--- name: adam-self-improvement description: Use when the user types /reflect, asks "what has adam learned", asks to "review proposals", or wants to inspect the self-improvement queue. Dispatches the adam subagent to analyse the observation journal and presents proposals for approve/reject/edit. --- # adam-self-improvement ## When to invoke - User types `/reflect` - User types `/reflect --explain` (same flow, but the analyst's clustering trace is shown to the user — see §2b below) - User asks: "what has adam learned", "any proposals", "review the queue" - SessionStart nudge said proposals are pending and user wants to act on it ## Protocol ### 0. Parse flags Check the slash-command argument string for the literal token `--explain`. Set `explain=true` when present; otherwise `explain=false`. Unknown flags: print one-line warning, continue with `explain=false`. This single flag is the only argument `/reflect` currently accepts. ### 1. Pre-filter the journal (window + exclusion) + score Before dispatching the analyst, run the windowed-journal filter: ```bash node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-window.mjs --home ~/.claude > /tmp/adam-windowed-journal.jsonl 2> /tmp/adam-windowed-journal.log ``` The script reads the active journal plus all rotated journal files (new `journal/YYYY-Www.jsonl` weekly format AND legacy `journal/YYYY-MM-DD-.jsonl` size-rotated format are both supported), applies per-signal-type sliding windows (see `SIGNAL_WINDOWS_DAYS` in `adam-window.mjs`), and drops entries already actioned via `applied/*.md` / `rejected/*.md` frontmatter `source_entries`. If `adam-window.mjs` exits non-zero: log the stderr file to the user, fall through to passing the raw `~/.claude/adam/journal.jsonl` path to the agent (graceful degradation — the agent's manual excluded-timestamps logic still filters actioned entries; only the freshness window is lost). Then run the scoring pre-step on the same windowed journal: ```bash node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-score.mjs --input /tmp/adam-windowed-journal.jsonl > /tmp/adam-scores.json 2> /tmp/adam-scores.log ``` This produces a per-session `dampener` (0.5 / 0.75 / 1.0 based on `task_completed_count`) and a `reinforcement_candidates` list (skills cited by ≥3 clean `task_completed` events). The analyst uses both — see `agents/adam.md` §"Scoring: task_completed dampener". If the score step fails, log stderr to the user and pass an empty `{"sessions":[],"reinforcement_candidates":[]}` to the analyst (dampener defaults to 1.0). Finally, run the A/B measurement pre-step on any previously auto-applied proposals (see §3 ab-tracking write): ```bash node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-ab-measure.mjs --home ~/.claude --format json > /tmp/adam-ab-regressions.json 2> /tmp/adam-ab-regressions.log ``` The JSON output is an array of A/B delta objects (`pre_count`, `post_count`, `delta_pct`, `status` ∈ {`improved`,`neutral`,`regressed`,`no_baseline`,`pending`}). Filter to `status == "regressed"` before passing to the analyst as `ab_regressions`. The analyst is required (see `agents/adam.md` §"A/B effectiveness") to surface a `## Regressions` section at the top of its output when this list is non-empty. If the script fails: log stderr, pass `[]`. **Auto-rollback** (MOSS §3.5): if any entries have `status == "regressed"`, run the rollback script to auto-revert them before analyst dispatch: ```bash node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-rollback.mjs --auto --home ~/.claude > /tmp/adam-rollback-results.json 2> /tmp/adam-rollback.log ``` For each rolled-back proposal, print to user: `adam: rolled back "" — regression detected (delta: %)`. The rollback script moves the proposal from `applied/` back to `proposals/` with `rolled_back: true` and creates a regression nudge. If the script fails: log stderr, continue (rollback is best-effort). **Evidence batching** (MOSS §3.1): pre-cluster the windowed journal into coherent failure batches: ```bash node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-batch.mjs --input /tmp/adam-windowed-journal.jsonl > /tmp/adam-batches.json 2> /tmp/adam-batch.log ``` This groups entries by (signal_type, cluster_key) and reports per-batch metadata including `has_context_window` (whether transcript evidence is attached). If the