Learn Skill

YOU MUST EXECUTE THIS WORKFLOW. Do not just describe it.

Capture knowledge manually for future sessions. Fast path to feed the knowledge flywheel without running a full retrospective.

Flags

When to use --global: Use for knowledge that applies across all your projects (e.g., language patterns, tooling preferences, debugging techniques). Use default (no flag) for repo-specific knowledge (e.g., architecture decisions, local conventions).

Execution Steps

Given /learn [content]:

Step 1: Get the Learning Content

If content provided as argument: Use it directly.

If no argument: Ask the user via AskUserQuestion: "What did you learn or want to remember?" Then collect the content in free text.

Step 2: Classify the Knowledge Type

Use AskUserQuestion to ask which type:

Tool: AskUserQuestion
Parameters:
  questions:
    - question: "What type of knowledge is this?"
      header: "Type"
      multiSelect: false
      options:
        - label: "decision"
          description: "A choice that was made and why"
        - label: "pattern"
          description: "A reusable approach or technique"
        - label: "learning"
          description: "Something new discovered (default)"
        - label: "constraint"
          description: "A rule or limitation to remember"
        - label: "gotcha"
          description: "A pitfall or trap to avoid"

Default to "learning" if user doesn't choose.

Step 3: Generate Slug

Create a slug from the content:

• Take the first meaningful words (skip common words like "use", "the", "a")
• Lowercase
• Replace spaces with hyphens
• Max 50 characters
• Remove special characters except hyphens

Check for collisions:

# If file exists, append -2, -3, etc.
slug="<generated-slug>"
counter=2
if [[ "$GLOBAL" == "true" ]]; then
  base_dir="$HOME/.claude/patterns"
else
  base_dir=".agents/knowledge/pending"
fi
while [ -f "${base_dir}/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)-${slug}.md" ]; do
  slug="<generated-slug>-${counter}"
  ((counter++))
done

Step 4: Create Knowledge Directory

# If --global: write to global patterns (cross-repo)
# Otherwise: write to local knowledge (repo-specific)
if [[ "$GLOBAL" == "true" ]]; then
  mkdir -p ~/.claude/patterns
else
  mkdir -p .agents/knowledge/pending
fi

Step 5: Write Knowledge File

Path:

• Default: .agents/knowledge/pending/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.md
• With --global: ~/.claude/patterns/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.md

Format:

---
type: <classification>
source: manual
date: YYYY-MM-DD
---

# Learning: <short title>

**ID**: L1
**Category**: <classification>
**Confidence**: medium

## What We Learned

<content>

## Source

Manual capture via /learn

Example:

---
type: pattern
source: manual
date: 2026-02-16
---

# Learning: Token Bucket Rate Limiting
**ID**: L1
**Category**: pattern
**Confidence**: high

## What We Learned

Use token bucket pattern for rate limiting instead of fixed windows. Allows burst traffic while maintaining average rate limit. Implementation: bucket refills at constant rate, requests consume tokens, reject when empty.

Key advantage: smoother user experience during brief bursts.

## Source

Manual capture via /learn

Step 6: Integrate with ao CLI (if available)

Check if ao is installed:

if command -v ao &>/dev/null; then
  echo "✓ Knowledge saved to <path>"
  echo ""
  echo "To move this into cached memory now:"
  echo "  ao pool ingest <path>"
  echo "  ao pool list --status pending"
  echo "  ao pool stage <candidate-id>"
  echo "  ao pool promote <candidate-id>"
  echo ""
  echo "Or let hooks run close-loop automation."
else
  echo "✓ Knowledge saved to <path>"
  echo ""
  echo "Note: Install ao CLI to enable automatic knowledge flywheel."
fi

Do NOT auto-run promotion commands. The user should decide when to stage/promote.

Note: If --global is set, skip ao CLI integration. Global patterns are file-based only and are found via grep search in /research, /knowledge, and /inject.

Step 7: Confirm to User

Tell the user:

Learned: <one-line summary from content>

Saved to: .agents/knowledge/pending/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.md
Type: <classification>

This capture is queued for flywheel ingestion; once promoted it is available via /research and /inject.

Key Rules

• Be concise - This is for quick captures, not full retrospectives
• Preserve user's words - Don't rephrase unless they ask
• Use simple slugs - Clear, descriptive, lowercase-hyphenated
• Ingest-compatible format - Include # Learning: block with category/confidence
• No auto-promotion - User controls quality pool workflow

Examples

Quick Pattern Capture

User says: /learn "use token bucket for rate limiting"

What happens:

1. Agent has content from argument
2. Agent asks for classification via AskUserQuestion
3. User selects "pattern"
4. Agent generates slug: token-bucket-rate-limiting
5. Agent creates .agents/knowledge/pending/2026-02-16-token-bucket-rate-limiting.md
6. Agent writes frontmatter + content
7. Agent checks for ao CLI, informs user about ao pool ingest + stage/promote options
8. Agent confirms: "Learned: Use token bucket for rate limiting. Saved to .agents/knowledge/pending/2026-02-16-token-bucket-rate-limiting.md"

Interactive Capture

User says: /learn

Agent asks for content and type, generates slug never-eval-hooks, creates .agents/knowledge/pending/2026-02-16-never-eval-hooks.md, confirms save.

Gotcha Capture

User says: /learn "bd dep add A B means A depends on B, not A blocks B"

Agent classifies as "gotcha", generates slug bd-dep-direction, creates file in pending, confirms save.

Troubleshooting

The Flywheel

Manual captures feed the same flywheel as automatic extraction:

/learn → .agents/knowledge/pending/ → ao pool ingest → .agents/learnings/ → /inject + feedback-loop

This skill is for quick wins. For deeper reflection, use /retro.