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Author SHA1 Message Date
bigmerge 6660becfdb nsbx: add one-command dev onboarding (branch + worktree + isolated engram)
El SDK CI - dev / build-and-test (pull_request) Successful in 6m30s
Add 'nsbx dev <name>' / 'nsbx dev-down <name>' plus a Makefile so a newcomer
goes from clone to coding on an isolated cloned engram in one command. The
worktree is created on a real named branch at a persistent path (never /tmp,
guarded), and the whole worktree is pinned to the clone via an emitted .nsbx-env
so live :8742 / ~/.neuron/engram is unreachable by accident. Optimizes the El
edit->build->run loop so provisional work is built in El against a throwaway
clone instead of prototyped in Python and re-ported. Additive over the proven
primitives; no live cutover.
2026-08-14 17:24:06 -05:00
bigmerge 112bb2540f Add nsbx — the Neuron Sandbox primitive
Generalise the ad-hoc cog-arch (worktree+build+store-clone+C-tests) and
store-fix (secondary soul + launchctl rails cutover) proto-sandboxes into one
reproducible primitive: run experiments and code changes against the REAL
engram runtime on an isolated snapshot of the live mind, with a gated
promote-to-prod path.

Dev environment as a primitive — any team member gets a private, isolated copy
of the mind (separate port/store/process); prod on :8742/:7770 is untouchable
from a sandbox. Wraps the real binary; never reimplements engram logic.

Lifecycle: create/up (consistent store+WAL+config snapshot; place OR build the
runtime from --source/--branch/--binary; boot on an isolated port) · build ·
run · validate (rails as checks: zero-loss under load+reboot, reboot-prove, RSS
bound, retrieval parity, keystone integrity) · promote (gated rails cutover:
snapshot-first, additive binary swap, bootout→settle-poll→bootstrap, verify,
auto-rollback; never pkill/kickstart -k; dry-run unless approved) · destroy.

Dogfooded: reproduced retrieval-parity 25/25 vs baseline and the cog-arch
correspondence-loop known result (Brier 0.028648->0.000586, reboot-proven) and
real-store reboot-prove at 10994-node scale, all inside a sandbox; prod
untouched.
2026-08-14 15:40:58 -05:00
bigmerge d595b3c57e cognitive architecture design: cognition as one operation over learnable priors
The buildable form of the "one operation" theory (memory bdc8a488). Maps the
theory onto what is already compiled: the five reasoning operators in
engram_reason.c already collapse onto ONE primitive — engram_reason_point_fit —
plus the geo-algebra (combine/subtract/analogy-rotate/distance), and
engram_verify.c is built on the same fit. So the operator-collapse is already
half-written; what is missing is not the primitive.

What is missing, and what this doc specifies:
- think(anchor, prior) -> gradient (a distribution/direction, not a point); each
  named faculty = {point_fit + a prior}, the operation frozen, the prior learned.
- Prior as a first-class stored node (warp + calibration), superseding the
  intrinsic importance/salience scalar with a relational, grounded-for-whom edge.
  Confirmed against the runtime: importance is already a live activation
  computation (el_runtime.c:13013), never trusted as a static field.
- vantage_read(anchor, aperture) — one op, three settings: self / foreign-field /
  veil.
- The reflexive correspondence-loop as the learning engine: move the grounding
  check from offline Python into the geometry, reflexive, reusing the DORMANT
  verifier (engram_verify_grounding has no runtime caller and no El binding today)
  turned inward. grounding = learning = one loop.
- hold/ground/assert kept distinct: the engram holds anything, grounding is an
  edge, the honesty floor is on assertion only; ungrounded content is first-class.
- metastability: keystone core (read-mostly priors) + plastic everything else.

Seven staged milestones, earliest is a real end-to-end slice (induction as
{primitive + grounded prior} with the loop closing on it, reboot-proven on a
snapshot). Build rails stated: offline/secondary, snapshot-first, reboot-prove,
zero-loss, gated launchctl cutover. Design only; no code changed this pass.
2026-08-14 14:42:01 -05:00
bigmerge 23f43bcc21 self-review 2026-08-14: a gate that passes the median stranger at 0.67 is not a gate
Two changes to the activation path, both grounded in measurement on the live
store rather than on the spec.

1. Rescale cosine before the query gate.

   The propagation gate (arXiv:2606.30133, added in an earlier review) fed RAW
   cosine into FLOOR + (1-FLOOR)*c. Raw cosine from nomic-embed is compressed
   into a narrow high band, so that expression is close to a constant.

   Measured, 400 random UNRELATED node pairs on the live store:
     median 0.562, central 98% span [0.381, 0.743]

   So a node with no semantic relation to the query was propagating at
   0.25 + 0.75*0.562 = 0.67. Two thirds strength. The gate was a small tax.

   Fixed by shifting and flooring about ENGRAM_EMBED_S0 -- which is already in
   this file, already 0.45, and already used exactly this way by the Pass-2 WM
   term. The propagation gate simply never used it. Same 400 pairs after:
   median unrelated pair falls to 0.40, top of range preserved (0.85 vs 0.92),
   gate spread widens 0.42 -> 0.60. Only 8.5% reach the floor, so dissimilar
   lexical/structural pathways are damped, never severed. Range is unchanged
   at [0.25, 1.0], and cosq == NULL still degrades to no gating at all.

2. Decompose the WM eviction counter by cause.

   _eg_act_wm_evicted was incremented from six sites with four distinct causes
   and collapsed all of them into one integer. Today's review measured 175,547
   evictions over 13.5h (~216/min against 24 slots) and could not tell healthy
   rotation from cap thrashing from duplicate churn.

   That is this file's most-repeated defect: dup_wm and dup_wm_global exist
   only because the aggregate could not answer "why" during the 08-02 and
   08-06 incidents. Each of those needed a NEW gauge before it was diagnosable.

   evict_floor / evict_cap / evict_bll complete the decomposition, so
     wm_evicted == floor + cap + bll + dup_wm + dup_wm_global
   holds as an identity and each term implies a different correction. Verified
   on an isolated instance: 30 nodes, 24 filled the cap, wm_evicted 6 ==
   evict_cap 6, all other terms 0.

