algorithm-update

name	algorithm-update
description	Run a maintainer algorithm-update session — synthesize the collected Q2 ("smarter algorithm") reflections, cluster the recurring ideas, and fold approved changes into ALGORITHM.md. Use when the session reminder shows "Algorithm Review Due", or when asked to review/update the algorithm from reflections.
argument-hint	(none — reads ~/.pal reflections)

Algorithm update session

This is a repo-only, maintainer workflow. It edits the algorithm source in this checkout (assets/templates/PAL/ALGORITHM.md), which is then committed and shipped to all users on the next release. It only makes sense inside the portable-agent-layer repo; it is never installed downstream.

Workflow

1. Synthesize the reflection backlog since the last review:

   bun src/tools/agent/algorithm-synthesize.ts            # human report
   bun src/tools/agent/algorithm-synthesize.ts --json     # full membership, nothing capped
   

   Pass --since <ISO> to scope to a window if asked.

2. Cluster semantically — do not trust the keyword buckets. They are a coarse pre-sort biased to one model's wording. Read the report's Unbucketed section in full (that is where missed phrasings land) and the --json membership, then group by actual meaning, not shared keywords. Merge buckets that are the same idea worded differently.

3. Rank candidate changes by recurrence × breadth (how many distinct projects raised it). Surface the top recurring structural ideas as concrete proposed edits to ALGORITHM.md — a new gate, a phase step, a criterion rule, a capability pre-check.