automate-me

# Automate me Delegation and optional capabilities follow `../poteto-mode/references/codex-agent-runtime.md`. A guided flow for turning the user's working conventions into a skill agents will follow. The output is one `-mode` skill tailored to them (e.g. `jay-mode`, `priya-mode`). This skill orchestrates three others: an inline mining pass (see step 1), the `skill-creator` skill (authoring), and the **unslop** skill (prose discipline). It sequences them; it doesn't replace them. ## Flow ### 0. Check for an existing skill Look recursively for `.agents/skills/**/*-mode/SKILL.md` and `~/.agents/skills/*-mode/SKILL.md` matching the user's handle. Mode skills can live in a personal category directory (`.agents/skills/<handle>/`), not only at the top level. If one exists, confirm intent with ask the user (unless they already said "update my skill" or similar): - Update the existing skill (default for repeat runs) - Start fresh (rare; ask why before doing it) Update mode changes the rest of the flow: - Step 1 mines only history since the skill was last edited (`git log -1 --format=%cI <path>`). - Step 2 asks what's changed or missing, not what to capture from zero. - Step 4 edits the existing file in place. Preserve sections the user hasn't contradicted; revise ones with new evidence; add new sections only for genuinely new rules. ### 1. Mine their history List recent tasks through supported Codex task APIs and scope them to the active project. Never infer or search a private history directory. If task APIs are unavailable, ask the user for a history digest or skip mining and state the limitation. Survey recent agent conversations within that scope for recurring patterns. Run multiple parallel subagents across slices of history (e.g. last 2-4 weeks, split into 3 slices so each has enough material). Inherit the parent model and reasoning effort unless the user or a validated profile requests another available pair. Each slice mining subagent reads transcripts from the workspace-scoped path the parent provides, looks for the signals below, and returns a short structured list of patterns it saw with evidence pointers. Default signals worth hunting: - Response preferences (length, tone, format, "dumb it down" corrections) - Delegation habits (subagents, models, specialized workflows, parallelism) - Verification posture (what "done" means; unit tests vs live repro; reviewers) - Code and prose discipline (style, principles cited, lint/format tools) - Process conventions (worktrees, commits, PRs, review/merge tooling) - Meta preferences (fixing skills mid-task, proposing new ones) Cross-check across slices before elevating a signal. Patterns seen in 2+ slices are high-confidence; lone signals are weak and usually get dropped. ### 2. Ask the user directly Mining misses intent that hasn't come up yet. Use the ask the user tool (structured multi-choice) rather than asking the user to type from scratch. Lower cognitive load, higher hit rate. Shape: one or two questions with 4-6 options each, `allow_multiple: true` for category questions. Start broad ("Which areas matter most?"), then follow up on selected areas with specific options. After the structured rounds, one free-form chat question catches anything the options missed. Don't dump 20 questions. Two structured rounds plus one open question is usually enough. ### 3. Cluster findings Group the combined signals into sections. Common ones (use only what applies): - **Response style**: length, tone, format. - **Autonomy**: how much to do without asking; MCP tool use. - **Understand first**: which skills to reach for when scoping or investigating a change. - **Subagents**: default, parallelism, model-to-task, specialized workflows. - **Prose / code discipline**: principles, lint tools, style guides. - **Review and verify**: repro posture, verification skills, live-testing tools. - **Process**: git worktrees, commits, PRs, review/merge tooling. - **Skills**: skill-authoring habits, fix-the-skill-first, proposing new skills. The **poteto-mode** skill shows the shape. Read it for granularity. Don't copy its content; the user's rules are not the same as poteto-mode's. ### 4. Draft the skill Use the `skill-creator` skill to author the skill. Placement: - Path: preserve an existing mode skill's category. For a new mode, use `.agents/skills/<handle>/<handle>-mode/SKILL.md` when the repo has an established personal category for that handle; otherwise default to `.agents/skills/<handle>-mode/SKILL.md` in the project (or `~/.agents/skills/<handle>-mode/` if the user prefers a personal skill). - Handle: the user's first name or chosen identifier. - Frontmatter `description`: trigger on their name + `/<handle>-mode` + "work in their style", not on generic keywords like "write code" or "review PR". - Frontmatter formatting: follow `skill-creator`'s YAML rules. Keep `description` as one YAML scalar; quote it or use `description: >-` with indented continuation lines when punctuation or wrapping requires it. - Frontmatter `disable-model-invocation: true` by default. Mode skills are heavy and opinionated; they should only apply when the user explicitly invokes them (by name or slash command), not auto-trigger on description matching. Opt out only if the user explicitly wants their mode to apply on every turn. ### 5. Iterate on prose Apply the **unslop** skill and `skill-creator`'s writing guidelines to every line. Both apply to any agent-read prose, not just skills. Show the draft to the user and take feedback. Expect multiple iterations. Cut ruthlessly; a mode skill is not a manual. ### 6. Land it Work in a worktree off main. Commit and open a PR so the user can review it. Don't push to main directly. ## Guardrails - **Don't overfit to one conversation.** A preference stated once and contradicted another time is noise. Require multiple instances before codifying it. - **Don't be clever.** Restating other skills' contents, inventing metaphors, or writing "poetic" prose for an agent reader is cost without benefit. Keep it operational. - **Reference, don't inline.** Other skills the user relies on should appear as path references, not pasted excerpts. Same for any principle docs they maintain elsewhere. - **Keep sections minimal.** Only add a section if the user has a specific, non-default rule there. "Communicate clearly" is not a section. "Short paragraphs. Tables when comparing options. Bullets only when items are genuinely parallel." is. - **Name conventions generic.** Use "the user" or "the human" in imperatives, not the author's first name. Others may read or adopt the skill. - **Don't force symmetry.** If a user has no process rules worth writing down, skip the Process section entirely. Sparse is fine; bloated is not. ## Evaluation A `-mode` skill is subjective output. A `skill-creator` benchmark loop is not useful here. Vibe-check with the user: does it read like them? Did it miss anything? Then ship. Run a description-optimization loop only if the skill's trigger accuracy turns out to be a problem in practice. ## When not to use - User wants a task-specific skill (not working conventions): `skill-creator` alone, no mining required. - User wants to capture one narrow workflow (e.g. "how I write commit messages"): that's a regular skill, not a mode skill. ## Reference files - The **poteto-mode** skill: example of the output shape. - The **unslop** skill: prose discipline for every line. - the `skill-creator` skill: skill authoring process and writing guidelines.