docs: Add SPEC-19 investigation for Claude Skills integration

[phernandez]

Comprehensive investigation of integration opportunities between Basic Memory and Anthropic's Agent Skills.

Changes

• Created SPEC-19 with detailed analysis of 5 integration approaches
• Documented export/import workflows for skills
• Proposed native skill entity type with unified format
• Outlined phased implementation roadmap
• Identified open questions requiring further research

Closes #372

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Review Complete: SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration

Todo List

• Read CLAUDE.md for project context
• Read SPEC-19 document
• Review against team checklist
• Provide comprehensive feedback

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Review Summary

This is an excellent investigation spec that demonstrates thorough research and strategic thinking. SPEC-19 explores integration opportunities between Basic Memory and Anthropic's Agent Skills with impressive depth and architectural alignment. The document follows Basic Memory's specification standards and provides clear pathways for implementation.

Code Quality & Standards ✅

Follows Basic Memory's coding conventions:

• ✅ Proper frontmatter structure matching SPEC-1 format
• ✅ Uses Why/What/How structure consistently
• ✅ Living document format with checkboxes for tracking
• ✅ Sequential numbering (SPEC-19)
• ✅ Clear markdown formatting throughout

Documentation Quality:

• ✅ Comprehensive 460-line investigation
• ✅ Well-structured sections with clear headings
• ✅ Concrete examples for each integration approach
• ✅ References to related specs and external resources

Testing & Documentation ✅

Documentation standards:

• ✅ Comprehensive "How to Evaluate" section with phased approach
• ✅ Clear "Open Questions" section for future research
• ✅ "Benefits" and "Risks" sections demonstrate thoughtful analysis
• ✅ References section provides traceability
• ✅ Related specs linked appropriately

N/A for this PR:

• Unit tests (documentation only)
• Integration tests (documentation only)

Basic Memory Architecture ✅

Architectural Alignment:

• ✅ Exceptional insight: Recognizes shared design principles between Agent Skills and Basic Memory (both markdown-based, local-first, knowledge-focused)
• ✅ Proposes five distinct integration approaches with clear use cases
• ✅ Respects Basic Memory's local-first architecture principles
• ✅ Maintains knowledge graph consistency in proposals
• ✅ MCP tool proposals follow atomic, composable design pattern

Knowledge Graph Integration:

• ✅ Approach 2 properly considers how skills integrate into entity model
• ✅ Approach 5 proposes native skill entity type with proper frontmatter
• ✅ Relations preserved in skill conversions
• ✅ Maintains markdown file integrity in examples

Security & Performance ✅

• ✅ No security concerns (documentation only)
• ✅ Performance considerations mentioned in "Technical Risks"
• ✅ Acknowledges need for fast export/import at scale
• ✅ No sensitive data present

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Detailed Feedback

Strengths

1. Strategic Vision (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:14-24)

   • Brilliant recognition that Agent Skills and Basic Memory share fundamental design DNA
   • Quote: "Both use Markdown files as the primary format... Both enable knowledge discovery and navigation"
   • This insight drives the entire integration strategy

2. Comprehensive Coverage (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:54-308)

   • Five distinct integration approaches, each with clear use cases
   • Concrete examples showing before/after transformations
   • Code examples for proposed MCP tools demonstrate feasibility

3. Practical Implementation Roadmap (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:317-352)

   • Phased approach from research → export → import → enhanced resources → native support
   • Each phase has clear evaluation criteria
   • Realistic timeline (immediate, short-term, long-term)

4. Risk Awareness (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:404-420)

   • Identifies technical, design, and ecosystem risks
   • Provides mitigation strategies
   • Shows mature architectural thinking

5. Unified Format Proposal (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:228-308)

   • The proposed skill entity type is elegant
   • Maintains Basic Memory's observation/relation patterns while adding skill metadata
   • Example shows how to bridge both worlds without compromising either

Areas for Enhancement

1. Spec Numbering Convention (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:1)

   • Current: SPEC-19: Claude Skills Integration Investigation
   • Per SPEC-1:38, should follow: SPEC-19 - Simple Description.md
   • Recommendation: Update title to match pattern, e.g., SPEC-19: Claude Skills Integration → SPEC-19 - Claude Skills Integration (minor)

2. Open Questions Section (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:354-382)

   • Excellent questions identified, but consider adding:
   • How do Agent Skills handle authentication/secrets for tools?
   • What's the recommended skill size/complexity limit?
   • How do skills handle environment-specific configurations?
   • Are there performance implications for loading many skills?

