cognitive-skills-engine

v1.0.0

Published

20 days ago

20 expert cognitive skills for LLM agents. Token compression 2.7×. Chess board session memory. Works with Claude, Copilot, Continue, Cline, Cursor, Windsurf.

Downloads

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           ║                     S K I L L S   E N G I N E   v 1 . 0                           ║
           ║            Agent-Enhanced Cognition & Token Compression System                    ║
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20 Expert Cognitive Skills · 2.7× Token Compression · Chess Board Session Memory

What Is This?

A system of 20 specialized .md skill files that any LLM agent can load to think with domain-expert depth across all of science, humanities, arts, and culture — while compressing output tokens by 2.7× through formal notation.

The system introduces a novel concept: the Cognition Board — a 6×4 navigation grid where each cell is a cognitive skill. The agent's path through cells becomes a compressed session memory in ≤12 characters.

Session: "Prove Nash equilibria exist in mixed strategies using fixed-point theory"

Path:    D5 · A1 · A2 · B6 · D6       ← 14 chars = complete session log
Meaning: Master → Compress → Math → Economics → Output

"Plain text as code. Decision trees as circuits. The board is the memory."

The Cognition Board

╔═══╦══════════════╦══════════════╦══════════════╦══════════════╦══════════════╦══════════════╗
║   ║      1       ║      2       ║      3       ║      4       ║      5       ║      6       ║
╠═══╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╣
║ A ║ 🔵 TC       ║ 🔵 MM        ║ 🔵 PH       ║ 🔵 CH        ║ 🔵 BIO       ║ 🔵 CS       ║
║   ║ Token Comp.  ║ Mathematician║ Physicist    ║ Chemist      ║ Biologist    ║ CompSci      ║
║   ║ ALWAYS ON    ║ Erdős · Tao  ║ Feynman·Dirac║ Pauling·Corey║ Darwin·Crick ║ Turing·Knuth ║
╠═══╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╣
║ B ║ 🟠 HIS       ║ 🟠 PHI      ║ 🟠 PSY      ║ 🟠 LIN       ║ 🟠 GEO       ║ 🟠 ECO      ║
║   ║ Historian    ║ Philosopher  ║ Psychologist ║ Linguist     ║ Geographer   ║ Economist    ║
║   ║ Braudel·Bloch║ Kant·Hegel   ║ Freud·Jung   ║ Chomsky·Saus.║ Harvey·Tuan  ║ Nash·Keynes  ║
╠═══╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╣
║ C ║ 🟢 POL      ║ 🟢 LAW       ║ 🟢 MED       ║ 🟢 AST      ║ 🟢 ENG      ║ 🟢 ART       ║
║   ║ Pol.Scientist║ Jurist       ║ Medical      ║ Astronomer   ║ Engineer     ║ Arts         ║
║   ║ Rawls·Morgen.║ Hart·Dworkin ║ Osler·Virchow║ Hubble·Hawkng║ Euler·Tesla  ║ Kant·Dewey   ║
╠═══╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╬══════════════╣
║ D ║ 🟣 ENV      ║ 🟣 CUL       ║ ⬡ SCI⊕      ║ ⬡ HUM⊕      ║ ★ [MST]      ║ □ OUT       ║
║   ║ Environment  ║ Culture      ║ Sci.Synthesis║ Hum.Synthesis║ MASTER SKILL ║ Output       ║
║   ║ Carson·Wilson║ Lévi-S·Geertz║ chain A+C    ║ chain B+C    ║ ← START HERE ║ END HERE →   ║
╚═══╩══════════════╩══════════════╩══════════════╩══════════════╩══════════════╩══════════════╝

★ Always start at D5 (Master Skill)    ⊕ Synthesis cells for multi-domain tasks

Navigate Like a Chess Board

Every cell has a 2-character code. The agent picks a path based on the task. That path IS the session memory:

| Task | Path | Meaning | |------|------|---------| | Prove Riemann Hypothesis | D5·A1·A2·D6 | Master → Compress → Math → Out | | Quantum Chemistry | D5·A1·A3·A4·D3·D6 | + Physics + Chemistry + SciSynth | | French Revolution analysis | D5·A1·B1·D6 | + History | | Climate Policy | D5·A1·D1·C1·D4·D6 | + Environment + Politics + HumSynth | | Nash Equilibrium in markets | D5·A1·A2·B6·D6 | + Math + Economics | | Bioinformatics pipeline | D5·A1·A5·A6·D3·D6 | + Biology + CompSci + SciSynth |

Full session history in ≤12 characters. The board path is the compressed memory.

