How to use the Interview: Context Refresh agent skill

What is an agent skill and what does Interview make the agent do?

An agent skill is a folder of instructions and supporting files that an AI agent loads when your request matches the skill's triggers. Interview is one such skill, built for people who run the LifeOS personal AI system.

Interview reads your constitutional files, including TELOS, identity, projects, and the current and ideal state files. It checks how old each claim is and compares claims against observed data when those sources are connected, such as sleep records from Oura, Conduit creation-versus-consumption time, git activity, and the expense ledger. The conversation opens with the sharpest contradiction it finds, and it drafts corrections. It changes a file only after you approve that specific edit.

Install the Interview skill

Download the Interview ZIP from this page and unzip it into one of two locations. Use ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available across your projects, or use a project's .claude/skills/ folder to limit it to that project.

You can also upload the skill in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

• Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
• Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special syntax. The skill responds to /interview and to phrases such as context check-in, telos check-in, what's stale, freshness check, update my current state, review TELOS, update ideal state, and quarterly context refresh.

If your statusline shows the interview due indicator, a request to run the interview is the natural next step. Requests for a single edit to one file belong to the separate Telos skill, not Interview.

• "/interview" starts a check-in on a populated system
• "what's stale?" returns a prioritized freshness list with no edits unless you approve them
• "update my current state" walks the current-state dimension files
• "configure DA name" or a fresh LifeOS install triggers guided first-time setup

Examples of a typical session

On a populated system, /interview runs a routing check and then walks the stalest sections first. The agent might ask whether a goal last reviewed 95 days ago is still right. Each question quotes the file or section it concerns and the evidence behind it.

When the agent proposes a change, it presents the drafted edit as the recommended option, with keep or skip as the alternatives. Nothing in a claims file changes until you ratify that edit.

• Stale goal: the agent asks whether a goal reviewed long ago is still right
• Contradiction: the agent cites observed data that conflicts with a written claim
• Fresh system: the agent reports that everything is current and lists any audit finding

What the skill needs and safety notes

Interview depends on a LifeOS file structure under ~/.claude, or under $CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR if that variable is set. It runs scripts with Bun and uses jq for routing, and it uses the network. Optional data sources include Oura, Conduit, git repositories, and an expense ledger. Claims whose only source is unavailable can be asked about, but the skill cannot verify them.

The interview draws on health, finance, and journal-style records. Avoid running it in shared or public sessions. The skill's scripts and network use are listed above so you can review them before installing.

• Requires the LifeOS file structure and Bun
• Runs scripts and uses the network
• Use only in private sessions because it reads health and finance records

Tips for getting useful results

Run the check-in on a regular cadence, such as quarterly, so the freshness markers stay meaningful. Read each proposed correction before you approve it, since the skill is designed around your ratification rather than automatic updates.

If you are setting up a fresh LifeOS install, let the guided first-time setup finish before running a regular check-in.

• Ratify edits one at a time and reject any that are stale or wrongly scoped
• Use a single-file edit request for small changes instead of a full interview
• Complete the first-time setup on a fresh install before routine check-ins