gitwalter Update Knowledge
Interactive skill for reviewing, applying, and managing knowledge updates
Update Knowledge Skill
Overview
This skill provides an interactive interface for reviewing available knowledge updates, previewing changes, applying updates, and managing rollbacks. It respects the knowledge evolution configuration set in settings.json.
Purpose
Enable controlled, transparent knowledge evolution that:
- Shows available updates with changelogs
- Allows preview before applying
- Supports partial updates (select which to apply)
- Provides rollback capability
- Tracks update history
Axiom Alignment
- A1 (Verifiability): All updates verified against checksums
- A3 (Transparency): Full changelog and source attribution
- A7 (Reversibility): All updates can be rolled back
- A10 (Learning): System evolves from trusted sources
Trigger
This skill is activated when:
- User says "update knowledge", "check for updates", "refresh patterns"
- Startup notification shows available updates
- User requests "rollback knowledge" or "undo update"
- Scheduled update check runs (if configured)
Process
- Review the task requirements.
- Apply the skill's methodology.
- Validate the output against the defined criteria.
Step 1: Check Configuration
Load and validate knowledge evolution settings:
configuration_check:
load_settings:
file: {directories.config}/settings.json
section: knowledge_evolution
validate:
- mode is valid (stability_first, awareness_hybrid, freshness_first, subscription)
- sources are configured
- credentials are available (if needed)
apply_mode:
stability_first:
action: Only check, never auto-apply
confirmation: Always required
awareness_hybrid:
action: Check and notify
confirmation: Required before apply
freshness_first:
action: Check and auto-apply with backup
confirmation: Only for breaking changes
subscription:
action: Check subscribed files only
confirmation: Required
Step 2: Fetch Available Updates
Query all configured sources for updates:
fetch_updates:
parallel_sources:
- adapter: github
enabled: ${sources.github_trending}
action: Check tracked repositories using `get_latest_release` and `search_repositories`
- adapter: pypi
enabled: ${sources.package_registries}
action: Check Python packages for updates
- adapter: npm
enabled: ${sources.package_registries}
action: Check NPM packages for updates
- adapter: official_docs
enabled: ${sources.official_docs}
action: Check documentation sources
- adapter: community
enabled: ${sources.community_curated}
action: Check community sources
aggregate:
action: Combine all updates
deduplicate: By target_file + source
sort_by: priority (CRITICAL first)
Step 3: Present Update Summary
Show user what updates are available:
## Knowledge Updates Available
**Mode**: {knowledge_evolution.mode}
**Last Check**: {last_check_time}
### Critical Updates (Apply Immediately)
| File | Version | Source | Change |
|||--|--|
| langchain-patterns.json | 1.0.0 → 1.1.0 | GitHub langchain-ai/langchain | Security fix |
### High Priority Updates
| File | Version | Source | Change |
|||--|--|
| fastapi-patterns.json | 1.0.0 → 2.0.0 | GitHub tiangolo/fastapi | Breaking changes |
| nextjs-patterns.json | 1.0.0 → 1.2.0 | NPM next@14.1.0 | New features |
### Medium Priority Updates
| File | Version | Source | Change |
|||--|--|
| {more updates...} |
### Summary
- **Critical**: {count} updates
- **High**: {count} updates
- **Medium**: {count} updates
- **Low**: {count} updates
- **Total**: {total} updates available
Step 4: Preview Changes
Allow user to preview specific updates:
preview_options:
show_diff:
action: Show JSON diff for selected file
format: Side-by-side comparison
highlight: Added, changed, removed sections
show_changelog:
action: Show changelog entries
include:
- Version history
- Change descriptions
- Source links
- Breaking change warnings
show_impact:
action: Analyze impact on project
check:
- Affected blueprints
- Affected skills
- Affected templates
Step 5: Apply Updates
Apply selected or all updates:
apply_updates:
pre_apply:
- Create backup of current files
- Validate update checksums
- Check for conflicts
apply_options:
all:
action: Apply all updates
confirm: "Apply {count} updates?"
selected:
action: Apply user-selected updates
prompt: "Select updates to apply"
by_priority:
action: Apply updates above threshold
prompt: "Apply CRITICAL and HIGH priority? (y/n)"
by_file:
action: Apply updates to specific file
prompt: "Which file to update?"
apply_process:
1_backup:
action: Create timestamped backup
path: {directories.knowledge}/backups/{filename}.{timestamp}.json
2_merge:
action: Apply changes using merge strategy
strategies:
conservative: Only add, never modify
balanced: Add and update, preserve custom
aggressive: Full replacement
3_validate:
action: Validate merged content against schema
on_error: Rollback and report
4_update_manifest:
action: Update manifest.json with new versions
record: timestamp, source, changes
Step 6: Rollback (If Needed)
Support rolling back updates:
rollback_options:
list_backups:
action: Show available backups
display:
- Filename
- Backup timestamp
- Version before backup
- Changes that were applied
rollback_file:
action: Rollback specific file
process:
1: Select backup to restore
2: Confirm rollback
3: Restore file from backup
4: Update manifest
rollback_batch:
action: Rollback entire update batch
process:
1: Select batch timestamp
2: Confirm rollback
3: Restore all files in batch
4: Update manifest
Update Report Format
After applying updates:
## Knowledge Update Report
**Timestamp**: {datetime}
**Mode**: {mode}
### Applied Updates
| File | Previous | New | Status |
||-|--|--|
| fastapi-patterns.json | 1.0.0 | 2.0.0 | ✅ Applied |
| langchain-patterns.json | 1.0.0 | 1.1.0 | ✅ Applied |
| nextjs-patterns.json | 1.0.0 | 1.2.0 | ⚠️ Conflicts (merged) |
### Backup Created
- Location: `{directories.knowledge}/backups/`
- Files backed up: {count}
- Retention: {max_backups} versions
### Next Steps
1. Review applied changes in knowledge files
2. Test affected blueprints and skills
3. Rollback if issues: `update-knowledge rollback`
### Skipped Updates
| File | Reason |
||--|
| {file} | User declined |
| {file} | Locked in manifest |
Commands
The skill supports these commands:
| Command | Action |
||--|
| update-knowledge check | Check for available updates |
| update-knowledge apply | Apply pending updates |
| update-knowledge preview <file> | Preview changes to file |
| update-knowledge rollback | Rollback recent updates |
| update-knowledge history | Show update history |
| update-knowledge status | Show current knowledge status |
Important Rules
- Always backup first - Never apply without backup
- Respect mode - Honor configured update mode
- Verify checksums - Validate update integrity
- Preserve custom - Don't overwrite user customizations
- Document everything - Full changelog and source tracking
Error Handling
| Error | Resolution | |-|| | Source unavailable | Skip source, continue with others | | Checksum mismatch | Reject update, report error | | Merge conflict | Use conservative merge, flag for review | | Schema validation failed | Rollback, report specific errors | | Backup failed | Abort update, preserve current state |
Success Criteria
Update process is successful when:
- All selected updates applied without errors
- Backups created for all changed files
- Manifest updated with new versions
- No schema validation errors
- User receives clear summary
Related Skills
system-configuration- Configures update behaviorpattern-feedback- Generates feedback for improvementsgrounding-verification- Verifies knowledge accuracy
This skill ensures controlled, transparent, and reversible knowledge evolution.
When to Use
This skill should be used when strict adherence to the defined process is required.
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of the agent factory context.
- Access to the necessary tools and resources.
Best Practices
- Always follow the established guidelines.
- Document any deviations or exceptions.
- Regularly review and update the skill documentation.