brain-merge

Brain Merge

Compare and selectively merge knowledge between any two Brain directories. Works across any agent instances - not tied to specific paths.

Purpose

Agent brains develop independently and accumulate unique insights. This playbook lets you see what each brain has that the other doesn't, and move knowledge between them safely.

Modes

• diff - Compare two brains, see what's unique to each
• pull - Import files from a source brain into a target brain
• learn - Bidirectional exchange with approval at each direction

State Dependencies

Process

Step 0: Resolve inputs

Ask the user for:

1. Source brain path - the brain to compare against or pull from
2. Target brain path - the brain to compare or import into (default: current agent's ./Brain)
3. Mode - diff, pull, or learn (infer from user's message if obvious)

If paths are ambiguous (user says "moltbook" or "the other one"), scan parent directories for Brain/ folders and present a pick list:

find . -maxdepth 3 -name "Brain" -type d 2>/dev/null | sort

---

DIFF MODE

Goal: Show what each brain has that the other doesn't, grouped by folder.

Step 1: Inventory both brains

SOURCE="[SOURCE_BRAIN_PATH]"
TARGET="[TARGET_BRAIN_PATH]"

find "$SOURCE" -name "*.md" | sed "s|$SOURCE/||" | sort > /tmp/brain_source.txt
find "$TARGET" -name "*.md" | sed "s|$TARGET/||" | sort > /tmp/brain_target.txt

echo "Source: $(wc -l < /tmp/brain_source.txt) files"
echo "Target: $(wc -l < /tmp/brain_target.txt) files"

Step 2: Generate diff lists

comm -23 /tmp/brain_source.txt /tmp/brain_target.txt > /tmp/unique_to_source.txt
comm -13 /tmp/brain_source.txt /tmp/brain_target.txt > /tmp/unique_to_target.txt
comm -12 /tmp/brain_source.txt /tmp/brain_target.txt > /tmp/in_both.txt

echo "Unique to source: $(wc -l < /tmp/unique_to_source.txt)"
echo "Unique to target: $(wc -l < /tmp/unique_to_target.txt)"
echo "In both: $(wc -l < /tmp/in_both.txt)"

Step 3: Group by folder and present

echo "=== UNIQUE TO SOURCE ==="
awk -F'/' '{print $1}' /tmp/unique_to_source.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn

echo "=== UNIQUE TO TARGET ==="
awk -F'/' '{print $1}' /tmp/unique_to_target.txt | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn

For each folder, show a few sample filenames so the user gets a sense of what's there.

Present as a clean table. Note any folders that exist in one brain but not the other (structural differences).

Gate 1: Present report. Ask: "Want to pull any of this into your brain? Which folders or files?"

---

PULL MODE

Goal: Import specific files from source into target, safely.

Step 1: Run diff if not already done

Step 2: Clarify scope

If not specified, ask: "Which folders or files to pull? (e.g., 02-Permanent, AI Extracted Notes, all unique files, or specific filenames)"

Gate 2: Confirm scope before touching anything:

"About to copy [N] files from [source] → [target]. Files already in target will be SKIPPED. Proceed?"

Step 3: Execute copy

rsync -av --ignore-existing \
  "[SOURCE]/[SELECTED_FOLDER]/" \
  "[TARGET]/[SELECTED_FOLDER]/"

For full unique-file pull:

while IFS= read -r file; do
  dest="[TARGET]/$file"
  mkdir -p "$(dirname "$dest")"
  cp -n "[SOURCE]/$file" "$dest"
done < /tmp/unique_to_source.txt

Step 4: Refresh index in target

cd [TARGET_AGENT_ROOT]
python3 resources/local-brain-search/build_index.py

Report total files copied, skipped, and confirm index refreshed.

---

LEARN MODE

Goal: Bidirectional exchange - each brain gets what the other has.

Step 1: Run diff (both directions)

Step 2: Source → Target

Show what source has that target doesn't.

Gate 3: "Source has [N] unique files. Pull into target? (y/n/select folders)"

If approved, run pull source → target.

Step 3: Target → Source

Show what target has that source doesn't.

Gate 4: "Target has [M] unique files. Push into source? (y/n/select folders)"

If approved:

rsync -av --ignore-existing \
  "[TARGET]/[SELECTED_FOLDER]/" \
  "[SOURCE]/[SELECTED_FOLDER]/"

Step 4: Refresh indexes in both agents

cd [TARGET_AGENT_ROOT] && python3 resources/local-brain-search/build_index.py
cd [SOURCE_AGENT_ROOT] && python3 resources/local-brain-search/build_index.py

Report: files exchanged in each direction, both indexes refreshed.

---

Tips

• Start with diff - understand what you're working with before moving anything
• Safe by default - --ignore-existing / cp -n never overwrites existing files
• Content conflicts - files with the same name but different content are flagged but not auto-resolved; manual review recommended
• Structural differences - folders that exist in one brain but not the other are worth noting (may indicate the agent evolved differently)
• Index refresh - always runs after file changes so FAISS stays current

Error Recovery

• If copy fails mid-way: re-run - --ignore-existing makes it idempotent
• If index build fails: run /refresh-index manually in that agent
• If paths not found: re-run Step 0 discovery scan

Self-Improvement

After completing this skill's primary task, consider tactical improvements:

• Review execution: Were there friction points, unclear steps, or inefficiencies?
• Identify improvements: Could error handling, step ordering, or instructions be clearer?
• Scope check: Only tactical/execution changes - NOT changes to core purpose or goals
• Apply improvement (if identified):
  • Edit this SKILL.md with the specific improvement
  • Keep changes minimal and focused
• Version control:
  • Stage: git add .claude/skills/brain-merge/SKILL.md
  • Commit: git commit -m "refactor(brain-merge): <brief improvement description>"