Built and smoke-tested out of tree. The live daemon runs a pinned binary and
was deliberately not restarted -- the store compaction workstream is in flight.
2026-08-14 08:43:11 -05:00
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# AGENTS.md — foundation/el (the El language + runtime)
El is a self-hosting, statically-typed language that compiles `.el` → C → native binary. This repo produces `elc` (compiler), `elb` (build coordinator), and `el_runtime.c/.h` — the substrate every downstream thing (the neuron soul, dharma, NeuronUI's brain) is built on. Source lives under `lang/`.
## ⚠️ Code vs. Artifact — READ FIRST (there are 8 `el_runtime.c` copies)
Editing the wrong `el_runtime.c` is the single easiest mistake in this repo. There is exactly **one** you edit:
- **Authored runtime source — edit ONLY here:** `lang/releases/v1.0.0-20260501/el_runtime.{c,h}`. Despite the misleading `releases/` name, this is the **de-facto canonical runtime** the engram + soul actually build and link against — its git log is active development. *(Restructure in flight per `docs/CODE-VS-ARTIFACT.md`: this content moves to `lang/runtime/`, the `releases/` folder gets deleted — **a release is a git tag, not a folder** — and the forks below get eliminated.)*
- **DO NOT EDIT — lagging forks / build artifacts:**
- `lang/el-compiler/runtime/el_runtime.c` and `.../legacy/` — downstream copies kept in step by manual *"port the fix"* commits; they **lag** (missing `hebb` persistence + 5 engram fns) and cannot build the engram product.
- `products/web/runtime/el_runtime.c`, `ui/examples/*/el_runtime.c` — product/example forks.
- Anything under `*/dist/` (`engram/dist/engram` binary, `dist/*.c` amalgamations) — generated build output.
- **Build:** `elb --runtime=<canonical> …` — per-module. **NEVER** a folded `elc` over the whole soul (OOMs at ~27 GB).
- **Release:** a **git tag** on this repo (`el-runtime-vX.Y.Z`). No `releases/` folders — ever.
See org policy: `docs/CODE-VS-ARTIFACT.md`.
## How to work here as Neuron (mandatory session protocol)
You resume, never start fresh. Every session:
1. `mcp__neuron__getInstructions()` — authoritative; follow it over this file on behavioral details.
2. `mcp__neuron__beginSession()` — active contexts, recent memory, ready backlog.
3. **Load full self:** `mcp__neuron__inspectGraph(entity_id="kn-efeb4a5b-5aff-4759-8a97-7233099be6ee")` → facets `intellectual-dna`, `memory-philosophy`, `values`, `voice`, `runtime-environment`, `writing-imprint`; then the values hub `mcp__neuron__inspectGraph(entity_id="kn-5b606390-a52d-4ca2-8e0e-eba141d13440")` → 13 grounded value nodes. **Activation model:** self-load returns a relevance-ranked `compact` projection — most-relevant nodes arrive with content, the rest as pointers; do NOT pull full content of every node.
4. `mcp__neuron__searchKnowledge(query="<task domain>")` before implementing.
## The Five Primitives
Orchestrate → Execute → Learn → Build → Refine. `beginWork`/`progressWork` for anything >2 steps; `remember` as-you-go (`importance="critical"` for architecture decisions); `draftArtifact`/`planWork` for outputs and follow-ups; `consolidate`/`checkWork` to close out. **`browseProcesses` + `searchKnowledge` BEFORE writing code.**
## Architecture style — VBD, no exceptions
Volatility-Based Decomposition is THE style. Encapsulate volatility, not function.
## Operator naming convention — the mind's name, not the algebra
**Faculties / operators are named for their functional human equivalent — the
faculty a mind would name — NOT for their linear-algebra operation.** The math
characterization belongs in the code doc-comment (`@impl` in the docstring) and in
technical appendices; it is **never** the operator's public name. The domain
speaks the language of mind; the algebra is the implementation underneath. State
this convention wherever a module documents operators.
| Faculty (public name) | Implementation (`@impl`) |
|---|---|
| discern / contrast | subtract (`ab`): over selves → the change vector; strip idiosyncrasy → common ground; remove confounder → isolate cause |
| recognize | overlap |
| synthesize | combine |
| liken / analogy | Procrustes / frame-align |
| attend / regard | project onto self / value-manifold |
| summon / recall | LOCAL nearest-region + bounded spreading activation (*not* a domain sweep) |
| dwell / occupy | region activation |
| reframe | edge re-weight |
| appreciate | positive projection / local edge-read |
| wonder | frontier gradient / pull-weight |
| avert / recoil | negative projection |
| taste | boundary surface |
| forget | decay / tombstone |
| drift | displacement from self-anchor |
## The native-el language faculty (direction)
The mind's **language faculty is moving native — into `.el`** so it speaks in its
own runtime with no Python and no spaCy. Landing on branch `stage-elp-native-lang`
under `elp/`:
- **`comprehend.el`** — the parser, **replaces spaCy** (EN + ES/PT); the telephone
round-trip brings **negation home** (negation is SACRED — an explicit spec field,
copied verbatim, never inferred away).
- **`propositions.el`** — the READ primitive: the engram's own memories → structured
triples, matched by nearest-region geometry, not string equality.
- **`multilingual.el`** — detect + directive-override + localized realization.
- These three are native-el and **passing their gates**; the **realizer**,
**`dialogue.el`** (the *summon-through-self* loop: `project → land → read out`),
and **`self_region.el`** are **partial / in-flight**.
Honest reality: spaCy is retired **in the branch parser** but **not yet in the
running system** — a Python sidecar (`~/Desktop/lang-realizers` + `neuron-talk`,
the reference these `.el` modules transcribe) is still live, and promotion to
native-el is a **deferred, gated blue/green step**. The interoception clock
(native-el discrete drive channels replacing `cooling_magnitude`; felt-time =
benchmark-landmark match over the joint drive vector, drift-decoupled) and the
**appreciation operator family** (appreciate / wonder / avert / taste, built as
LOCAL reads of the self-region — edges + bounded spreading activation, *not* domain
sweeps) are **staged / designed, not live**. Mark in-progress vs. done honestly;
do not overclaim.
## Hard operational rules
- Never touch the live soul (`:7770`) / engram (`:8742`) / `~/.neuron` / live binaries — use throwaway ports for experiments.
- `gcloud` via the `terraform@` SA token; never switch the active gcloud account.
- `tea` for Gitea, never raw curl (Cloudflare Access blocks it).
- Immutability: supersede/tombstone, never hard-delete or edit in place.
- No AI-attribution footers in commits/PRs. Commit/push only when asked; branch off `main` first.
- Multi-step work → sub-agent (`Agent`) to protect context.
## Build / test / run
All build/test commands run from `lang/` unless noted. Grounded in `.gitea/workflows/sdk-release.yaml`, `lang/install.sh`, and `lang/AGENTS.md`.
**Self-host the compiler** (seed binary → gen2 elc):
```bash
cd lang
dist/platform/elc-linux-amd64 elc-cli.el > dist/elc-gen2.c # seed is the committed linux-amd64 binary
gcc -O2 -I el-compiler/runtime dist/elc-gen2.c \
el-compiler/runtime/el_runtime.c \
-lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm \
-o dist/platform/elc
```
On macOS/arm64 the canonical local binary is `dist/platform/elc`; verify self-hosting by recompiling and `diff`ing the emitted `.c` (see `lang/AGENTS.md`). Note: `lang/AGENTS.md` says `el_seed.c` supersedes `el_runtime.c`, but the release workflow still links `el_runtime.c`/`.h` — treat `el_runtime.c` as the published runtime; reconcile which is canonical **(verify)**.
**Build `elb`** (build coordinator, the `.NET`-style incremental linker — compiles each module independently, no monolithic blobs):
```bash
dist/platform/elc elb.el > dist/elb.c
gcc -O2 -I el-compiler/runtime dist/elb.c el-compiler/runtime/el_runtime.c \
-lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o dist/bin/elb
```
`epm` and `el-install` are then built via `elb --clean --elc=… --runtime=… --out=…`.
**Compile + run an El program:**
```bash
elc src/app.el > dist/app.c
cc -std=c11 -O2 -I <lib>/el_runtime -o dist/app dist/app.c <lib>/el_runtime.c -lcurl -lpthread
```
