Skill Evolve

Turn real-world experience into durable skill knowledge.

When to Use

User invokes this skill after completing work that revealed a gap, pitfall, or new pattern not yet captured in an existing SKILL.md. Typical trigger: $skill-evolve @path/to/SKILL.md

Procedure

Step 1 — Gather Context

1. Read the referenced SKILL.md in full.
2. Review the current conversation to identify:
   • What went wrong or was discovered (the incident/finding)
   • Root cause (why it happened)
   • The fix or pattern (what the correct approach is)
   • Why the existing skill didn't prevent it (the gap)

Step 2 — Classify the Learning

Determine which type of update is needed:

Type	Description	Example
New Rule	A pattern/anti-pattern not covered at all	.entered() in async is forbidden
Rule Refinement	Existing rule needs caveats or edge cases	skip_all needed when params include trait objects
New Example	Correct/incorrect code pattern to illustrate existing rule	async {}.instrument(span).await for match arms
Checklist Addition	New review checkpoint	".entered() held across .await? FORBIDDEN"
Section Expansion	Existing section needs a new subsection	Adding async lifecycle patterns to spawn section

Step 3 — Draft the Update

Write the proposed additions following these principles:

• Match the existing style — same heading levels, table formats, code block conventions
• Place it where it belongs — near related content, not appended randomly at the end
• Lead with the rule, then the why, then the example
• Include both CORRECT and FORBIDDEN patterns when adding anti-patterns
• Keep it concise — skills are reference material, not tutorials

Step 4 — Apply and Summarize

1. Edit the SKILL.md with the new content.
2. Present a summary to the user:

## Skill Evolution Summary

**Skill**: <skill name>
**Trigger**: <what happened that revealed the gap>
**Update type**: <New Rule | Rule Refinement | New Example | Checklist Addition | Section Expansion>
**What was added**:
- <bullet summary of each change>
**Section(s) modified**: <list of modified section numbers/names>

Quality Gates

Before applying the update, verify:

• The new content does NOT duplicate existing rules (check the full SKILL first)
• The new content is grounded in a real incident from this conversation (not hypothetical)
• Code examples compile conceptually (correct syntax, realistic types)
• The learning is generalizable — useful beyond this one specific case
• If adding a FORBIDDEN pattern, a CORRECT alternative is shown alongside it

Anti-Patterns for This Skill

• Don't bloat: If the learning is too narrow or one-off, suggest the user add it to memory instead of a skill
• Don't rewrite: Evolve the skill incrementally. Don't restructure or rewrite existing sections unless they are wrong
• Don't speculate: Only add patterns that were validated in practice during this conversation
• Don't duplicate: If the fix was specific to this codebase and not transferable, it belongs in the nearest AGENTS.md, not a skill