improve

Audit codebases and generate self-contained implementation plans for other agents to execute.

2|Updated Apr 15, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/tommylower/cortex --skill improve-tommylower
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: improve
Source: https://github.com/tommylower/cortex/tree/main/agent-workflows/improve
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/tommylower/cortex --skill improve-tommylower

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Codebase audits often produce vague advice that dies in the conversation where it was found. This Skill surveys a repository as a senior advisor, vets every finding against the actual code, and writes prioritized, fully self-contained implementation plans that a different model or agent with zero prior context can execute, test, and verify. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Read-only codebase audit: Parallel subagent sweeps across nine categories (correctness, security, performance, test coverage, tech debt, migrations, DX, docs, product direction) with evidence-based findings at adjustable effort levels (quick, standard, deep). - Handoff plan generation: Each selected finding becomes a plan file in plans/ with inlined context, per-step verification commands, scope boundaries, STOP conditions, and machine-checkable done criteria. - Execution follow-through: Variants like execute <plan> dispatch an isolated-worktree executor subagent and review its diff, while reconcile keeps the plan backlog current and --issues publishes plans as GitHub issues. - Use Case: Point it at a legacy service and ask for a security audit; it returns a vetted findings table, then writes plans another agent can implement without ever seeing the audit session. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to audit this repository with the improve skill and write implementation plans for the top findings.

Frequently Asked Questions about improve

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I audit a codebase and generate implementation plans for another AI agent?▼

Invoke the skill on the repository; it runs recon, fans out read-only audit subagents across nine categories, vets each finding against the actual code, then writes self-contained plan files under plans/ that an executor agent can follow without any prior context.

What makes a handoff plan executable by a weaker model?▼

Each plan inlines all context (file paths, code excerpts, repo conventions), gives every step a verification command with expected output, defines hard scope boundaries and STOP conditions, and ends with machine-checkable done criteria so the executor never has to judge success subjectively.

Can the skill implement the fixes it finds directly?▼

No. It is strictly read-only on source code and only writes files under plans/. The execute variant dispatches a separate executor subagent in an isolated git worktree, then reviews its diff; it never edits code, merges, or commits to your branch.

Does the audit support focusing on one area like security or performance?▼

Yes. Pass a focus argument such as security, perf, or tests to audit only that category, or use quick/deep keywords to control effort. The branch variant scopes the audit to files changed on the current working branch.

What happens to plans when the codebase changes after they are written?▼

Every plan stamps the commit SHA it was written against and includes a drift check command. The reconcile variant re-verifies done plans, refreshes drifted TODOs, investigates blocked ones, and retires findings that were fixed independently.

Can audit findings be published as GitHub issues?▼

Yes, but only with the explicit --issues flag. The skill runs gh issue create per plan using the plan file as the issue body, records each issue URL in the plan and index, and skips labels that cannot be created.