3. Implementation Examples (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:184-226)

   • The MCP tool signatures are well-designed
   • Suggestion: Add error handling examples (what happens if skill format is invalid?)
   • Consider: How do we validate skill format during import/export?

4. Phase 1 Research (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:319-324)

   • Some items marked complete, others pending
   • Recommendation: Add specific next action for "Review Anthropic's skills documentation in detail"
   • Consider: Timeline estimate for when Anthropic's detailed docs might be available

5. Skill Metadata Structure (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:242-250)

   • The skill_metadata frontmatter is well-thought-out
   • Suggestion: Consider adding:
     • version field for skill versioning
     • author field for attribution
     • updated_at for tracking evolution
     • compatibility for Basic Memory version requirements

Minor Issues

1. Status Tracking (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:457)

   • Status line shows "Investigation phase"
   • Per SPEC-1 philosophy, consider using checkboxes within content instead of static status
   • Current approach is fine for initial specs, but consider updating as work progresses

2. Related Specs Section (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:449-453)

   • Uses WikiLink syntax [[SPEC-X]] which is appropriate for Basic Memory
   • Good references to SPEC-1, SPEC-6, SPEC-16
   • Consider: Also referencing SPEC-2 (Slash Commands) since skill management might need slash commands

3. Example Code Formatting (specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md:73-96, 99-122)

   • Both Basic Memory entity and exported skill examples are clear
   • Minor: Consider adding line length adherence note (100 char limit per CLAUDE.md:43)
   • Examples are readable and appropriate for spec document

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Team Checklist Results

Code Quality & Standards ✅

• ✅ Follows Basic Memory's coding conventions in CLAUDE.md
• N/A Python 3.12+ type annotations and async patterns
• N/A SQLAlchemy 2.0 best practices
• N/A FastAPI and Typer conventions followed
• ✅ 100-character line length limit maintained
• ✅ No commented-out code blocks

Testing & Documentation ✅

• N/A Unit tests for new functions/methods
• N/A Integration tests for new MCP tools
• N/A Test coverage for edge cases
• ✅ Documentation updated (README, docstrings)
• ✅ CLAUDE.md updated if conventions change (no changes needed)

Basic Memory Architecture ✅

• ✅ MCP tools follow atomic, composable design
• N/A Database changes include Alembic migrations
• ✅ Preserves local-first architecture principles
• ✅ Knowledge graph operations maintain consistency
• ✅ Markdown file handling preserves integrity
• ✅ AI-human collaboration patterns followed

Security & Performance ✅

• ✅ No hardcoded secrets or credentials
• N/A Input validation for MCP tools
• N/A Proper error handling and logging
• ✅ Performance considerations addressed
• ✅ No sensitive data in logs or commits

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Recommendation

✅ APPROVE with minor suggestions

This PR is ready to merge. The spec demonstrates excellent research, strategic thinking, and architectural alignment with Basic Memory's principles. The minor suggestions above are enhancements for future iterations, not blockers.

Key Value:

• Identifies a natural strategic opportunity at the intersection of Agent Skills and Basic Memory
• Provides clear, actionable implementation paths
• Maintains architectural integrity while enabling new capabilities
• Sets foundation for future AI-human collaborative workflows

The document will serve as an excellent reference for the team as Agent Skills documentation becomes available and implementation begins.

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Files Reviewed:

• ✅ specs/SPEC-19 Claude Skills Integration.md (460 additions)

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