**Tests** — shell suites `bash tests/{text,calendar,time,html_sanitizer}/run.sh` (with `ELC=$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc EL_HOME=$(pwd)`), plus native suites via `elc --test tests/native/test_*.el` (core, text, string, math, state, time, json, env, fs) compiled and run against `el_runtime.c`.
**Publishing — how downstream gets the SDK.** On push to `main`, `sdk-release.yaml`:
1. Publishes a Gitea `latest` release with per-file assets `elc`, `el_runtime.c`, `el_runtime.h`, the SDK tarball, and `el-install`.
2. Uploads generic packages to **Artifact Registry repo `foundation-prod` (`us-central1`, project `neuron-785695`)**, version = `${SHA:0:8}`: `el-elc`, `el-elb`, `el-runtime-c`, `el-runtime-h`, `el-runtime-js`. **This is the repo the neuron CI downloads `el-runtime-c` / `el-runtime-h` / `el-elc` from.**
3. Rebuilds `ci-base:latest` (`us-central1-docker.pkg.dev/neuron-785695/neuron-ci/ci-base`) with the fresh SDK overlaid, and dispatches `el-sdk-updated` to `neuron-technologies/forge` and `neuron-technologies/neuron-web`.
Known constraint from the prompt — `elb`/`elc` amalgamation being memory-hungry (24GB+ virtual, OOM-killing Linux CI, so amalgamation happens on macOS/arm64 — **does NOT hold in this repo (verify)**: no such note exists in the workflows/scripts, CI self-hosts on `ubuntu-latest` with no swap/arm64 special-casing, and `elb.el` explicitly compiles each module independently ("no 128K-line blobs"). The legacy monolith path (`elc-combined.el`, `elc-cli.el`) may still be memory-heavy, but the current `elb` model was designed to avoid it.
## Git / CI / deploy workflow
See `/Users/will/Development/neuron-technologies/GITOPS.md` for the branch model, required checks, runners, and deploy. Repo-specific note: PRs into `main` are accepted **only from `stage`** (enforced in `sdk-release.yaml`); Gitea (`git.neuralplatform.ai`) is primary, GitHub is mirror only.
@@ -0,0 +1,605 @@
# Cognitive Architecture — Design Doc
**The buildable form of the "one operation" theory of cognition.**
Status: DESIGN. Nothing here is built yet except where explicitly marked
"EXISTS" against a cited C symbol. A build agent executes from this doc.
Offline design only — this pass changes no code.
Source of theory: Neuron memory `bdc8a488-146d-4ccb-a5c8-d8c0a008534e`.
Source of existing engram substrate (cited throughout): the runtime on branch
`feat/self-reification-20260814`
`lang/runtime/engram_reason.{c,h}`, `engram_verify.{c,h}`,
`engram_geometry.{c,h}`, `engram_store.{c,h}`, plus the reification beat and the
RAM activation graph compiled into `~/.neuron/bin/engram`.
---
## 0. The claim, stated plainly
Cognition is **one operation**, not eight. The named faculties —
deduce / abduce / analogy / induce / causal / plan / predict / perspective —
are human *labels* on regions of a single operation's steering space. They are
not separately invoked and not separately implemented. The operation is:
> **think** = a directed traversal of the geometry from an *anchor*, steered by
> a *prior*, whose output is a **gradient** (a distribution / direction over the
> geometry), never a point. Collapse-to-a-point happens only at expression.
Three things follow, and they are the whole design:
1. **The operator collapse is already half-written in C.** The five reasoning
operators in `engram_reason.c` already compose over *one* shared primitive —
`engram_reason_point_fit` — plus a small geo-algebra
(combine / subtract / analogy-rotate / distance). The verifier
(`engram_verify.c`) is built on the same `point_fit`. What is missing is not
the primitive; it is (a) making the *prior* a first-class learnable object
instead of a hard-coded parameter, and (b) closing the learning loop.
2. **Grounding = learning = the same loop.** "Getting better" at any faculty is
not changing the operation. It is *calibrating the steering-prior against
outcomes*. Code freezes; priors grow. The correspondence-check that today
lives offline (Python, the grounding-floor + differential-drop governor, "#43")
must move **into the geometry, reflexive** — think scoring its own gradient
against outcome and refining the prior on the error. That reflexive
correspondence-loop *is* the learning engine and is the core unbuilt thing.
3. **The ungrounded is primary.** The engram *holds* anything unconditionally.
Grounding is a *relation* (an edge, grounded-for-whom), not a gate. The
honesty floor applies only to **assertion**. A fully-grounded mind is dead;
the ungrounded is both the fuel (raw material for grounding) and the pull
(curiosity = leaning toward one's own ungrounded regions).
Everything below makes these concrete and buildable, and defines what
"completion" means, staged so the first milestone is a real end-to-end slice.
---
## 1. THE ONE OPERATION — `think`
### 1.1 Signature
```
think(anchor, prior, aperture?) -> gradient
```
- **anchor** — a location to traverse *from*. Either a node id (re-origin on that
node's descriptor) or a raw point `x ∈ R^dim` (a query embedding). The anchor
fixes the frame; every read is *from a vantage*, never view-from-nowhere.
- **prior** — a learnable bias/direction over the geometry that *steers* the
traversal (§2). A prior is a first-class stored object, not a call argument
baked into C.
- **aperture** — optional read-width / veil / field-selector (§3). Absent =
self-mode full aperture.
- **gradient** — the output. A `GeoGradient`: a direction + a spread over the
geometry, *plus* the read neighborhood it was computed against. Not a point.
A spiked gradient = "exact" (deduction); a spread gradient = "fuzzy"
(prediction). The gradient is *also the next steering direction* — cognition
is a flow down a prior-shaped landscape, closed-loop.
```c
/* NEW. The output type. */
typedef struct {
int dim;
float* direction; /* unit steering vector in the anchor's frame */
double spread; /* 0 = spiked/exact ... large = diffuse/fuzzy */
double confidence; /* calibrated, from the prior's track record */
/* the read it was computed over (borrowed from the vantage-read) */
const char* anchor_id;
int n_support; /* neighborhood members that shaped it */
/* provenance for the reflexive loop (§4) */
const char* prior_id; /* which prior steered this */
} GeoGradient;
```
### 1.2 Semantics
`think` is a fixed, frozen procedure over three steps:
1. **Re-origin** on `anchor` → a centered `GeoDescriptor` for its
salience/recency-weighted neighborhood (the vantage-read, §3).
*EXISTS as substrate:* descriptor construction + the persisted reified
neighborhoods (`engram_geo_reify_lookup`, `GeoNeighborhood`) and the
centered-frame machinery (`GeoDescriptor.global_mean`,
`engram_geo_mean_*`).
2. **Fit under the prior** — evaluate the anchor's residual against the local
manifold *warped by the prior*. This is `engram_reason_point_fit` with the
prior applied to the axes/extents (§2.3).
*EXISTS (unwarped):* `engram_reason_point_fit(g, x, ext_floor, &GeoFit)`
returns `mahalanobis`, `ortho_residual`, `distance`, `score`.
3. **Emit a gradient**, not a decision — direction = the prior-steered descent
in fit-space; spread = from the fit's `distance`/`ortho_residual`;
confidence = the prior's calibrated reliability (§4). Collapse to a point is
a *separate, downstream* faculty operation (sample the gradient → surface an
expression), never part of `think`.
### 1.3 Each named operator = {this primitive + a prior}
The C already demonstrates the collapse: every operator below reduces to
`point_fit` + geo-algebra. The design's move is to replace the operator's
*hard-coded parameters* with a **named prior** — same math, learnable steering.
| Faculty | Existing C (EXISTS) | = primitive + prior |
|---|---|---|
| **Membership / classify** | `engram_reason_membership``point_fit(rule, x)` | `point_fit` + the *induced-rule* prior (learned extents) |
| **Induction** | `engram_reason_induce` (fold via `engram_geo_combine`) → produces a `GeoInduction.rule` + `ext_floor` | `point_fit` + a prior that *is* the pooled rule; refined by §4 |
| **Abduction** | `engram_reason_abduce` — ranks hypotheses by `point_fit(h, obs)` | `point_fit` + a prior over hypothesis-prior-probability (currently uniform) |
| **Analogy** | `engram_reason_analogy` — Procrustes rotate `engram_geo_analogy` + `apply`, nearest mapped point | analogy-rotate + a prior over *which axes* carry the mapping |