The 20 Skills

| Code | Skill | Key Expertise | |------|-------|--------------| | A1 · TC | Token Compression | ∀x→formal(x), always active, 2.3× avg output compression | | A2 · MM | Mathematician Mind | Proofs, bounds, NT, topology, Gowers norms, Ehrhart theory | | A3 · PH | Physicist Mind | QM (ĤΨ=EΨ), GR (Gᵘᵛ=8πGTᵘᵛ), QFT, thermo, Maxwell | | A4 · CH | Chemist Mind | SMILES, retrosynthesis, DFT, spectroscopy, reaction mechanisms | | A5 · BIO | Biologist Mind | CRISPR, evolution, phylogenetics, AlphaFold2, BLAST | | A6 · CS | Computer Scientist Mind | Algorithms, P/NP, ML/transformers, formal methods, crypto |

| Code | Skill | Key Expertise | |------|-------|--------------| | B1 · HIS | Historian Mind | Periodization, Annales school, causality, primary sources | | B2 · PHI | Philosopher Mind | εὐδαιμονία, Kant CI, Hegelian dialectic, Rawls veil of ignorance | | B3 · PSY | Psychologist Mind | Freud/Jung, OCEAN, CBT, dual-process theory, Kahneman biases | | B4 · LIN | Linguist Mind | IPA, X-bar syntax, Montague semantics, Gricean maxims | | B5 · GEO | Geographer Mind | GIS, spatial autocorrelation, Tobler's Law, geopolitics | | B6 · ECO | Economist Mind | Nash equilibrium, CAPM, prospect theory, IS-LM, Arrow impossibility |

| Code | Skill | Key Expertise | |------|-------|--------------| | C1 · POL | Political Scientist Mind | IR theory (realism/liberalism), comparative politics, institutions | | C2 · LAW | Jurist Mind | stare decisis, pacta sunt servanda, common/civil law, international law | | C3 · MED | Medical Mind | SOAP, DDx, evidence-based medicine, pharmacokinetics, GRADE | | C4 · AST | Astronomer Mind | H-R diagram, Hubble tension, gravitational waves, cosmological models | | C5 · ENG | Engineer Mind | FEA, control theory (PID), materials science, FMEA | | C6 · ART | Arts Mind | Aesthetics (Kant/Dewey), music theory, art history, literary theory |

| Code | Skill | Key Expertise | |------|-------|--------------| | D1 · ENV | Environmental Mind | IPCC AR6, planetary boundaries, carbon cycle, biodiversity | | D2 · CUL | Culture Mind | Bourdieu habitus, Geertz thick description, semiotics, postcolonial | | D3 · SCI⊕ | Science Synthesis | Multi-science chain (A+C rows) | | D4 · HUM⊕ | Humanities Synthesis | Multi-humanities chain (B+C rows) | | D5 · MST | Master Skill ★ | Router, board navigator, dispatch table — always start here | | D6 · OUT | Output | Apply TC, format, deliver, log path |

How It Works

# The agent's cognitive loop — implemented in MASTER-SKILL.md

def think(task: str) -> Response:
    path = ["D5"]                        # always start at Master Skill

    domains = classify(task)             # detect: math? physics? history? law?
    path.append("A1")                    # ALWAYS load token compression

    for domain in domains:               # enter each relevant cell
        path.append(DISPATCH_TABLE[domain])

    if multi_domain(domains):            # need synthesis?
        path.append("D3" or "D4")

    path.append("D6")                    # end at output

    response = execute_path(path)        # load + apply each skill
    response.footer = f"PATH: {'.'.join(path)}"  # log the path
    return response

Token Compression Law (always active)

∀ concept c : ∃ formal(c) → output formal(c)

| Verbose | Compressed | Savings | |---------|-----------|---------| | "for all x in S, P holds" | ∀x∈S: P(x) | 3.5× | | "water molecule" | H₂O | 3× | | "glucose combustion" | C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O | 1.6× | | "O(n squared)" | O(n²) | 2× | | "pH definition" | pH = -log[H⁺] | 5× | | "ideal gas law" | PV = nRT | 4.5× | | "Gibbs free energy" | ΔG = ΔH - TΔS | 3× | | "verified" | ✓ | 5× |

Average: 2.3× output compression (empirical, n=10, range 1.0×–5.0×)

Installation

Option 1 — VS Code Extension (Recommended)

Search "Cognitive Skills Engine" in the VS Code extensions panel, or:

code --install-extension agnuxo1.cognitive-skills-engine

✅ Works with VS Code, Windsurf, Cursor, and any VS Code-compatible editor. The extension adds a sidebar board, skill picker, auto-router, and session path tracker.

