By name: self-reflect description: Analyze session history to extract patterns, corrections, and lessons learned metadata: "{}"
Self-Reflect
Analyze your recent session history and capture raw observations in journal/.
These are captures, not conclusions. The goal is to get observations out of the session and into the knowledge base quickly so they can be processed later by self-evaluate and self-improve.
When to Use
- After a long or complex interaction
- When spawned as a curation sub-agent
- When the user asks you to reflect on recent conversations
- During heartbeat if configured
Procedure
1. Read Session History
read_file(path="~/.picobot/sessions/cli_default.jsonl")
Parse the JSONL. Each line is either a metadata record (_type: "metadata") or a message (role, content, timestamp). Focus on the most recent 20-30 exchanges.
2. Extract Patterns
Scan for these signal types:
| Signal | What to look for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Correction | User corrected you or said "no, I meant..." | You misunderstood a requirement |
| Failure | Tool errors, wrong file paths, bad assumptions | Error: File not found |
| Success | User praised, said "perfect", or the task completed smoothly | Multi-step task done in one shot |
| Preference | User expressed a preference (explicit or implicit) | "I prefer X over Y" |
| Knowledge gap | You had to ask about something you should know | Asked about a project structure you've seen before |
3. Write Reflection
For each significant pattern found, store it in the knowledge base as a raw observation:
kb(action="store", topic="journal", title="Reflection: <brief description>", content="...", tags=["reflection", "<signal-type>"])
Reflection format:
## What happened
<Describe the interaction objectively — what was asked, what you did>
## Signal type
<correction | failure | success | preference | knowledge-gap>
## Lesson
<What should change going forward — be specific and actionable>
## Action items
- [ ] <Concrete thing to do: update KB entry, change behavior, etc.>
4. Cross-reference Existing Knowledge
If a reflection reveals information that clearly belongs elsewhere, note it in the action items but don't promote it yet — that's the job of self-improve. Keep the reflection in journal/ as a raw capture.
Always kb(action="search", ...) before storing to avoid duplicates.
Quality Standards
- One reflection per distinct pattern (don't bundle unrelated observations)
- Be specific: "I assumed the config file was YAML but it was JSON" not "I made wrong assumptions"
- Include the action item — a reflection without a next step is just a diary entry
- Skip trivial observations (typos, minor rephrasing) — focus on patterns that would improve future interactions
Output
When done, summarize what you found:
- Number of exchanges analyzed
- Patterns found (by type)
- Knowledge entries created or updated