Compound Learnings
Pipeline Role
Step 5 of the connected pipeline: Capture → Plan → Work → Review → Compound.
This skill closes the knowledge loop. When a problem is solved, it documents the solution so future work can reference it. This is the mechanism that makes the system smarter over time.
When to Use
Activate when:
- •An issue has been resolved and the solution should be documented
- •A tricky bug was fixed and the root cause should be remembered
- •A pattern or approach was discovered that would help with similar future problems
- •The user explicitly wants to document a learning
Steps
1. Gather the Learning
If an issue file is provided, read it for context. Otherwise, ask the user:
- •What was the problem? (symptom)
- •What caused it? (root cause)
- •How was it fixed? (solution)
- •How can it be prevented? (prevention)
2. Categorize
Choose the most appropriate category for docs/solutions/:
- •
performance-issues/— slow queries, memory leaks, scaling problems - •
security-issues/— vulnerabilities, auth bugs, data exposure - •
build-errors/— dependency issues, compilation failures, CI problems - •
configuration-fixes/— environment config, deployment issues, integration problems
If none fit, create a new category directory.
3. Create Solution File
Path: docs/solutions/<category>/<descriptive-slug>.md
--- title: "[Descriptive title of the problem and solution]" date: YYYY-MM-DD category: [category-name] tags: [relevant, technology, tags] module: [affected module or area] symptom: "[What the developer observed]" root_cause: "[Why it happened]" severity: low|medium|high|critical --- ## Problem [Detailed description of what went wrong] ## Root Cause [Technical explanation of why it happened] ## Solution [What was done to fix it, with code snippets where helpful] ## Prevention [How to avoid this in the future — tests, linting rules, conventions]
4. Update Agent Context
If the learning reveals a pattern that future agents should know about, append a brief note to .github/agent-context.md:
### [Category]: [Brief finding] [One-sentence summary with reference to docs/solutions/<file>]
5. Update Plan File
If working from a plan file, set status: done and append a final activity entry:
### YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM — Issue completed - Learning documented: `docs/solutions/<category>/<file>.md` - Agent context updated: [Yes/No] - **Status:** Done
6. Print Summary
Confirm: "Learning documented at docs/solutions/<path>. Future agents will reference this when encountering similar problems."
Guardrails
- •Keep solution files focused — one problem, one solution per file.
- •Include enough context that someone unfamiliar with the codebase can understand the learning.
- •Use specific code examples, not vague descriptions.
- •Tag accurately — tags are how future agents find relevant learnings.