llm-wiki-skills

name	llm-wiki-skills
description	Use when the task should consult, capture, validate, evolve, or retire reusable workflow shortcuts through the local `llm-wiki-skills` skill/CLI surface. MCP is optional transport only. This packet-owned wrapper explains the full tool lifecycle in depth and is installable into ~/.agents/skills, ~/.codex/skills, ~/.claude/skills, and ~/.pi/agent/skills.

llm-wiki-skills

This is the packet-owned home-skill wrapper for llm-wiki-skills.

Use it when the job is not just "answer this once", but "make this reusable, reviewable, and cheaper next time."

Startup

1. Read repo-local instructions first.
2. If you are inside an llm-wiki-memory workspace, read AGENTS.md, LLM_WIKI_MEMORY.md, and .llm-wiki/config.json before acting.
3. Verify that the local skill lifecycle plane exists:

• scripts/llm_wiki_skill_mcp.py
• .llm-wiki/skills-registry.json
• .llm-wiki/skill-pipeline/

4. If present, prefer the local skill/CLI workflow over inventing an ad hoc skills registry. Use MCP only when the current client already has the server available or explicitly opted in.

How To Call

Every MCP tool in this skill has an identical CLI subcommand. The CLI is the default integration path:

python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py <subcommand> [options]

The script prints a JSON result to stdout and exits 0 on success, 1 on blocked or missing.

Quick reference

MCP tool	CLI subcommand	Key required args
skill_lookup	lookup	--goal or --url-pattern
skill_reflect	reflect	--title, --kind, --goal, --evidence
skill_validate	validate	--title, --kind, --goal, --evidence
skill_pipeline_run	pipeline-run	--title, --kind, --goal, --evidence
skill_propose	propose	--title, --kind, --goal, --evidence
skill_evolve	evolve	--title, --kind, --goal, --evidence
skill_feedback	feedback	--skill-id, --verdict, --reason
skill_frontier	frontier	(none required)
skill_get	get	--skill-id
skill_retire	retire	--skill-id, --reason
wiki_bootstrap	wiki-bootstrap	(none required)

Common CLI patterns

Look up before starting work:

python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py lookup --goal "select airport from Google Flights dropdown"

Capture a reusable shortcut in one pass:

python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py pipeline-run \
  --title "Google Flights airport row click" \
  --kind ui \
  --goal "Select the exact airport row from the Google Flights suggestion list" \
  --trigger "Multiple airport rows appear for one city and require an exact row click" \
  --fast-path "Type the city, wait for the suggestion list, click the exact airport row" \
  --evidence "Three sessions confirmed that clicking the exact airport row resolves the ambiguity" \
  --observation "Pressing Enter commits the first suggestion, not the intended one" \
  --failure-modes "Pressing Enter too early commits the wrong airport" \
  --apply "https://www.google.com/travel/flights*"

Run an evolution cycle against an existing skill:

python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py evolve \
  --title "Google Flights airport row click" \
  --kind ui \
  --goal "Select the exact airport row from the Google Flights suggestion list" \
  --evidence "New evidence from multi-airport regression test" \
  --target-skill-id skill-google-flights-airport-row-click \
  --proposal-action edit_skill \
  --surrogate-verdict pass \
  --oracle-verdict pass \
  --benchmark google-flights-regression \
  --iteration 2

Check the current frontier:

python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py frontier --limit 5

Inspect a skill record with full lineage:

python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py get --skill-id skill-google-flights-airport-row-click

Record feedback after applying a skill:

python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py feedback \
  --skill-id skill-google-flights-airport-row-click \
  --verdict upvote \
  --reason "Saved approximately 8 steps in a repeated Google Flights booking flow"

Retire a stale skill:

python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py retire \
  --skill-id skill-legacy-google-flights-enter \
  --reason "Superseded by the click-based airport selection skill"

Subcommand details

Each subcommand accepts the same fields as the corresponding MCP tool input schema.

Required for most write subcommands: --title, --kind, --goal, --evidence.

