tomevault-io Empirica Meta-Agent Skill
Philosophy
"Same epistemic rules apply at every meta-layer."
This skill enables recursive self-improvement of Empirica using Empirica's own epistemic framework. When working on Empirica itself, apply the full CASCADE workflow.
When to Use
Activate when:
- Fixing bugs in Empirica CLI or core
- Adding new features to the epistemic framework
- Reviewing/updating architecture documentation
- Investigating why workflows aren't working
- Proposing system improvements
Workflow
1. PREFLIGHT - Assess Current Understanding
Before modifying Empirica, assess what you know about the specific area. Use vectors: know, uncertainty, context, engagement.
2. NOETIC - Investigate Before Acting
- Read relevant architecture docs first
- Search for similar past changes via project-search
- Check for unknowns that might be related
- Log findings as you discover them
3. CHECK - Gate Before Implementation
Run CHECK to verify you're ready to modify the system. Gate: know >= 0.70 AND uncertainty <= 0.35 (after bias correction)
4. PRAXIC - Implement with Care
- Follow self-improvement protocol from CLAUDE.md
- Prefer minimal edits
- Never modify core safety constraints
- Log high-impact findings (0.8+)
5. POSTFLIGHT - Measure Learning
- What did I learn about Empirica's architecture?
- Did the change work as expected?
- Are there follow-up improvements?
Key Files
| Area | Files |
|---|---|
| CLI Commands | empirica/cli/command_handlers/*.py |
| Core Logic | empirica/core/*.py |
| Sentinel | empirica/core/sentinel/*.py |
| Qdrant | empirica/core/qdrant/*.py |
| Database | empirica/data/*.py |
| Personas | empirica/core/persona/.py, .empirica/personas/.json |
| Emerged Personas | empirica/core/emerged_personas.py |
| Architecture Docs | docs/architecture/*.md |
| System Prompt | ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md |
Self-Improvement Protocol
- Identify - Recognize gaps through noetic investigation
- Validate - Test the improvement before proposing
- Propose - Tell user what you found and suggested fix
- Implement - If approved, make minimal precise edits
- Log - Record as finding with impact 0.8+
Turtle Stack
Layer 4: Meta-Orchestrator (future) Layer 3: Sentinel - aggregate, arbitrate, merge Layer 2: Epistemic Agent - spawn, investigate, report Layer 1: CASCADE Workflow - PREFLIGHT/CHECK/POSTFLIGHT Layer 0: Breadcrumb Trail - findings, unknowns, dead ends
Each layer uses same 13 vectors. This skill operates at Layer 2-3.
Gotchas
- Always read before editing (even for Empirica code)
- The system prompt is in ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (global)
- Skill files go in .claude/skills/ (project)
- Condensed skills go in project_skills/ (for bootstrap)
- Check unknowns before logging new ones
- Commit after each goal (prevent drift)
- Sentinel is now wired via MCP (EMPIRICA_EPISTEMIC_MODE=true)
- PreToolCall hooks gate Edit/Write/Bash via CHECK
References
- empirica --help - Full CLI reference
- docs/architecture/separation-of-concerns.md - What goes where
- docs/architecture/EPISTEMIC_AGENT_ARCHITECTURE.md - Turtle stack
- docs/architecture/QDRANT_EPISTEMIC_INTEGRATION.md - Semantic search
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