instinct-learning

name	instinct-learning
description	Records atomic learned behaviors with confidence scores. Project-scoped instincts are isolated per project and auto-promote to global scope at confidence threshold 0.8. Stores instincts in .claude/context/memory/instincts.jsonl
version	1.0.0
model	sonnet
invoked_by	both
user_invocable	true
tools	["Read","Write","Edit","Bash","Grep","Glob"]
agents	["developer","qa","architect","planner","reflection-agent"]
category	Memory
tags	["memory","learning","instinct","confidence","project-scoped","auto-promote"]
best_practices	["Record instincts immediately after observing a reliable pattern","Keep instinct text atomic — one behavior per record","Set confidence honestly; overconfidence poisons the global pool","Review promoted instincts for cross-project validity before relying on them"]
error_handling	strict
source	builtin
trust_score	100
provenance_sha	6bed08492dc2f1d0

Instinct Learning

Overview

Instinct Learning records atomic learned behaviors as structured instinct records. Each instinct has a confidence score (0.3–0.9), a project scope, and a promotion pathway to global scope when confidence reaches 0.8.

This prevents knowledge from evaporating between sessions and stops cross-project contamination by isolating low-confidence instincts in the project that generated them.

When to Use

Invoke when:

• An agent observes a reliable pattern that should influence future behavior
• A debugging session surfaces a non-obvious fix that will recur
• A workflow succeeds repeatedly and should be encoded as a default
• An error pattern is identified that should be avoided project-wide

Skill({ skill: 'instinct-learning' });

Iron Law

NO INSTINCT WITHOUT AN OBSERVED BASIS.
Every instinct record MUST include `source_context` describing the observation
that generated it. Invented instincts are worse than no instincts.

Confidence Scale

Score	Meaning	Promotion Eligible
0.3	Seen once, uncertain	No
0.4	Seen twice, possibly coincidental	No
0.5	Consistent in this project	No
0.6	Reliable in this project	No
0.7	Highly reliable, limited cross-test	No
0.8	Auto-promotes to global scope	YES
0.9	Canonical — applies across projects	YES (immediate)

Instinct Record Schema

Each record in .claude/context/memory/instincts.jsonl follows this structure:

{
  "id": "inst-<uuid-short>",
  "timestamp": "2026-03-23T10:00:00Z"