Recording patterns

The short answer

In paqad-ai 1.91.1 there is no command and no workflow step that records a pattern in the pattern library. Paqad does not ask you at the end of a task whether to save the solution, and there is no paqad-ai patterns record command. The paqad-ai patterns command has three subcommands only: list, prune and export.

The pattern library is a per-machine store of past solutions in ~/.paqad/patterns/; The cross-project pattern library describes it. Unless something else has written to that folder, it stays empty.

What the release does contain

The code that saves a pattern exists, as a class called PatternRecorder. It is exported from the paqad-ai package's JavaScript interface, so a developer can call it from their own Node.js script. Nothing in the command-line tool, the hooks or the workflows calls it.

When called, it creates a new random id, stamps created_at with the current time, saves the full record to ~/.paqad/patterns/entries/<id>.json and adds a summary line to ~/.paqad/patterns/index.json. The category is taken from the category you pass, then the workflow name, and falls back to general.

Recording a pattern from a script

This is an example for developers who want to try it. It needs Node.js 22 or later and paqad-ai installed where the script can import it. Treat it as a library call, not a supported workflow.

import { PatternRecorder, PatternStore } from 'paqad-ai';

const recorder = new PatternRecorder(new PatternStore());

await recorder.record({
  classification: { category: 'authorisation' },
  projectDirName: 'billing-service',
  domain: 'coding',
  frameworks: ['laravel'],
  traits: ['pest'],
  filesInvolved: ['app/Http/Middleware/EnsureTeamMember.php'],
  problem: 'Only members of a team may open that team\'s invoices.',
  solution: 'Route middleware checks team membership before the controller runs.',
  tags: ['middleware', 'teams', 'invoices'],
  verification: { tests_passed: true, build_passed: true },
});

The recorder saves exactly what you pass. It does not run your tests or check your build; the verification values are whatever the caller claims. After recording, paqad-ai patterns list shows the new entry.

Sharing patterns with a team

There is no built-in sharing or sync. The library is in your home folder, outside every project, so committing a project does not include it, and paqad-ai onboard and paqad-ai refresh do not read or copy it. There is also no import command.

To give colleagues a readable copy, export it:

paqad-ai patterns export team-patterns.md --format markdown

Use --format json (the default) for a file a script can read back.

What this means for you

• If you have never written to ~/.paqad/patterns/, the library is empty, and the agent instructions that tell the AI to check it will find nothing.
• Nothing is recorded behind your back: no workflow in 1.91.1 adds pattern entries. The only thing Paqad writes there on its own is the vectors/ subfolder, and only when RAG is turned on.
• If recording matters to your team, raise it on the paqad-ai GitHub repository rather than relying on the library call above.