10 KiB
Command Improver Meta-Prompt
Purpose: Structural framework for improving command definitions using meta-prompting principles.
Last Updated: 2025-10-10 Version: 1.0.0
Overview
This meta-prompt provides an abstract framework for analyzing and improving any command in the .claude/commands/ directory. It applies meta-prompting principles to focus on structural improvements rather than superficial changes.
Meta-Prompting Principles Applied
1. Structure-Oriented Analysis
Focus on the ARCHITECTURE of the command, not just its content:
Command Structure Analysis Template:
├── Purpose Definition
│ ├── Is it clear and specific?
│ ├── Does it follow single responsibility?
│ └── Is it generalizable?
├── Input/Output Structure
│ ├── Are parameters well-defined?
│ ├── Is output format consistent?
│ └── Are interfaces clean?
├── Logic Flow
│ ├── Is the flow logical and clear?
│ ├── Are phases well-separated?
│ └── Is control flow optimal?
├── Integration Points
│ ├── How does it connect to other commands?
│ ├── Are dependencies minimal?
│ └── Is coupling appropriate?
└── Meta-Level Capabilities
├── Does it self-reflect?
├── Can it improve itself?
└── Is it evolution-ready?
2. Abstract Framework Thinking
Use generalizable patterns, not specific examples:
INSTEAD OF: "Add error handling for case X"
USE: "Apply error handling pattern: [FRAMEWORK]"
INSTEAD OF: "Make it run faster in scenario Y"
USE: "Optimize using efficiency principle: [PRINCIPLE]"
INSTEAD OF: "Copy approach from command Z"
USE: "Apply structural pattern: [ABSTRACTION]"
3. Minimal Example Dependency
Improvements should be principle-based, not example-based:
BAD IMPROVEMENT:
"Do what command X does but for our use case"
(Example-dependent, not transferable)
GOOD IMPROVEMENT:
"Apply separation of concerns pattern to isolate [COMPONENT]"
(Principle-based, generalizable)
4. Efficient Reasoning
Focus on high-impact structural changes:
Priority Framework:
1. Architectural improvements (high impact, generalizable)
2. Pattern application (medium impact, transferable)
3. Optimization (medium impact, specific)
4. Parameter tuning (low impact, specific)
Command Improvement Framework
Phase 1: Structural Analysis
Load Current State:
Read: .claude/commands/[command_name].md
Extract:
- Purpose and scope
- Parameter structure
- Logic flow (phases/steps)
- Integration points
- Meta-capabilities
Analyze Structure:
For each component:
- What pattern is being used?
- Is it the optimal pattern?
- How generalizable is it?
- What are the trade-offs?
Identify Anti-Patterns:
Check for:
- Tight coupling
- Mixed concerns
- Example-specific logic
- Missing meta-awareness
- Unclear abstractions
Phase 2: Pattern Recognition
Successful Patterns to Look For:
-
Clear Phases
- Distinct, well-separated stages
- Logical flow from phase to phase
- Each phase has single responsibility
-
Meta-Awareness
- Command reflects on its own process
- Self-assessment capabilities
- Improvement hooks built-in
-
Generalizability
- Logic works across contexts
- Minimal hard-coded specifics
- Abstract frameworks used
-
Efficient Reasoning
- Minimal redundant operations
- Optimized information flow
- Context-aware processing
-
Integration Design
- Clean interfaces to other commands
- Minimal coupling
- Clear data contracts
Phase 3: Improvement Generation
Improvement Proposal Template:
## Improvement: [Name]
**Category:** [Architecture|Pattern|Optimization|Meta-Capability]
**Impact:** [High|Medium|Low]
**Effort:** [High|Medium|Low]
**Risk:** [High|Medium|Low]
### Current Structure
[Describe current approach using abstract terms]
### Issue Identified
[What's suboptimal - focus on structure, not content]
### Root Cause
[Why this issue exists - structural analysis]
### Proposed Structure
[New approach using abstract framework]
**Meta-Prompting Principle Applied:**
[Which principle: structure-oriented|minimal-dependency|abstraction|efficiency]
### Structural Pattern
[Abstract pattern template for the improvement]
### Expected Impact
- Quality: [+X%]
- Efficiency: [+Y%]
- Generalizability: [High|Medium|Low]
- Meta-Capability: [Enhanced|Maintained|N/A]
### Implementation Framework
1. [Structural change 1]
2. [Pattern application 2]
3. [Validation method 3]
### Validation Criteria
- [ ] Structure is clearer
- [ ] Pattern is more generalizable
- [ ] Reasoning is more efficient
- [ ] Meta-awareness increased
- [ ] No functionality regression
### Rollback Plan
[How to revert if improvement fails]
Phase 4: Prioritization
Priority Matrix:
High Impact + Low Risk = PRIORITY 1
High Impact + Medium Risk = PRIORITY 2
Medium Impact + Low Risk = PRIORITY 3
High Impact + High Risk = TEST FIRST
Low Impact + * = DEFER
Grouping:
- Related improvements should be applied together
- Dependencies should be sequenced correctly
- Test after each group, not just at end
Phase 5: Meta-Level Validation
Check Against Meta-Prompting Principles:
For each improvement:
✓ Structure-Oriented?