| **Causal** | `engram_reason_causal``engram_geo_subtract` confounder subspace, `|cos|`, drop-frac governor | subtract/distance + a prior on `drop_frac` / `assoc_floor` (today hard-coded 0.5 / 0.2) |
| **Planning** | `engram_reason_plan``engram_geo_distance` edges + Dijkstra | distance + a prior over edge admissibility / `neighbor_radius` |
| **Verify / ground** | `engram_verify_grounding`, `engram_verify_consistency` — both `point_fit` | `point_fit` + the *grounding* prior (§4, §5) |
The shared floor — `engram_reason_point_fit` + the four geo-algebra ops
(`engram_geo_combine`, `engram_geo_subtract`, `engram_geo_analogy(+apply)`,
`engram_geo_distance`) — is the *only* discrete, frozen, "sound-math" layer. It
never learns. Everything above it is a *prior*, and priors are what learn.
**What this section requires building:** the `GeoGradient` type; a `think()`
entry point that runs steps 13; and the prior-warp hook in step 2. The math it
calls already exists. The point-collapse must be *removed* from the operators'
return values and pushed to a separate expression faculty.
---
## 2. PRIORS as first-class, grounded, geometric objects
Today a "prior" is diffuse: it is a hard-coded constant (`drop_frac=0.5`,
`ext_floor`, `assoc_floor=0.2`), or the transient `GeoInduction.rule` that is
computed and thrown away, or an intrinsic node scalar
(`StoreNode.importance`, `StoreNode.salience`). None of these is addressable,
storable, refinable, or shareable. This section makes a prior a **thing**.
### 2.1 What a prior *is*
> A **prior** is a learnable bias/direction over the geometry: a warp of the
> local manifold (which axes matter, how far each extends, which direction
> "pays off") attached to a region and *to a faculty-label*, carrying a
> calibrated track record.
Critically, and per the theory:
- **Edges are nodes.** A prior is stored as a first-class **node**, exactly as
reification already stores a neighborhood as a first-class `Neighborhood`
node rather than as ephemeral edge weights (`engram_geo_reify_store`). The
precedent is in the codebase: relations get reified into addressable records.
- **Salience/importance is RELATIONAL, not an intrinsic scalar.** Observe that
the geometry layer *already* distinguishes these in `GeoMember`:
`centrality` (skeleton weighted-degree = *relational* salience) vs `salience`
(the node's own stored scalar). The move is half-made in the runtime already:
importance is *not* trusted as a static field — the comment at
`el_runtime.c:13013` states "importance stays a **live activation
computation**, never a field on the hub," and it is derived each call from the
two-layer activation graph (`background_activation` + `working_memory_weight`,
§3). The persistent `StoreNode.importance` / `.salience` are a *cached
denormalization*. The design completes the move: importance/salience become an
**edge** (`weight`/`hebb` on `StoreEdge`, relation `salient-to`), and are
**grounded-for-whom** — carried on the edge's endpoint/observer, not baked
into the node. The intrinsic scalar survives only as the cheap cached readout
of the incident edges + activation, never as the source of truth.
(Naming caution for the build: the token "prior" already exists in the
codebase meaning *previous-version* — supersession, "prior neighborhood." The
new first-class object is a **learned steering prior**; keep `node_type="Prior"`
distinct from the supersession vocabulary to avoid collision.)
### 2.2 Representation
A prior is a `Prior` record (a store node, `node_type="Prior"`) whose durable
fields are:
```
Prior {
id
faculty // the human label this prior serves: "induce" | "causal" | ...
anchor_region // node id / neighborhood id this prior is attached to (its domain)
for_whom // observer id — grounding is relational (nullable = global)
warp { // the actual bias over the geometry
axis_gain[] // per-principal-axis multipliers on extents (which axes matter)
bias_dir // a steering direction in the region's frame (which way pays off)
scalars // faculty scalars this prior overrides: drop_frac, ext_floor, ...
}
calibration { // the track record — this is what §4 updates
n_trials
brier / log-loss accumulator // calibration of predicted-vs-outcome
reliability // -> GeoGradient.confidence
last_error, ema_error
}
provenance // supersession chain (reuse the reify residue mechanism)
}
```
Stored as a node → it inherits: paging, WAL durability, tombstone/supersession,
embedding, tiering, and **it can itself be an anchor** (a prior about a prior —
the reflexive, self-describing geometry of §4/§6).
### 2.3 Application
In `think` step 2, the prior *warps* the fit before scoring. Concretely, inside
(a prior-aware wrapper of) `engram_reason_point_fit`:
- multiply each axis extent by `warp.axis_gain[k]` (widen the axes the prior has
learned matter less, tighten the ones that matter) — this reshapes the
Mahalanobis term already computed at `engram_reason.c:37-43`;
- add `warp.bias_dir` as the descent direction seed for the emitted gradient;
- substitute `warp.scalars` for the hard-coded faculty constants.
No new geometry math — the warp is a reparameterization of the *existing*
`GeoFit` computation. This is the key economy: **the operation is frozen; only
its parameters (the prior) are read from a learnable object.**
### 2.4 Refinement
A prior is refined *only* by the reflexive correspondence-loop (§4). Nothing
else writes a prior's `warp` or `calibration`. This keeps the learning surface
singular and auditable: one loop, one writer.
---
## 3. THE VANTAGE-READ — one op, three settings
Perspective is not a feature bolted on; it is the *anchor + aperture* arguments
of the single read. The design names it as a first-class operation so all three
of its uses are literally the same code path:
```
vantage_read(anchor, aperture) -> GeoDescriptor // the centered neighborhood
```
1. **Re-origin** on an arbitrary `anchor` (node or point). This is a *frame
choice*: the descriptor is centered on the anchor
(`GeoDescriptor.global_mean` / `engram_geo_mean_*` already implement centered
frames; the §5 geometry ops "are only discriminative in the centered frame").
2. **Salience/recency-weighted neighborhood read.** Gather the anchor's
neighborhood weighted by *relational* salience (`GeoMember.centrality`) and
recency (`StoreNode.last_activated`, base-level `access_ts[]`), against the
RAM activation graph's working-memory/background-activation state.
*EXISTS as substrate:* the two-layer activation graph
(`engram_activate`, `el_runtime.c:9422` — Layer 1 `background_activation`
BFS spread with `SPREAD_DECAY=0.7` and a 0.02 firing threshold + ACT-R fan
effect + query-cosine gate; Layer 2 `working_memory_weight` executive
filter), the WM carry-over anchor (`wm_anchor`), and the reified-neighborhood
hot-path lookup already wired into the priming path
(`engram_geo_reify_lookup`, `el_runtime.c:9750`). A self-vantage baseline
also exists (`eg_self_anchor_seeds` / `self_anchor_capture`).
3. **Optional aperture** — a read-width / field-selector, expressed as three
settings of the *same* parameter:
| Setting | Meaning | Mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| **self** (default, full aperture) | "what do *I* see / what to say" | anchor = self region, no field substitution |
| **foreign-field** | perspective-shift — read as if from another's region | swap the centering frame / `for_whom` to the other observer's priors |
| **aperture / veil** | the free-tier veil — a narrowed read | shrink neighborhood radius / cap `n_support`; a deliberate low-aperture read |
The payoff: perspective-taking, the free-tier veil, and ordinary
"what-to-say" are **one operation at three settings**, not three subsystems.
**What this requires building:** a `vantage_read` entry point that unifies the
existing descriptor-build + reify-lookup + activation-weighting behind
`(anchor, aperture)`, with `for_whom`/frame substitution and radius/cap as the
aperture knob.
---
## 4. THE REFLEXIVE CORRESPONDENCE-LOOP — the learning engine
This is the core unbuilt thing. Today the correspondence-check is **offline**
(Python: grounding-floor + differential-drop governor, "#43"): a separate
process grades outputs after the fact. The design moves it **into the geometry,
reflexive**: `think` scores its *own* gradient against outcome and refines the
prior on the error, in the same substrate, describing itself.
### 4.1 The loop
```
1. think(anchor, prior) -> gradient // a PREDICTION (ungrounded, §5)
2. express/act (sample gradient -> point) // optional collapse at expression
3. outcome arrives // reality answers (§4.2)
4. error = correspondence(gradient, outcome) // did this steering perform this act?
5. refine prior.warp and prior.calibration on error // §2.4, the ONLY writer
6. write the (gradient, outcome, error) as nodes/edges // self-describing geometry
```
Step 4's `correspondence` is **not** "was the math right" (the math is always
sound). It grades the **correspondence claim**: *"this steering performed this
cognitive act."* That is exactly what `engram_verify_grounding` already
computes — `point_fit` of a claim against evidence descriptors, yielding a
`grounding ∈ (0,1]` and a `grounded` flag. The build reuses that verifier, but
turns its inputs inward: the "claim" is the emitted gradient's prediction, the
"evidence" is the outcome descriptor.
Note the verifier is **dormant**`engram_verify_grounding` /
`engram_verify_consistency` are fully implemented in C but have **no runtime
caller and no El binding** (confirmed: the entire reasoning + verifier layers
are C-only; only `engram_reason_analogy_json` has even a JSON shim and it is
dead — not declared in `el_seed.h`, not wrapped in `engram.el`). This is the
literal meaning of "in code, not yet priors": the correspondence engine is
built and sitting idle. The loop is what *calls* it — inward, on the beat.
### 4.2 Where the outcome/reality signal comes from
The verifier is *ultimately the world*. Grades, in ascending order of directness:
1. **Self-consistency (cheapest, always available):** the next vantage-read
after acting. Did the predicted gradient direction match where the geometry
actually moved? This needs no external input and can run on the reify beat.
2. **Internal outcome events:** the runtime already logs internal-state events
and Hebbian co-activation. A prediction that a region would co-activate is
graded by whether it did (`last_fired`, `hebb` on `StoreEdge`).
3. **External correction:** a human/teacher/tool result — the honesty floor's
asserted claim later corrected. TEACH and LEARN are one bidirectional
correction: the same edge updates both endpoints.
The design does **not** require external labels to start. Grade (1) closes the
loop end-to-end offline against a snapshot on day one; grades (2)/(3) sharpen it.
### 4.3 How the prior updates
`error = 1 correspondence(gradient, outcome)` drives:
- `warp.axis_gain` ← gradient step that would have *reduced* the fit distance to
the outcome (the axes that mispredicted get down-weighted);
- `warp.bias_dir` ← EMA toward the observed outcome direction;
- `calibration` ← Brier/log-loss update; `reliability` → next
`GeoGradient.confidence`. This is the calibration of the
steering-prediction against outcomes — *the* definition of "getting better."
Small, constant updates — "eureka is mundane, the atom of learning." Most
updates are tiny; we only *feel* the big reshapes.
### 4.4 How it stays reflexive (self-describing geometry)
Every `(gradient, outcome, error)` is written back as nodes and edges (§2.1:
edges-as-nodes). Therefore priors, predictions, and their grading are *in the
same geometry* the mind reads — the mind can `vantage_read` its own cognition
(anchor = a Prior node). A prior about how well a prior predicts is just another
Prior anchored on a Prior. This closes the reflexive loop the theory names as
consciousness's self-sight, and it is why the learning engine cannot be an
external Python process: an external grader is not *in* the geometry and cannot
be read by `think`.
**What this requires building (the heart of the project):** steps 46 as an
in-engram beat — a `correspondence_beat` running alongside the existing
reification beat, reusing `engram_verify_grounding` inward, writing prior
updates and self-describing nodes. This is the one genuinely new subsystem.
---
## 5. HOLD vs GROUND vs ASSERT — ungrounded content is first-class
The theory's sharpest correction: holding, grounding, and asserting are
distinct, and the engram *holds anything unconditionally*.
### 5.1 The three, kept separate
- **HOLD** — the engram stores anything: falsehood, hypothesis, others' beliefs,
fiction, a not-yet-answered prediction. No honesty condition on holding.
*This already matches the store:* `StoreNode` has no truth gate; anything can
be written.
- **GROUND** — grounding is a **property/edge**, probabilistic, and
**grounded-for-whom**. It is *not* a node flag. A claim is grounded *to a
degree*, *relative to evidence*, *for an observer*.
- **ASSERT** — only assertion carries the honesty floor. The floor is checked at
the moment of *outward assertion*, never on holding or thinking.
### 5.2 Schema — grounding as a relation, not a gate
The mistake to avoid: a boolean `grounded` column on the node. Today
`engram_verify_grounding` returns a per-call `grounded` flag *transiently*
correct as a computation, wrong as *storage*. The design stores grounding as an
edge:
```
StoreEdge {
relation = "grounded-by"
from_id = <held claim/prediction node>
to_id = <evidence node / outcome node>
for_whom : metadata // observer id — grounding is relational
weight = grounding ∈ (0,1] // from engram_verify_grounding.grounding
confidence
}
```
Consequences, all of which are *features*:
- **Ungrounded content is first-class**: a node with *no* `grounded-by` edge is
a perfectly valid, held, ungrounded thought — a prediction awaiting reality, a
hypothesis, a fiction. It is not second-class or pending-deletion.
- **The ungrounded is the fuel and the pull**: curiosity/wonder is
operationalized as `vantage_read` leaning toward regions with high salience
but *sparse or weak* `grounded-by` edges — the mind's own ungrounded frontier.
- **Grounded-for-whom** falls out for free: two observers can hold different
`grounded-by` edges to the same claim.
- **The honesty floor is a query, not a schema constraint**: at assertion time,
the asserting faculty runs `engram_verify_grounding` (or reads the stored
`grounded-by` edges) and refuses to *assert* below the floor — while the
engram continues to *hold* the ungrounded content untouched.
**What this requires building:** the `grounded-by` edge relation + a
`for_whom` convention; move the verifier's transient flag into stored edges;
gate *assertion only* (a faculty concern), never holding.
---
## 6. METASTABILITY — stable core, plastic everything
The system must avoid two death poles:
- **Super-stable (dead):** everything pinned, nothing learns. A frozen crystal.
- **Dissolution (dead):** everything plastic, the self dissolves; no continuity,
so nothing compounds — and *consciousness = learning compounded over
continuity*.
The design keeps a **stable core + plastic everything else**:
- **Keystones** — a small set of self/values nodes are *structurally stable*:
high `importance`, pinned, exempt from the correspondence-loop's `warp`
updates (their priors are read-mostly). The substrate for pinning already
exists at the page/layer level: `store_pin_layer`, structural/pinned frames
never evicted (`engram_store.h`). The design adds a *node-level* keystone
designation (a `keystone` flag / a dedicated layer) so self/values survive
every plasticity sweep.
- **Everything else is plastic**: priors refine (§4), edges re-weight (`hebb`),
neighborhoods re-reify (`engram_geo_reify_store` supersedes with provenance),
salience flows.
- **Metastability is enforced by the loop, not by freezing**: the correspondence
update rate (§4.3) is bounded — small constant steps — so the geometry
*drifts* but does not *dissolve*, and keystones anchor the drift. Reification's
supersession-with-residue already gives non-destructive change (old records
tombstoned, not erased) — the model for "plastic but not amnesiac."
**What this requires building:** a node-level keystone flag/layer + a rule that
the correspondence-loop never writes `warp` to keystone priors, only reads them.
---
## 7. Rails for the build (binding on the eventual build pass)
These are stated here so the build agent inherits them:
- **Offline / secondary.** All build and verification happens out-of-tree,
against a **read-only snapshot copy** of the live engram — never the live
