Sage Reflect

When to Use

Load this skill when the user runs /sage-reflect or asks to reflect something (the Sage reflect workflow).

Arguments

Hermes does NOT interpolate an in-body argument token. The user's arguments/flags arrive as a SEPARATE instruction line appended to this skill invocation. Wherever the steps below refer to "the user's arguments", use the text of that appended instruction line.

Independent review (delegate_task)

When a step calls for an independent review, invoke delegate_task against the sage-reviewer skill. Hermes delegate_task has NO toolset-restriction parameter — read-only is prompt-enforced, and you MUST verify afterward that the reviewer made no edits (e.g. git status unchanged) before accepting its verdict.

RULES (apply to every step — non-negotiable):

• Announce: "Sage → reflect workflow." before starting work
• Review the FULL cycle: artifacts, decisions, approaches tried
• ASK the user for real-world feedback — do not skip this step
• Every learning MUST use WHEN/CHECK/BECAUSE format
• Present learnings BEFORE storing — Zone 2 for approval
• Save reflection report to .sage/docs/reflect-*.md
• Seed the next cycle with concrete recommendations (Zone 3)
• Reflect is for looking back, NOT fixing. Suggest /fix if needed.
• Never use code blocks for interaction (checkpoints, options, status)

Reflect Workflow

Look back. Extract learnings. Seed the next cycle.

Auto-Pickup

Scan .sage/work/ for recently completed initiatives (status: completed in frontmatter). Scan .sage/docs/ for research and analysis artifacts. For the decision trail, read the initiative's own log first — .sage/work/[initiative]/decisions.md — then fall back to the global .sage/decisions.md (cross-initiative decisions live there; older projects may have only the global file).

If no completed work exists: "Sage: No completed initiatives found. /reflect works best after a deliver cycle. Describe what you want to reflect on, or type / for other commands."

Step 1: Review the Cycle (Zone 1)

Sage → reflect workflow. Looking back at what was done.

[1] Full initiative — review the entire cycle for [initiative name] [2] Recent work — reflect on the last few decisions [3] Specific topic — describe what you want to reflect on

Pick 1-3, type / for commands, or describe what you need.

For full initiative review, gather and present:

Sage: Cycle review for [initiative name].

Timeline: [Date] — Brief approved: [summary] [Date] — Spec approved: [key decisions] [Date] — Plan: [N] tasks planned [Date] — Build complete: [what was shipped]

Decisions made: [count from decisions.md] Approaches tried: [count from scratch.md if exists] Learnings stored: [count from self-learning entries]

Key artifacts: .sage/work/[initiative]/brief.md .sage/work/[initiative]/spec.md .sage/docs/[related research/analysis]

Step 2: Evaluate Outcomes

Ask the user for real-world feedback. This is the human input Sage cannot generate — the signal from reality.

Sage: Now I need your perspective on how this went.

[1] What worked well? (What should we do again?) [2] What didn't work? (What caused friction or rework?) [3] What surprised you? (What was unexpected?) [4] What feedback have you received? (From users, team, stakeholders)

Share any or all — or describe your overall assessment.

Pick 1-4, type / for commands, or describe what you need.

Listen to the user's responses. Ask follow-up questions if the feedback is vague — specifics make better prevention rules.

Step 3: Extract Learnings

Based on the cycle review + user feedback, identify learnings in three categories:

Reinforce — what went well and should become standard practice. Prevent — what went wrong and should be avoided next time. Improve — what could be better with a specific change.

For each learning, write a WHEN/CHECK/BECAUSE prevention rule:

WHEN: [situation that triggers this learning]
CHECK: [observable condition to verify]
BECAUSE: [what happens if you don't — the consequence]

Learnings quality check (before presenting):

• Specific? Names concrete situations, not vague patterns.
• Actionable? A future agent could apply this without context.
• Has a CHECK? Observable condition, not self-assessment. If a learning fails any criterion, improve it before presenting.

🔒 LEARNINGS CHECKPOINT (Zone 2):

Sage: Learnings extracted from [initiative/topic].

Reinforce:

1. [Learning] — WHEN/CHECK/BECAUSE
2. [Learning]

Prevent:

1. [Learning] — WHEN/CHECK/BECAUSE
2. [Learning]

Improve:

1. [Learning] — WHEN/CHECK/BECAUSE

[A] Approve — store learnings [R] Revise [N] New session

Pick A/R/N, or tell me what to change.

Step 4: Store and Update

On approval:

1. Store each learning via sage_memory_store with tags: self-learning, reflect, [initiative-slug], and category tag (reinforce, prevent, or improve).

2. Update conventions.md if any learning revealed a project pattern that should become a convention. Announce what was added.

3. Save reflection report to .sage/docs/reflect-[slug].md with the full cycle review, user feedback, and learnings.

4. Prepend to decisions.md:

   ### YYYY-MM-DD — Reflection: [initiative/topic]
   [Summary of key learnings and what changes going forward.]
   

Step 5: Seed the Next Cycle (Zone 3)

The most powerful step — connect learnings to future work.

Sage: Reflection complete. [N] learnings stored.

Seeds for next cycle: [Specific recommendation based on learnings, e.g., "Start with payment edge case research next time — this area took 3x longer than expected."]

Report: .sage/docs/reflect-[slug].md

Next steps: /research — start the next initiative (learnings loaded via Rule 0) /build — spec → plan → implement → verify /design — brief → spec → copy

Type a command, or describe what you want to do next.

Quality Criteria

Good reflection output:

• Cycle review is factual — dates, decisions, artifacts, not summaries
• User feedback is captured in their words, not paraphrased away
• Every learning has WHEN/CHECK/BECAUSE format
• Learnings are specific enough for a different agent to apply
• Next-cycle seeds are concrete recommendations, not generic advice
• The reflection report is saved as a permanent artifact

Rules

• Reflect is for LOOKING BACK, not for fixing. If the reflection reveals something to fix, suggest /fix. Don't fix during reflect.
• User feedback is required. Don't generate learnings from the cycle review alone — the real-world signal matters most.
• WHEN/CHECK/BECAUSE is mandatory for every learning.
• Store learnings with self-learning + reflect tags so Rule 0 memory search finds them in future cycles.
• Save the reflection report to .sage/docs/ — it's a permanent artifact, not a transient conversation.
• Seeding the next cycle is not optional. The value of reflection is in what changes going forward, not in the act of looking back.