hermeticormus Meta-Prompting Suite
Nine composable patterns. One bridge layer. Built on categorical foundations.
This skill provides nine opinionated meta-prompting patterns that compose together. They sit ABOVE the categorical engine (ormus-meta-prompting) and BELOW your daily slash commands — turning raw prompts into context-aware, voice-consistent, artifact-producing workflows.
When to invoke
- User asks to set up a meta-prompting workflow
- User wants a router that picks voice/priors based on context
- User wants to frame a goal, build an agent, or distill a session pattern
- User mentions "alchemical", "hermetic", "categorical meta-prompting", or names one of the 9 patterns
The nine patterns
The suite splits into two halves:
Neutral layer (4) — domain-agnostic
| Pattern | Job |
|---|---|
meta-prime |
Universal entry — sniffs context, routes to the right specialist |
meta-distill |
Bridges meta2-style design to a concrete artifact (memory/skill/agent/command); applies φ-classification |
meta-goal |
Neutral 4-quadrant goal framer (scope/criteria/timing/non-goals) → built-in /goal |
meta-agents |
Agent portfolio surface — survey/audit/gap-find/dedupe/retire across ~/.claude/agents/ |
Alchemical layer (5) — Hermetic-flavored, opinionated
| Pattern | Job |
|---|---|
alchemical-prompt |
Categorical meta-prompt with Gold Hat constraints, teaching tone, alchemical lens |
alchemical-agent |
Generate a subagent definition under ~/.claude/agents/, then opens /agents |
alchemical-goal |
Frame objective through Nigredo → Albedo → Citrinitas → Rubedo, commits via /goal |
alchemical-distill |
Session pattern → named artifact, marked with one of the seven Hermetic principles |
alchemical-flow |
φ-routed multi-stage orchestration; invokes planetary specialists for top-tier complexity |
How they compose
User asks anything
↓
/meta-prime (universal entry)
↓ routes by cwd + signals
↓
neutral patterns OR alchemical patterns
↓ each loads its priors + relevant skills
↓
existing engine (categorical /meta, meta2 agent, planetary specialists)
↓
terminal sinks: /goal · /agents · /meta-distill
Why this shape
- Voice diverges, math doesn't. The neutral 4 are tone-free. The alchemical 5 add Hermetic vocabulary where it helps — the categorical core is the same.
- Priors load by signal, not by default. No pattern auto-loads everything; each pulls only what the task requires.
- Built-in
/goaland/agentsare terminal sinks, not replacements. The suite produces inputs for them. - Total weight ~1300 lines across 9 thin patterns — proves the wrapper thesis (no engine duplication).
Installation
This suite assumes you already use Claude Code. To install:
# Clone the skills repo
git clone https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/claude-code-skills.git ~/projects/claude-code-skills
# Copy the suite to your skills directory
cp -r ~/projects/claude-code-skills/meta-prompting-suite ~/.claude/skills/
# Optional: convert any pattern to a slash command
# Copy patterns/<pattern>.md to ~/.claude/commands/<pattern>.md
# The frontmatter at top of each pattern is slash-command-ready
You may also want:
ormus-meta-prompting— the categorical foundations underneathormus-handoff/ormus-pickup— session lifecycle for/meta-distillto feedunwoke— voice rules that pair well withalchemical-prompt
Customization
Each pattern includes a Customize section near the top. Edit:
- Domain signals in
meta-prime(the cwd / vocabulary triggers that route to your specialists) - Voice priors in
alchemical-prompt(the philosophy / brand you load) - Hermetic correspondences in
alchemical-distill(which of the seven principles you reach for)
The suite is opinionated by default. Replace the opinions with yours.
Customize for your domain
The neutral 4 work out of the box. The alchemical 5 ship with HermeticOrmus voice (Gold Hat, teaching-over-doing, alchemical vocabulary). If that doesn't match yours, either:
- Fork the alchemical patterns and replace the voice priors with yours
- Use only the neutral 4 and write your own domain layer on top of
meta-prime's router - Compose both layers — neutral for work, alchemical for personal/creative
License
MIT (see repo root).
Provenance
Distilled from the working meta-prompting kit on a polymath operator's machine — used daily across TMS work, design work, personal Hermetic projects. Not theoretical. The pattern names match the actual slash commands the author types every day.