Agent Skills: Personal Preference Learning

Personal Preference Learning

Extract preferences, styles, and behavioral patterns from the current conversation and persist them for all future sessions.

Scope: This skill captures how the user works, writes, and wants agents to behave. It does NOT capture code patterns, error fixes, or debugging techniques.

Three-Tier Target Architecture

| Tier | Location | Loaded | Use for | |------|----------|--------|---------| | User instructions | ~/CLAUDE.md | Every session, in full | Concise behavioral rules that apply to all projects | | User rules | ~/.claude/rules/*.md | Every session (or on file match) | Structured rule sets on a single topic; optionally path-scoped | | Project memory | ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/ | First 200 lines of MEMORY.md; topic files on demand | Project-specific conventions, domain context |

~/CLAUDE.md should stay under 200 lines. When it grows, move coherent rule groups to ~/.claude/rules/.

Workflow

Step 1: Scan conversation

Review all user messages for extractable patterns:

• Corrections: "don't do X", "stop doing Y", user rewording Claude's output
• Explicit rules: "always use...", "never include...", "I prefer..."
• Positive reinforcement: user thanking Claude for a specific behavior, accepting a non-obvious approach without pushback
• Domain context: role, expertise, institutional affiliation, teaching approach
• Style edits: user modifying prose, formatting, or structure Claude produced

Skip these (already handled elsewhere):

• Code error resolutions and library workarounds (covered by continuous-learning)
• Patterns Claude's auto memory already captured in this session

Step 2: Read current state

1. Read ~/CLAUDE.md in full. Parse the section hierarchy (it evolves — always re-read).
2. List files in ~/.claude/rules/ to check existing rule files.
3. Read the current project's ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/MEMORY.md if it exists.
4. Identify what is already captured across all three tiers to avoid duplication.

Step 3: Classify each extraction

For each pattern found in Step 1, decide its tier:

| If the pattern... | Route to | Example | |-------------------|----------|---------| | Is a concise rule for all projects | ~/CLAUDE.md — match to existing section or propose new ## section | "Never use em-dashes in emails" | | Is part of 5+ rules on one topic | ~/.claude/rules/new-topic.md | A full set of workflow preferences | | Is specific to the current project | Project memory | "TGL uses SDT framework with 1-7 scales" | | Is already covered by an existing rule | Skip — note the existing rule | | | Is a one-time correction | Skip | |

Categories and typical tiers:

| Category | Typical Tier | Typical Location | |----------|-------------|-----------------| | Writing style | User instructions | ~/CLAUDE.md under ## Academic Writing subsections | | Email conventions | User instructions | ~/CLAUDE.md under ## Email Drafting | | Communication preferences | User instructions | ~/CLAUDE.md under ## Communication (create if needed) | | Workflow preferences | User instructions or rules | ~/CLAUDE.md or ~/.claude/rules/workflow.md | | Agent behavior | User instructions or rules | ~/CLAUDE.md or ~/.claude/rules/agent-behavior.md | | Project domain context | Project memory | ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/ |

Step 4: Present proposed changes

Show a numbered preview grouped by tier:

## Tier 1: User Instructions (~/CLAUDE.md)

### [1] Add to "## Academic Writing > ### Style" (existing section)
+ - Do not use semicolons to join independent clauses in academic prose

### [2] New section: "## Workflow" (after last existing ## section)
+ - When re-running a pipeline, first check what outputs already exist in cache
+ - Prefer flat directory structures keyed by ID over nested semantic hierarchies

## Tier 2: User Rules (~/.claude/rules/)

### [3] New file: ~/.claude/rules/communication.md
+ # Communication Preferences
+ - Lead with the answer, not the reasoning

## Tier 3: Project Memory

### [4] Add to project memory MEMORY.md
+ - TGL project uses SDT framework (autonomy, competence, relatedness) scored 1-7

## Skipped

- "Use precise terminology" → already in ~/CLAUDE.md ### Word Choice

Approve all? Or specify numbers to modify/reject.

Step 5: Apply approved changes

Tier 1 — ~/CLAUDE.md:

• Use the Edit tool for surgical insertions
• Insert new bullets at the end of the target section, before the next heading
• For new sections, use ## heading level (same as ## Email Drafting)
• Report the final line count

Tier 2 — ~/.claude/rules/:

• Create new rule files as plain markdown with a descriptive # Heading
• Use paths frontmatter only if the rules apply to specific file types
• One topic per file; use descriptive filenames (e.g., workflow.md, communication.md)

Tier 3 — Project memory:

• Write to ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/
• Follow the auto memory format: MEMORY.md as index, topic files for details
• Use the same frontmatter format as existing memory files (name, description, type)

Confirm all changes applied.

Safety Rules

• ALWAYS show proposed changes and get explicit approval before writing any file
• NEVER delete or modify existing preferences — only add or refine
• NEVER rewrite entire sections
• If unsure which tier a preference belongs to, ask the user
• If zero preferences are extracted, say so honestly — do not fabricate rules
• If ~/CLAUDE.md would exceed 200 lines after changes, warn and suggest moving content to ~/.claude/rules/
• New sections in ~/CLAUDE.md must use ## level to maintain flat hierarchy
• For project memory, respect the existing MEMORY.md structure and index pattern