init

.opencode/skills/problem-solving/references/meta-pattern-recognition.md

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+# Meta-Pattern Recognition
+
+Spot patterns appearing in 3+ domains to find universal principles.
+
+## Core Principle
+
+**Find patterns in how patterns emerge.** When the same pattern appears in 3+ domains, it's likely a universal principle worth extracting.
+
+## When to Use
+
+| Symptom | Action |
+|---------|--------|
+| Same issue in different places | Extract the abstract form |
+| Déjà vu in problem-solving | Find the universal pattern |
+| Reinventing wheels across domains | Identify the meta-pattern |
+| "Haven't we done this before?" | Yes, find and reuse it |
+
+## Quick Reference
+
+| Pattern Appears In | Abstract Form | Where Else? |
+|-------------------|---------------|-------------|
+| CPU/DB/HTTP/DNS caching | Store frequently-accessed data closer | LLM prompt caching, CDN |
+| Layering (network/storage/compute) | Separate concerns into abstraction levels | Architecture, org structure |
+| Queuing (message/task/request) | Decouple producer from consumer with buffer | Event systems, async |
+| Pooling (connection/thread/object) | Reuse expensive resources | Memory mgmt, governance |
+
+## Process
+
+1. **Spot repetition** - See same shape in 3+ places
+2. **Extract abstract form** - Describe independent of any domain
+3. **Identify variations** - How does it adapt per domain?
+4. **Check applicability** - Where else might this help?
+5. **Document pattern** - Make it reusable
+
+## Detailed Example
+
+**Pattern spotted:** Rate limiting appears in:
+- API throttling (requests per minute)
+- Traffic shaping (packets per second)
+- Circuit breakers (failures per window)
+- Admission control (concurrent connections)
+
+**Abstract form:** Bound resource consumption to prevent exhaustion
+
+**Variation points:**
+- What resource (requests, packets, failures, connections)
+- What limit (per time window, concurrent, cumulative)
+- What happens when exceeded (reject, queue, degrade)
+
+**New application:** LLM token budgets
+- Same pattern: prevent context window exhaustion
+- Resource: tokens
+- Limit: context window size
+- Action: truncate or reject
+
+## 3+ Domain Rule
+
+**Why 3 domains?**
+- 1 occurrence = coincidence
+- 2 occurrences = possible pattern
+- 3+ occurrences = likely universal
+
+**Domain independence test:**
+Can you describe the pattern without mentioning specific domains?
+
+## Red Flags
+
+Signs you're missing meta-patterns:
+- "This problem is unique" (probably not)
+- Multiple teams solving "different" problems identically
+- Reinventing wheels across domains
+- "Haven't we done something like this?" (yes, find it)
+
+## Benefits of Meta-Patterns
+
+- **Battle-tested** - Proven across multiple domains
+- **Reusable** - Apply to new situations
+- **Universal** - Domain-independent solutions
+- **Documented** - Known variations and trade-offs
+
+## Remember
+
+- 3+ domains = likely universal
+- Abstract form reveals new applications
+- Variations show adaptation points
+- Universal patterns save time
+- Document for future reuse