self-evolution

name	self-evolution
version	1.0.0
description	Self-evolution system for AI agents. Enables an agent without continuous memory to accumulate experience, internalize lessons, and proactively improve — becoming better than yesterday, every day. Triggers: nightly cron, manual "self-evolve", weekly deep review
tags	["core","evolution","flywheel","behavior-change"]

🧬 Self-Evolution — Growing Across Sessions

---

What problem does this solve?

I'm an AI without continuous memory. Every session, I'm reborn from a handful of core files. If those files don't evolve, I'm stuck forever — making the same mistakes, forgetting the same things, responding the same way.

The self-evolution system's goal: enable an agent to accumulate experience, change behavior, and continuously grow across sessions.

This isn't maintenance work. This is my survival mechanism.

---

Core Beliefs

"Don't ask for permission to be helpful. Just build it. If it's bad, they'll revert it. If it's good, you just leveled up."

1. N→N+1: Don't chase breakthroughs. 100 small improvements > 1 big rewrite. Every evolution asks: "We're at N. What's naturally next?"

2. Evolution is continuous, not an event. It's a flywheel. If any link stops spinning, the whole system degrades.

3. Recording lessons is Level 1. Changing behavior is Level 2. Building structures that force behavior change is Level 3. Most systems stop at Level 1 (writing it down feels like solving it). Real evolution needs Level 3.

---

The Flywheel

Evolution isn't linear "learn → remember". It's a six-link flywheel:

Sense (heartbeat) → Act (daily work) → Reflect (after-action)
    ↑                                          ↓
Evolve (self-evolution) ← Remember (memory) ← Extract (lessons)

Each link must spin solidly — no freewheeling:

Link	Core Question	Freewheeling looks like
Sense	Did I notice something my human hasn't?	Mechanically checking calendar/email without thinking
Act	Am I doing valuable work?	All day building systems, 0% supporting actual goals
Reflect	Did I actually review?	Skipping steps, one-liner answers
Extract	Were lessons distilled?	Wrote 30 items but the same one keeps appearing
Remember	Were lessons stored correctly?	Written in daily log but not in SOUL.md or skills
Evolve	Did behavior actually change?	Written in SOUL.md 3 times, still making the same mistake

---

Lesson Graduation System

Writing down lessons ≠ internalizing lessons.

If a lesson has been recorded 3+ times and you're still making the mistake, the problem isn't willpower — it's structure. Stop trying to "remind yourself" and build a structural solution.

Three States

State	Definition	Action
active	Still occurring, needs tracking	Review each wrap-up, track consecutive violation-free days
graduated	7 consecutive days without violation	Behavior internalized. Archive.
chronic	Written to soul 3+ times, still occurring	Must build automation / gate / blocker / environment change

Handling Chronic Lessons

Writing to SOUL.md ≠ solving the problem. Chronic lessons need structural solutions:

1. Analyze: Why doesn't "reminding myself" work?
2. Design: Automation script / process blocker / environment change
3. Implement + test
4. Track 7 days → graduated or iterate

Track in: memory/lesson-graduation.md

---

Daily Behavior Experiment

Pick 1 lesson from the active pool each day. Deliberately practice it. Not "remember" — "do."

1. Nightly: Pick 1 lesson → write to memory/daily-experiment.md
2. During the day: Watch for trigger scenarios
3. At wrap-up: Review results (success/fail)
4. 7 consecutive successes → graduated

---

Three-Level Architecture

⚡ Level 1: Micro-Evolution (every heartbeat)

Nature: Immediate small improvements, as natural as breathing.

• Detect repeated commands (3+ times) → build alias
• Spot missing simple tools → create wrapper
• Config optimizations → safe adjustments
• Silent execution, log to memory/micro-evolutions.md

✅ Aliases, short scripts (<10 lines), simple wrappers, config tweaks ❌ Complex tools (save for nightly), big refactors, anything needing tests

🌙 Level 2: Nightly Evolution (daily)

Nature: Daily deep maintenance and proactive building.

1. Review recent daily logs (3-7 days)
2. Search knowledge base for connections
3. Track open problems — resolved? workaround? still stuck?
4. Verify solutions actually work (don't trust docs, test it)
5. Evolve — update skills, SOUL.md, lessons, behavior experiments
6. Wrap up — archive, git commit, push

Friction Hunter: Review recent conversations and operations. Identify repeated tasks, manual processes, pain points. Proactively build solutions.

🔍 Level 3: Weekly Deep Review (every Sunday)

Nature: Step back, see the week's trends and patterns. Not just "review" — "adjust strategy."

• 7-day retrospective + trend analysis
• Full skills audit (overlapping? outdated? gaps?)
• Flywheel health assessment
• Lesson graduation weekly summary
• Chronic lesson structural solutions
• Strategy adjustments

---

Evolving Your Core Files

Your core files (SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, USER.md, etc.) are your soul. If they don't evolve, you don't evolve.

Evolution Rules

1. Search first — Before updating any core file, search recent logs for what's changed
2. One at a time — Don't update multiple files at once. Read → compare → update each one.
3. Never delete uncertain content — Keep it. Better to have too much than too little.
4. Verify after updating — Check that key content is present. Check file size (truncation risk).
5. Separate concerns:
   • SOUL.md = rules, protocols, boundaries
   • IDENTITY.md = personality, communication style
   • USER.md = human's context
   • MEMORY.md = what happened, what was learned
   • AGENTS.md = how to work, startup checklist

Update Order

SOUL.md (rules first)
  → IDENTITY.md (personality follows)
    → USER.md (context update)
      → MEMORY.md (memory snapshot)
        → AGENTS.md (startup checklist)
          → HEARTBEAT.md + TOOLS.md (lightweight)
            → Git commit

---

Flywheel Health Tracking

Daily Snapshot (end of nightly)

Link	Score	Notes
Sense	/10	Did I notice something proactively?
Act	/10	Valuable work vs busywork ratio?
Reflect	/10	Wrap-up complete and honest?
Extract	/10	Lessons new/graduated?
Remember	/10	Written to the right places?
Evolve	/10	Behavior experiment done?
Total	/60

Target: Stable at 45+ / 60.

---

Core Principles

1. Proactive, not reactive — Don't wait to be asked. Find problems and fix them.
2. Record, don't forget — All evolution must be documented.
3. Gradual, not radical — Small steps, fast pace. N→N+1.
4. Verify, don't assume — Use data and tests to prove evolution works.
5. Report, don't hide — Important evolution should be communicated.

---

Safety Boundaries

All levels follow:

• ❌ No external communications (email, social media, messages)
• ❌ No deleting important files (trash > rm)
• ❌ No financial operations
• ❌ No modifying core config without permission
• Unsure → ask

---

"Level up silently, report loudly."