script fails: log stderr, pass `null` to the analyst (graceful degradation — analyst falls back to raw journal clustering). ### 2. Dispatch the analyst (two-stage pipeline) MOSS §3.3: "A single prompt asked to diagnose, plan, implement, verify, and decide overloads context and produces lower-quality output than a sequenced flow." The analyst is dispatched in two stages with a validation gate between them. **Stage 1 — Diagnose + Plan**: Use the Agent tool with `subagent_type: "adam"` and prompt: ``` stage=diagnose Read the batched journal entries, cluster by signal type, diagnose root causes, plan fix types, and score the keypoint matrix. Write diagnoses to /tmp/adam-diagnoses.json. Do NOT draft proposal files. Inputs: - windowed_journal_path: /tmp/adam-windowed-journal.jsonl - batches_path: /tmp/adam-batches.json # pre-clustered evidence batches - scores_path: /tmp/adam-scores.json - ab_regressions_path: /tmp/adam-ab-regressions.json - journal_path: ~/.claude/adam/journal.jsonl # raw — fallback only - state_path: ~/.claude/adam/state.json - usage_path: ~/.claude/adam/usage.json - applied_dir: ~/.claude/adam/applied/ - rejected_dir: ~/.claude/adam/rejected/ - transcripts_root: ~/.claude/projects/ - skills_root: ~/.claude/skills/ Use batches_path for pre-clustered evidence when available. Prefer context_window fields in journal entries over transcript file lookups. Write /tmp/adam-diagnoses.json per the "Diagnose-stage output format" in your system prompt. ``` Wait for return. **Inter-stage validation** (§2a): after stage 1 returns, read `/tmp/adam-diagnoses.json` and validate each diagnosis: 1. Every `source_entries` timestamp exists in the windowed journal (read `/tmp/adam-windowed-journal.jsonl`, check timestamps match). 2. Every diagnosis has all four fields (`trigger`, `action`, `mismatch`, `outcome`). 3. The planned `type` is a valid proposal type. 4. Remove diagnoses that fail validation — log a one-line warning per removal. If all diagnoses are removed or the file is missing/empty, print "adam: no valid diagnoses — nothing to implement" and skip to §6. **Stage 2 — Implement**: Use the Agent tool with `subagent_type: "adam"` and prompt: ``` stage=implement Read the validated diagnoses and draft full proposal files. Inputs: - diagnoses_path: /tmp/adam-diagnoses.json # validated stage-1 output - windowed_journal_path: /tmp/adam-windowed-journal.jsonl - scores_path: /tmp/adam-scores.json - ab_regressions_path: /tmp/adam-ab-regressions.json - state_path: ~/.claude/adam/state.json - usage_path: ~/.claude/adam/usage.json - proposals_dir: ~/.claude/adam/proposals/ - applied_dir: ~/.claude/adam/applied/ - rejected_dir: ~/.claude/adam/rejected/ - transcripts_root: ~/.claude/projects/ - skills_root: ~/.claude/skills/ Draft proposal files to proposals_dir/ for each diagnosis. Score against the confidence rubric. Emit the clustering trace and punch list as your final message. ``` Wait for return. ### 2b. Persist and render the clustering trace The analyst's final message always contains a fenced ` ```trace ` block (per `agents/adam.md` §"Clustering trace (always emit)") immediately before its punch-list JSON line. 1. Extract the trace block. If it is missing, print a one-line warning to the user (`adam: trace block missing from agent output — proceeding without observability`) and continue; do not block on this. 2. ALWAYS write the trace verbatim (without the surrounding fences) to `~/.claude/adam/last-trace.txt` (overwrite each run). This persists for retrospection via `node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-explain.mjs`. 3. Extract the `SUMMARY:` line from the trace. ALWAYS display it as a one-line status to the user BEFORE the proposals are listed, e.g. `clustering: `. This single-line status is shown in both `--explain` and default modes. 