arc-recalling

Manual Instinct Creation

Overview

Save patterns and insights from the current session as instincts. This skill bridges the gap between automatic instinct detection (arc-observing) and structured reflection (arc-reflecting) — it handles ad-hoc "I want to remember this" moments.

Quick Reference

Task	Command
Save instinct	node "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/recall.js" save --id {id} --trigger "..." --action "..." --domain {d} --project {p}
Check duplicate	node "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/recall.js" check-duplicate --id {id} --project {p}
Save record	node "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/recall.js" save-record --project {p} --recall-id recall-{id} [--query "..."] [--instinct-ids "a,b,c"] [--summary "..."]

Infrastructure Commands

Set SKILL_ROOT from skill loader header (# SKILL_ROOT: ...):

: "${SKILL_ROOT:=${ARCFORGE_ROOT:-}/skills/arc-recalling}"
if [ ! -d "$SKILL_ROOT" ]; then
  echo "ERROR: SKILL_ROOT=$SKILL_ROOT does not exist. Set ARCFORGE_ROOT or SKILL_ROOT manually." >&2
  exit 1
fi

Workflow

1. Receive user's natural language description of the pattern
2. Infer structured fields from the description:
   • id: kebab-case identifier (e.g., always-run-tests-first)
   • trigger: When does this apply? (e.g., "when starting a new feature")
   • action: What to do? (e.g., "run existing tests before making changes")
   • domain: Category (e.g., testing, debugging, workflow)
   • evidence: Supporting context from the session
3. Preview the complete instinct for user confirmation
4. Check duplicate before saving
5. Save via instinct-writer with:
   • source: 'manual'
   • confidence: 0.50 (starting confidence for manual instincts)
   • maxConfidence: 0.90 (manual instincts use full MAX_CONFIDENCE)
6. Save record of the recall operation so the learning curator has evidence that this recall happened:

   node "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/recall.js" save-record \
     --project {project} \
     --recall-id recall-{id} \
     --query "{what the user wanted to remember}" \
     --instinct-ids "{saved-instinct-id}" \
     --summary "{one-line summary}"
   

   The --recall-id MUST start with recall- (the curator batch-assembler only matches recall-*.md records).

When to Use

• User explicitly says "remember this" or invokes /arcforge:arc-recalling
• User identifies a reusable technique during work
• User wants to preserve a pattern without waiting for automatic detection
• User wants to save an insight from the current conversation

When NOT to Use

• Pattern was already auto-detected by arc-observing (use confirm instead)
• User wants to analyze multiple diaries for patterns (use arc-reflecting)
• User wants to combine related instincts into a higher-level candidate (use the dashboard Evolve action: arcforge learn dashboard)
• User is just discussing patterns without wanting to save them

Key Principles

• User confirmation required: Always show preview before saving
• Single instinct per invocation: Don't batch-create multiple instincts
• Duplicate awareness: Always check-duplicate before saving
• Accurate inference: Ask clarifying questions if trigger/action are ambiguous