| name | self-improvement |
| description | Captures learnings, errors, and corrections to enable continuous improvement. Use when: (1) A command or operation fails unexpectedly, (2) User corrects Claude ('No, that's wrong...', 'Actually...'), (3) User requests a capability that doesn't exist, (4) An external API or tool fails, (5) Claude realizes its knowledge is outdated or incorrect, (6) A better approach is discovered for a recurring task. Also review learnings before major tasks. |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | DunCrew |
| metadata | {"openclaw":{"emoji":"🔧","primaryEnv":"shell"}} |
Self-Improvement Skill
Log learnings and errors to markdown files for continuous improvement. Coding agents can later process these into fixes, and important learnings get promoted to project memory.
Quick Reference
| Situation | Action |
|---|
| Command/operation fails | Log to .learnings/ERRORS.md |
| User corrects you | Log to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md with category correction |
| User wants missing feature | Log to .learnings/FEATURE_REQUESTS.md |
| API/external tool fails | Log to .learnings/ERRORS.md with integration details |
| Knowledge was outdated | Log to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md with category knowledge_gap |
| Found better approach | Log to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md with category best_practice |
| Similar to existing entry | Link with **See Also**, consider priority bump |
| Broadly applicable learning | Promote to CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, and/or .github/copilot-instructions.md |
| Workflow improvements | Promote to AGENTS.md (OpenClaw workspace) |
| Tool gotchas | Promote to TOOLS.md (OpenClaw workspace) |
| Behavioral patterns | Promote to SOUL.md (OpenClaw workspace) |
OpenClaw Setup (Recommended)
OpenClaw is the primary platform for this skill. It uses workspace-based prompt injection with automatic skill loading.
Installation
Via ClawdHub (recommended):
clawdhub install self-improving-agent
Manual:
git clone https://github.com/peterskoett/self-improving-agent.git ~/.openclaw/skills/self-improving-agent
Workspace Structure
OpenClaw injects these files into every session:
~/.openclaw/workspace/
├── AGENTS.md # Multi-agent workflows, delegation patterns
├── SOUL.md # Behavioral guidelines, personality, principles
├── TOOLS.md # Tool capabilities, integration gotchas
├── MEMORY.md # Long-term memory (main session only)
├── memory/ # Daily memory files
│ └── YYYY-MM-DD.md
└── .learnings/ # This skill's log files
├── LEARNINGS.md
├── ERRORS.md
└── FEATURE_REQUESTS.md
Create Learning Files
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace/.learnings
Then create the log files (or copy from assets/):
LEARNINGS.md — corrections, knowledge gaps, best practices
ERRORS.md — command failures, exceptions
FEATURE_REQUESTS.md — user-requested capabilities
Promotion Targets
When learnings prove broadly applicable, promote them to workspace files:
| Learning Type | Promote To | Example |
|---|
| Behavioral patterns | SOUL.md | "Be concise, avoid disclaimers" |
| Workflow improvements | AGENTS.md | "Spawn sub-agents for long tasks" |
| Tool gotchas | TOOLS.md | "Git push needs auth configured first" |
Inter-Session Communication
OpenClaw provides tools to share learnings across sessions:
- sessions_list — View active/recent sessions
- sessions_history — Read another session's transcript
- sessions_send — Send a learning to another session
- sessions_spawn — Spawn a sub-agent for background work
Optional: Enable Hook
For automatic reminders at session start:
cp -r hooks/openclaw ~/.openclaw/hooks/self-improvement
openclaw hooks enable self-improvement
See references/openclaw-integration.md for complete details.
Generic Setup (Other Agents)
For Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, or other agents, create .learnings/ in your project:
mkdir -p .learnings
Copy templates from assets/ or create files