self-improving-coding

name

self-improving-coding

description

Captures lint errors, type mismatches, runtime bugs, anti-patterns, refactoring opportunities, language idiom gaps, debugging insights, and tooling issues to enable continuous coding improvement. Use when: (1) A lint or type error occurs, (2) A runtime exception is thrown, (3) An anti-pattern is identified in code, (4) A refactoring opportunity is discovered, (5) A better language idiom is found, (6) A debugging breakthrough reveals root cause, (7) A tooling issue blocks development.

Self-Improving Coding Skill

Log coding-specific learnings, bug patterns, and feature requests to markdown files for continuous improvement. Captures lint errors, type mismatches, runtime bugs, anti-patterns, refactoring opportunities, language idiom gaps, debugging insights, and tooling issues. Important learnings get promoted to style guides, lint rules, code snippet libraries, or debug playbooks.

First-Use Initialisation

Before logging anything, ensure the .learnings/ directory and files exist in the project or workspace root. If any are missing, create them:

mkdir -p .learnings
[ -f .learnings/LEARNINGS.md ] || printf "# Coding Learnings\n\nBug patterns, anti-patterns, idiom gaps, debugging insights, and tooling issues captured during development.\n\n**Categories**: bug_pattern | anti_pattern | refactor_opportunity | idiom_gap | tooling_issue | debugging_insight\n**Areas**: syntax | logic | data_structures | algorithms | error_handling | testing | tooling\n\n---\n" > .learnings/LEARNINGS.md
[ -f .learnings/BUG_PATTERNS.md ] || printf "# Bug Patterns Log\n\nRecurring bugs, common mistakes, and error patterns.\n\n---\n" > .learnings/BUG_PATTERNS.md
[ -f .learnings/FEATURE_REQUESTS.md ] || printf "# Feature Requests\n\nCoding tools, capabilities, and automation requests.\n\n---\n" > .learnings/FEATURE_REQUESTS.md

Never overwrite existing files. This is a no-op if .learnings/ is already initialised.

Do not log secrets, tokens, private keys, or environment variables. Prefer short summaries or redacted excerpts over raw stack traces or full source files.

If you want automatic reminders, use the opt-in hook workflow described in Hook Integration.

Quick Reference

Situation	Action
Lint error encountered	Log to .learnings/BUG_PATTERNS.md with error rule and fix
Type error from checker	Log to .learnings/BUG_PATTERNS.md with type mismatch details
Runtime exception thrown	Log to .learnings/BUG_PATTERNS.md with stack trace summary
Anti-pattern found in code	Log to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md with category anti_pattern
Refactoring opportunity	Log to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md with category refactor_opportunity
Better idiom discovered	Log to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md with category idiom_gap
Debugging breakthrough	Log to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md with category debugging_insight
Tooling issue encountered	Log to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md with category tooling_issue
Recurring bug pattern	Link with **See Also**, consider priority bump
Broadly applicable pattern	Promote to style guide, lint rule, or debug playbook
Reusable code solution	Promote to code snippets library

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-coding

Manual:

git clone https://github.com/jose-compu/self-improving-coding.git ~/.openclaw/skills/self-improving-coding

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
    ├── BUG_PATTERNS.md
    └── FEATURE_REQUESTS.md

Create Learning Files

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace/.learnings

Then create the log files (or copy from assets/):

• LEARNINGS.md — anti-patterns, idiom gaps, debugging insights, tooling issues
• BUG_PATTERNS.md — lint errors, type mismatches, runtime exceptions, recurring bugs
• FEATURE_REQUESTS.md — coding tools, automation, IDE capabilities

Promotion Targets

When coding learnings prove broadly applicable, promote them:

Learning Type	Promote To	Example
Code style patterns	Style guide	"Always use early returns over nested if/else"
Recurring lint fixes	Lint rules (.eslintrc, ruff.toml)	"Disallow mutable default arguments"
Reusable solutions	Code snippets library	"Retry with exponential backoff"
Debugging workflows	Debug playbooks	"Race condition diagnosis steps"
Tool configuration	TOOLS.md	"TypeScript strict mode catches 80% of null bugs"
Workflow patterns	AGENTS.md	"Run type checker before committing"

Optional: Enable Hook

For automatic reminders at session start:

cp -r hooks/openclaw ~/.openclaw/hooks/self-improving-coding
openclaw hooks enable self-improving-coding

See references/openclaw-integration.md for complete details.

