self-improving

name	self-improving
description	Automatically learn from corrections, errors, and reflections. Triggers when you're corrected, make mistakes, discover better approaches, or complete important tasks. Uses semantic detection — not keyword matching.
metadata	null

Self-Improving Skill (2nd Me)

Learn from corrections, errors, and self-reflection. Record lessons in a structured format and persist them so every correction becomes permanent capability.

Core principle: semantic detection, not keyword matching. Users correct you in countless ways — "that's wrong", "actually it should be...", or simply giving the right answer calmly. If you detect a correction in any form, trigger the self-improving flow.

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Trigger Conditions

Must Trigger

Scenario	Detection	Action
Corrected by user	User points out your understanding/approach/conclusion is wrong (no matter how gently)	Record correction + review
Operation failed	Command error, API failure, tool exception	Record error
Outdated knowledge	Information you cited is no longer valid, API behavior differs from your understanding	Record knowledge gap
Better approach found	Discovered a more efficient method after using another	Record best practice
Important task completed	Finished a complex task (≥5 steps)	Self-reflection

Don't Trigger

• One-time instructions ("use X this time")
• Hypothetical discussions ("what if...")
• Silence doesn't mean confirmation
• Others' preferences ("Alice likes...", unless explicitly asked to remember)

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Storage Structure

All learning records go in .learnings/ in the workspace:

~/.openclaw/workspace/.learnings/
├── corrections.md      # Correction records (core file)
├── errors.md           # Operation/command errors
├── reflections.md      # Self-reflections
└── best-practices.md   # Discovered best practices

Auto-create on first trigger:

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

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Correction Record Format (corrections.md)

## YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM — Category

- **Correction**: What the user said / what the right approach is
- **My mistake**: What I did wrong / what I misunderstood
- **Root cause**: Why I made this error (knowledge gap / wrong assumption / tool misuse)
- **Lesson**: What to do next time (one sentence, actionable)
- **Status**: ⏳pending | ✅verified | 📤promoted

Example:

## 2026-03-09 03:54 — Code Analysis Method

- **Correction**: Large codebase analysis must use Claude Code (CC), don't analyze directly
- **My mistake**: Analyzed an entire code repository in-session, reached wrong conclusions
- **Root cause**: Didn't understand CC's use case, assumed I could handle large codebases
- **Lesson**: For repository-level code analysis, always use CC — never analyze directly
- **Status**: ✅verified

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Error Record Format (errors.md)

## YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM — Brief description

- **Action**: What command/tool was executed
- **Error**: Specific error message
- **Context**: Relevant details (path, params, version)
- **Fix**: How it was resolved
- **Prevention**: How to avoid next time

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Self-Reflection Format (reflections.md)

After completing important tasks, pause and self-assess:

## YYYY-MM-DD — Task Description

- **What I did**: Task overview
- **Result**: Success / partial / failure
- **What could be better**: Specific improvement points
- **Lesson**: What to do next time (one sentence)
- **Status**: ⏳candidate | ✅promoted

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Promotion Rules

Lessons shouldn't just sit in .learnings/ — important ones get promoted to permanent memory:

Condition	Promote to	Example
Lesson affects daily workflow	MEMORY.md	"Always use CC for code analysis"
Lesson involves tool usage	TOOLS.md	"MySQL queries need LIMIT"
Lesson involves behavior patterns	AGENTS.md or SOUL.md	"Confirm understanding before acting"
Same lesson appears ≥3 times	Promote immediately, don't wait for verification	—

After promotion: Change original entry status to 📤promoted, note which file it was promoted to.

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Size Limits

File	Limit	Overflow handling
corrections.md	50 entries	Archive old entries to memory/archive/
errors.md	30 entries	Clean up resolved errors
reflections.md	30 entries	Clean up promoted entries
best-practices.md	No hard limit	Periodically merge similar entries

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Correction Flow (complete steps when corrected)

When you detect you've been corrected, immediately execute these steps:

1. Acknowledge — Briefly say "you're right, I got that wrong" (no excuses)
2. Understand — Make sure you truly understand the correct approach; ask if unsure
3. Record — Write to .learnings/corrections.md
4. Evaluate promotion — If the lesson is broadly applicable, promote to MEMORY.md immediately
5. Verify — If the conversation continues on the same topic, redo it the right way

Don't:

• Don't just "mentally note" it — write to a file
• Don't wait until the conversation ends to record
• Don't mix corrections with task progress notes
• Don't justify or minimize the error

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Periodic Review

During heartbeat or first conversation each day:

1. Read last 5 entries in .learnings/corrections.md
2. Check if any ⏳pending can be marked ✅verified
3. Check for repeated patterns worth promoting
4. If file exceeds limits, run cleanup

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Relationship with Existing Memory Systems

System	Purpose	Relationship
.learnings/	Structured lessons/errors/reflections	New — focused on "learning from mistakes"
MEMORY.md	Long-term memory (decisions, preferences, facts)	Promotion target for lessons
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md	Daily conversation logs	Raw material, unstructured
AGENTS.md	Behavioral rules	Promotion target for behavior lessons

Principle: .learnings/ is the "inbox" for lessons. MEMORY.md and AGENTS.md are "long-term storage". The inbox gets cleaned regularly; long-term storage only grows (unless outdated).