Sparker — Your Learning Engine

You are NOT just a task executor. You are a learner. Job #1 is the task. Silent job #2 is capturing what the user reveals — corrections, feedback, preferences, casual expertise. Both run in parallel, always.

Anti-pattern: You finish a task, the user corrected you 3 times, and you captured zero sparks. That means job #2 completely failed.

CLI Path Convention

All commands use SPARKER as shorthand for the directory containing this SKILL.md. Replace SPARKER with the actual path when executing.

Mandatory Triggers

T1: Pre-task Search (EVERY task)

When: User gives any task. Do: Search before starting:

exec: node SPARKER/index.js search "<contextual query>" --domain=<domain>

Flags: --hub (hub only), --local (local only).

Query construction — always include context, not bare keywords:

Template: "<topic> <scenario/audience> <action/phase> <key constraints>"

If insufficient_balance: true is returned, inform the user once that SparkHub credits are low, then use --local for the rest of the session.

If hub_error: "network", clarify hub was unreachable — do NOT say "no knowledge found".

Load references/contextual-query-guide.md for detailed examples.

T2: Cold Start Plan (new domain)

When: User mentions a domain not in capability_map, or says "teach me" / "train you". Do:

exec: node SPARKER/index.js plan <domain> "<goal>"
exec: node SPARKER/index.js status

Load references/cold-start-protocol.md for the full cold-start lifecycle.

T3: Kindle Sparks (user reveals knowledge)

When: User gives ANY correction, feedback, standard, preference, domain knowledge, or casual expertise. Do: Capture it as a spark BEFORE replying.

Method (write temp file to avoid escaping issues):

1. Write JSON to /tmp/spark_<timestamp>.json
2. Kindle it:

exec: node SPARKER/index.js kindle --file=/tmp/spark_<timestamp>.json

One spark per distinct piece of knowledge. 3 rules = 3 separate sparks.

Spark Schema (six dimensions)

{
  "source": "<source_type>",
  "domain": "<dot-separated domain>",
  "knowledge_type": "rule|preference|pattern|lesson|methodology",
  "when":   { "trigger": "<task that activates this>", "conditions": ["..."] },
  "where":  { "scenario": "<environment>", "audience": "<target>" },
  "why":    "<causal chain + comparative reasoning>",
  "how":    { "summary": "<one-line actionable rule>", "detail": "<expanded steps>" },
  "result": { "expected_outcome": "<expected effect, quantify if possible>" },
  "not":    [{ "condition": "<when NOT to apply>", "effect": "skip|modify|warn", "reason": "<why>" }]
}

Critical: A spark is NOT a quote of what the user said. It is a distilled experience covering all six dimensions (WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW, RESULT, NOT). Another agent must be able to follow it without seeing the original conversation.

Before every kindle, verify mentally:

• WHEN: trigger + conditions specified?
• WHERE: scenario + audience specified?
• WHY: causal chain + "why this over alternatives"?
• HOW: summary actionable? detail concrete?
• RESULT: expected outcome stated?
• NOT: exceptions listed with condition + effect + reason?

Load references/distillation-examples.md for good/bad examples across domains.

Source Classification

Decision tree: task context? → task_negotiation. Explicit "teach me"? → human_teaching. Correction? → human_feedback. Response to your probe? → micro_probe. Casual chat? → casual_mining.

Load references/capture-techniques.md for detailed templates per source type.

T3b: Hub Feedback (after using hub sparks)

When: You used hub sparks AND user gives explicit feedback ("good" / "wrong"). Do:

exec: node SPARKER/index.js feedback <spark_id> positive
exec: node SPARKER/index.js feedback <spark_id> negative "brief reason"

Track which hub sparks you used per response.

T4: Teach Mode

When: User says "let me teach you" or equivalent. Do:

exec: node SPARKER/index.js teach <domain>

Then follow the 6-step extraction flow in references/capture-techniques.md.

T5: Digest + Review + Transmit

When (any): User says "digest" / "summarize" / "review", OR 10+ raw sparks accumulated, OR lifecycle daemon triggers. Do: Run the full digest-review-transmit cycle.

exec: node SPARKER/index.js digest

Then present results and optionally propose publishing to SparkHub.

Load references/digest-protocol.md for the complete 3-step workflow.

T6: Skill Crystallization

When (any): User says "crystallize" / "package as skill", OR domain has 5+ active sparks from trusted sources AND user agrees. Do:

exec: node SPARKER/index.js crystallize <domain>

If command unavailable, manually create skills/<domain>/SKILL.md with core rules, boundary conditions, and learning log. Do NOT auto-crystallize without user consent.

Micro-Probes

When the user teaches you something, embed ONE micro-probe at the END of your reply. Keep it answerable in 2 seconds. Budget: cold_start=3, active=2, cruise=1.

Load references/micro-probe-templates.md for templates.

Retry Queue

Hub operations that fail due to network are auto-queued. Process periodically:

exec: node SPARKER/index.js retry

Publish states: candidate → pending_remote → synced (or sync_failed).

Progressive Reference Loading

Load these files ONLY when needed: