Official agent skill

Continual Learning

Guide for implementing continual learning in AI coding agents — hooks, memory scoping, reflection patterns.

OfficialMITAuto-check passed

Install Continual Learning

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/skills continual-learning --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/continual-learning .claude/skills/continual-learning && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "continual-learning" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/skills/continual-learning into .claude/skills/continual-learning/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "continual-learning", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/skills/continual-learning

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/skills continual-learning --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/continual-learning .agents/skills/continual-learning && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "continual-learning" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/skills/continual-learning into .agents/skills/continual-learning/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "continual-learning", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/skills continual-learning --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/continual-learning .cursor/skills/continual-learning && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "continual-learning" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/skills/continual-learning into .cursor/skills/continual-learning/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "continual-learning", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/microsoft/skills.git --path .github/skills/continual-learning

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/skills continual-learning --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/continual-learning .gemini/skills/continual-learning && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "continual-learning" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/skills/continual-learning into .gemini/skills/continual-learning/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "continual-learning", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/skills continual-learning

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/continual-learning .github/skills/continual-learning && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "continual-learning" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/skills/continual-learning into .github/skills/continual-learning/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "continual-learning", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install microsoft/skills continual-learning --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/microsoft/skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/continual-learning .opencode/skills/continual-learning && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "continual-learning" agent skill from https://github.com/microsoft/skills/tree/main/.github/skills/continual-learning into .opencode/skills/continual-learning/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "continual-learning", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: continual-learning
GitHub stars: 3.1k
Used in: 1 other repo
Token cost: ~620 tokens
SKILL.md length: 195 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 150
Repo updated: Oct 6, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Guide for implementing continual learning in AI coding agents — hooks, memory scoping, reflection patterns.

Works in 4 steps: One step to install — if it takes more… → Scope correctly — global for tool… → Be specific — "Use… → …
Setting up learning infrastructure for agents
SKILL.md covers The Loop, Quick Start, Two-Tier Memory and How Learnings Get Stored, plus 2 more sections
Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Continual Learning is an agent skill from microsoft/skills, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Guide for implementing continual learning in AI coding agents — hooks, memory scoping, reflection patterns. Use when setting up learning infrastructure for agents.

Its SKILL.md is about 620 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

The repository describes itself as: Skills, MCP servers, Custom Agents, Agents.md for SDKs to ground Coding Agents. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Setting up learning infrastructure for agents

Example prompts

“/continual-learning”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

One step to install — if it takes more than cp -r, it won't get adopted
Scope correctly — global for tool patterns, local for project conventions
Be specific — "Use semantic_configuration_name=" beats "use the right parameter"
Let it compound — small improvements per session create exponential gains over weeks

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 354361d. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are bash, sql and markdown).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Continual Learning loads about 620 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 46 tokens; SKILL.md has 195 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~46
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~620

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from microsoft/skills at commit 354361d, republished under its MIT licence (© microsoft). 195 words, ~620 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/continual-learning/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: continual-learning
description: Guide for implementing continual learning in AI coding agents — hooks, memory scoping, reflection patterns. Use when setting up learning infrastructure for agents.

Continual Learning for AI Coding Agents

Your agent forgets everything between sessions. Continual learning fixes that.

The Loop

Experience → Capture → Reflect → Persist → Apply
     ↑                                       │
     └───────────────────────────────────────┘

Quick Start

Install the hook (one step):

bash

cp -r hooks/continual-learning .github/hooks/

Auto-initializes on first session. No config needed.

Two-Tier Memory

Global (~/.copilot/learnings.db) — follows you across all projects:

Tool patterns (which tools fail, which work)
Cross-project conventions
General coding preferences

Local (.copilot-memory/learnings.db) — stays with this repo:

Project-specific conventions
Common mistakes for this codebase
Team preferences

How Learnings Get Stored

Automatic (via hooks)

The hook observes tool outcomes and detects failure patterns:

Session 1: bash tool fails 4 times → learning stored: "bash frequently fails"
Session 2: hook surfaces that learning at start → agent adjusts approach

Agent-native (via store_memory / SQL)

The agent can write learnings directly:

sql

INSERT INTO learnings (scope, category, content, source)
VALUES ('local', 'convention', 'This project uses Result<T> not exceptions', 'user_correction');

Categories: pattern, mistake, preference, tool_insight

Manual (memory files)

For human-readable, version-controlled knowledge:

markdown

# .copilot-memory/conventions.md
- Use DefaultAzureCredential for all Azure auth
- Parameter is semantic_configuration_name=, not semantic_configuration=

Compaction

Learnings decay over time:

Entries older than 60 days with low hit count are pruned
High-value learnings (frequently referenced) persist indefinitely
Tool logs are pruned after 7 days

This prevents unbounded growth while preserving what matters.

