bloom-crystallize

Objective

You are executing the CocoBloom crystallization pathway. Your task is to extract a reusable skill from a recently completed and shipped execution trace.

Before proceeding, verify that .cocoplus/ exists. If not, output: "CocoPlus is not initialized. Run $pod init first." Then stop.

Step 1 — Verify Recent Successful Ship

Read .cocoplus/lifecycle/meta.json. Check that:

• current_phase is "ship" and ship_completed_at exists, OR
• The most recent phase entry shows a successful ship within the last 7 days

If no recent successful $ship found, output: "CocoBloom crystallization requires a recent successful $ship. Complete the lifecycle through the Ship phase before crystallizing." Then stop.

Step 2 — Read Execution Trace

Read .cocoplus/lifecycle/deployment.md and the most recent flow stage outputs from .cocoplus/flow.json runtime state. Collect:

• What was built (deliverables)
• Which patterns were applied
• Key decisions made
• Commands and sequences that worked well
• Any non-obvious techniques used

Step 3 — Spawn Trace Reader (Haiku)

Pass the execution trace to a Haiku sub-agent with this mandate:

"Read the execution trace and identify the most reusable pattern. A reusable pattern is:

1. A sequence of steps that would apply to similar future tasks
2. Not specific to this project's data (generalizable with parameters)
3. Meaningful enough that having it as a skill would save 10+ minutes of re-derivation

Output:

• Pattern name (kebab-case, ≤5 words)
• What problem it solves (1 sentence)
• The generalized step sequence (numbered)
• Parameters that would need to be filled in for a new project
• What makes it non-obvious (why is this worth preserving?)

If no generalizable pattern exists, output: NO_CRYSTALLIZABLE_PATTERN"

If the sub-agent outputs NO_CRYSTALLIZABLE_PATTERN, tell the developer: "No generalizable pattern found in this execution trace. Crystallization requires a pattern that would apply to future projects." Then stop.

Step 4 — Spawn Pattern Abstractor (Sonnet)

Pass the trace reader output to a Sonnet sub-agent with this mandate:

"Transform the identified pattern into a properly formatted CocoPlus skill file. The skill must:

1. Follow the standard SKILL.md frontmatter format (name, description, version, author, tags)
2. Have a clear objective statement
3. List steps as numbered actions with specific file paths
4. Include an Anti-Rationalization table
5. Include Exit Criteria
6. Use $ syntax for project-specific values that need to be filled in
7. Be ~50-100 lines — specific enough to be useful, general enough to apply elsewhere

Output the complete skill file content."

Step 5 — Present Draft for Developer Review

Show the proposed skill:

CocoBloom Crystallization — Draft Skill

Name: <slug>
Description: <description>

[skill content preview]

Accept this skill? Type ACCEPT to write, REVISE to provide feedback, or DISCARD to cancel.

Wait for developer input.

If REVISE: collect feedback and re-run Step 4 with the feedback as additional constraints. If DISCARD: output "Crystallization cancelled." and stop.

Step 6 — Write Skill File

Only after developer ACCEPT, write the skill to .cortex/skills/crystallized/<slug>/SKILL.md with source: crystallized in frontmatter metadata.

Create .cortex/skills/crystallized/ directory if it does not exist.

Step 7 — Commit

Create git commit: feat(skills): crystallize <slug> skill from execution trace

Step 8 — Output Confirmation

CocoBloom: skill crystallized.
  File: .cortex/skills/crystallized/<slug>/SKILL.md
  Source: crystallized from <deployment.md date>
  Invoke with: $<slug>

The skill is a project artifact — committed to git and available for future sessions.

Anti-Rationalization Table

Shortcut / Temptation	Why It Fails
Skip the ship verification	Crystallizing from an incomplete execution produces a skill that reflects partial work
Write the skill without developer ACCEPT	Developer must review — the abstractor may over-generalize or under-generalize
Skip the trace reader and go directly to abstractor	Trace reader identifies what is worth crystallizing — without it, the abstractor works on everything

Exit Criteria

• Skill file written only after developer ACCEPT
• source: crystallized metadata present in frontmatter
• Git commit created
• Skill is general enough to apply to future projects (not hardcoded to current project data)