| name | skill-improvement |
| version | 1.0 |
| last_updated | 2026-07-20 |
| id | skill-improvement |
| one_line_purpose | Capture durable agent learnings in maintained skill docs. |
| entry_point | docs/skills/meta/skill-improvement/SKILL.md |
| category | meta |
| mcp_compliance_level | partial |
| status | active |
| dependencies | [] |
| tags | ["skills","learning","factory"] |
| description | The self-improvement loop: when and how to write a skill update for a code change. Load when you changed tests, workflows, actions, or scripts. |
| metadata | {"type":"pattern","audience":"agents","maturity":"stable"} |
Skill Improvement Mandate
Every agent session that changes this repo produces two outputs:
- The work — the PR, fix, or test coverage improvement
- The learning — what a future agent should know
Output 1 without Output 2 leaves the factory no smarter. The loop only compounds if agents write back.
This is the factory-wide two-output rule; the canonical statement lives in
common/docs/skills/factory-onboarding.md.
This file covers what is specific to testsuite.
Banned artifacts — delete on sight: changelog files (CHANGELOG.md,
IMPROVEMENTS.md, SESSION.md), committed session logs and plan files
(NOTES.md, PLAN.md, TODO.md, plans/*.md), and any doc instructing you to
"append here". Route the content to the matching docs/skills/** file instead.
plans/*.fmf are TMT/fmf test metadata, not session logs — leave them.
Before You Mark Work Complete
Run this checklist before enqueuing any PR:
If all five are checked, you're done. If any are unchecked, finish them first.
No CI job enforces this. The skill-drift check was retired in #681; the mandate is now a review expectation. Reviewers reject PRs that change tests/**, .github/workflows/**, .github/actions/**, or scripts/** without a matching skill update.
What Counts as a Learning Worth Writing Back
Write it:
