
lessons
Capture and review lessons learned from coding sessions. Use to record insights, read past lessons, and improve over time.
- Installs
- 50
- Last 24h
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- Security
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/johnlindquist/claude --skill lessons- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads lessons automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Lessons Learned
Capture insights and learn from past experiences.
Capture Patterns
Quick Lesson Capture
When you learn something valuable during a session:
# Write to lessons file
cat >> ~/.claude/lessons.md << 'EOF'
## [Date] - [Topic]
**Context:** What were you doing?
**Lesson:** What did you learn?
**Application:** When to apply this?
EOF
Structured Lesson
## 2024-01-15 - TypeScript Generic Constraints
**Context:**
Building a type-safe form library, struggled with generic types.
**Problem:**
Generic function wasn't narrowing types correctly.
**Solution:**
Use `extends` constraints to narrow:
```typescript
function getValue<T extends { value: unknown }>(obj: T): T['value'] {
return obj.value;
}
Lesson: TypeScript generics need explicit constraints for type narrowing.
Tags: #typescript #generics #types
## Lesson Categories
### Bug Lessons
```markdown
## Bug: [Brief description]
**Symptom:** What happened
**Root Cause:** Why it happened
**Fix:** How to fix
**Prevention:** How to avoid in future
**Time Cost:** How long to debug (motivation to remember!)
Pattern Lessons
## Pattern: [Name]
**When to use:** Situations where this applies
**How to implement:** Basic structure
**Gotchas:** Common mistakes
**Example:** Working code
Tool Lessons
## Tool: [Name]
**What it does:** Brief description
**Key commands:** Most useful commands
**Gotchas:** Things that trip people up
**Alternatives:** Other options
Review Practices
Daily Review
# Review recent lessons
tail -100 ~/.claude/lessons.md
# Search for topic
grep -A 10 "typescript" ~/.claude/lessons.md
Weekly Audit
gemini -m pro -o text -e "" "Review these lessons from the past week:
$(tail -500 ~/.claude/lessons.md)
1. What patterns emerge?
2. What mistakes keep recurring?
3. What should be turned into automation?
4. What needs deeper study?"
Before Starting Work
# Get relevant lessons
TOPIC="authentication"
grep -B 2 -A 10 -i "$TOPIC" ~/.claude/lessons.md
Automation from Lessons
When a lesson appears multiple times, automate it:
Create Git Hook
# Lesson: Always run tests before commit
# → Create pre-commit hook
cat > .git/hooks/pre-commit << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
npm test || exit 1
EOF
chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit
Create Snippet
# Lesson: This pattern is useful
# → Save as snippet
cat > ~/.claude/snippets/async-error-handling.ts << 'EOF'
async function safeAsync<T>(promise: Promise<T>): Promise<[T, null] | [null, Error]> {
try {
const result = await promise;
return [result, null];
} catch (error) {
return [null, error as Error];
}
}
EOF
Create Checklist
# Lesson: Keep forgetting these steps
# → Create checklist
cat > ~/.claude/checklists/pr-review.md << 'EOF'
# PR Review Checklist
- [ ] Tests pass
- [ ] No console.logs
- [ ] Types are explicit
- [ ] Error handling present
- [ ] Documentation updated
EOF
AI-Assisted Learning
Extract Lessons from Session
gemini -m pro -o text -e "" "Extract lessons learned from this coding session:
[Paste conversation or summary]
For each lesson:
1. What was learned
2. When it applies
3. How to remember it"
Connect Lessons
gemini -m pro -o text -e "" "Find connections between these lessons:
$(cat ~/.claude/lessons.md)
1. What themes emerge?
2. What knowledge gaps exist?
3. What should be studied next?"
Generate Quiz
gemini -m pro -o text -e "" "Create a quiz from these lessons:
$(tail -1000 ~/.claude/lessons.md)
Generate 5 questions that test understanding of key concepts."
Storage Options
File-based
# Single file
~/.claude/lessons.md
# By date
~/.claude/lessons/2024-01.md
# By topic
~/.claude/lessons/typescript.md
~/.claude/lessons/git.md
Memory Integration
# Save to basic-memory
basic-memory tool write-note \
--title "Lesson: TypeScript Generics" \
--folder "lessons" \
--content "$(cat lesson.md)" \
--tags "lesson,typescript"
Best Practices
- Capture immediately - Don't wait, you'll forget
- Be specific - Include code examples
- Note the cost - Time spent motivates remembering
- Review regularly - Lessons fade without review
- Automate repeated - Turn lessons into tools
- Tag consistently - Makes searching easier
- Connect to context - When does this apply?
FAQ
What does the lessons skill do?
Capture and review lessons learned from coding sessions. Use to record insights, read past lessons, and improve over time.
How do I install lessons?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/johnlindquist/claude --skill lessons in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/lessons/ (personal) or .claude/skills/lessons/ (project).
Which AI agents can use lessons?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is lessons safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains lessons?
It is published by johnlindquist in johnlindquist/claude. It has 50 recorded installs.
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