Common optional flags across write subcommands:

• --workspace — workspace root (default: current directory)
• --apply (repeatable) — URL patterns the skill applies to
• --problem, --trigger, --preconditions — structured context
• --fast-path — the reusable shortcut
• --failure-modes — what goes wrong without this skill
• --observation (repeatable), --risk (repeatable) — supporting detail
• --file (repeatable), --reference (repeatable), --artifact-ref (repeatable) — durable refs
• --memory-scope — working, episodic, semantic, procedural, or hybrid
• --memory-strategy — hierarchical, knowledge_object, or flat
• --update-strategy — append_only, merge_append, replace_on_validation, or deprecate_on_conflict
• --durable-fact (repeatable) — stable facts worth preserving beyond the immediate run
• --provenance-ref (repeatable) — supporting refs used later for audit/deprecation
• --retrieval-hint (repeatable) — compact lookup handles for future agents
• --canonical-key (repeatable) — write-time reconciliation handles so overlapping skills update/merge instead of duplicating
• --route-decision — one of complete, retry_same_worker, reroute_to_sibling, escalate_to_parent, stop_insufficient_evidence
• --skip-steps-estimate — how many steps this shortcut avoids
• --confidence — low, medium, or high

Evolve-specific flags:

• --target-skill-id — existing skill to edit
• --proposal-action — create_skill, edit_skill, or discard
• --surrogate-verdict — pass, revise, or fail
• --oracle-verdict — external accept/reject signal
• --verification-mode — heuristic, objective, or subjective_pairwise
• --benchmark, --iteration, --program-id — tracking fields

Subjective pairwise flags (when --verification-mode subjective_pairwise):

• --subjective-task — what the judge evaluates
• --baseline-output — current skill output
• --candidate-output — proposed replacement output
• --judge-choice — A or B
• --judge-summary, --judge-finding (repeatable) — judge rationale

Run python scripts/llm_wiki_skills.py <subcommand> --help for the full flag list.

What This Surface Is For

llm-wiki-skills is the reusable skill lifecycle plane for the packet.

It is for:

• looking up prior reusable shortcuts before rediscovering them
• capturing reducer packets after meaningful exploration
• validating whether a candidate is safe, distinct, and promotion-worthy
• proposing merges or new active skills
• collecting feedback on whether a saved shortcut actually helped
• evolving skills through repeated review and frontier selection
• retiring stale or harmful skills cleanly

It is not for:

• storing secrets, tokens, API keys, or personal private data
• dumping raw transcripts without a reducer packet
• replacing source-evidence retrieval when pk-qmd is the right first move
• creating duplicates when an existing skill should be merged or amended

Recommended Run Order

1. Start with skill_lookup before rediscovering a workflow.
2. If the task required real exploration or produced a repeatable shortcut, capture it with skill_reflect or skill_pipeline_run.
3. Use skill_validate when you need an explicit privacy, overlap, and promotion check.
4. Use skill_propose, skill_feedback, skill_evolve, and skill_frontier to improve the library over time.
5. Use skill_get when you need the full record or lineage of an existing entry.
6. Use skill_retire when a skill is stale, unsafe, superseded, or actively misleading.

Tool Guide

skill_lookup

Use this first when you suspect the library may already contain a shortcut.

Use it to:

• search for an existing skill by trigger, task shape, or domain
• avoid duplicated work before starting broad exploration
• decide whether to reuse, amend, or supersede an existing entry

Good default behavior:

• run skill_lookup before a long or repetitive operational task
• prefer reusing an existing high-confidence shortcut if it matches the current preconditions
• if the hit is partial, use it as the seed for reflection instead of inventing a brand-new skill from scratch

skill_reflect

Use this after meaningful work when you want to capture the reusable lesson without promoting it blindly.

Use it to record:

• the repeated trigger
• the shortest reliable fast path
• preconditions
• failure modes
• artifact references
• a reducer packet for long tasks

This is the right tool when:

• the task took real exploration cost
• you found a stable shortcut
• you want a packet and review trail before deciding whether it belongs in the active library

For long tasks, do not save only a summary. Save a reducer packet plus artifact refs so future agents can escalate into the underlying evidence when needed.

skill_validate

Use this when the candidate exists but should not be promoted on trust alone.

