remember

name	remember
description	Use when the user wants to persist a lesson learned, convention, or best practice. Syntax: `/remember [>domain [scope]] lesson`
user-invokable	true

Remember

Persist lessons learned by enhancing existing instructions, skills, or memory files — in that priority order.

Syntax

/remember [>domain [scope]] lesson content

• >domain — Optional. Target domain (e.g., >python, >git-workflow)
• scope — Optional. global, user, workspace / ws (default)
• Everything else is the lesson content

Scope directories:

Scope	Directory
global / user	vscode-userdata:/User/prompts/
workspace / ws	<workspace-root>/.github/instructions/

Examples:

/remember >python workspace prefer list comprehensions over map/filter
/remember >shell-scripting use arrays instead of word-splitting
/remember avoid over-escaping in sed commands

Use the todo list to track progress through the process steps.

Process

1. Parse Input

Extract from the user message:

• Domain — text after > if present
• Scope — global (default) or workspace/ws
• Lesson — the remaining content

2. Discover Existing Knowledge

Search for files that already cover the lesson's domain. Check all three tiers in the appropriate scope:

Tier 1 — Skills (workspace scope only):

<workspace-root>/.github/skills/*/SKILL.md

Tier 2 — Instructions:

# Workspace
<workspace-root>/.github/instructions/*.instructions.md

# Global
vscode-userdata:/User/prompts/*.instructions.md

Tier 3 — Memory files:

# Workspace
<workspace-root>/.github/instructions/*-memory.instructions.md
<workspace-root>/.github/instructions/memory.instructions.md

# Global
vscode-userdata:/User/prompts/*-memory.instructions.md
vscode-userdata:/User/prompts/memory.instructions.md

Read the top ~30 lines of each candidate to understand its domain and applyTo scope.

3. Match to Existing File

Find the best home for the lesson using this priority:

Priority	Target	When
1	Existing skill SKILL.md	Lesson fits an existing skill's domain
2	Existing .instructions.md	Lesson fits an existing instruction file's domain
3	Existing *-memory.instructions.md	Lesson fits an existing memory file's domain
4	New *-memory.instructions.md	No existing file covers this domain

When uncertain about classification, ask the user.

4. Read Target File

Read the full target file to:

• Understand its structure and conventions
• Check for redundancy (skip if already covered)
• Find the right insertion point

5. Write the Lesson

If enhancing an existing skill or instruction file:

• Add the lesson as a new section, subsection, bullet, or code example that fits the file's existing structure
• Do not reorganize or rewrite existing content
• Keep additions minimal and focused

If enhancing an existing memory file:

• Add the lesson under a new ## heading
• Follow the file's existing style

If creating a new memory file:

• Use this structure:

---
description: <general domain description>
applyTo: "<glob pattern>"
---

# <Domain Name> Memory

<One-line tagline describing the domain's patterns.>

## <Lesson Title>

<Lesson content>

6. Confirm

Report what was done:

✅ Remembered: <short lesson summary>
📄 File: <relative path to modified/created file>
🎯 Action: Enhanced existing <skill|instruction|memory> / Created new memory file

Writing Guidelines

• Extract general patterns from specific instances
• Be concrete — include code examples when relevant
• Use positive framing ("use X" not "don't use Y")
• Keep entries succinct and scannable
• Avoid duplicating content already in the target file