name	Meta-Pattern Recognition
description	Spot patterns appearing in 3+ domains to find universal principles
when_to_use	when noticing the same pattern across 3+ different domains or experiencing déjà vu in problem-solving
version	1.1.0

Meta-Pattern Recognition

Overview

When the same pattern appears in 3+ domains, it's probably a universal principle worth extracting.

Core principle: Find patterns in how patterns emerge.

Quick Reference

Pattern Appears In	Abstract Form	Where Else?
CPU/DB/HTTP/DNS caching	Store frequently-accessed data closer	LLM prompt caching, CDN, browser cache
Layering (network/storage/compute)	Separate concerns into abstraction levels	Clean architecture, OS rings
Queuing (message/task/request)	Decouple producer from consumer with buffer	Event systems, async processing, print queues
Pooling (connection/thread/object)	Reuse expensive resources	Memory management, worker pools
Rate limiting (API/traffic/admission)	Bound resource consumption to prevent exhaustion	LLM token budgets, DB connection limits

Process

Spot repetition — See same shape in 3+ places
Extract abstract form — Describe it independent of any domain
Identify variations — How does it adapt per domain?
Check applicability — Where else might this pattern help?

Example

Pattern spotted: Rate limiting in API throttling, traffic shaping, circuit breakers, admission control, connection pooling

Abstract form: Bound resource consumption to prevent exhaustion

Variation points: What resource, what limit, what happens when exceeded (reject / queue / degrade)

New application: LLM token budgets (same pattern — prevent context window exhaustion)

Red Flags You're Missing Meta-Patterns

"This problem is unique" (it probably isn't)
Multiple teams independently solving "different" problems identically
Reinventing wheels across domains
"Haven't we done something like this?" (yes — find it)
Writing the same logic in 3+ different places

Remember

3+ domains = likely universal principle
Abstract form reveals new applications
Variations show adaptation points
Universal patterns are battle-tested across contexts

Meta-Pattern Recognition

Overview

When the same pattern appears in 3+ domains, it's probably a universal principle worth extracting.

Core principle: Find patterns in how patterns emerge.

Quick Reference

Pattern Appears In

Abstract Form

Where Else?

CPU/DB/HTTP/DNS caching

Store frequently-accessed data closer

LLM prompt caching, CDN, browser cache

Layering (network/storage/compute)

Separate concerns into abstraction levels

Clean architecture, OS rings

Queuing (message/task/request)

Decouple producer from consumer with buffer

Event systems, async processing, print queues

Pooling (connection/thread/object)

Reuse expensive resources

Memory management, worker pools

Rate limiting (API/traffic/admission)

Bound resource consumption to prevent exhaustion

LLM token budgets, DB connection limits

Process

Spot repetition — See same shape in 3+ places

Extract abstract form — Describe it independent of any domain

Identify variations — How does it adapt per domain?

Check applicability — Where else might this pattern help?

Example

Pattern spotted: Rate limiting in API throttling, traffic shaping, circuit breakers, admission control, connection pooling

Abstract form: Bound resource consumption to prevent exhaustion

Variation points: What resource, what limit, what happens when exceeded (reject / queue / degrade)

New application: LLM token budgets (same pattern — prevent context window exhaustion)

Red Flags You're Missing Meta-Patterns

"This problem is unique" (it probably isn't)

Multiple teams independently solving "different" problems identically

Reinventing wheels across domains

"Haven't we done something like this?" (yes — find it)

Writing the same logic in 3+ different places

Remember

3+ domains = likely universal principle

Abstract form reveals new applications

Variations show adaptation points

Universal patterns are battle-tested across contexts

meta-pattern-recognition