---

Generic Setup (Other Agents)

For Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, or other agents, create .learnings/ in the project or workspace root:

mkdir -p .learnings

Create the files inline using the headers shown above.

Add reference to agent files

Add to AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, or .github/copilot-instructions.md:

Self-Improving Coding Workflow

When coding errors or patterns are discovered:

1. Log to .learnings/BUG_PATTERNS.md, LEARNINGS.md, or FEATURE_REQUESTS.md
2. Review and promote broadly applicable learnings to:
   • Style guides — code style and convention rules
   • Lint configuration — .eslintrc, ruff.toml, pylintrc
   • Code snippets — reusable solution templates
   • Debug playbooks — step-by-step diagnosis guides

Logging Format

Learning Entry [LRN-YYYYMMDD-XXX]

Append to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md:

## [LRN-YYYYMMDD-XXX] category

**Logged**: ISO-8601 timestamp
**Priority**: low | medium | high | critical
**Status**: pending
**Area**: syntax | logic | data_structures | algorithms | error_handling | testing | tooling

### Summary
One-line description of the coding insight

### Details
Full context: what code pattern was found, why it is problematic or beneficial,
what the correct idiom or approach is. Include minimal code snippets.

### Code Example

**Before (problematic):**
\`\`\`language
// problematic code
\`\`\`

**After (correct):**
\`\`\`language
// improved code
\`\`\`

### Suggested Action
Specific refactor, lint rule, or coding guideline to adopt

### Metadata
- Source: lint_error | type_checker | runtime_exception | code_review | profiler | static_analysis
- Language: python | typescript | javascript | rust | go | java | other
- Related Files: path/to/file.ext
- Tags: tag1, tag2
- See Also: LRN-20250110-001 (if related to existing entry)
- Pattern-Key: anti_pattern.mutable_default | idiom.list_comprehension (optional)
- Recurrence-Count: 1 (optional)
- First-Seen: 2025-01-15 (optional)
- Last-Seen: 2025-01-15 (optional)

---

Categories for learnings:

Category	Use When
bug_pattern	Recurring bug class (off-by-one, null deref, race condition)
anti_pattern	Code pattern that leads to bugs or maintenance burden
refactor_opportunity	Code that works but should be restructured
idiom_gap	Using non-idiomatic approach when a better idiom exists
tooling_issue	Build tool, linter, formatter, or IDE problem
debugging_insight	Technique or approach that revealed root cause

Bug Pattern Entry [BUG-YYYYMMDD-XXX]

Append to .learnings/BUG_PATTERNS.md:

## [BUG-YYYYMMDD-XXX] error_type_or_name

**Logged**: ISO-8601 timestamp
**Priority**: high
**Status**: pending
**Area**: syntax | logic | data_structures | algorithms | error_handling | testing | tooling

### Summary
Brief description of the bug pattern

### Error Output
\`\`\`
Actual error message, lint output, or stack trace (redacted/summarized)
\`\`\`

### Root Cause
What in the code caused this error. Include the problematic code snippet.

### Fix
\`\`\`language
// corrected code
\`\`\`

### Prevention
How to avoid this bug in the future (lint rule, type annotation, assertion, test)

### Context
- Trigger: lint | type_checker | runtime | test_failure | code_review
- Language: python | typescript | javascript | rust | go | java
- Framework: react | express | django | flask | fastapi (if applicable)
- Input or parameters that triggered the bug

### Metadata
- Reproducible: yes | no | unknown
- Related Files: path/to/file.ext
- See Also: BUG-20250110-001 (if recurring)

---

Feature Request Entry [FEAT-YYYYMMDD-XXX]

Append to .learnings/FEATURE_REQUESTS.md:

## [FEAT-YYYYMMDD-XXX] capability_name

**Logged**: ISO-8601 timestamp
**Priority**: medium
**Status**: pending
**Area**: syntax | logic | data_structures | algorithms | error_handling | testing | tooling

### Requested Capability
What coding tool, automation, or capability is needed

### User Context
Why it's needed, what workflow it improves, what problem it solves

### Complexity Estimate
simple | medium | complex

### Suggested Implementation
How this could be built: lint plugin, IDE extension, script, code generator

### Metadata
- Frequency: first_time | recurring
- Related Features: existing_tool_or_feature

---

ID Generation

Format: TYPE-YYYYMMDD-XXX

• TYPE: LRN (learning), BUG (bug pattern), FEAT (feature request)
• YYYYMMDD: Current date
• XXX: Sequential number or random 3 chars (e.g., 001, A7B)

Examples: LRN-20250415-001, BUG-20250415-A3F, FEAT-20250415-002

Resolving Entries

When an issue is fixed, update the entry:

1. Change **Status**: pending → **Status**: resolved
2. Add resolution block after Metadata:

### Resolution
- **Resolved**: 2025-01-16T09:00:00Z
- **Commit/PR**: abc123 or #42
- **Notes**: Added lint rule / updated style guide / created snippet

Other status values:

• in_progress — Actively being refactored or fixed
• wont_fix — Decided not to address (add reason in Resolution notes)
• promoted — Elevated to style guide, lint config, or debug playbook
• promoted_to_skill — Extracted as a reusable skill

Detection Triggers

Automatically log when you encounter:

Lint Failures (→ bug pattern with lint trigger):

• ESLint errors or warnings
• Pylint/Ruff/Flake8 violations
• Clippy warnings (Rust)
• go vet issues

Type Errors (→ bug pattern with type_checker trigger):

• TypeScript tsc errors (TS2322, TS2345, etc.)
• Python mypy/pyright type mismatches
• Java/Kotlin compiler type errors
• Rust borrow checker violations

Runtime Exceptions (→ bug pattern with runtime trigger):

• SyntaxError, TypeError, ReferenceError (JavaScript/Python)
• NullPointerException, ClassCastException (Java)
• panic!, segfault (Rust/C)
• Stack overflow, out of memory

Test Assertion Failures (→ bug pattern with test_failure trigger):

• AssertionError / expect(...).toBe(...) failures
• Snapshot mismatches
• Timeout in async tests
• Flaky test detection (passes sometimes, fails others)

Code Smells from Static Analysis (→ learning with anti_pattern or refactor_opportunity):

• Code duplication warnings
• Cyclomatic complexity exceeding threshold
• Dead code / unused imports
• Long parameter lists / god objects

Performance Hotspots (→ learning with debugging_insight):

• Profiler output showing slow functions
• N+1 query detection
• Memory leak indicators
• Excessive re-renders (React)

Priority Guidelines

Priority	When to Use	Coding Examples
critical	Data corruption, security vulnerability, production crash	SQL injection, buffer overflow, data race writing to shared state
high	Recurring bug pattern, type safety hole, test reliability	Off-by-one in pagination, null deref in optional chaining, flaky test
medium	Anti-pattern, code smell, minor type issue	Mutable default argument, deep nesting, missing error boundary
low	Style issue, minor refactor, naming convention	Inconsistent naming, unused variable, import ordering

Area Tags

Use to filter learnings by coding domain:

Area	Scope
syntax	Language syntax errors, parsing issues, grammar
logic	Logical errors, off-by-one, boundary conditions, control flow
data_structures	Array/list/map misuse, wrong collection type, mutation bugs
algorithms	Algorithmic correctness, complexity issues, sorting/search bugs
error_handling	Missing try/catch, unhandled promises, error propagation
testing	Test assertions, mocking, fixtures, coverage gaps
tooling	Linter config, build tools, formatters, IDE setup, CI/CD

Promoting to Permanent Coding Standards

When a learning is broadly applicable (not a one-off fix), promote it to permanent project standards.