4. If `explain=true` (from §0): ALSO render the full trace block back to the user as a fenced code block (` ```text ` … ` ``` `) under a header `Clustering trace:`. If `explain=false`: SUPPRESS the cluster-line body from the user-visible output (the SUMMARY line is already shown in step 3). The user can re-render any past trace at any time via: ```bash node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-explain.mjs --mode summary # SUMMARY + per-decision counts node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-explain.mjs --mode full # verbatim trace + rejection histogram node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-explain.mjs --mode json # machine-readable ``` ### 3. Pre-apply verification gate (MOSS §3.4) MOSS §3.4: "Verification must therefore be runtime, on a production-equivalent environment, and against the same prompts that produced the failure evidence." Before auto-applying, verify each proposal deterministically: For each id in `high_confidence`: - Read the proposal file from `~/.claude/adam/proposals/-*.md`. - **Verification checks** (all must pass for auto-apply to proceed): 1. **Source entries exist**: every timestamp in `source_entries` frontmatter must appear in `/tmp/adam-windowed-journal.jsonl`. If any are missing, the evidence is stale or was already actioned — demote to `queued`. 2. **Diagnosis grounded**: the `# Diagnosis` section must have all four fields (Trigger, Action, Mismatch, Outcome) with ≥1 backtick-wrapped quote. If malformed, demote to `queued`. 3. **Type-evidence match**: the proposal `type` must match what the evidence supports: - `correction` signals → `memory`, `skill_new`, `skill_edit` (not `nudge`) - `dead_end` signals → `nudge`, `skill_new`, `skill_edit` (not `memory`) - `tool_error_loop` signals → `memory`, `skill_new`, `skill_edit` - `harness_edit` → must cite harness-level evidence (false negative, scoring bias, window miscalibration) If mismatch, demote to `queued`. 4. **No conflicting applied proposal**: grep `~/.claude/adam/applied/` for any proposal with the same `target` applied in the last 7 days. If found, demote to `queued` (prevents stacking rapid edits). - Print verification result: `verified: (4/4 checks passed)` or `demoted: (failed: )`. - Demoted proposals are moved from `high_confidence` to `queued` for manual review. ### 3a. Apply verified high-confidence items For each id that passed verification: - Print `id`, `target`, `confidence`, `blast_radius`, `cross_session_evidence`, `auto_apply_eligible`. - Apply the change: - **For `skill_new`**: `mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills//`, then `Write` the proposal's `# Proposed change` body to `~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md`. After write, print: "skill `` written to `~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md` — activates immediately — Claude Code v2.1.0+ auto-hot-reloads user-level skills, no restart needed." - **For `memory`**: `Write` the proposal's `# Proposed change` body (which MUST include the auto-memory frontmatter — see "Memory drafting protocol" in `agents/adam.md`) to the path in `target`. Then update `MEMORY.md` index with a one-line pointer. - **For `nudge`**: low-blast auto-apply path. Single-session evidence is sufficient — skip the cross-session gate. Append a new entry to `~/.claude/adam/active-nudges.json` (create the file with `[]` if absent) with shape `{kind, message, created_at: , expires_at_ts: , max_displays: 3, displays_used: 0, source_session: }`. Do NOT modify any skill, memory, agent, or CLAUDE.md. Tell user: "nudge queued — surfaces on next SessionStart in a different session (expires in 7 days)." - **For `reinforcement`**: gated by `confidence >= 4 AND blast_radius == low` (same as memory). Apply by invoking the helper: ```bash node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-apply-reinforcement.mjs ~/.claude/adam/proposals/-*.md --home ~/.claude ``` The helper reads the proposal frontmatter (`skill_slug`, `count`, `source_session`) and appends one JSON line to `~/.claude/adam/reinforcements.jsonl`. No code/memory/skill modifications. Output: `{"status":"applied"|"gated", ...}` — on `gated` leave proposal in `proposals/` (helper failed its own re-check), on `applied` continue to the archive step. Tell user: "reinforcement logged for `` (count=) — appended to reinforcements.jsonl." - **For `skill_edit`**: enforce the apply-time gate before writing. 1. Verify proposal frontmatter has `auto_apply_eligible: true`. If not, abort and queue for review. 2. Read `target` SKILL.md, capture `current_bytes` from a fresh stat — do NOT trust frontmatter `bytes_before`. 3. Verify diff in `# Proposed change`: - Unified-diff format. - Zero `-` lines on existing SKILL.md content (additions only). - Total `+` lines ≤ 30. If any check fails, print one-line refusal reason, leave proposal in `proposals/`, continue. 