Self-Reflect

Reflect on the current session to extract learnings and improvements.

Goals

Goal	Method
Failure Analysis	Review tool errors and retries
Efficiency Review	Find redundant or wasteful steps
Pattern Extraction	Discover reusable workflows
Knowledge Gaps	Note missing skills or context

What to Look For

Failures

• Tool calls that errored
• Multiple retries of same action
• User corrections or clarifications
• Misunderstood requirements

Inefficiencies

• Read file multiple times unnecessarily
• Overly large edits that could be smaller
• Commands that could be combined
• Backtracking on approach

Patterns

• Multi-step workflows worth automating
• Repeated prompt structures
• Common tool sequences

Categorize Findings

Category	Action
Tool Misuse	Update AGENTS.md with pattern
Missing Skill	Create new skill
Repeated Steps	Create prompt template
Edge Case	Add to skill or guardrail

Output Files

File	Purpose
agent/skills/<name>/	Multi-step workflows
agent/prompts/<name>.md	Reusable prompt templates
AGENTS.md	Project-specific rules
agent/APPEND_SYSTEM.md	Universal agent manifesto

APPEND_SYSTEM.md Format

New sections use numbered Roman headings with Against or For stance (## N. Against X or ## N. For X). Prose paragraphs, no bullet lists, no bold markers, no indented context blocks. Declarative statements in first person. General principles, no project-specific tool names or examples. Read existing sections before adding new ones — match the style exactly.

Common Issues

Edit Failures

Pattern	Learning
"Could not find"	Always read file before editing
Multiple edit retries	Use smaller, targeted edits
Wrong whitespace	Match exact indentation/quotes

Bash Failures

Pattern	Learning
grep exit 1	Use grep ... || true
Command not found	Check available tools first
Permission denied	Note required permissions

Workflow Issues

Pattern	Learning
Asked same question	Clarify requirements upfront
Backtracked on design	Plan before implementing
Missed edge case	Add to skill checklist

Reflection Output

## Session Summary

**Task:** [What was accomplished]

**Failures:**

- [Tool/approach that failed and why]

**Inefficiencies:**

- [Steps that could be optimized]

**Learnings:**

- [New patterns or knowledge gained]

**Improvements:**

- [ ] [Concrete change to make]

Related Skills

• self-improve: Analyze historical sessions for patterns
• skill-authoring: Write discovered skills