Extract Skill

Typically runs automatically via SessionStart hook.

Process pending learning extractions from previous sessions.

How It Works

The SessionStart hook runs:

ao extract

This checks for queued extractions and outputs prompts for Claude to process.

Manual Execution

Given /extract:

Step 1: Check for Pending Extractions

ao extract 2>/dev/null

Or check the pending queue:

cat .agents/ao/pending.jsonl 2>/dev/null | head -5

Step 2: Process Each Pending Item

For each queued session:

1. Read the session summary
2. Extract actionable learnings
3. Write to .agents/learnings/

Step 3: Write Learnings

Write to: .agents/learnings/YYYY-MM-DD-<session-id>.md

# Learning: <Short Title>

**ID**: L1
**Category**: <debugging|architecture|process|testing|security>
**Confidence**: <high|medium|low>

## What We Learned

<1-2 sentences describing the insight>

## Why It Matters

<1 sentence on impact/value>

## Source

Session: <session-id>

Step 3.5: Validate Learnings

After writing learning files, validate each has required fields:

1. Scan newly written files:

ls -t .agents/learnings/YYYY-MM-DD-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -5

2. For each file, check required fields:

   • Heading: File must start with # Learning: <title> (non-empty title)
   • Category: Must contain **Category**: <value> where value is one of: debugging, architecture, process, testing, security
   • Confidence: Must contain **Confidence**: <value> where value is one of: high, medium, low
   • Content: Must contain a ## What We Learned section with at least one non-empty line after the heading

3. Report validation results:

   • For each valid learning: “✓ : valid”
   • For each invalid learning: “⚠ : missing ” (list each missing field)

4. Do NOT delete or retry invalid learnings. Log the warning and proceed. Invalid learnings are still better than no learnings — the warning helps identify extraction quality issues over time.

Step 4: Clear the Queue

ao extract --clear 2>/dev/null

Step 5: Report Completion

Tell the user:

• Number of learnings extracted
• Key insights
• Location of learning files

The Knowledge Loop

Session N ends:
  → ao forge --last-session --queue
  → Session queued in pending.jsonl

Session N+1 starts:
  → ao extract (this skill)
  → Claude processes the queue
  → Writes to .agents/learnings/
  → Validates required fields
  → Loop closed

Key Rules

• Runs automatically – usually via hook
• Process the queue – don’t leave extractions pending
• Be specific – actionable learnings, not vague observations
• Close the loop – extraction completes the knowledge cycle