4. Cooldown re-check: run `node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-cooldown.mjs --skill --fingerprint ` (both fields come from proposal frontmatter; missing fingerprint → "legacy"). Refuse if the script returns `status: cooldown` OR `status: blacklisted`. This per-(skill, fingerprint) gate replaces the previous coarse per-skill scan — proposals for the same skill with a different fingerprint are NOT blocked by an older entry. 5. (covered by step 4 — blacklisted status is returned by `adam-cooldown.mjs` when `auto_apply_blacklist: true` is found in `rejected/` within 30 days for the same (skill, fingerprint)) 6. Apply via `Edit` tool (append the new section per the diff). Never use `Write` on existing SKILL.md. 7. Re-stat target. If new size exceeds `2 * current_bytes` (captured in step 2), revert via `Edit` (remove the just-appended section) and refuse — print refusal reason. 8. Add `last_auto_edit: ` to the proposal frontmatter before moving it. 9. Tell user: "skill `` extended (added lines) — auto-applied via win-evidence gate." - Move proposal to `~/.claude/adam/applied/-.md`. - **A/B tracking append** (skip for `reinforcement` — positive-only ledger, intentionally not A/B-tracked per `agents/adam.md` §"`reinforcement` proposals"): as a separate atomic step right after the move, append one JSON line to `~/.claude/adam/ab-tracking.jsonl` (create with empty contents if absent). Read fields from the proposal's frontmatter (`proposal_fingerprint`, `originating_signals` — both populated per `agents/adam.md`; `originating_signals` is a list of `{type, count, session_ids}` objects). Schema: ```json { "applied_at": , "proposal_id": "", "proposal_type": "skill_edit|skill_new|memory|nudge", "target_skill": "", "proposal_fingerprint": "", "originating_signals": [{"type":"","count":,"session_ids":[...]}], "pre_window_days": 7 } ``` This entry is consumed by `adam-ab-measure.mjs` on subsequent `/reflect` runs to compute pre/post signal-count deltas. See `agents/adam.md` §"A/B effectiveness". If the append fails (disk-full etc.) log a warning but do NOT abort the apply path — A/B is observability, not a gate. - **Archive consumed journal entries**: `node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-archive.mjs ~/.claude/adam/applied/-.md` — moves entries listed in proposal's `source_entries` from `journal.jsonl` to `journal/actioned-.jsonl` so subsequent `/reflect` runs do not re-cluster them. Print: `auto-applied N proposals: [ids]`. ### 4. Walk the queue For each id in `queued`: a. Read and display the proposal in full (frontmatter + body). b. Ask the user: **approve** / **reject** / **edit**. c. On **approve**: - For `claude_md_edit`: backup `cp ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md ~/.claude/adam/applied/-claude-md-backup.md` first. - For `deletion`: `mkdir -p ~/.claude/adam/trash/` then `mv` the artifact into it. Print restoration command. - For `skill_new`: `mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills//`, then write `# Proposed change` body to `/SKILL.md`. Tell user: "skill `` written — activates immediately (CC v2.1.0+ auto-hot-reload)." - For `skill_edit`: apply the unified diff in `# Proposed change` to the existing SKILL.md at `target` (append-only — never replace existing content). - For `memory`: write `# Proposed change` body (must include auto-memory frontmatter) to `target` and update `MEMORY.md` index with a one-line pointer. - For `harness_edit` (MOSS §1): apply the unified diff to the target harness file. **Before applying**: 1. Run `bash ~/.claude/adam/tests/run-tests.sh` — capture pass count. 2. Apply the diff via `Edit`. 3. Run `bash ~/.claude/adam/tests/run-tests.sh` again — verify pass count is equal or higher and 0 failures. 4. If test regression: revert the edit, print "harness_edit reverted — test regression detected", leave proposal in `proposals/`. 