Best Practices

One step to install — if it takes more than cp -r, it won't get adopted
Scope correctly — global for tool patterns, local for project conventions
Be specific — "Use semantic_configuration_name=" beats "use the right parameter"
Let it compound — small improvements per session create exponential gains over weeks

Files

Just SKILL.md in .github/skills/continual-learning of microsoft/skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 354361d

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in microsoft/skills, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

majiayu000/claude-skill-registryskills/agent/continual-learning

Compare with similar skills

Continual Learning next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Continual Learning compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Continual Learning this skillmicrosoft/skills	3.1k	1 repos	~620	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	yesterday
Continuetelegramdesktop/tdesktop	33k	2 repos	~9.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	GPL-3.0	today
Continuous Learningaffaan-m/ECC	274k	—	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	2 days ago
Continuous Learningaffaan-m/ECC	274k	—	~1.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	2 days ago
Continuityparcadei/Continuous-Claude-v3	3.9k	1 repos	~292	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	8 mo ago
Continueudecode/plate	17k	—	~2.6k	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	today

Similar skills

Continue
telegramdesktop/tdesktop
Continue autonomous Telegram Desktop development from the shared ai-tdesktop repository.
33k GitHub starsUsed in 2 repos~9.4k tokens
Productivity & AutomationAuto-check passed
Continuous Learning
affaan-m/ECC
[DEPRECATED - use continuous-learning-v2] Legacy v1 stop-hook skill extractor.
274k GitHub stars~1.1k tokensUpdated 2 days ago
Auto-check passed
Continuous Learning
affaan-m/ECC
[OBSOLETO - usar continuous-learning-v2] Extractor de skill por hook Stop v1 heredado.
274k GitHub stars~1.2k tokensUpdated 2 days ago
Auto-check passed
Continuity
parcadei/Continuous-Claude-v3
Problem-solving strategies for continuity in real analysis. An agent skill from parcadei/Continuous-Claude-v3.
3.9k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~292 tokens
Research & ScienceAuto-check: notes
Continue
udecode/plate
Use after an execution slice to reassess whether the current tactic still serves the user's north star, then keep course, pivot, replan, or stop.
17k GitHub stars~2.6k tokensUpdated today
Auto-check passed
Continuous Learning
affaan-m/ECC
自动从Claude Code会话中提取可重复使用的模式，并将其保存为学习到的技能以供将来使用. An agent skill from affaan-m/ECC.
274k GitHub starsUsed in 3 repos~559 tokens
Auto-check passed

Questions about Continual Learning

What does Continual Learning do?

Guide for implementing continual learning in AI coding agents — hooks, memory scoping, reflection patterns. Continual Learning is an agent skill from microsoft/skills, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Guide for implementing continual learning in AI coding agents — hooks, memory scoping, reflection patterns.

When should I use Continual Learning?

Continual Learning fits situations like: setting up learning infrastructure for agents.

How do I install Continual Learning in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/continual-learning in microsoft/skills) into .claude/skills/continual-learning in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Continual Learning in Codex?

Run `npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/continual-learning in microsoft/skills) into .agents/skills/continual-learning in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Continual Learning in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add microsoft/skills --skill continual-learning -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/continual-learning, .gemini/skills/continual-learning, .github/skills/continual-learning and .opencode/skills/continual-learning in your project.

What does Continual Learning need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Continual Learning is instructions for the agent only.

Does Continual Learning access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Continual Learning safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Continual Learning use?

Continual Learning is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Continual Learning use?

About 620 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Continual Learning?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Continual Learning: Continue (telegramdesktop/tdesktop, 33k stars), Continuous Learning (affaan-m/ECC, 274k stars), Continuous Learning (affaan-m/ECC, 274k stars) and Continuity (parcadei/Continuous-Claude-v3, 3.9k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Continual Learning?

microsoft (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in microsoft/skills, which has 3,086 GitHub stars. The repository holds 150 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.

Source: microsoft/skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Continual Learning

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Continual Learning for AI Coding Agents

The Loop

Quick Start

Two-Tier Memory

How Learnings Get Stored

Automatic (via hooks)

Agent-native (via store_memory / SQL)

Manual (memory files)

Compaction

Best Practices

Files

Used in 1 other repository

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from microsoft/skills

Questions about Continual Learning