Learning Capture

Capture learnings to the staging area in CLAUDE.local.md.

Keep it simple: Just capture the insight. Don't over-structure. /learn-promote will figure out where it belongs.

Two-Phase Approach

1. Capture (this skill): Quick, lightweight staging
2. Promote (/learn-promote): Smart routing to CLAUDE.md or skills

When to Capture

Capture when you notice:

• User corrects you ("use X instead of Y", "no, do X")
• A non-obvious solution is discovered together
• User states a preference ("I prefer X", "always do Y")
• User explicitly asks to save something
• Trigger phrases: "that worked", "it's fixed", "problem solved"

Don't capture:

• Trivial or one-time instructions
• Things already documented
• Vague statements without actionable content

Capture Protocol

Step 1: Check for Duplicates

Search CLAUDE.local.md for similar content:

grep -i "keyword" CLAUDE.local.md

If similar exists, don't duplicate. Offer to update if the new learning adds context.

Step 2: Identify the Core Insight

Ask yourself:

• What's the actionable takeaway?
• Is it reusable for future sessions?
• Can it be stated simply?

Step 3: Propose Briefly

Keep proposals minimal - don't interrupt the flow:

Got it - want me to save "use uv instead of pip" as a learning?

Or for discoveries:

That was a non-obvious fix. Save to learnings?
"Prisma pool errors in serverless → use connection pooling"

Step 4: Save on Approval

Add to the # Staged Learnings section in CLAUDE.local.md (gitignored):

# Staged Learnings

- Use uv instead of pip for Python package management
- Always run tests before committing

# Personal Learnings
(these are already promoted/permanent - don't add here)

IMPORTANT: Always add new learnings under # Staged Learnings, never under other sections. If the section doesn't exist, create it at the top of the file. The # Personal Learnings section (and any other sections) contains already-promoted items that should not be mixed with staged ones.

Format: Just a simple bullet point. Natural language. No complex tags.

Step 5: Confirm

Saved to staged learnings. Run /learn-promote when ready to route.

Quality Filters

Skip if:

• Too vague ("do it differently")
• One-time ("just this once")
• Already exists
• Not actionable

Capture if:

• Would help future sessions
• Required discovery to learn
• User explicitly corrected behavior

File Location

All staged learnings go to CLAUDE.local.md (automatically gitignored).

For promotion to final destinations, use /learn-promote.