When to Promote

• Bug pattern recurs across multiple files or PRs
• Anti-pattern is found in 3+ locations in the codebase
• Idiom gap applies to the entire language/framework usage
• Debugging insight would save significant time if documented

Promotion Targets

Target	What Belongs There
Style guide	Code conventions, naming patterns, structural preferences
Lint configuration	Automated rule enforcement (.eslintrc, ruff.toml, clippy.toml)
Code snippets library	Reusable solutions, utility functions, common patterns
Debug playbooks	Step-by-step diagnosis for specific error classes
CLAUDE.md	Project-specific coding conventions for AI agents
AGENTS.md	Automated coding workflows, pre-commit checks

How to Promote

1. Distill the learning into a concise rule or code snippet
2. Add to appropriate target (lint rule, style guide entry, snippet)
3. Update original entry:
   • Change **Status**: pending → **Status**: promoted
   • Add **Promoted**: style guide (or lint rule, snippet library, debug playbook)

Promotion Examples

Learning (verbose):

Found mutable default argument def add_item(items=[]) causing shared state bug. List persists across function calls. Three instances found in codebase.

As lint rule (concise):

# ruff.toml
[lint]
select = ["B006"]  # mutable-argument-default

Learning (verbose):

Spent 2 hours debugging race condition in async code. Root cause: shared mutable state between concurrent coroutines without lock.

As debug playbook (actionable):

## Race Condition Diagnosis
1. Identify shared mutable state
2. Check for missing locks/mutexes around shared access
3. Add logging with thread/coroutine ID at access points
4. Use `asyncio.Lock()` (Python) or `Mutex` (Rust) to serialize access
5. Write concurrent test to reproduce

Recurring Pattern Detection

If logging something similar to an existing entry:

1. Search first: grep -r "keyword" .learnings/
2. Link entries: Add **See Also**: BUG-20250110-001 in Metadata
3. Bump priority if issue keeps recurring
4. Consider systemic fix: Recurring coding issues often indicate:
   • Missing lint rule (→ add to lint config)
   • Missing type annotation (→ stricter type checking)
   • Architectural problem (→ refactor)
   • Documentation gap (→ add to style guide)

Periodic Review

Review .learnings/ at natural breakpoints:

When to Review

• Before starting a new coding task in the same area
• After completing a feature or PR
• When the same error class appears again
• Weekly during active development

Quick Status Check

# Count pending coding issues
grep -h "Status\*\*: pending" .learnings/*.md | wc -l

# List pending high-priority bug patterns
grep -B5 "Priority\*\*: high" .learnings/BUG_PATTERNS.md | grep "^## \["

# Find learnings for a specific area
grep -l "Area\*\*: error_handling" .learnings/*.md

# Find all anti-patterns
grep -B2 "anti_pattern" .learnings/LEARNINGS.md | grep "^## \["

Review Actions

• Resolve fixed bug patterns
• Promote recurring patterns to lint rules
• Link related entries across files
• Extract reusable solutions as code snippets

Simplify & Harden Feed

Ingest recurring coding patterns from simplify-and-harden into lint rules or style guides.

1. For each candidate, use pattern_key as the dedupe key.
2. Search .learnings/LEARNINGS.md for existing entry: grep -n "Pattern-Key: <key>" .learnings/LEARNINGS.md
3. If found: increment Recurrence-Count, update Last-Seen, add See Also links.
4. If not found: create new LRN-... entry with Source: simplify-and-harden.

Promotion threshold: Recurrence-Count >= 3, seen in 2+ files/modules, within 30-day window. Targets: lint config, style guide entries, code snippets library, CLAUDE.md / AGENTS.md.

Hook Integration

Enable automatic reminders through agent hooks. This is opt-in.

Quick Setup (Claude Code / Codex)

Create .claude/settings.json in your project:

{
  "hooks": {
    "UserPromptSubmit": [{
      "matcher": "",
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "./skills/self-improving-coding/scripts/activator.sh"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

This injects a coding-focused learning evaluation reminder after each prompt (~50-100 tokens overhead).

