self-improvement-help git:20260708.e42b71fA

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---
name: "self-improvement-help"
description: "Overview of self-improvement commands"
---
<!-- GENERATED by claude-power-pack - scripts/codex-skill-sync.py; edit .claude/commands/self-improvement/help.md instead -->

## Codex harness adaptations

Generated from a Claude Code command. Where the procedure references these Claude-only surfaces, adapt as follows:

- `CLAUDE.md` references: Codex reads `AGENTS.md`; treat them as the target repo's agent-context file.

# Self-Improvement Commands

Retrospective analysis commands that examine recent failures and suggest improvements to project tooling.

## Commands

| Command | Purpose |
|---------|---------|
| `/self-improvement-retro` | Post-run friction retro (the grill-me cycle): capture -> classify -> dedup -> propose -> confirm -> codify durable fixes |
| `/self-improvement-deployment` | Analyze deployment errors and propose Makefile improvements |
| `/self-improvement-help` | This help page |

## Philosophy

The `/flow` workflow is forward-focused: start, implement, finish, merge, deploy. But when things go wrong, there is value in looking backward to improve the tooling itself.

Self-improvement commands:
- Examine errors from the current session and project history
- Identify patterns of recurring failure
- Propose concrete changes to build/deploy infrastructure
- Optionally apply approved changes

## When to Use

Run `/self-improvement-retro` after (or during) any flow run:
- After a `/flow-auto` or `/flow-merge` run - both offer it automatically once
  friction was captured
- After a session with repeated permission prompts, gate retries, red output, or
  manual course-corrections
- On demand against a recorded transcript: `/self-improvement-retro <transcript>`

Run `/self-improvement-deployment` after:
- A failed `make deploy` or `make test`
- Repeated build failures in a session
- Setting up a new project's Makefile
- Periodically to audit Makefile quality against CPP standards

## Feedback Loop

```
/flow-auto -> friction captured -> /self-improvement-retro -> codify fixes (settings/Make/hooks/CLAUDE.md/learnings) -> next run is smoother
/flow-deploy -> fails -> /self-improvement-deployment -> fix Makefile -> /flow-deploy -> succeeds
```

Capture (thin, always-on, woven into the flow) and codify (the retro) are
decoupled, so friction on runs that fail partway is not lost.

## Future Commands

The self-improvement category may grow to include:
- **memory** - Codify portable knowledge / infra traps to the cross-VM common
  memory store (issue #433); `/self-improvement-retro` delegates its portable
  findings here when installed
- **review** - Analyze PR review feedback patterns, suggest code quality improvements

## See Also

- `/cicd-check` - Forward-looking Makefile validation against CPP standards
- `/cicd-init` - Auto-detect framework and generate Makefile from templates

## Related Commands

| Command | Relationship |
|---------|-------------|
| `/flow-doctor` | Forward-looking health check (complements retrospective) |
| `/flow-deploy` | The deploy command whose failures this analyzes |
| `/flow-finish` | Quality gates that depend on Makefile targets |
| `/security-scan` | Security-focused analysis (complementary) |