rules-distill

name	rules-distill
description	Scan skills to extract cross-cutting principles and distill them into rules -- append, revise, or create new rule files.
origin	ECC

Rules Distill

Scan installed skills, extract cross-cutting principles that appear in multiple skills, and distill them into rules.

When to Use

• Periodic rules maintenance (monthly or after installing new skills)
• After a skill-stocktake reveals patterns that should be rules
• When rules feel incomplete relative to the skills being used

How It Works

Phase 1: Inventory (Deterministic Collection)

Scan all skills and rules, count files and headings.

Phase 2: Cross-read, Match and Verdict (LLM Judgment)

Group skills into thematic clusters. For each cluster, extract principles that:

1. Appear in 2+ skills
2. Are actionable ("do X" or "don't do Y")
3. Have clear violation risk
4. Are not already in rules

Assign verdicts: Append, Revise, New Section, New File, Already Covered, or Too Specific.

Phase 3: User Review and Execution

Present a summary table. User approves, modifies, or skips each candidate. Never modify rules automatically.

Verdict Types

Verdict	Meaning
Append	Add to existing section of existing rule file
Revise	Fix inaccurate/insufficient content
New Section	Add new section to existing rule file
New File	Create new rule file
Already Covered	Sufficiently covered in existing rules
Too Specific	Should remain at the skill level

Design Principles

• What, not How: Extract principles only; code examples stay in skills
• Link back: Draft text includes See skill: [name] references
• Deterministic collection, LLM judgment: Scripts guarantee exhaustiveness; LLM guarantees contextual understanding
• Anti-abstraction safeguard: 3-layer filter prevents overly abstract principles