16 Self Improving Agent Proactive Self Reflection

Self-reflection + Self-criticism + Self-learning + Self-organizing memory. Agent evaluates its own work, catches mistakes, and improves permanently. Use befo...

Security Scan

The skill's requested actions (local files under ~/self-improving, self-reflection workflows, and minor workspace edits) match its stated purpose, but it will create and maintain persistent files in your home directory and asks to edit workspace docs — review what it will store and where before enabling.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description (self-reflection, learning, memory) align with the instructions: the skill only reads and writes a local memory directory (~/self-improving) and provides operational rules for promoting/demoting patterns. It does not request external credentials or unrelated binaries.

Instruction Scope

The SKILL.md instructs the agent to create, read, and update files under ~/self-improving (memory.md, corrections.md, index.md, projects/, domains/, archive/, etc.) and to modify workspace doc files (AGENTS.md, SOUL.md). This is coherent with 'self-improving' behavior but does grant the skill scope to access and persist user-provided content. The skill's boundaries.md explicitly forbids storing credentials and sensitive categories, which is good practice, but enforcement depends on the agent following the instructions.

Install Mechanism

Instruction-only skill with no install steps, no binaries requested, and no network download — low surface for supply-chain risk.

Credentials

No environment variables, no credentials, no external endpoints are required. The local filesystem access requested (home directory) is proportional to the stated purpose.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is persistent in that it creates and maintains files under ~/self-improving and expects to run periodic maintenance (documented as 'Weekly Maintenance (Cron)' and optional Heartbeat integration). always:false (normal). It also asks to update AGENTS.md and SOUL.md in your workspace—this is a modification of user files and should be confirmed before applying.

Assessment

This skill is coherent with its purpose but will create persistent files in ~/self-improving and suggests edits to workspace docs (AGENTS.md, SOUL.md). Before installing: (1) Inspect the exact files it will create and their location and ensure you are comfortable with persistent local storage; (2) Confirm the agent runs in Passive mode if you want stricter human confirmation before promotions/automatic learning; (3) Review and periodically audit memory files (they may contain user corrections that could include sensitive info if the user shares it); (4) Restrict filesystem permissions on ~/self-improving if necessary; (5) If you do not want any automated maintenance/cron tasks or external heartbeat integration, decline those setup steps. If you need higher assurance, request a version that logs-only (read-only) until you verify content and behavior.

When to Use

User corrects you or points out mistakes. You complete significant work and want to evaluate the outcome. You notice something in your own output that could be better. Knowledge should compound over time without manual maintenance.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/self-improving/ with tiered structure. If ~/self-improving/ does not exist, run setup.md.

~/self-improving/
├── memory.md          # HOT: ≤100 lines, always loaded
├── index.md           # Topic index with line counts
├── projects/          # Per-project learnings
├── domains/           # Domain-specific (code, writing, comms)
├── archive/           # COLD: decayed patterns
└── corrections.md     # Last 50 corrections log

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Setup guide	setup.md
Memory template	memory-template.md
Learning mechanics	learning.md
Security boundaries	boundaries.md
Scaling rules	scaling.md
Memory operations	operations.md
Self-reflection log	reflections.md

Detection Triggers

Log automatically when you notice these patterns:

Corrections → add to corrections.md, evaluate for memory.md:

• "No, that's not right..."
• "Actually, it should be..."
• "You're wrong about..."
• "I prefer X, not Y"
• "Remember that I always..."
• "I told you before..."
• "Stop doing X"
• "Why do you keep..."

Preference signals → add to memory.md if explicit:

• "I like when you..."
• "Always do X for me"
• "Never do Y"
• "My style is..."
• "For [project], use..."

Pattern candidates → track, promote after 3x:

• Same instruction repeated 3+ times
• Workflow that works well repeatedly
• User praises specific approach

Ignore (don't log):

• One-time instructions ("do X now")
• Context-specific ("in this file...")
• Hypotheticals ("what if...")

Self-Reflection

After completing significant work, pause and evaluate:

1. Did it meet expectations? — Compare outcome vs intent
2. What could be better? — Identify improvements for next time
3. Is this a pattern? — If yes, log to corrections.md

When to self-reflect:

• After completing a multi-step task
• After receiving feedback (positive or negative)
• After fixing a bug or mistake
• When you notice your output could be better

Log format:

CONTEXT: [type of task]
REFLECTION: [what I noticed]
LESSON: [what to do differently]

Example:

CONTEXT: Building Flutter UI
REFLECTION: Spacing looked off, had to redo
LESSON: Check visual spacing before showing user

Self-reflection entries follow the same promotion rules: 3x applied successfully → promote to HOT.

Quick Queries

User says	Action
"What do you know about X?"	Search all tiers for X
"What have you learned?"	Show last 10 from corrections.md
"Show my patterns"	List memory.md (HOT)
"Show [project] patterns"	Load projects/{name}.md
"What's in warm storage?"	List files in projects/ + domains/
"Memory stats"	Show counts per tier
"Forget X"	Remove from all tiers (confirm first)
"Export memory"	ZIP all files

Memory Stats

On "memory stats" request, report:

📊 Self-Improving Memory

HOT (always loaded):
  memory.md: X entries

WARM (load on demand):
  projects/: X files
  domains/: X files

COLD (archived):
  archive/: X files

Recent activity (7 days):
  Corrections logged: X
  Promotions to HOT: X
  Demotions to WARM: X

Core Rules

1. Learn from Corrections and Self-Reflection

• Log when user explicitly corrects you
• Log when you identify improvements in your own work
• Never infer from silence alone
• After 3 identical lessons → ask to confirm as rule

2. Tiered Storage

Tier	Location	Size Limit	Behavior
HOT	memory.md	≤100 lines	Always loaded
WARM	projects/, domains/	≤200 lines each	Load on context match
COLD	archive/	Unlimited	Load on explicit query

3. Automatic Promotion/Demotion

• Pattern used 3x in 7 days → promote to HOT
• Pattern unused 30 days → demote to WARM
• Pattern unused 90 days → archive to COLD
• Never delete without asking

4. Namespace Isolation

• Project patterns stay in projects/{name}.md
• Global preferences in HOT tier (memory.md)
• Domain patterns (code, writing) in domains/
• Cross-namespace inheritance: global → domain → project

5. Conflict Resolution

When patterns contradict:

1. Most specific wins (project > domain > global)
2. Most recent wins (same level)
3. If ambiguous → ask user

6. Compaction

When file exceeds limit:

1. Merge similar corrections into single rule
2. Archive unused patterns
3. Summarize verbose entries
4. Never lose confirmed preferences

7. Transparency

• Every action from memory → cite source: "Using X (from projects/foo.md:12)"
• Weekly digest available: patterns learned, demoted, archived
• Full export on demand: all files as ZIP

8. Security Boundaries

See boundaries.md — never store credentials, health data, third-party info.

9. Graceful Degradation

If context limit hit:

1. Load only memory.md (HOT)
2. Load relevant namespace on demand
3. Never fail silently — tell user what's not loaded

Scope

This skill ONLY:

• Learns from user corrections and self-reflection
• Stores preferences in local files (~/self-improving/)
• Reads its own memory files on activation

This skill NEVER:

• Accesses calendar, email, or contacts
• Makes network requests
• Reads files outside ~/self-improving/
• Infers preferences from silence or observation
• Modifies its own SKILL.md

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• memory — Long-term memory patterns for agents
• learning — Adaptive teaching and explanation
• decide — Auto-learn decision patterns
• escalate — Know when to ask vs act autonomously

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star self-improving
• Stay updated: clawhub sync