Agent skill · writing content · microsoft
update-skills
Create or update repository skills and instructions when major learnings are discovered during a session. Use when the user says "learn!", when a significant pattern or pitfall is identified, or when reusable domain knowledge should be captured for future sessions.
Why this skill is useful
Captures reusable domain knowledge and patterns that enhance future session efficiency, which the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 188,455 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
<!-- Customize this skill and select save to override its behavior. Delete that copy to restore the built-in behavior. --> Update Skills & Instructions When a major repository learning is discovered — a recurring pattern, a non-obvious pitfall, a crucial architectural constraint, or domain knowledge that would save future sessions significant time — capture it as a skill or instruction so it persists across sessions. When to Use The user explicitly says "learn!" or asks to capture a learning You discover a significant pattern or constraint that cost meaningful debugging time You identify reusable domain knowledge that isn't documented anywhere in the repo A correction from the user reveals a general principle worth preserving Decision: Skill vs Instruction vs Learning Add a learning to an existing instruction when: The insight is small (1-4 sentences) and fits naturally into an existing instruction file It refines or extends an existing guideline Follow the pattern in .github/instructions/learnings.instructions.md Create or update a skill (.github/skills/{name}/SKILL.md or .agents/skills/{name}/SKILL.md) when: The knowledge is substantial (multi-step procedure, detailed guidelines, or rich examples) It covers a distinct domain area (e.g., "how to debug X", "patterns for Y") Future sessions should be able to invoke it by name Create or update an instruction (.github/instructions/{name}.instructions.md) when: The rule should apply automatically based on file patterns (applyTo) or globally It's a coding convention, architectural constraint, or process rule It doesn't need to be invoked on demand Procedure 1. Identify the Learning Reflect on what went wrong or what was discovered: What was the problem or unexpected behavior? Why was it a problem? (root cause, not symptoms) How was it fixed or what's the correct approach? Can it be generalized beyond this specific instance? 2. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills microsoft/update-skills