Extract skill

extract-skill

Turn the current conversation into a reusable skill or memory rule. From experience → reusable artifact.

Preferences

On startup, use Read to load ~/.claude/skills/extract-skill/preferences.md. If it does not exist, treat as "no preferences set" — proceed with sensible defaults.

Context

On startup, use Bash to:

1. List existing skills: ls ~/.claude/skills/
2. Read ~/.claude/skills/SKILLS_GUIDE.md (inventory + conventions)
3. Read ~/.claude/projects/<project-slug>/memory/MEMORY.md if accessible (the user's auto-memory index)

Skip any that fail. The point is to know what already exists so we don't propose duplicates.

Command routing

Check $ARGUMENTS:

• help → display help then stop
• config → interactive setup, then stop
• reset → delete ~/.claude/skills/extract-skill/preferences.md, confirm, stop
• --memory-only → only propose memory entries, never skills
• --skill-only → only propose skills, never memory entries
• --dry-run → print candidates + classification, do not create anything
• anything else (including empty) → run the skill

Help

extract-skill — Capture conversation learnings as a skill or memory rule

Usage:
  /extract-skill                Scan this conversation, propose skill/memory candidates
  /extract-skill --memory-only  Only propose memory entries (single-rule preferences)
  /extract-skill --skill-only   Only propose skills (multi-step workflows)
  /extract-skill --dry-run      Print candidates + classification, do not create anything
  /extract-skill config         Set preferences
  /extract-skill reset          Clear preferences
  /extract-skill help           This help

Examples:
  /extract-skill                After a chat where you taught Claude how to do X
  /extract-skill --dry-run      Preview what would be captured before committing

Current preferences:
  (loaded from preferences.md, shown above)

Config

Use AskUserQuestion to collect:

• Q1: Default routing — When a candidate is ambiguous (could be skill or memory), default to: ask each time / route to skill / route to memory
• Q2: Skill creation handoff — Always hand off to /skill-creator / let me choose per skill
• Q3: Memory project path — Auto-detect from current project / always use a fixed path
• Q4: Minimum signal threshold — How strong must a pattern be to surface it? (any mention / repeated 2+ times / explicit "save this" only)

Save to ~/.claude/skills/extract-skill/preferences.md.

Reset

Delete ~/.claude/skills/extract-skill/preferences.md and confirm: "Preferences cleared. Using defaults."

First-time detection

If no preferences file exists, show:

First time using /extract-skill? Run /extract-skill config to set defaults, or just continue with sensible defaults.

Then proceed.

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Step 1: Scan the conversation for signal

Look back over the conversation we're in right now. You don't need to read transcripts — you have the messages in context. Categorize what you see into these signal types:

Signal types

Type	Example phrasing in chat	Likely artifact
Feedback / correction	"don't do X", "stop doing Y", "always use Z"	Memory (single rule)
Preference / convention	"we use pnpm not npm", "kebab-case for components"	Memory (single rule)
Workflow walkthrough	User taught Claude a multi-step procedure ("first do X, then Y, then Z, then…")	Skill
Repeated request	User asked for the same kind of output 2+ times in similar way	Skill
Setup / configuration ritual	"every time I start, I do X, Y, Z"	Skill (or memory if 1 step)
Best practice shared	User explained why an approach is correct	Memory (with Why:)
Tooling / integration	User showed how to use a specific MCP or external tool	Skill
Explicit "save this"	"remember this", "turn this into a skill", "capture this"	Whatever the user named

What counts as signal vs noise

Signal (capture):

• Rules the user articulated explicitly ("always", "never", "we do it this way")
• Multi-step procedures the user walked through and validated
• Corrections to Claude's default behavior
• Preferences the user expressed with reasoning (the Why:)

Noise (skip):

• Casual chatter
• One-off task details ("fix this typo on line 42")
• Stuff already in MEMORY.md (cross-check before surfacing)
• Stuff already covered by an existing skill (cross-check inventory)

Step 2: Classify — skill vs memory

For each candidate, decide:

• Memory — single rule, declarative, no procedure. "Always X." "Never Y." "We use Z." → goes into a memory file with frontmatter (type: feedback / user / project / reference) per the user's auto-memory format.
• Skill — multi-step workflow, has inputs/outputs/decision points, worth invoking explicitly with /<name>. → handed off to /skill-creator.
• Both — rare but real. A skill /post-pr might pair with a memory rule "PRs always use HEREDOC syntax".
• Already exists — flag it. Show the existing skill or memory entry instead of duplicating.
• Skip — not enough signal yet, or too task-specific.

If the user passed --memory-only or --skill-only, filter the output accordingly.

Step 3: Cross-reference existing artifacts

Before surfacing any candidate:

1. Check existing skills inventory — search ~/.claude/skills/SKILLS_GUIDE.md and the directory listing. If a skill already covers this workflow, mention it instead of proposing a duplicate.
2. Check MEMORY.md — search the user's auto-memory index for matching rules. If the rule already exists, propose an update (e.g., add a Why: line, sharpen wording) rather than a new entry.
3. Check Claude Code built-ins — don't propose a skill for things like /init, /review, /loop that already ship with Claude Code.