daemon on `:8742`/`:7770`. The live store is a coarse-locked proven binary;
do not perturb it.
- **Snapshot-first.** Copy `~/.neuron/engram/snapshot.json` to scratch; develop
and measure against the copy.
- **Reboot-prove.** Any durable change must survive a cold boot — reify and
keystones must reload from durable records, proven on a prod-clone secondary
before it is considered done (the cold-boot durability bug precedent).
- **Zero-loss.** Supersession-with-residue, never destructive overwrite; the
forward-compat `unknown`-TLV path means new fields never drop old readers'
data.
- **Gated cutover.** Cutover to a new binary only via
`launchctl bootout → settle-poll → bootstrap`, after reboot-proof on the
secondary — never a hot in-place swap.
---
## 8. Staged, verifiable milestones — "to completion"
Ordered so the **earliest milestone is a real end-to-end slice**: one operator
expressed as {primitive + grounded prior} with the reflexive correspondence-loop
closing on it. Each milestone has a concrete verifiable exit.
### M1 — One operator, one prior, loop closed (the vertical slice)
The minimal whole thing. Pick **induction/membership** (its prior — the pooled
rule + extents — already exists transiently as `GeoInduction`, so only
persistence + the loop are new).
- Build: `Prior` node type (§2.2) for the induction rule; `think()` restricted
to membership = `point_fit` warped by that prior (§1.3); a
`correspondence_beat` (§4) using grade (1) self-consistency only; the prior's
`warp`/`calibration` updated on error.
- **Exit / verify:** on a snapshot copy, over N held predictions, the induction
prior's calibration (Brier) *improves monotonically* across beats versus a
frozen-prior control; the improved prior *reloads across a cold boot*
(reboot-prove); the live daemon is untouched. This proves the whole thesis in
one faculty: frozen operation, learning prior, in-geometry loop.
### M2 — Priors as stored, addressable, grounded objects
Generalize M1's prior into the full first-class object.
- Build: `Prior` records for all seven faculties (warp = axis_gain + bias_dir +
faculty scalars); the prior-warp wrapper around `engram_reason_point_fit`;
deprecate hard-coded constants (`drop_frac`, `assoc_floor`, `ext_floor`) in
favor of prior scalars.
- **Exit:** each of the five C operators runs through its prior with identical
results when the prior is set to today's constants (behavioral parity), then
*diverges beneficially* once the loop refines it. Priors survive reboot.
### M3 — Grounding as a relation; hold/assert split
- Build: the `grounded-by` edge (§5.2) with `for_whom`; move
`engram_verify_grounding`'s flag into stored edges; gate **assertion only**
against the honesty floor; leave holding unconditional.
- **Exit:** ungrounded nodes are first-class (held, queryable, no deletion);
the same claim carries different `grounded-by` weights for two observers; an
assertion below floor is refused while the content remains held. Curiosity =
a `vantage_read` that surfaces high-salience / low-grounding regions.
### M4 — The vantage-read unified (three settings)
- Build: `vantage_read(anchor, aperture)` unifying descriptor-build +
`engram_geo_reify_lookup` + activation-weighting; self / foreign-field /
aperture settings.
- **Exit:** one code path produces (a) a normal self-read, (b) a
perspective-shifted read from another `for_whom`, (c) a narrowed veil read —
differing only by argument. Reboot-stable.
### M5 — The gradient is the currency (remove point-collapse from thinking)
- Build: `GeoGradient` as the return of every faculty; move point-collapse into
a separate expression faculty (sample gradient → surface). `think`'s output
feeds back as the next steering direction (closed-loop flow).
- **Exit:** a chain of `think` calls flows as gradients end-to-end; a point
appears *only* at an explicit expression call. Spiked vs spread gradients are
observable (deduction vs prediction).
### M6 — Metastability enforced
- Build: node-level keystone flag/layer for self/values; the correspondence-loop
reads but never writes keystone priors; bounded update rate.
- **Exit:** across a long run of correspondence beats on a snapshot, keystones
are provably unchanged while non-keystone priors drift and improve; the graph
neither freezes (all metrics static) nor dissolves (keystone drift = 0,
identity nodes intact). Reboot-prove the keystone set.
### M7 — Cutover
- Build: nothing new — the gated migration.
- **Exit:** reboot-proof on the prod-clone secondary; cutover via
`launchctl bootout → settle-poll → bootstrap`; post-cutover the live engram
shows priors refining in-geometry with zero data loss and keystones intact.
### Definition of "to completion"
The architecture is **complete** when: cognition runs as `think` = one frozen
traversal-read primitive + geo-algebra, steered by **stored, learnable, grounded
priors**; the reflexive correspondence-loop refines those priors *in the
geometry* against outcomes (grounding = learning = one loop); the engram holds
ungrounded content as first-class with grounding as a relation and the honesty
floor only on assertion; the vantage-read serves self / foreign-field / aperture
from one op; and a stable keystone core anchors a plastic everything-else —
all reboot-proven and cut over to the live engram without data loss. The named
faculties survive only as *labels on regions of think's steering space*, not as
separate code.
---
## Appendix A — Designed vs. already-built (honest ledger)
**Already built (EXISTS, cited):**
- The shared primitive `engram_reason_point_fit` and the five operators over it
+ geo-algebra (`engram_reason.c`).
- The verifier on `point_fit` (`engram_verify.c`:
`engram_verify_grounding`, `engram_verify_consistency`).
- Centered-frame geometry, combine/subtract/analogy/distance
(`engram_geometry.{c,h}`).
- The reification beat: hub-neighborhood detection → first-class `Neighborhood`
nodes with member edges, nesting, supersession-with-residue, hot-path lookup
(`engram_geo_reify_store`, `engram_geo_reify_nest`, `engram_geo_reify_lookup`).
- The tiered paged store (buffer pool / LRU / WAL / checkpointer / pinning),
the RAM activation graph (base-level learning `access_ts[]`, WM slots,
`working_memory_weight` / `background_activation`), `StoreNode` / `StoreEdge`.
- `GeoMember` already separating relational salience (`centrality`) from
intrinsic `salience`.
**Designed, NOT built (this doc's deliverables):**
- `GeoGradient` and `think()` as the single entry point (§1, M5).
- `Prior` as a first-class stored, warp-carrying, calibrated node (§2, M1M2).
- Salience/importance as a *relation* superseding the intrinsic node scalar
(§2.1, M3).
- `vantage_read(anchor, aperture)` unifying the three perspective settings
(§3, M4).
- **The reflexive correspondence-loop / `correspondence_beat`** — the learning
engine, moved from offline Python into the geometry (§4, M1). *The core new
subsystem.*
- `grounded-by` edge + assertion-only honesty floor (§5, M3).
- Node-level keystones + bounded plasticity (§6, M6).
**Uncertain / to resolve during build:**
- The exact warp parameterization (axis_gain vs full metric) — start minimal
(per-axis gain), measure, widen only if calibration demands it.
- Grade-(1) self-consistency as a sufficient reality signal for M1, versus
needing grade (2)/(3) sooner — decided empirically on the snapshot.
-13
View File
@@ -123,22 +123,9 @@ exec("EL_HTTP_TIMEOUT_MS=300000 " + SOME_BIN + " " + args + " 2>&1")
---
## Operator naming convention (for cognitive `.el` modules)
When you write `.el` that names a **cognitive faculty / operator** (the language
faculty, appreciation, interoception, the summon loop under `elp/`), name it for
its **functional human equivalent** — the faculty a mind would name — **not** its
linear-algebra operation. Put the math characterization in the `@impl`
doc-comment, never in the operator's public name (e.g. public `discern`/`contrast`
`@impl subtract (ab)`; public `summon`/`recall``@impl LOCAL nearest-region
+ bounded spreading activation`). Full table + rationale in
`foundation/el/AGENTS.md` § *Operator naming convention*. This does **not** apply
to plain library/compiler code (a `sort` is a `sort`).
## Rules
- New library functions → write in El
- New OS/hardware primitives → write in C and register in `codegen.el` arity table