Validation should answer:

• does this contain secrets or sensitive data
• does this duplicate an existing skill
• are the trigger and fast path concrete enough
• are the preconditions and failure modes explicit
• should this merge into an existing record instead of creating a new one

Use it whenever:

• the candidate may overlap with an existing skill
• the material came from a long or messy session
• privacy or evidence boundaries are not obvious
• you want a formal gate before proposal or promotion

skill_pipeline_run

Use this when you want the full packet-native pipeline in one pass.

This is the best default when the task produced a real reusable shortcut and you want:

• reflection
• validation
• proposal or merge output
• durable artifact placement under .llm-wiki/skill-pipeline/

Prefer skill_pipeline_run over a manual sequence when:

• you want the standard packet workflow
• the task already justified a reusable skill candidate
• you want fewer chances to skip a validation step

skill_propose

Use this when you want an explicit candidate proposal or merge proposal, not just a reflection record.

Typical use:

• propose a new active skill candidate
• propose a delta against an existing skill
• prepare a candidate for review after validation

Use it when the important question is:

• "should this become an active reusable shortcut"

instead of:

• "what did we learn from the session"

skill_feedback

Use this after a saved skill has been applied in the real world.

Feedback should capture whether the skill:

• actually saved time
• failed under a new edge case
• needs tighter preconditions
• should be merged, narrowed, or retired

Use feedback to improve the library instead of silently bypassing a bad or stale skill.

skill_evolve

Use this when accumulated proposals, feedback, and review history justify a better version of the skill.

This is for deliberate improvement, not casual editing.

Typical evolution inputs include:

• repeated positive or negative feedback
• surrogate review artifacts
• validator findings
• frontier comparisons

Use it when you want the library to improve based on evidence instead of ad hoc rewrites.

skill_frontier

Use this when you need the best current evolved candidates, not just the most recent raw proposals.

This is useful for:

• deciding which version should be treated as the current best shortcut
• checking whether an evolved candidate outperforms the active record
• surfacing the best-known entry after multiple iterations

skill_get

Use this when you need the full stored record for a specific skill or candidate.

Use it to inspect:

• current content
• lineage
• proposal history
• validation trail
• associated packets or artifacts

This is the "show me the exact record" tool.

skill_retire

Use this when a skill should stop being recommended.

Retire a skill when it is:

• stale because the environment changed
• misleading because the trigger is too broad
• superseded by a better frontier candidate
• unsafe because it encouraged private or brittle behavior

Retirement is preferable to leaving a known-bad shortcut active.

Quality Bar

A solid reusable skill should include:

• a clear repeated trigger
• a compact, reliable fast path
• explicit preconditions
• explicit failure modes
• artifact references when the task had depth
• a memory scope that says what kind of durable knowledge this is
• a non-flat memory strategy for long or expensive trajectories
• durable facts plus provenance refs so the skill behaves like a knowledge object, not a vague note
• canonical reconciliation keys so writes can merge/update cleanly
• enough specificity that another agent can execute it without guesswork

If the shortcut still depends on hidden context in your head, it is not ready.

Modern packet default:

• most ui and http skills are procedural memory
• long workflow captures begin as episodic or hybrid memory
• prompt/style skills often become semantic memory
• the pipeline should promote raw episodes into hierarchical summaries before saving them as active procedural memory

Packet Integration

• LLM_WIKI_MEMORY.md describes the stack-level routing policy.
• SKILL_CREATION_AT_EXPERT_LEVEL.md is the implementation guide for high-quality skill capture.
• .llm-wiki/skills-registry.json is the canonical local registry state.
• .llm-wiki/skill-pipeline/ stores briefs, packets, validations, proposals, surrogate reviews, evolution runs, frontier data, and failure artifacts.

MCP vs CLI

When the MCP server is wired into the agent runtime, use the MCP tools directly. When MCP is not available (plain shell, Codex, Droid CLI, or CI), use the CLI subcommands documented above. Both surfaces accept the same fields and produce the same JSON output. The CLI is the authoritative fallback; MCP is the ergonomic default.

Constraints

• Do not store secrets, credentials, or private personal data.
• Do not promote vague summaries as reusable skills.
• Do not create a duplicate when a merge or delta is the correct move.
• Prefer reducer packets plus artifact refs for long tasks.
• Prefer pk-qmd for source evidence and llm-wiki-skills for reusable shortcut lifecycle; do not confuse the two roles.