| name | pattern-check |
| kstack | true |
| description | Search existing tasks and incidents for similar bugs or review misses, and link related issues. Use after creating a retroactive bugfix task, when a review finds a familiar-looking issue, or when the user asks "have we seen this before?" |
Pattern Check
Search task history for the same class of issue, link related tasks, and recommend rule-evolution when a pattern is
confirmed.
When to Run
- After creating a retroactive bugfix task
- When a review or incident finding feels familiar
- During a retrospective: "is this a one-off or a cluster?"
- The user asks "have we seen this before?"
Workflow
1. Frame the issue class
Describe the issue as a class, in user-facing and system terms — not the specific instance:
- Subsystem ("daily brief generation", "task sync")
- Failure mode ("stale data after edit", "missing workspace scoping", "timeout under load")
- Symptom ("users saw someone else's data", "job silently failed")
2. Search task history
Search your task tracker for prior instances (see context.md for project-specific search methods):
- Use semantic/concept search with the issue class framing
- Use keyword search with subsystem terms
- Check both open and done tasks; prior fixed instances are exactly the signal
3. Classify the result
| Matches found | Verdict | Action |
|---|
| 0 | One-off | Note "no prior pattern" on the task; done |
| 1-2 | Possible cluster | Link the related tasks; flag for attention |
| 3+ | Confirmed pattern | Link tasks + recommend rule-evolution |
4. Link and report
- Cross-reference: post a comment on the current task listing related tasks (markdown links), and optionally on the most
relevant prior task pointing forward
- Report to the user:
**Pattern Check — [issue class]**
[N related tasks found]
| Task | Status | What it was |
| ------------------ | ------ | ---------------- |
| [KES-12](task url) | Done | [1-line summary] |
**Verdict:** [one-off / possible cluster / confirmed pattern — recommend rule-evolution]
Rules
- Search before declaring "no pattern" — absence of links must mean absence of matches, not absence of looking
- Don't spam links: only cross-reference tasks that share the failure class, not the same subsystem generally
- A confirmed pattern (3+) should always end with a rule-evolution recommendation
Project Context
Read context.md and apply it as additional project-specific constraints layered on top of this
workflow. If it does not exist, skip this section.