Advanced Setup (With Error Detection)

{
  "hooks": {
    "UserPromptSubmit": [{
      "matcher": "",
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "./skills/self-improving-coding/scripts/activator.sh"
      }]
    }],
    "PostToolUse": [{
      "matcher": "Bash",
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "./skills/self-improving-coding/scripts/error-detector.sh"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

Available Hook Scripts

Script	Hook Type	Purpose
scripts/activator.sh	UserPromptSubmit	Reminds to evaluate coding learnings after tasks
scripts/error-detector.sh	PostToolUse (Bash)	Triggers on lint errors, type errors, runtime exceptions

See references/hooks-setup.md for detailed configuration and troubleshooting.

Automatic Skill Extraction

When a coding learning is valuable enough to become a reusable skill, extract it.

Skill Extraction Criteria

Criterion	Description
Recurring	Same bug pattern in 2+ codebases or modules
Verified	Status is resolved with working fix and test
Non-obvious	Required actual debugging or investigation
Broadly applicable	Not project-specific; useful across languages/frameworks
User-flagged	User says "save this as a skill" or similar

Extraction Workflow

1. Identify candidate: Learning meets extraction criteria
2. Run helper (or create manually):

   ./skills/self-improving-coding/scripts/extract-skill.sh skill-name --dry-run
   ./skills/self-improving-coding/scripts/extract-skill.sh skill-name
   

3. Customize SKILL.md: Fill in template with coding-specific content
4. Update learning: Set status to promoted_to_skill, add Skill-Path
5. Verify: Read skill in fresh session to ensure it's self-contained

Extraction Detection Triggers

Use conversation signals ("This bug keeps happening", "Save this pattern as a skill") and entry signals (multiple See Also, high-priority resolved items, recurring Pattern-Key) to identify extraction candidates.

Multi-Agent Support

Agent	Activation	Detection
Claude Code	Hooks (UserPromptSubmit, PostToolUse)	Automatic via error-detector.sh
Codex CLI	Hooks (same pattern)	Automatic via hook scripts
GitHub Copilot	Manual (.github/copilot-instructions.md)	Manual review
OpenClaw	Workspace injection + inter-agent messaging	Via session tools

Best Practices

1. Log immediately — context fades fast after debugging sessions
2. Include minimal code snippets — before/after examples are most useful
3. Specify the language — patterns differ between Python, TypeScript, Rust, etc.
4. Suggest concrete prevention — a lint rule is better than "be careful"
5. Distinguish root cause from symptom — the error message is the symptom, not the cause
6. Test your fix — mark resolved only after verification

Gitignore Options

Keep learnings local (per-developer):

.learnings/

Track learnings in repo (team-wide): Don't add to .gitignore — learnings become shared knowledge.

Hybrid (track templates, ignore entries):

.learnings/*.md
!.learnings/.gitkeep

Stackability Contract (Standalone + Multi-Skill)

This skill is standalone-compatible and stackable with other self-improving skills.

Namespaced Logging (recommended for 2+ skills)

• Namespace for this skill: .learnings/coding/
• Keep current standalone behavior if you prefer flat files.
• Optional shared index for all skills: .learnings/INDEX.md

Required Metadata

Every new entry must include:

**Skill**: coding

Hook Arbitration (when 2+ skills are enabled)

• Use one dispatcher hook as the single entrypoint.
• Dispatcher responsibilities: route by matcher, dedupe repeated events, and rate-limit reminders.
• Suggested defaults: dedupe key = event + matcher + file + 5m_window; max 1 reminder per skill every 5 minutes.

Narrow Matcher Scope (coding)

Only trigger this skill automatically for coding signals such as:

• eslint|ruff|flake8|mypy|pyright|tsc
• exception|traceback|assertionerror|test failed
• explicit coding intent in user prompt

Cross-Skill Precedence

When guidance conflicts, apply:

1. security
2. engineering
3. coding
4. ai
5. user-explicit domain skill
6. meta as tie-breaker

Ownership Rules

• This skill writes only to .learnings/coding/ in stackable mode.
• It may read other skill folders for cross-linking, but should not rewrite their entries.