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continual-learning

Guide for implementing continual learning in AI coding agents — hooks, memory scoping, reflection patterns. Use when setting up learning infrastructure for agents.

Published by microsoft ↗microsoft/skills

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Use continual-learning to design learning infrastructure for [coding agent/project], specifying scoped memory, reflection flow, and retention rules for [learning types].

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  • [coding agent/project]
  • [learning types]

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SKILL.md

name: continual-learningdescription: Guide for implementing continual learning in AI coding agents — hooks, memory scoping, reflection patterns. Use when setting up learning infrastructure for agents.

Continual Learning for AI Coding Agents

Your agent forgets everything between sessions. Continual learning fixes that.

The Loop

Experience → Capture → Reflect → Persist → Apply
     ↑                                       │
     └───────────────────────────────────────┘

Quick Start

Install the hook (one step):

cp -r hooks/continual-learning .github/hooks/

Auto-initializes on first session. No config needed.

Two-Tier Memory

Global (~/.copilot/learnings.db) — follows you across all projects:

  • Tool patterns (which tools fail, which work)
  • Cross-project conventions
  • General coding preferences

Local (.copilot-memory/learnings.db) — stays with this repo:

  • Project-specific conventions
  • Common mistakes for this codebase
  • Team preferences

How Learnings Get Stored

Automatic (via hooks)

The hook observes tool outcomes and detects failure patterns:

Session 1: bash tool fails 4 times → learning stored: "bash frequently fails"
Session 2: hook surfaces that learning at start → agent adjusts approach

Agent-native (via store_memory / SQL)

The agent can write learnings directly:

INSERT INTO learnings (scope, category, content, source)
VALUES ('local', 'convention', 'This project uses Result<T> not exceptions', 'user_correction');

Categories: pattern, mistake, preference, tool_insight

Manual (memory files)

For human-readable, version-controlled knowledge:

# .copilot-memory/conventions.md
- Use DefaultAzureCredential for all Azure auth
- Parameter is semantic_configuration_name=, not semantic_configuration=

Compaction

Learnings decay over time:

  • Entries older than 60 days with low hit count are pruned
  • High-value learnings (frequently referenced) persist indefinitely
  • Tool logs are pruned after 7 days

This prevents unbounded growth while preserving what matters.

Best Practices

  1. One step to install — if it takes more than cp -r, it won't get adopted
  2. Scope correctly — global for tool patterns, local for project conventions
  3. Be specific — "Use semantic_configuration_name=" beats "use the right parameter"
  4. Let it compound — small improvements per session create exponential gains over weeks