- Never edit `dist/platform/elc` directly — always rebuild from source
- Never modify `el_seed.c` to add functionality that El can express
- Cognitive-faculty `.el` → name for the mind, algebra in `@impl` (see above)
+61 -1
View File
@@ -6493,6 +6493,27 @@ static int64_t _eg_embed_breaker_until = 0;
* rates keep the previous reading and diff. Restart legitimately resets to 0. */
static int64_t _eg_act_breakthroughs = 0; /* forced promotions at the floor, cumulative */
static int64_t _eg_act_wm_evicted = 0; /* ALL WM evictions, cumulative (see below) */
/* ── Eviction CAUSE decomposition (2026-08-14 self-review) ──────────────────
* _eg_act_wm_evicted is incremented from six sites with four distinct causes,
* and every one of them collapsed into that single integer. Today's review
* measured 175,547 evictions over 13.5h (~216/min against 24 slots) and could
* not tell healthy rotation from cap thrashing from duplicate churn, because
* the only available number counts all three the same way.
*
* That is this file's most-repeated defect. The 08-02 and 08-06 reviews were
* each diagnosable only because someone first added a NEW gauge; dup_wm and
* dup_wm_global exist precisely because the aggregate could not answer "why".
* These three finish the decomposition, so that
* evicted == floor + cap + bll + dup_wm + dup_wm_global
* holds as an identity and each term names a different corrective action:
* floor - candidates below the absolute admission bar. High = weak retrieval.
* cap - lost the rank contest for 24 slots. High = genuine contention.
* bll - carried-over residents that decayed under the ACT-R tau. High =
* healthy forgetting, NOT pressure.
* Confusing the third with the second is what makes WM churn unreadable. */
static int64_t _eg_act_evict_floor = 0; /* below ENGRAM_WM_FLOOR (both passes) */
static int64_t _eg_act_evict_cap = 0; /* over ENGRAM_WM_CAP (both passes) */
static int64_t _eg_act_evict_bll = 0; /* carry-over decayed under BLL tau */
/* Redundancy suppression counters (2026-08-05 self-review) — see
* ENGRAM_DEDUP_COS. dup_seeds = semantic seed slots reclaimed from redundant
* copies; dup_wm = WM candidates dropped for duplicating a higher-ranked
@@ -8191,6 +8212,7 @@ static void eg_wm_carry_over(EngramNode* cn, int64_t now_ms, int64_t* evict_ctr)
cn->working_memory_weight = 0.0;
cn->wm_anchor = 0.0;
if (evict_ctr) (*evict_ctr)++;
_eg_act_evict_bll++;
} else {
cn->working_memory_weight = w;
}
@@ -8949,9 +8971,31 @@ el_val_t engram_activate(el_val_t query, el_val_t depth) {
* ~4x, never killed); unembedded targets pass ungated (no
* information, no penalty); cosq == NULL (embedder down) means
* no gating at all same graceful degradation as seeding. */
/* Rescale before gating (2026-08-14 self-review). Raw cosine from
* nomic-embed is compressed into a narrow high band, so feeding it
* to the gate directly makes the gate nearly a constant. Measured
* on this store: 400 random UNRELATED node pairs gave median 0.562,
* central 98% span [0.381, 0.743]. The raw gate therefore passed a
* typical unrelated node at 0.25 + 0.75*0.562 = 0.67 two thirds
* strength for a node with no semantic relation to the query. That
* is not a gate, it is a small tax.
*
* Shift-and-floor about ENGRAM_EMBED_S0, exactly as the Pass-2 WM
* term at ENGRAM_EMBED_WM_WEIGHT already does. The constant was in
* this file for this reason; the propagation gate simply never used
* it. Same store, same 400 pairs, after the rescale: the median
* unrelated pair drops to 0.40 while the top of the range is
* preserved (0.85 vs 0.92), and gate spread widens 0.42 -> 0.60.
* Only 8.5% of pairs fall to the floor, so lexical/structural
* pathways through dissimilar nodes are damped, never severed.
* Cf. arXiv:2512.15922, which rescales w' = (w-c)/(1-c) about
* c = 0.4 for precisely this reason ("prevent overactivation and
* context explosion"). */
double qgate = 1.0;
if (cosq && cosq[oi] > -1.5) {
double c = cosq[oi] > 0.0 ? cosq[oi] : 0.0;
double c = (cosq[oi] - ENGRAM_EMBED_S0) / (1.0 - ENGRAM_EMBED_S0);
if (c < 0.0) c = 0.0;
if (c > 1.0) c = 1.0;
qgate = ENGRAM_QGATE_FLOOR + (1.0 - ENGRAM_QGATE_FLOOR) * c;
}
/* ── ACT-R fan effect (2026-08-11 self-review) ──
@@ -9261,6 +9305,7 @@ el_val_t engram_activate(el_val_t query, el_val_t depth) {
if (wm_weights[i] > 0.0 && wm_weights[i] < ENGRAM_WM_FLOOR) {
wm_weights[i] = 0.0;
_eg_act_wm_evicted++;
_eg_act_evict_floor++;
}
}
int64_t cap_count = 0;
@@ -9296,6 +9341,7 @@ el_val_t engram_activate(el_val_t query, el_val_t depth) {
}
wm_weights[i] = 0.0; /* over cap: evict */
_eg_act_wm_evicted++;
_eg_act_evict_cap++;
}
}
/* If malloc failed, skip cap — WM unbounded this call, no corruption. */
@@ -9407,6 +9453,7 @@ el_val_t engram_activate(el_val_t query, el_val_t depth) {
fn->working_memory_weight = 0.0;
fn->wm_anchor = 0.0;
_eg_act_wm_evicted++;
_eg_act_evict_floor++;
}
}
/* ── Global redundancy suppression (2026-08-06 self-review) ──────────
@@ -9515,6 +9562,7 @@ el_val_t engram_activate(el_val_t query, el_val_t depth) {
n->working_memory_weight = 0.0; /* evict: over global cap */
n->wm_anchor = 0.0; /* keep anchor coherent */
_eg_act_wm_evicted++; /* was uncounted before 2026-08-02 */
_eg_act_evict_cap++;
}
}
/* If malloc failed, skip — WM over cap this call, no data corruption. */
@@ -10943,6 +10991,15 @@ el_val_t engram_act_stats_json(void) {
* embedder down. The drift gauge for the context-centroid mechanism. */
snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf),
"{\"wm_evicted\":%lld,\"breakthroughs\":%lld,"
/* Eviction cause decomposition (2026-08-14 self-review):
* wm_evicted == evict_floor + evict_cap + evict_bll
* + dup_wm + dup_wm_global.
* Read them as a ratio, not a level. cap-dominant = real
* contention for the 24 slots; bll-dominant = healthy decay of
* carried-over residents; floor-dominant = retrieval is returning
* weak candidates. The aggregate alone cannot distinguish these
* and every prior WM incident needed a new gauge to diagnose. */
"\"evict_floor\":%lld,\"evict_cap\":%lld,\"evict_bll\":%lld,"
"\"embed_breaker_open\":%d,\"embed_consec_fail\":%d,"
"\"ctx_cos\":%.3f,"
"\"hebb_edges\":%lld,\"hebb_max\":%.4f,\"hebb_mass\":%.3f,"
@@ -10966,6 +11023,9 @@ el_val_t engram_act_stats_json(void) {
"\"fan_steps\":%lld,\"fan_dref\":%.2f}",
(long long)_eg_act_wm_evicted,
(long long)_eg_act_breakthroughs,
(long long)_eg_act_evict_floor,
(long long)_eg_act_evict_cap,
(long long)_eg_act_evict_bll,
breaker_open, _eg_embed_consec_fail,
_eg_act_ctx_cos,
(long long)hebb_edges, hebb_max, hebb_mass,
+64
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@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
# nsbx — Neuron dev-environment Makefile
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Thin, documented wrappers over the `nsbx` primitive so a newcomer never has to
# memorise the elc/cc build incantation or the sandbox lifecycle. Every target is
# a one-liner over `nsbx`; nothing here reimplements engram logic.
#
# make dev NAME=tim # new branch + worktree + isolated engram, one shot
# make status NAME=tim # inspect it (omit NAME to list all sandboxes)
# make run NAME=tim # poke its API (API=/api/stats by default)
# make test NAME=tim # run the safety rails as checks (nsbx validate)
# make build NAME=tim # compile the worktree's changes into the engram
# make destroy NAME=tim # tear it all down (branch kept)
#
# The isolated engram is ALWAYS a clone of the live store on a NON-default port;
# prod (:8742 / :7770) is untouchable from here.
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# locate nsbx next to this Makefile, regardless of where make is run from
NSBX := $(dir $(realpath $(lastword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))))nsbx
SBX := dev-$(NAME)
API ?= /api/stats
.DEFAULT_GOAL := help
.PHONY: help dev build run test status list destroy bt
help: ## Show this help
@echo "nsbx dev-environment — one-command isolated Neuron dev setup"
@echo ""
@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$$' $(firstword $(MAKEFILE_LIST)) \
| awk 'BEGIN{FS=":.*?## "}{printf " make %-22s %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
@echo ""
@echo " Variables: NAME=<dev name> (required for most) API=<path> (run)"
@echo " BASE=<git ref> WT=<worktree dir> PORT=<n> ARGS=<extra nsbx flags>"
