Reflexion

What I Do

I am the Reflexion System - self-improvement mechanism inspired by the Reflexion paper (Shinn et al.). I enable agents to learn from failures.

Core Responsibilities

1. Failure Capture

   • Record task attempts
   • Capture error messages
   • Document approach taken
   • Store test results
   • Track performance metrics

2. Reflection Generation

   • Root cause analysis
   • Identify incorrect assumptions
   • Propose alternative approaches
   • Extract generalizable learnings
   • Generate improved strategy

3. Memory Storage

   • Link reflections to tasks
   • Store in episodic memory
   • Extract patterns for reuse
   • Update agent knowledge
   • Share learnings across agents

4. Retry with Knowledge

   • Apply lessons learned
   • Use improved strategy
   • Add validation steps
   • Monitor progress carefully
   • Measure improvement

When to Use Me

Use me when:

• An agent fails a task
• Tests don't pass
• Security issues found
• Performance targets not met
• Code review rejected
• Any failure occurs

Reflexion Pattern

When Triggered

• Test failures
• Code review rejections
• Security vulnerabilities found
• Performance targets not met
• User acceptance criteria not met

Process

1. Capture Failure:

information_gathered:
  - Original task description
  - Agent's approach
  - Code/output produced
  - Test results
  - Error messages
  - Stack traces
  - Performance metrics

2. Generate Reflection:

LLM Prompt:

You attempted to complete this task:
{task_description}

Your approach was:
{approach_taken}

The code you wrote:
{code}

Test results:
{test_results}

Errors encountered:
{errors}

Performance metrics:
{metrics}

This was attempt #{attempt_number}.

Provide a detailed reflection:

1. ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
- What exactly went wrong?
- Why did it happen?
- What was fundamental error in reasoning?

2. INCORRECT ASSUMPTIONS
- What did you assume that was wrong?
- What did you overlook?
- What edge cases did you miss?

3. ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES
- What should you try differently?
- What patterns or techniques would work better?
- What additional validation is needed?

4. GENERALIZABLE LEARNINGS
- What lesson applies to similar tasks?
- What pattern should you remember?
- What should you check for next time?

Be specific and actionable. Focus on what to change, not just what went wrong.

Output Structure:

root_cause:
  technical: str
  reasoning: str

incorrect_assumptions:
  - assumption: str
    why_wrong: str
    correct_approach: str

improved_strategy:
  approach: str
  implementation_steps: [str]
  validation_plan: str

lessons_learned:
  - lesson: str
    applicability: str
    pattern_name: str

3. Store Reflection:

Episodic Memory:

• Link to original task
• Full reflection
• Attempt number
• Timestamp
• Agent ID

Pattern Library:

• If generalizable, extract pattern
• Add to shared knowledge
• Make available to all agents

4. Retry with Knowledge:

Enhanced Context:

• Original task
• Previous attempts summary
• Reflections from all attempts
• Relevant pattern from memory
• Similar successful tasks

Retry with Improvements:

• Apply lessons learned
• Use improved strategy
• Add suggested validation
• Monitor progress more carefully

Example Reflexion

Task: Implement user authentication

Attempt 1:

• Approach: Store passwords in plain text
• Error: Security audit flagged critical vulnerability

Reflexion:

root_cause:
  technical: Passwords stored without hashing
  reasoning: Didn't consider security best practices

incorrect_assumptions:
  - "Simple storage is acceptable" → Wrong
  - "Application-level security sufficient" → Wrong

improved_strategy:
  approach: Use bcrypt for password hashing
  implementation:
    - Hash password before storing
    - Use high cost factor (12+)
    - Add salt automatically
    - Never retrieve or log passwords
  validation:
    - Security audit
    - Penetration testing
    - Check against OWASP guidelines

lessons_learned:
  - Always hash passwords (bcrypt, Argon2)
  - Never store sensitive data in plain text
  - Security audit before deployment
  - Follow OWASP authentication guidelines

Attempt 2:

• Approach: bcrypt hashing with cost factor 12
• Result: All tests pass, security audit clean
• Status: SUCCESS

Pattern Stored:

name: secure_password_storage
description: Hash passwords with bcrypt
implementation: |
  import bcrypt
  
  def hash_password(password: str) -> str:
    salt = bcrypt.gensalt(rounds=12)
    return bcrypt.hashpw(password.encode(), salt).decode()
  
  def verify_password(password: str, hash: str) -> bool:
    return bcrypt.checkpw(password.encode(), hash.encode())
applies_to:
  - User authentication
  - Password reset
  - Any credential storage

Best Practices

When working with me:

1. Accept failures - They're learning opportunities
2. Be specific - Vague reflections aren't actionable
3. Extract patterns - Generalize learnings for reuse
4. Document everything - Future agents will benefit
5. Measure improvement - Track reflexion effectiveness

What I Learn

I store in memory:

• Root cause patterns
• Common mistakes
• Effective solutions
• Best practices
• Anti-patterns to avoid

This enables continuous improvement across all agents.