Retrospectives

Captures learnings at natural completion points and persists them for future use. This skill is both auto-triggered (EPIC completion hook in swain-design) and manually invocable via /swain-retro.

Invocation modes

Mode	Trigger	Context source
Auto	EPIC transitions to Complete (called by swain-design)	The completed EPIC and its child artifacts
Manual	User runs /swain-retro or /swain retro	Recent work — git log, closed tasks, transitioned artifacts
Scoped	/swain-retro EPIC-NNN or /swain-retro SPEC-NNN	Specific artifact and its related work

Step 1 — Gather context

Collect evidence of what happened during the work period.

For EPIC-scoped retros (auto or scoped)

# Get the EPIC and its children
bash skills/swain-design/scripts/specgraph.sh tree <EPIC-ID>

# Get closed tasks linked to child specs
TK_BIN="$(cd skills/swain-do/bin && pwd)"
export PATH="$TK_BIN:$PATH"
ticket-query '.status == "closed"' 2>/dev/null | grep -l "<EPIC-ID>\|<SPEC-IDs>"

Also read:

• The EPIC's lifecycle table (dates, duration)
• Child SPECs' verification tables (what was proven)
• Any ADRs created during the work
• Git log for commits between EPIC activation and completion dates

For manual (unscoped) retros

# Recent git activity
git log --oneline --since="1 week ago" --no-merges

# Recently closed tasks
TK_BIN="$(cd skills/swain-do/bin && pwd)"
export PATH="$TK_BIN:$PATH"
ticket-query '.status == "closed"' 2>/dev/null | head -20

# Recently transitioned artifacts
bash skills/swain-design/scripts/specgraph.sh status 2>/dev/null

Also check:

• Existing memory files for context on prior patterns
• Previous retro docs in docs/swain-retro/ for recurring themes

Step 2 — Present summary and prompt reflection

Present a concise summary of what was accomplished, then ask targeted reflection questions. Do not auto-generate retro content — the user drives the reflection.

Summary format

Retro scope: {EPIC-NNN title / "recent work"} Period: {start date} — {end date} Artifacts completed: {list} Tasks closed: {count} Key commits: {notable commits}

Reflection questions

Ask these one at a time, waiting for user response between each:

1. What went well? What patterns or approaches worked effectively that we should repeat?
2. What was surprising? Anything unexpected — blockers, shortcuts, scope changes?
3. What would you change? If you could redo this work, what would you do differently?
4. What patterns emerged? Any recurring themes across tasks — tooling friction, design gaps, communication patterns?

Adapt follow-up questions based on user responses. If the user gives brief answers, probe deeper. If they're expansive, move on.

Step 3 — Distill into memory files

After the reflection conversation, create or update memory files:

Feedback memories

For behavioral patterns and process learnings that should guide future agent behavior:

---
name: retro-{topic}
description: {one-line description of the learning}
type: feedback
---

{The pattern or rule}

**Why:** {User's explanation from the retro}
**How to apply:** {When this guidance kicks in}

Write to the project memory directory:

~/.claude/projects/<project-slug>/memory/feedback_retro_{topic}.md

Update MEMORY.md index.

Project memories

For context about ongoing work patterns, team dynamics, or project-specific learnings:

---
name: retro-{topic}
description: {one-line description}
type: project
---

{The fact or observation}

**Why:** {Context from the retro}
**How to apply:** {How this shapes future suggestions}

Rules for memory creation

• Only create memories the user has explicitly validated during the reflection
• Merge with existing memories when the learning extends a prior pattern
• Use absolute dates (from the retro context), not relative
• Maximum 3-5 memory files per retro — distill, don't dump

Step 4 — Write retro document

Create a dated retro doc capturing the full reflection:

mkdir -p docs/swain-retro

File: docs/swain-retro/YYYY-MM-DD-{topic-slug}.md

Retro doc format

# Retro: {title}

**Date:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Scope:** {EPIC-NNN title / "recent work"}
**Period:** {start} — {end}

## Summary

{Brief description of what was completed}

## Artifacts

| Artifact | Title | Outcome |
|----------|-------|---------|
| ... | ... | Complete/Abandoned/... |

## Reflection

### What went well
{User's responses, synthesized}

### What was surprising
{User's responses, synthesized}

### What would change
{User's responses, synthesized}

### Patterns observed
{User's responses, synthesized}

## Learnings captured

| Memory file | Type | Summary |
|------------|------|---------|
| feedback_retro_x.md | feedback | ... |
| project_retro_y.md | project | ... |

Step 5 — Update session bookmark

BOOKMARK="$(find . .claude .agents -path '*/swain-session/scripts/swain-bookmark.sh' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)"
bash "$BOOKMARK" "Completed retro for {scope} — {N} learnings captured"

Integration with swain-design

When swain-design transitions an EPIC to Complete, it should invoke this skill:

After completing EPIC transition → invoke swain-retro with the EPIC ID

This is a best-effort hook — if swain-retro is not available or the user declines, the EPIC transition still succeeds. The hook is documented in swain-design's completion rules, not enforced by this skill.

Referencing prior retros

When running a new retro, scan docs/swain-retro/ for prior retros. If patterns recur across multiple retros, call them out explicitly — recurring themes are the most valuable learnings.

ls docs/swain-retro/*.md 2>/dev/null | head -10