evolution

Makepad Skills Evolution

This skill enables makepad-skills to self-improve continuously during development.

When to Use

• You are maintaining makepad-skills and want the skill library to improve itself during development.
• You need the workflow for deciding when a new pattern should become a skill update or hook-driven evolution.
• You are working on self-correction, self-validation, or version adaptation for the skill set.

Quick Navigation

Topic	Description
Collaboration Guidelines	Contributing to makepad-skills
Hooks Setup	Auto-trigger evolution with hooks
When to Evolve	Triggers and classification
Evolution Process	Step-by-step guide
Self-Correction	Auto-fix skill errors
Self-Validation	Verify skill accuracy
Version Adaptation	Multi-branch support

---

Hooks-Based Auto-Triggering

For reliable automatic triggering, use Claude Code hooks. Install with --with-hooks:

# Install makepad-skills with hooks enabled
tmpdir="$(mktemp -d)"
trap 'rm -rf "$tmpdir"' EXIT
curl -fsSLo "$tmpdir/makepad-skills-install.sh" https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZhangHanDong/makepad-skills/main/install.sh
cat "$tmpdir/makepad-skills-install.sh"  # review the full installer before executing
bash "$tmpdir/makepad-skills-install.sh" --with-hooks

This will install hooks to .claude/hooks/ and configure .claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "UserPromptSubmit": [
      {
        "matcher": "",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bash .claude/hooks/makepad-skill-router.sh"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash|Write|Edit",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bash .claude/hooks/pre-tool.sh"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bash .claude/hooks/post-bash.sh"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

What Hooks Do

Hook	Trigger Event	Action
makepad-skill-router.sh	UserPromptSubmit	Auto-route to relevant skills
pre-tool.sh	Before Bash/Write/Edit	Detect Makepad version from Cargo.toml
post-bash.sh	After Bash command fails	Detect Makepad errors, suggest fixes
session-end.sh	Session ends	Prompt to capture learnings

---

Skill Routing and Bundling

The makepad-skill-router.sh hook automatically loads relevant skills based on user queries.

Context Detection

Context	Trigger Keywords	Skills Loaded
Full App	"build app", "从零", "完整应用"	basics, dsl, layout, widgets, event-action, app-architecture
UI Design	"ui design", "界面设计"	dsl, layout, widgets, animation, shaders
Widget Creation	"create widget", "创建组件", "自定义组件"	widgets, dsl, layout, animation, shaders, font, event-action
Production	"best practice", "robrix pattern", "实际项目"	app-architecture, widget-patterns, state-management, event-action

Skill Dependencies

When loading certain skills, related skills are auto-loaded:

Primary Skill	Auto-loads
robius-app-architecture	makepad-basics, makepad-event-action
robius-widget-patterns	makepad-widgets, makepad-layout
makepad-widgets	makepad-layout, makepad-dsl
makepad-animation	makepad-shaders
makepad-shaders	makepad-widgets
makepad-font	makepad-widgets
robius-event-action	makepad-event-action

Example

User: "我想从零开发一个 Makepad 应用"

[makepad-skills] Detected Makepad/Robius query
[makepad-skills] App development context detected - loading skill bundle
[makepad-skills] Routing to: makepad-basics makepad-dsl makepad-event-action
                            makepad-layout makepad-widgets robius-app-architecture

---

When to Evolve

Trigger skill evolution when any of these occur during development:

Trigger	Target Skill	Priority
New widget pattern discovered	robius-widget-patterns/_base	High
Shader technique learned	makepad-shaders	High
Compilation error solved	makepad-reference/troubleshooting	High
Layout solution found	makepad-reference/adaptive-layout	Medium
Build/packaging issue resolved	makepad-deployment	Medium
New project structure insight	makepad-basics	Low
Core concept clarified	makepad-dsl/makepad-widgets	Low

---

Evolution Process

Step 1: Identify Knowledge Worth Capturing

Ask yourself:

• Is this a reusable pattern? (not project-specific)
• Did it take significant effort to figure out?
• Would it help other Makepad developers?
• Is it not already documented in makepad-skills?

Step 2: Classify the Knowledge

Widget/Component Pattern     → robius-widget-patterns/_base/
Shader/Visual Effect         → makepad-shaders/
Error/Debug Solution         → makepad-reference/troubleshooting.md
Layout/Responsive Design     → makepad-reference/adaptive-layout.md
Build/Deploy Issue           → makepad-deployment/SKILL.md
Project Structure            → makepad-basics/
Core Concept/API             → makepad-dsl/ or makepad-widgets/

Step 3: Format the Contribution

For Patterns:

## Pattern N: [Pattern Name]

Brief description of what this pattern solves.

