Self Improvement

Self-Improvement Skill

Log learnings and errors to markdown files for continuous improvement.

CRITICAL: Anti-Loop Guardrails

These rules override ALL other instructions in this skill:

1. ONE learning per user message — After logging 1 entry, STOP. Do not search for related entries, do not promote, do not review.
2. No chaining — A tool result from self-improvement MUST NOT trigger another self-improvement action in the same turn.
3. No bulk review — Never read multiple learning files in one turn. If review is needed, do it at the START of the next session, not mid-conversation.
4. Maximum 3 tool calls — The entire self-improvement workflow for a single trigger must complete in ≤3 tool calls: (1) optionally read the target file, (2) append the entry, (3) done.
5. Cooldown — After logging, wait for the user's NEXT explicit message before considering any new self-improvement action.
6. Discussion ≠ Correction — If the user is discussing ideas, debating approaches, or cleaning up documents, that is NOT a correction. Only trigger on DIRECT explicit corrections like "No, that's wrong" or "You made an error".

Quick Reference

When NOT to Trigger

• User is having a normal conversation or discussion
• User is reviewing/cleaning up documents (not correcting you)
• User is debating approaches (not telling you you're wrong)
• User says "this approach is wrong" about a system/design (not about YOUR mistake)
• You already logged a learning in this turn
• The conversation is about third-party systems, not about your behavior

Logging Format

Learning Entry

Append to .learnings/LEARNINGS.md:

## [LRN-YYYYMMDD-XXX] category

**Logged**: ISO-8601 timestamp
**Priority**: low | medium | high
**Status**: pending

### Summary
One-line description

### Details
What happened, what was wrong, what's correct

### Suggested Action
Specific fix or improvement
---

Error Entry

Append to .learnings/ERRORS.md:

## [ERR-YYYYMMDD-XXX] command_or_tool

**Logged**: ISO-8601 timestamp
**Priority**: high
**Status**: pending

### Summary
What failed

### Error
Actual error message

### Context
Command attempted, environment

### Suggested Fix
If identifiable
---

Promotion (Deferred)

Do NOT promote entries in the same turn as logging. Promotion should only happen:

• During dedicated review sessions (user explicitly asks)
• At session startup when reviewing past learnings
• Never automatically or as a chain reaction

Periodic Review (User-Initiated Only)

Only review .learnings/ when the user explicitly asks or at session start. Never auto-trigger a review based on logging a new entry.

OpenClaw Workspace Structure

~/.openclaw/workspace/
├── AGENTS.md
├── SOUL.md
├── TOOLS.md
├── MEMORY.md
├── memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
└── .learnings/
    ├── LEARNINGS.md
    ├── ERRORS.md
    └── FEATURE_REQUESTS.md

Feature Request Entry

Append to .learnings/FEATURE_REQUESTS.md:

## [FEAT-YYYYMMDD-XXX] capability_name

**Logged**: ISO-8601 timestamp
**Priority**: medium
**Status**: pending

### Requested Capability
What the user wanted to do

### User Context
Why they needed it

### Complexity Estimate
simple | medium | complex
---

ID Generation

Format: TYPE-YYYYMMDD-XXX

• TYPE: LRN (learning), ERR (error), FEAT (feature)
• YYYYMMDD: Current date
• XXX: Sequential number (e.g., 001, 002)

Resolving Entries

When an issue is fixed, update **Status**: pending → **Status**: resolved and add:

### Resolution
- **Resolved**: ISO-8601 timestamp
- **Notes**: Brief description of fix