5. If tests pass: tell user "harness edit applied to `` — tests pass ( passed)." - For all others: apply via Write/Edit per the proposal's `# Proposed change`. - Move proposal to `~/.claude/adam/applied/-.md`. - Archive: `node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-archive.mjs ~/.claude/adam/applied/-.md`. d. On **reject**: ask for reason in one line. Append `# Reason\n` to proposal body. If the proposal `type` is `skill_edit`, ALSO add `auto_apply_blacklist: true` to its frontmatter (so future reflects skip auto-apply on this target for 30 days). Move to `~/.claude/adam/rejected/.md`. Archive: `node ~/.claude/adam/scripts/adam-archive.mjs ~/.claude/adam/rejected/.md`. e. On **edit**: ask the user for the change, edit the proposal in place, then loop back to step 4a for that same id. ### 5. Handle failures If apply fails (file write error, target missing): leave proposal in `proposals/`, append `# Apply error\n` to its body. Tell the user. Do not move it. ### 6. Summary End with one block: ``` adam reflect summary: observations processed: batches formed: diagnoses validated: / rolled back (regression): verification passed: / auto-applied: approved: rejected: edited+approved: failed: ``` **Keypoint history**: after all proposals are processed, append one JSON line to `~/.claude/adam/keypoint-history.jsonl` with the aggregate keypoint scores from the diagnose stage: ```json {"ts":"","session":"","keypoints":{"tool_selection":N,"scope_discipline":N,"error_recovery":N,"first_attempt":N,"build_reliability":N},"proposals_emitted":N,"proposals_applied":N} ``` This builds a longitudinal record of which capabilities are improving across `/reflect` runs. ## Karpathy constraints (you must enforce on each apply) Before writing any proposal: - Confirm `# Assumptions` section is non-empty. - Confirm `# Diagnosis` section exists and contains all four labelled lines (`Trigger:`, `Action:`, `Mismatch:`, `Outcome:`) AND at least one backtick-wrapped quote ≤80 chars in the Outcome line. Refuse if missing or malformed — agent must redraft per the "Diagnosis drafting protocol" in `agents/adam.md`. - Confirm `# Success criterion` section is non-empty and runnable. - Confirm change is ≤50 LOC for non-`skill_new`, or ≤80 LOC for `skill_new` body. If larger, ask the user once: "this proposal is N LOC — proceed?" - For `claude_md_edit`: confirm 3+ distinct cwds in the `# Why` section. - For `deletion`: confirm both criteria (a) and (b) from the agent's special handling are documented in the proposal. - For `skill_new`: confirm the slug doesn't collide with any existing skill in `~/.claude/skills/`. If it does, refuse and ask user to rename. - For `skill_edit`: confirm the diff is append-only (no `-` lines that remove existing content) and that target SKILL.md exists. When auto-applying, ALSO re-verify the eligibility gate steps in §3 (cooldown, blacklist, byte cap) before any `Edit` call — never trust frontmatter alone. - For `skill_edit` with `auto_apply_eligible: true`: confirm `contradiction_flag` is absent or null in frontmatter. Refuse auto-apply if `contradiction_flag` is set with any non-empty value (treat the agent's flag as a hard veto on auto-apply; user can still manually approve in walk-the-queue if they disagree with the heuristic). - For `memory`: confirm `# Proposed change` body starts with `---` frontmatter matching the live auto-memory schema — top-level `name` (the slug) + `description`, plus a `metadata:` block with `node_type: memory`, `type`, and `originSessionId`. Cross-check the shape against an existing file in the target memory dir. Refuse if frontmatter is flat (`type:`/`originSessionId:` at top level) or missing the `metadata:` block — agent must redraft per the Memory drafting protocol. - For `harness_edit`: confirm `auto_apply_eligible: false` (never auto-apply). Confirm `confidence ≥ 5`. Confirm `# Test verification` section names the test command. Confirm diff is ≤30 LOC and targets a single allowed harness file (see `agents/adam.md` §"Harness self-modification"). Run test suite before AND after applying — revert on any regression. - Confirm `source_entries` is present in proposal frontmatter as a non-empty list (used for archive). Warn (do not refuse) if missing — legacy proposals from before v0.2.0 won't have it. If any check fails, refuse to apply and ask the user how to proceed. ## Things you MUST NOT do - Do not auto-apply anything not in `high_confidence`. - Do not invoke other skills during a `/reflect` run. - Do not modify `settings.json` without explicit user yes. - Do not hard-delete anything. Use `mv` to `~/.claude/adam/trash//`. - Do not bypass the rubric (`auto_apply_eligible: false` means queue, full stop).