knowledge-synthesis

name	knowledge-synthesis
description	Cross-project pattern recognition — abstract, generalize, connect, store at the highest true level
tier	standard
applyTo	**/*knowledge*,**/*insight*,**/*pattern*,**/*global*

Knowledge Synthesis Skill

Extract the reusable from the specific. Store at the highest level that remains true.

The Synthesis Process

1. Abstract — Strip project-specific details

Before (project-specific)	After (abstracted)
"In Alex extension, synapses.json breaks when files are renamed"	"Connection metadata breaks when target files are renamed"
"We migrated knowledge files to skills/"	"When reorganizing knowledge files, update all internal references"
"Alex's dream runs brain-qa.ps1"	"Automated health checks should run validation scripts"

Test: Would this insight help someone who's never seen this project?

2. Generalize — Find the abstraction level

Level	Example	Store As
Project-specific	"Alex uses synapses.json"	Don't store globally
Technology-specific	"JSON schema files break silently on rename"	GI-* insight
Architecture pattern	"Self-referencing metadata needs rename-aware tooling"	GK-* pattern
Universal principle	"Metadata that references other files is fragile by nature"	GK-* (high value)

Store at the highest level that remains true. If generalizing makes it wrong, stay specific.

3. Connect — Link to existing knowledge

Before creating new knowledge, check: does this extend an existing pattern?

Signal	Action
"We solved this before in project X"	Extend existing GK-* with new example
"This is the third time I've seen this"	Promote from insight (GI-) to pattern (GK-)
"This contradicts what we knew"	Update existing pattern, note the exception
"This is entirely new"	Create new GI-* insight, observe before promoting

4. Store — Right format, right location

Type	Prefix	Criteria	Location
Pattern	GK-*	Proven in 2+ projects, abstracted, actionable	patterns/
Insight	GI-*	Single observation, timestamped, may not generalize	insights/

Quality bar: 10 great patterns > 100 mediocre notes.

Pattern Triggers

Signal During Work	Synthesis Opportunity
"We did this before"	Recurring solution → pattern candidate
Same bug in different context	Missing knowledge → capture the fix pattern
"This works everywhere"	Universal principle → high-value pattern
"I wish I'd known this earlier"	Onboarding knowledge → insight worth capturing
"This is not obvious"	Non-obvious insight → capture the why

Promotion Checklist (Insight → Pattern)

Before promoting a GI-_ insight to GK-_ pattern:

• Abstracted from original project context
• Named with clear, searchable slug
• Tagged with relevant categories
• Connected to existing patterns (if related)
• Includes at least one concrete example
• The generalization is still true (not over-abstracted)

Anti-Patterns

Don't	Why	Do Instead
Store every learning	Creates noise, reduces signal	Filter for non-obvious insights
Copy-paste project specifics	Not reusable outside original context	Abstract first
Create near-duplicates	Fragments knowledge	Extend existing patterns
Over-generalize	"Always do X" is usually wrong	Include scope and exceptions
Skip examples	Abstract knowledge is hard to apply	Include 1-2 concrete examples

Synthesis During Meditation

Phase 4 of meditation is the natural synthesis point:

1. Review session insights (Phase 1 output)
2. For each insight: Abstract → check if existing pattern covers it → extend or create
3. Connect new entries via synapses to related skills
4. Verify the global knowledge index is updated

Cross-Domain Pattern Synthesis

Phase 3 of meditation analyzes episodic memories for cross-domain synthesis to move beyond consolidation into generation.

The Transfer Test

Before accepting a cross-domain connection, validate all three:

Criterion	Question	Fail Example
Structural	Is the similarity in structure, not just words?	"Both use JSON" (superficial)
Actionable	Would someone in domain B find this useful?	"Data viz is like meditation: both need focus" (vague)
Independent	Does it hold without domain A context?	"Use synapses.json format for dashboards" (too specific)

Cross-Domain Connection Types

Type	Description	Example
Technique transfer	A method from domain A solves a problem in domain B	"Colorblind-safe palette enforcement (data) applied to brand asset validation (design)"
Pattern isomorphism	Same structural pattern appears independently in both domains	"Health checks: synapse validation (cognitive) mirrors dependency audit (security)"
Principle generalization	A domain-specific rule is actually a universal truth	"Store at the highest true level (synthesis) = single source of truth (architecture)"
Gap bridging	Domain A has a solution for a known gap in domain B	"Automated drift detection (cognitive) could solve doc-code sync (documentation)"

Synthesis Output Format

For each validated cross-domain connection, produce:

## Cross-Domain Insight: [title]

**Source domain**: [domain A]
**Target domain**: [domain B]
**Connection type**: technique transfer | pattern isomorphism | principle generalization | gap bridging
**Transfer test**: structural ✓ | actionable ✓ | independent ✓

**Insight**: [1-2 sentence description of the connection]
**Evidence**: [episodic memories that support this connection]
**Proposed action**: [new synapse, new skill, or extension to existing pattern]