### live_design!
```rust
live_design! {
    // DSL code
}

Rust Implementation

// Rust code

**For Troubleshooting**:
```markdown
### [Error Type/Message]

**Symptom**: What the developer sees

**Cause**: Why this happens

**Solution**:
```rust
// Fixed code

### Step 4: Mark Evolution (NOT Version)

Add an evolution marker above new content:

```markdown
<!-- Evolution: 2024-01-15 | source: my-app | author: @zhangsan -->

Step 5: Submit via Git

# Create branch for your contribution
git checkout -b evolution/add-loading-pattern

# Commit your changes
git add robius-widget-patterns/_base/my-pattern.md
git commit -m "evolution: add loading state pattern from my-app"

# Push and create PR
git push origin evolution/add-loading-pattern

---

Self-Correction

When skill content causes errors, automatically correct it.

Trigger Conditions

User follows skill advice → Code fails to compile/run → Claude identifies skill was wrong
                                                      ↓
                                         AUTO: Correct skill immediately

Correction Flow

1. Detect - Skill advice led to an error
2. Verify - Confirm the skill content is wrong
3. Correct - Update the skill file with fix

Correction Marker Format

<!-- Correction: YYYY-MM-DD | was: [old advice] | reason: [why it was wrong] -->

---

Self-Validation

Periodically verify skill content is still accurate.

Validation Checklist

## Validation Report

### Code Examples
- [ ] All `live_design!` examples parse correctly
- [ ] All Rust code compiles
- [ ] All patterns work as documented

### API Accuracy
- [ ] Widget names exist in makepad-widgets
- [ ] Method signatures are correct
- [ ] Event types are accurate

Validation Prompt

"Please validate makepad-skills against current Makepad version"

---

Version Adaptation

Provide version-specific guidance for different Makepad branches.

Supported Versions

Branch	Status	Notes
main	Stable	Production ready
dev	Active	Latest features, may break
rik	Legacy	Older API style

Version Detection

Claude should detect Makepad version from:

1. Cargo.toml branch reference:

   makepad-widgets = { git = "...", branch = "dev" }
   

2. Cargo.lock content

3. Ask user if unclear

---

Personalization

Adapt skill suggestions to project's coding style.

Style Detection

Claude analyzes the current project to detect:

Aspect	Detection Method	Adaptation
Naming convention	Scan existing widgets	Match snake_case vs camelCase
Code organization	Check module structure	Suggest matching patterns
Comment style	Read existing comments	Match documentation style
Widget complexity	Count lines per widget	Suggest appropriate patterns

---

Quality Guidelines

DO Add

• Generic, reusable patterns
• Common errors with clear solutions
• Well-tested shader effects
• Platform-specific gotchas
• Performance optimizations

DON'T Add

• Project-specific code
• Unverified solutions
• Duplicate content
• Incomplete examples
• Personal preferences without rationale

---

Skill File Locations

skills/
├── # === Core Skills (16) ===
├── makepad-basics/        ← Getting started, app structure
├── makepad-dsl/           ← DSL syntax, inheritance
├── makepad-layout/        ← Layout, sizing, alignment
├── makepad-widgets/       ← Widget components
├── makepad-event-action/  ← Event handling
├── makepad-animation/     ← Animation, states
├── makepad-shaders/       ← Shader basics
├── makepad-platform/      ← Platform support
├── makepad-font/          ← Font, typography
├── makepad-splash/        ← Splash scripting
├── robius-app-architecture/   ← App architecture patterns
├── robius-widget-patterns/    ← Widget reuse patterns
├── robius-event-action/       ← Custom actions
├── robius-state-management/   ← State persistence
├── robius-matrix-integration/ ← Matrix SDK
├── molykit/               ← AI chat toolkit
│
├── # === Extended Skills (3) ===
├── makepad-shaders/ ← Advanced shaders, SDF
│   ├── _base/             ← Official patterns
│   └── community/         ← Community contributions
├── makepad-deployment/    ← Build & packaging
├── makepad-reference/     ← Troubleshooting, code quality
│
├── # Note: Production patterns integrated into robius-* skills:
├── # - Widget patterns → robius-widget-patterns/_base/
├── # - State patterns → robius-state-management/_base/
├── # - Async patterns → robius-app-architecture/_base/
│
└── evolution/             ← Self-evolution system
    ├── hooks/             ← Auto-trigger hooks
    ├── references/        ← Detailed guides
    └── templates/         ← Contribution templates

---

Auto-Evolution Prompts

Use these prompts to trigger self-evolution:

After Solving a Problem

"This solution should be added to makepad-skills for future reference."

After Creating a Widget

"This widget pattern is reusable. Let me add it to makepad-patterns."

After Debugging

"This error and its fix should be documented in makepad-troubleshooting."

After Completing a Feature

"Review what I learned and update makepad-skills if applicable."

---

Continuous Improvement Checklist

After each Makepad development session, consider:

• Did I discover a new widget composition pattern?
• Did I solve a tricky shader problem?
• Did I encounter and fix a confusing error?
• Did I find a better way to structure layouts?
• Did I learn something about packaging/deployment?
• Would any of this help other Makepad developers?

If yes to any, evolve the appropriate skill!

References

• makepad-skills repository
• Makepad documentation
• Project Robius

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.