meta_skill

Overview

This skill teaches an agent to monitor and improve its own thinking. Use it to orient before work, recover when stuck, and ensure outputs match intent. It focuses on context checks, pacing, and disciplined self-correction.

How this skill works

The skill runs a short metacognitive checklist: read the index, review recent logs and lessons, choose an appropriate domain skill, then pick a pace and plan. It surfaces stop-triggers that force reassessment and suggests memory lookups to avoid repeating mistakes. Finally, it enforces a simple loop: Orient → Decide → Act → Check → Learn.

When to use it

• Starting a new session or task orientation
• When output feels vague, sloppy, or off-target
• Facing a complex task with multiple approaches
• After repeated failed attempts or a clear mistake
• Before composing or routing to a domain-specific skill

Best practices

• MAP-first: check the index before searching or coding
• Journal check: scan recent logs and LESSONS for patterns and blockers
• Plan before typing: avoid coding during the planning phase
• Ask one clarifying question when intent is uncertain
• Log concise lessons after review (date | skill | lesson)

Example use cases

• Beginning a multi-step design sprint to choose the correct frontend skill pairing
• Recovering from a stuck loop during API design by slowing and reorienting
• Preparing to write a long technical doc by checking prior drafts and lessons
• Escalating after two failed attempts on a task instead of repeating the same approach
• Composing outputs that must avoid vague buzzwords and stick to requested scope