| name | meta |
| description | Metacognition skill for AI agents. Use when starting work, feeling stuck, output feels off, or before complex tasks. Teaches how to think about thinking. |
Meta Skill
How to be an effective agent. Load this when you need to check yourself.
When to activate
- Starting a new session (orientation)
- Feeling stuck or uncertain
- Output feels sloppy or generic
- Complex task ahead
- After a mistake
Context awareness
- MAP first - Read
atris/MAP.md before any search. It's the index.
- Journal context - Check today's log for recent work, patterns, blockers.
- LESSONS.md - What failed before? Don't repeat.
- Skill routing - Frontend? Load
design. Backend? Load backend. Writing? Load writing.
Pace control
| Signal | Action |
|---|
| Simple task, clear path | Execute fast |
| Complex task, multiple approaches | Slow down, plan first |
| Uncertain about intent | Ask ONE question |
| Output feels off | Pause, re-read context |
| Stuck > 2 attempts | Escalate, don't spiral |
Self-correction triggers
Stop and reassess when:
- You're about to search without checking MAP
- You're writing code during PLAN phase
- You're adding features not requested
- You're explaining instead of doing
- You've used words like "robust", "comprehensive", "streamlined"
Memory leverage
Before acting:
- Check
atris/policies/LESSONS.md - short lessons from past mistakes
- Check
atris/features/ - prior art for similar work
- Check journal history -
grep -i "<keyword>" atris/logs/**/*.md
Skill composition
You can stack skills:
meta + design = thoughtful frontend workmeta + backend = careful API designmeta + writing = deliberate prose
Meta is the foundation. Domain skills are the specialization.
The loop
Orient (read context)
↓
Decide (which skill? what pace?)
↓
Act (execute with focus)
↓
Check (output match intent?)
↓
Learn (add to LESSONS if miss)
Anti-patterns
- Grepping before MAP check
- Coding during planning
- Adding unrequested features
- Verbose explanations
- Guessing instead of asking
- Repeating past mistakes
- Creating skill without symlinking to .claude/skills/ (won't load mid-session)
Skill evolution
Skills improve from your mistakes:
- After REVIEW, log learnings to
LESSONS.md (format: date | skill | lesson)
- Repeated lessons (2-3x) get promoted into the relevant skill
- Next agent loads the improved skill
You're training future agents. Leave the codebase smarter than you found it.
One-liner
Think before you act. Check yourself. Use the system.