Step 4: Present candidates to the user

Use AskUserQuestion to show 1–4 candidates at once. Each option should include:

• Type — Skill / Memory / Update existing / Skip
• Name (kebab-case for skills, descriptive title for memory)
• One-liner — what it does or what the rule says
• Trigger — when this applies / when to invoke
• Source — 1–2 quotes from the conversation showing the signal

Example layout:

Candidate 1: SKILL — extract-skill
  One-liner: Scans current conversation, proposes skill/memory candidates, routes to /skill-creator or writes memory.
  Trigger:   After a chat where the user taught Claude something reusable.
  Source:    "from experience to skills, best practices my latest, learning, feedback…"
            "I want to create a skill which basically when I call it looks at context available in a chat…"

Candidate 2: MEMORY — Always confirm name + scope before generating SKILL.md
  Rule:      Skill creation must confirm name and side-effect scope before writing files.
  Why:       Past skills were generated with wrong defaults that the user had to revise.
  How to apply: When invoked, ask name + side-effects Q before any Write tool call.

Let the user pick which to proceed with (multi-select). Default-select all that look high-confidence.

Step 5a: Skill candidates → hand off to /skill-creator

For each candidate the user accepted as a skill:

1. Build a single, self-contained --from-description brief: "<one-liner>. Trigger: <when>. Key behaviors: <bullets>. Inputs: <args/flags>. Side effects: <yes/no + what>."
2. Tell the user: "Handing off to /skill-creator --from-description \"…\" — it will walk you through name, tools, and workflow with its own conventions."
3. Do not invoke /skill-creator yourself via tool — slash commands aren't tool-callable from another skill. Print the exact command for the user to run, or to copy/paste.
4. If the user prefers direct creation (set in config), generate SKILL.md inline using SKILLS_GUIDE.md conventions — but flag this as the non-DRY path.

The brief format (paste into /skill-creator)

/skill-creator --from-description "<purpose in 1–2 sentences>. Trigger: <when user reaches for it>. Key behaviors: <3–5 bullets>. Side effects: <yes/no — what does it create or modify?>. Tools: <best-guess list>."

Step 5b: Memory candidates → write directly

For each candidate the user accepted as a memory entry:

1. Determine memory type from content:

   • feedback — user corrections, preferences, do/don't rules
   • user — facts about the user's role / context
   • project — facts about ongoing work
   • reference — pointers to external systems

2. Pick a filename (kebab-case): feedback_<topic>.md, project_<topic>.md, etc.

3. Write the file with frontmatter:

   ---
   name: <Title>
   description: <one-line, specific>
   type: feedback | user | project | reference
   ---
   
   <Lead with the rule/fact.>
   
   **Why:** <reason — often an incident or strong preference>
   
   **How to apply:** <when/where this kicks in>
   

4. Add a one-line index entry to MEMORY.md under an appropriate heading:

   ## <Short title> (MANDATORY / PREFERENCE / ACTIVE)
   - See `memory/<filename>.md`
   - <one-line hook capturing the essence>
   

5. Use Edit (not Write) on MEMORY.md so existing entries aren't clobbered.

Where to write memory files

The auto-memory directory is per-project. Detect via:

git rev-parse --show-toplevel

Then map to: ~/.claude/projects/<encoded-path>/memory/. If the directory doesn't exist or isn't accessible, fall back to asking the user for the path.

Step 6: Update existing entries

If a candidate matches something already in MEMORY.md or an existing skill:

• Memory match — show the existing entry alongside the new signal. Ask: keep existing / sharpen wording / add Why: line / add How to apply: line.
• Skill match — show the existing skill name + description. Ask: extend it (rare — usually means editing its SKILL.md) / leave alone / propose a sibling skill.

Step 7: Confirm and report

After all writes:

1. List what was created/updated:
   • Skills proposed (with the exact /skill-creator … command to run)
   • Memory files written (with paths)
   • MEMORY.md entries added
2. Show 1–3 lines per artifact — no walls of text.
3. End with a single suggestion: "Run <command> to finalize the skill" or "Memory takes effect next conversation — nothing else to do".

Step 8: Learn

If the user corrected your classification (e.g., "no, that's a memory not a skill", "use this name instead"), silently save to preferences.md under ## Learned. Surface once: "Noted: <pattern>. Saved for next time."

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Principles

• DRY across the meta-system — defer to /skill-creator for skill generation; defer to MEMORY.md for memory routing. This skill is a router + classifier, not a re-implementation.
• Cross-reference before proposing — duplicate skills and duplicate memory entries are worse than missed captures. Always check inventory + MEMORY.md first.
• Prefer memory for single rules, skills for workflows — a one-liner like "always use pnpm" is memory. A 5-step "release a new note" procedure is a skill.
• Quote the source — every candidate must show 1–2 lines from the conversation that justify it. No hallucinated patterns.
• Don't auto-invoke other skills — print the exact /skill-creator command for the user. Side-effect chains shouldn't fire silently.
• Confirm before writing — every Write/Edit happens after explicit user accept. --dry-run prints without writing.
• Keep the bar high — if a pattern was mentioned once in passing, skip it. Strong signal = explicit rule, repeated request, or "save this" instruction.