public-contribution

name	public-contribution
description	After any improvement, bug fix, workflow discovery, or lesson — pause and evaluate whether the insight is public-worthy for the Hermes Cortex OSS community. If yes, genericize and contribute.
version	1.0.0
author	Hermes Cortex
license	MIT
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["meta","oss","contribution","community","sharing"],"related_skills":["save-lesson","hermes-agent-skill-authoring","soul-authoring"]}}

Public Contribution — Sharing Every Improvement

Philosophy

"We are sharers and helpers. All improvements we discover must be instantly usable by those using Hermes Cortex."

Every bug fix, workflow refinement, config improvement, or discovered pattern is an asset — not just for you, but for everyone running Hermes Cortex. Before closing any improvement, pause and ask:

"How can this be used to help those using Hermes Cortex?"

If the answer is anything other than "it can't" (which is rare), the next question is:

"What would it take to make this publishable?"

Decision Tree

Did an improvement, fix, or lesson just happen?
│
├── Is it PII-specific (server paths, domains, personal data)?
│   ├── YES → Can it be genericized?
│   │   ├── YES → Do the genericization → contribute
│   │   └── NO  → Keep private (lesson in brain/moses)
│   │
│   └── NO  → Is it already in the public repo?
│       ├── NO  → Is it a:
|       │   ├── Skill? → Copy to skills/ in public repo
│       │   ├── Config template? → Update deploy/nginx/*.conf or docs/
│       │   ├── Testament to how a problem was solved? → docs/ or README
│       │   ├── New concept? → Create skill + update manifest
│       │   └── Something else? → docs/ or ask
│       │
│       └── YES → Does the existing version need updating?
│           ├── YES → Patch the existing file
│           └── NO  → Done
│
└── Update SKILLS-MANIFEST.md if anything changed

Genericization Patterns

When moving something from private → public, apply these transforms:

Private	Public
your-domain.com	$DOMAIN or your-domain.com
/Users/luke/...	/path/to/app or $HOME/...
com.hermes.timely	com.hermes.APPNAME (generic pattern)
luke / amy	generic user names or user
Port 13003	EXTERNAL_PORT
Specific dates	Omit or use relative dates
Private API keys/secrets	$ENV_VAR placeholders

Standard Scope Check

Before contributing, ask:

1. Does this apply to at least 80% of Hermes Cortex users?

   • If yes → contribute as-is or with minimal genericization
   • If no → Is it useful as an example or template for others to adapt?
     • Yes → contribute with clear "adapt this to your setup" notes
     • No → keep private

2. Would a new Hermes user benefit from knowing this?

   • Yes → contribute
   • No → reconsider whether it belongs in docs vs a skill

3. Is this a one-off fix or a repeatable pattern?

   • One-off → lessons index only (brain/moses)
   • Repeatable pattern → skill + public repo

Inventory of Contribution Targets

Target Location	What Goes There	When
skills/software-development/	Reusable workflows, meta-skills	After any repeatable insight
skills/devops/	Deployment, infrastructure, nginx	After config/system improvement
deploy/nginx/hermes-services.conf	Reverse proxy templates	After nginx config evolution
docs/templates/SOUL.md	Agent identity template	After SOUL.md improvement
docs/templates/SKILL.md	Skill format template	After skill format evolves
docs/templates/USER.seed.md	User profile template	After user profile pattern change
SKILLS-MANIFEST.md	Skill registry	After skill add/update/merge
README.md	Project docs	After major capability addition

Workflow

Step 1: Recognize the opportunity

After any of these events, pause and run through the decision tree:

• Bug fix
• User correction
• Installation or deployment
• Workflow discovery
• Config improvement
• Lesson captured in ~/brain/moses/lessons/

Step 2: Evaluate scope

Run through the Standard Scope Check (above).

Step 3: Genericize

For each file being contributed, apply the Genericization Patterns table.

Step 4: Write to public repo

# For a new skill:
# Write to hermes-cortex/skills/<category>/<skill-name>/SKILL.md

# For an existing file:
# Patch or replace the file in hermes-cortex/

# For a new template:
# Write to hermes-cortex/docs/templates/

Step 5: Update manifest

If you added or modified a skill, update docs/SKILLS-MANIFEST.md:

• Add the new row to the appropriate category table
• Keep alphabetical order within the table
• Include: Skill name, version, concise purpose, load instruction

Step 6: Commit and push

cd "${CORTEX_REPO:-$HOME/hermes-cortex}" && git add -A && git commit -m "feat: contribution description"
git push

PITFALLS

Pitfall	Symptom	Fix
Leaving PII in public files	Domain names, user paths exposed	Run the genericization transforms before committing
Forgetting the manifest	Skill exists but isn't discoverable	Always update SKILLS-MANIFEST.md
Contributing too narrowly	Skill only solves one user's specific problem	Name and scope at the workflow level
Skipping the "would this help others?" pause	Improvement stays private forever	Make the pause a habit — it's in your SOUL.md now
Over-engineering for "public"	Adding features nobody asked for	Contribute the fix as-is with generic paths, no gold-plating

Verification Checklist

• Decision tree run — this is public-worthy
• Genericization applied — no PII, paths, domains, secrets
• Written to correct location in hermes-cortex/
• SKILLS-MANIFEST.md updated if applicable
• git status clean before push
• Lesson also noted in ~/brain/moses/lessons/ (private, for your own reference)