this works:** - Empathy-first (acknowledges company commitment, then announces change) - Rationale is customer-benefit-focused (faster, more integrations, new features) - Acknowledges disruption honestly (migration takes time, learning curve) - Support measures are generous (1-on-1 help, auto-migration, discount) - Timeline is clear and provides ample lead time (9 months) - Call to action is specific and easy --- --- name: eol-message description: Write a clear, empathetic EOL