# Improve

Autonomous quality improvement loop.

- Repository: https://github.com/SethGammon/Citadel (927 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-30
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add SethGammon/Citadel --skill improve -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add SethGammon/Citadel --skill improve -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add SethGammon/Citadel --skill improve -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add SethGammon/Citadel --skill improve -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add SethGammon/Citadel`

## Description

Autonomous quality improvement loop. Scores a target against a rubric, selects the highest-leverage axis, attacks it, verifies, documents, and loops. No pre-planning between iterations, each loop re-scores from scratch.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# /improve, Autonomous Quality Engine

## Orientation

**Use when:** Scoring a target against a rubric and iteratively improving it. Rubric required at `.planning/rubrics/{target}.md` (Phase 0 creates one if missing).

**Don't use when:** Refactoring without a rubric (use `/refactor`), one-time code review (use `/review`), or debugging a specific bug (use `/systematic-debugging`).

## Invocation

```
/improve {target}            # Loop until plateau or all axes >= 8.0
/improve {target} --n=3      # Run exactly N loops then stop
/improve {target} --axis={name}  # Force-attack a specific axis (skips scoring)
/improve {target} --score-only   # Score and report, no attack
/improve {target} --continue     # Resume from campaign state (used by daemon)
/improve citadel             # Targets Citadel itself
```

`target` is a slug that maps to `.planning/rubrics/{target}.md`.
If no rubric exists, run Phase 0 first.

## Campaign Mode

When invoked with `--n` or `--continue`, improve operates in **campaign mode** and maintains a campaign file that daemon can attach to.

**Campaign file:** `.planning/campaigns/improve-{target}.md`, created automatically on the first invocation with `--n` (full template: docs/QUALITY_LOOPS.md#campaign-file-template).
Frontmatter: `version`, `id` (`improve-{target}-{ISO-date-slug}`), `status: active`, `type: improve`, `target`, `total_loops` ({n} or `unlimited`), `completed_loops: 0`, `current_level` (from rubric frontmatter), `estimated_cost_per_loop: 12`, `started`.
Body: status and direction lines, a Loop History table (`Loop | Axis Attacked | Outcome | Score Movement`), and a Continuation State block (`next_loop`, `last_scorecard_log`, `last_outcome`, `phase_within_loop`, `level_up_triggered`).

### Campaign lifecycle

Update `phase_within_loop` at each phase: `scoring` → `selected-{axis}` → `attacking-{axis}` → `verifying` → `not-started`.

The rest: https://github.com/SethGammon/Citadel/blob/HEAD/skills/improve/SKILL.md