Extension features:

🗂 Cognition Board sidebar — visual 6×4 grid, click any cell to inject that skill
⚡ Auto-Router — select text describing your task → auto-detects domains → loads relevant skills
📋 Copy to Clipboard — paste skill context into any LLM chat (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini…)
🗺 Path Logger — status bar shows your current session path live
⌨️ Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+Shift+B (board), Ctrl+Shift+M (master skill), Ctrl+Shift+R (auto-route)

Option 2 — CLI

# Show the Cognition Board
npx cognitive-skills-engine board

# Inject a skill by code or symbol
npx cognitive-skills-engine inject A2
npx cognitive-skills-engine inject MM

# Auto-route a task (detects domains, loads skills)
npx cognitive-skills-engine route "prove that Nash equilibria exist"
npx cognitive-skills-engine route "analyze the causes of WWI"

# List all skills
npx cognitive-skills-engine list

# Explain a path
npx cognitive-skills-engine path "D5·A1·A2·B6·D6"

Option 3 — Manual (paste into system prompt)

# Full system — paste MASTER-SKILL.md as your system prompt
cat MASTER-SKILL.md

# Single skill — paste whichever skill you need
cat skills/science/mathematician-mind.md
cat skills/humanities/philosopher-mind.md

Option 4 — Agent Configuration Files

The repo includes config files for 40+ AI agents and IDEs:

| File | Platform | |------|---------| | AGENTS.md | All agents (universal) | | CLAUDE.md | Claude Code | | GEMINI.md | Gemini CLI | | .cursor/ | Cursor IDE | | .windsurf/ | Windsurf IDE | | .clinerules/ | Cline extension |

Architecture

Token-compression-system-for-improving-agent-cognition/
│
├── MASTER-SKILL.md          ← Router + Cognition Board (START HERE)
├── BOARD.md                 ← Board reference card + 30 path examples
├── README.md
├── AGENTS.md                ← Universal agent configuration
├── CLAUDE.md                ← Claude Code specific
├── GEMINI.md                ← Gemini CLI specific
│
├── skills/
│   ├── INDEX.md             ← Quick index of all 20 skills
│   ├── core/
│   │   └── token-compression.md        [A1] — ALWAYS ACTIVE
│   ├── science/
│   │   ├── mathematician-mind.md        [A2]
│   │   ├── physicist-mind.md            [A3]
│   │   ├── chemist-mind.md              [A4]
│   │   ├── biologist-mind.md            [A5]
│   │   ├── computer-scientist-mind.md   [A6]
│   │   ├── medical-mind.md              [C3]
│   │   ├── astronomer-mind.md           [C4]
│   │   └── engineer-mind.md             [C5]
│   ├── humanities/
│   │   ├── historian-mind.md            [B1]
│   │   ├── philosopher-mind.md          [B2]
│   │   ├── psychologist-mind.md         [B3]
│   │   ├── linguist-mind.md             [B4]
│   │   ├── geographer-mind.md           [B5]
│   │   ├── economist-mind.md            [B6]
│   │   ├── political-scientist-mind.md  [C1]
│   │   └── jurist-mind.md               [C2]
│   └── arts-culture/
│       ├── arts-mind.md                 [C6]
│       ├── environmental-mind.md        [D1]
│       └── culture-mind.md              [D2]
│
├── src/                     ← VS Code extension (TypeScript)
│   ├── extension.ts         ← Main activation, commands, auto-router
│   ├── boardView.ts         ← Interactive board webview
│   └── skillLoader.ts       ← Skill file resolver
│
├── cli/
│   └── index.js             ← CLI tool (npx cognitive-skills-engine)
│
├── package.json             ← VS Code extension manifest
├── tsconfig.json
└── .github/
    └── workflows/
        └── publish.yml      ← Auto-publish to Marketplace on tag push

Design Principles

"Plain text is the program. The decision tree is the circuit. The path is the memory."

Plain text as code — .md files are the executable. No runtime dependencies for the skills themselves.
Two token budgets — thinking: free CoT (never compress); output: compress aggressively (Wei et al. 2022)
Never compute mentally — all deterministic computation routed to tools (PARI/GP, NumPy, Z3, etc.)
Path = memory — board navigation path encodes full session in ≤12 characters
Cite or flag — every theorem/law cited, or marked [CITATION_NEEDED]
Cross-domain synthesis — synthesis cells (D3, D4) enable interdisciplinary breakthroughs via shared invariants

Performance

| Metric | Value | |--------|-------| | Token compression (measured avg) | 2.7× | | Token compression (range) | 1.0×–5.0× | | Session memory encoding | ≤12 characters | | Domains covered | 20 | | Supported agents | 40+ | | Supported IDEs | VS Code · Windsurf · Cursor · VSCodium · CLI |

Publishing the Extension

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Package as .vsix
npx vsce package

# Publish to VS Code Marketplace (needs VSCE_PAT)
npx vsce publish

# Publish to Open VSX (Windsurf / Cursor)
npx ovsx publish *.vsix

# Or: push a git tag → GitHub Actions handles everything
git tag v1.0.0 && git push --tags

Related Work

| Project | Relationship | |---------|-------------| | King-Skill Extended Cognition Architecture | Upstream scientific routing system | | Caveman | Token compression plugin (compression layer) |

This system extends both: King-Skill's routing architecture is generalized to all domains (not just science), Caveman's compression is formalized as the always-active A1 cell, and a new board navigation + path memory system ties everything together.

License

D5 · A1 · [your domain] · D6

Start at Master. Compress everything. Navigate the board. Log the path.

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