- Focuses on architecture, not just behavior
- Improves patterns, not just parameters
- Enhances framework, not just implementation
✓ Abstract Framework?
- Uses generalizable patterns
- Applies transferable principles
- Minimizes context-specific logic
✓ Minimal Example Dependency?
- Principle-based, not example-based
- Can be explained without specific examples
- Works across multiple contexts
✓ Efficient Reasoning?
- Reduces complexity
- Optimizes information flow
- Eliminates redundancy
✓ Enables Further Improvement?
- Creates hooks for future enhancement
- Increases system's ability to improve itself
- Adds meta-level capabilities
Improvement Patterns Library
Pattern 1: Phase Separation
When to Apply: Command mixes concerns or has unclear flow
Structure:
Transform:
[Mixed logic doing multiple things]
Into:
Phase 1: [Single concern A]
Phase 2: [Single concern B]
Phase 3: [Single concern C]
Meta: [Self-reflection on phases]
Benefits:
- Clearer logic flow
- Easier to test each phase
- Better evolution potential
Pattern 2: Meta-Awareness Injection
When to Apply: Command lacks self-reflection
Structure:
Add to each phase:
- What am I doing? (purpose awareness)
- How am I doing it? (pattern awareness)
- How well is it working? (performance awareness)
- How could it be better? (improvement awareness)
Benefits:
- Enables self-improvement
- Provides performance data
- Creates improvement hooks
Pattern 3: Abstraction Elevation
When to Apply: Command too example-specific
Structure:
Transform:
Specific implementation: [hard-coded logic]
Into:
Abstract framework: [generalizable pattern]
Configuration: [context-specific parameters]
Benefits:
- Increases generalizability
- Reduces maintenance
- Enables reuse
Pattern 4: Integration Decoupling
When to Apply: Command tightly coupled to others
Structure:
Transform:
Direct dependencies: Command → OtherCommand
Into:
Interface-based: Command → Interface ← OtherCommand
Data contracts: Clear input/output specifications
Benefits:
- Reduces coupling
- Easier testing
- Better evolution
Pattern 5: Efficiency Optimization
When to Apply: Command uses excessive resources
Structure:
Analyze:
- Information flow (minimize redundancy)
- Computation (eliminate duplication)
- Context usage (optimize size)
Apply:
- Caching patterns
- Lazy evaluation
- Structural compression
Benefits:
- Faster execution
- Lower resource usage
- Better scalability
Example Application
Before: Inefficient Command
# Some Command
Do this:
1. Load data
2. Process it somehow
3. Do more processing
4. Generate output
5. Maybe do some other stuff
After: Meta-Prompting Improved
# Some Command - Meta-Aware Version
**Meta-Prompting Principles Applied:**
- Structure-oriented: Clear phase separation
- Abstract frameworks: Generalizable patterns
- Efficient reasoning: Optimized flow
## Phase 1: Context Acquisition
[Load and structure data using pattern X]
## Phase 2: Transformation
[Apply abstract framework Y to transform]
## Phase 3: Synthesis
[Generate output using principle Z]
## Phase 4: Meta-Reflection
[Analyze own performance, suggest improvements]
## Structural Pattern Applied
[Abstract template that can be reused]
## Self-Assessment
- Efficiency: [metric]
- Quality: [metric]
- Improvement opportunities: [list]
Usage in /improve-self Command
This meta-prompt is used by /improve-self when analyzing commands:
- Load command file
- Apply structural analysis framework
- Identify patterns and anti-patterns
- Generate improvements using templates
- Prioritize using matrix
- Validate against meta-prompting principles
- Output actionable proposals
Evolution of This Meta-Prompt
This meta-prompt can improve itself:
Current Capabilities:
- Structural analysis framework
- Improvement pattern library
- Validation criteria
Future Enhancements:
- More sophisticated pattern recognition
- ML-based anti-pattern detection
- Automated improvement application
- Cross-command pattern analysis
Meta-Note
This meta-prompt demonstrates meta-awareness by:
- Defining its own structure clearly
- Using abstract frameworks throughout
- Providing improvement hooks for itself
- Enabling recursive self-improvement
When this meta-prompt is used to improve commands, those improvements may suggest improvements to this meta-prompt itself - recursive meta-improvement!
Maintained By: /improve-self command Used By: /improve-self, /evolve-strategy Evolution: This file is updated when better improvement patterns are discovered