Learn from Conversation

Analyze the conversation to extract lessons learned, then persist them to AI assistant configuration files.

Supported Assistants

See references/assistant-configs.md for format details.

Process

1. Detect and Assess Configurations

Scan for config files and check their sizes:

for f in CLAUDE.md GEMINI.md AGENTS.md .cursorrules .github/copilot-instructions.md \
  .windsurf/rules/rules.md .continuerc.json; do
  [ -f "$f" ] && wc -l "$f"
done
find .cursor/rules -name "*.mdc" -exec wc -l {} \; 2>/dev/null

Behavior based on detection:

Size Thresholds

Discover Existing Skills

List skills for routing decisions:

find . -name "SKILL.md" -type f 2>/dev/null | grep -v node_modules | \
  xargs grep -l "^name:" | while read -r f; do
  grep -m1 "^name:" "$f" | sed 's/name: //'
done

2. Analyze Conversation

Scan for:

• Corrections: Commands retried, assumptions proven wrong, missing prerequisites
• Discoveries: Undocumented patterns, integration quirks, environment requirements
• Improvements: Steps that should be automated or validated earlier

3. Categorize and Route Each Learning

Routing Decision Tree

For each learning, evaluate in order:

1. Is this a multi-step automated workflow (>5 steps)?

   • YES → Create new skill (proceed to Step 5, Route C)
   • NO → Continue

2. Does an existing skill cover this topic?

   • YES → Update that skill
   • NO → Continue

3. Is the target config file oversized (>500 lines)?

   • YES → Create new skill OR offer refactoring (see Step 4)
   • NO → Continue

4. Is this learning situation-specific (applies to narrow context)?

   • YES → Create new skill with globs or context constraints
   • NO → Add to config file

Size-Based Rules

Skill Relevance Matching

Match learnings to existing skills using these criteria:

Also check skill description field for keyword overlap with the learning topic.

4. Present and Confirm

For each learning, show:

**[Category]**: [Brief description]
- Source: [What happened in conversation]
- Proposed change: [Exact text or file to add]
- Destination: [Config file] ([current] → [projected] lines)

Handle Size Threshold

If adding the learning would push a config file over threshold:

Adding this learning would bring [filename] to [X] lines (threshold: [Y]).

Options:
1. Add learning anyway (not recommended)
2. [Refactor](references/refactoring.md) existing content to skills first, then add
3. Create a new skill for this learning instead
4. Skip this config file

Ask for confirmation before applying each change.

5. Apply Changes

Apply changes based on routing decision from Step 3:

Route A: Add to Config File

Markdown configs (CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, AGENTS.md, Copilot, Windsurf):

• Find appropriate section, preserve existing structure
• Append to relevant section or create new section if needed

Cursor rules:

• Legacy .cursorrules: Treat like markdown, append content
• Modern .cursor/rules/*.mdc: See references/format-cursor-mdc.md

Continue (.continuerc.json):

• Update customInstructions field, preserving existing content
• See references/format-continue.md

Route B: Update Existing Skill

When adding to an existing skill:

1. Read the skill file: skills/[name]/SKILL.md
2. Find appropriate section or create new one
3. Append learning, maintaining the skill’s existing structure
4. If skill has references, consider adding to reference file instead

Skill update format:

## [New Section or append to existing]

[Learning content formatted as guidance or workflow step]

Route C: Create New Skill

Create in skills/[name]/SKILL.md with this template:

---
name: [learning-topic]
description: [What this handles and when to use it - triggers belong here, not in body]
---

# [Learning Topic]

[Learning content structured as workflow]

## Process

### 1. [First Step]
[Details]

6. Verify Changes

After applying each change, confirm success by showing:

✓ Added to [file path]:
  [Section name]
  > [First 2-3 lines of added content...]

If a write failed, report the error and offer to retry or skip.

7. Summarize

List:

• Config files modified (with full paths)
• Sections updated in each file
• Any skills created

Examples

Edge Cases

Guidelines

See references/guidelines.md for learning quality principles.