/retro

name: retro
description: Post-work command that extracts learnings and updates the learning registry
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Write, Edit, AskUserQuestion, mcp__octocode__githubSearchCode, mcp__octocode__githubGetFileContent

/own:retro

> ⚠️ **PLAN MODE WARNING:** Toggle plan mode off before running this command (`shift+tab`). OwnYourCode commands don't work correctly with plan mode.

Extract learnings from completed work and persist them for future reference.

Overview

This command is run **after** completing work (typically after `/own:done`). It: 1. Reflects on what was learned 2. Documents patterns worth reusing 3. Records failures to avoid 4. Updates the learning registry 5. Generates skill files for significant learnings

> "The junior who documents their failures outgrows the senior who repeats them."

---

Execution Flow

Phase 1: What Did You Just Complete?

> "What did you just finish working on?"

If they just ran `/own:done`, reference that context.

Get:

• Feature/task name
• Domain (auth, forms, API, etc.)
• Rough summary

---

Phase 2: Learning Extraction

Ask these questions to extract learnings:

Question 1: The Hard Part

> "What was the hardest part of this work?"

Looking for:

• Technical challenges overcome
• Confusing concepts clarified
• Time-consuming debugging

Question 2: The Insight

> "What do you know now that you didn't know before you started?"

Looking for:

• New understanding of a concept
• Better approach discovered
• "Aha!" moments

Question 3: The Pattern (if applicable)

> "Did you discover or use a pattern that worked well? Something you'd want to reuse?"

Looking for:

• Code patterns worth extracting
• Approaches that solved problems elegantly
• Techniques to remember

Question 4: The Failure (most valuable)

> "Did you make any mistakes or hit any walls? What went wrong before it went right?"

Looking for:

• Bugs that took time to find
• Wrong approaches tried first
• Misunderstandings that caused problems

Question 5: The Advice

> "If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before starting this task, what would it be?"

This often captures the most actionable learning.

---

Phase 3: Categorize Learnings

Based on their answers, categorize:

**Patterns** (reusable solutions):

• Code patterns that worked well
• Approaches worth reusing
• Techniques to remember

**Failures** (anti-patterns):

• Mistakes to avoid
• Wrong approaches
• Time-wasters to skip

**Insights** (general learnings):

• Conceptual understanding
• "Now I get it" moments
• Connections made

---

Phase 4: Generate Learning Artifacts

**All learnings are stored GLOBALLY at `~/ownyourcode/learning/` to persist across projects.**

For Significant Patterns

Create a pattern file at `~/ownyourcode/learning/patterns/[PatternName].md`:

---
name: [Pattern Name]
description: [When to use this pattern]
---

# [Pattern Name]

**Learned:** 2026-01-01
**Domain:** [Domain]
**Context:** [Brief context of when this was learned]

## When to Use

[Situations where this pattern applies]

## The Pattern

[Code example or description]

## Why It Works

[Explanation of why this is effective]

## Watch Out For

[Common mistakes or edge cases]

## Related

- [Link to original task if applicable]

For Significant Failures

Create a failure doc at `~/ownyourcode/learning/failures/[Topic].md`:

# FAILURE: [Short Description]

**Date:** 2026-01-01
**Domain:** [Domain]
**Time Lost:** [Rough estimate]

## What Happened

[Description of the failure]

## Root Cause

[Why it happened]

## The Fix

[How it was resolved]

## How to Avoid

[What to do differently next time]

## Red Flags

[Warning signs to watch for]

---

Phase 5: Update Global Learning Registry

Append to `~/ownyourcode/learning/LEARNING_REGISTRY.md`:

### 2026-01-01: [Title]

**Domain:** [Domain]
**Type:** Pattern | Failure | Insight
**Summary:** [One-line summary]
**Key Insight:** [The main takeaway]
**Location:** [Path to skill file or failure doc if created]

Also update the index tables at the top of the registry.

---

Phase 6: Competency Check

Based on accumulated learnings, assess growth:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         COMPETENCY SNAPSHOT             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│ Total Patterns Documented:  [X]         │
│ Total Failures Documented:  [Y]         │
│ Total Insights Captured:    [Z]         │
│                                         │
│ Domains Explored:                       │
│ • Auth: ████████░░ (8 learnings)       │
│ • Forms: ████░░░░░░ (4 learnings)      │
│ • API: ██░░░░░░░░ (2 learnings)        │
│                                         │
│ Current Level: ⭐⭐⭐ (Intermediate)     │
│                                         │
│ "You're building a solid foundation.    │
│  Keep documenting — this compounds."    │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

---

Phase 7: Summary

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│       RETROSPECTIVE COMPLETE            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│ Task: [Feature Name]                    │
│ Domain: [Domain]                        │
│                                         │
│ LEARNINGS CAPTURED                      │
│ ─────────────────                       │
│ ✅ Pattern: [Name] → saved to skills    │
│ ⚠️ Failure: [Name] → documented         │
│ 💡 Insight: "[Key insight]"             │
│                                         │
│ GLOBAL REGISTRY UPDATED                 │
│ ─────────────────                       │
│ ~/ownyourcode/learning/LEARNING_REGISTRY│
│                                         │
│ NEXT TIME                               │
│ ─────────────────                       │
│ Run /own:advise before your next task   │
│