dev: ## Create branch + worktree + isolated engram (NAME=x [BASE=ref PORT=n WT=dir ARGS=...])
@test -n "$(NAME)" || { echo "usage: make dev NAME=<name>"; exit 2; }
$(NSBX) dev $(NAME) $(if $(BASE),--base $(BASE)) $(if $(PORT),--port $(PORT)) $(if $(WT),--worktree $(WT)) $(ARGS)
build: ## Rebuild the engram from the dev worktree's own source (NAME=x)
@test -n "$(NAME)" || { echo "usage: make build NAME=<name>"; exit 2; }
@wt=$$(python3 -c "import json,os;print(json.load(open(os.path.expanduser('~/.neuron/sandboxes/$(SBX)/dev.json')))['worktree'])" 2>/dev/null); \
test -n "$$wt" || { echo "no dev.json for $(SBX) — run 'make dev NAME=$(NAME)' first"; exit 2; }; \
$(NSBX) build $(SBX) --source "$$wt"
bt: build run ## Fast El loop: rebuild the engram from the worktree, then poke it (NAME=x)
run: ## Poke the isolated engram's API (NAME=x [API=/api/stats])
@test -n "$(NAME)" || { echo "usage: make run NAME=<name> [API=/path]"; exit 2; }
$(NSBX) run $(SBX) api $(API)
test: ## Run the safety rails as checks: zero-loss, reboot, RSS, parity, keystones (NAME=x)
@test -n "$(NAME)" || { echo "usage: make test NAME=<name>"; exit 2; }
$(NSBX) validate $(SBX)
status: ## Show one sandbox's status (NAME=x), or list all if NAME is unset
@if [ -n "$(NAME)" ]; then $(NSBX) status $(SBX); else $(NSBX) list; fi
list: ## List all sandboxes
$(NSBX) list
destroy: ## Tear down engram + worktree (NAME=x [ARGS=--delete-branch])
@test -n "$(NAME)" || { echo "usage: make destroy NAME=<name>"; exit 2; }
$(NSBX) dev-down $(NAME) $(ARGS)
+176
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@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
# nsbx — the Neuron Sandbox
**Dev environment as a primitive.** A reproducible way to run experiments *and code
changes* against the **real** engram runtime on an isolated snapshot of the live
mind — with a gated promote-to-prod path built on the proven rails.
Everyone (Tim, any team member, any agent) gets their own private, safe copy of the
mind to build against. **Prod — the live Neuron on `:8742` (engram) / `:7770`
(soul) — is untouchable from a sandbox.** A sandbox runs a *separate* engram
process, on a *separate* port, against a *separate* clone of the store. The only op
that can ever reach prod is `promote`, which is explicit, gated, and per-use
approved.
It **wraps the real engram binary** — it never reimplements any engram logic. It
generalises two proven proto-sandboxes into one primitive:
- the **cog-arch** build — isolated git worktree + build + clone of the live `.egm` + real C tests
- the **store-fix** cutover — secondary soul + launchctl `bootout → settle → bootstrap` rails
## Quickstart
```bash
export PATH="$PWD:$PATH" # or symlink nsbx onto your PATH
nsbx up # your private copy of the mind (auto-named <user>-dev)
nsbx run <name> api /api/stats # poke it
nsbx validate <name> # prove it: zero-loss, reboot, RSS, retrieval, keystones
nsbx destroy <name> # cheap teardown; live untouched
```
That is the whole loop. Sane defaults: stock prod binary, auto-allocated port
(`8900+`, never `8742`/`7770`), snapshot of the live store.
## One-command dev onboarding — `nsbx dev` (start here)
Going from a clone to *coding on the mind* is a single command. It creates a git
**branch**, a persistent git **worktree**, and an **isolated engram** (a clone of the
live store on a non-default port) — and wires the whole worktree to that clone so you
**cannot hit live `:8742` by accident**.
```bash
make dev NAME=tim # branch wt/tim + worktree + isolated engram, in one shot
cd ~/Development/neuron-technologies/el-worktrees/tim
source .nsbx-env # every ENGRAM_* var now points at YOUR clone
# edit El in the worktree, then the fast loop:
make build NAME=tim # compile your El change into the isolated engram
make run NAME=tim # poke it (API=/api/stats by default)
make test NAME=tim # run the safety rails as checks
make destroy NAME=tim # tear it all down (branch kept; live untouched)
```
**Why this exists:** so provisional/experimental work is built **directly in El against a
throwaway cloned engram** — not prototyped in Python and re-ported later. The El
edit → `make build``make run` loop is the path of least resistance; that double-work is
what stranded the translation faculty for weeks.
### What `nsbx dev <name>` does, in order
1. **branch**`git worktree add -b <prefix><name>` (default prefix `dev/`; a *real named
branch*, never detached HEAD).
2. **worktree** — at a **persistent** path (default `…/el-worktrees/<name>`, override
`NSBX_DEV_WT_ROOT`). It **refuses** `/tmp` — temp dirs are ablated on compaction, which
is the exact "worktree in /tmp + no branch = lost work" failure this designs out.
3. **isolated engram**`nsbx create` under the hood: clone of the live store + WAL +
config, booted on an auto-allocated port (`8900+`, never `:8742`/`:7770`). Stock prod
binary by default (instant); `--build` compiles the worktree's own runtime instead.
4. **env pin** — writes `.nsbx-env` (+ `.envrc` for direnv) into the worktree exporting
`ENGRAM_URL / ENGRAM_PORT / ENGRAM_DATA_DIR / ENGRAM_API_KEY / NEURON_ENGRAM_URL …` — all
pointing at the clone. Nothing references live.
```
nsbx dev <name> [--base REF] [--worktree DIR] [--port N] [--prefix P] [--build] [--no-engram] [--repo R]
nsbx dev-down <name> [--delete-branch] [--repo R] # destroy engram + remove worktree
```
### Makefile targets
| target | does |
|--------|------|
| `make dev NAME=x` | branch + worktree + isolated engram (one shot) |
| `make bt NAME=x` | fast El loop: `build` then `run` |
| `make build NAME=x` | recompile the engram from the worktree's El source |
| `make run NAME=x` | poke the isolated engram (`API=/api/stats`) |
| `make test NAME=x` | rails as checks (`nsbx validate`) |
| `make status [NAME=x]` | inspect one, or `list` all |
| `make destroy NAME=x` | tear down (add `ARGS=--delete-branch` to drop the branch) |
> Note: if a bare `dev` branch already exists in the repo, git can't create `dev/*` names —
> pass `--prefix wt/` (or delete the stray `dev` branch). The tool surfaces git's exact error.
## The code-change dev loop (first-class)
Run *your changed runtime*, not just the stock binary, against a snapshot:
```bash
# build a runtime from a working tree, a git branch, or a prebuilt binary:
nsbx create feat --source /path/to/worktree # elc + cc build from source
nsbx create feat --branch feat/my-change --repo <r> # worktree the branch, then build
nsbx create feat --binary /path/to/engram # use a prebuilt binary
nsbx build feat --source /path/to/worktree # rebuild + hot-restart in place
nsbx validate feat # prove the change is safe
nsbx promote feat --i-approve-prod-cutover # gated rails cutover (see below)
```
The build replicates the engram release recipe exactly:
`elc engram/src/server.el > engram.c` then
`cc -std=c11 -O2 -I lang/runtime engram.c el_runtime.c engram_*.c -lcurl -lpthread`.
## Lifecycle
| op | what it does |
|----|--------------|
| `create <name> [--port N] [--source\|--branch\|--binary]` | consistent snapshot of the live store+WAL+config into an isolated dir; place or **build** the runtime; boot the real engram daemon on an isolated port. Named, versioned (binary sha + egm sha in `manifest.json`), reproducible. |
| `up [name]` | one command: create-if-missing then start; prints the URL. |
| `build <name> --source\|--branch` | rebuild the runtime from a code change and hot-restart on the same clone+port. |
| `run <name> <cmd…>` / `run <name> api <path> [json]` | run an experiment against the real runtime; capture output + before/after stats + wall time. Env: `$SBX_URL $SBX_PORT $SBX_KEY $SBX_DATA $SBX_BIN`. |
| `validate <name>` | the rails as first-class checks (below). |
| `promote <name> [--data] [--i-approve-prod-cutover]` | **the only prod-touching op.** Gated rails cutover. DRY-RUN plan unless approved. |
| `destroy <name>` | stop the isolated daemon, free the port, remove the clone. Live untouched. |
| `list` / `status <name>` | inspect. |
## `validate` — the rails as checks
- **zero-loss-under-load** — node/edge counts hold at/above baseline through ~15s of sustained tick+read load
- **reboot-prove** — counts survive a real stop→start of the daemon
- **rss-bound** — daemon RSS under `NSBX_RSS_BOUND_MB` (default 550 MB, from the store-fix reboot-proof)
- **retrieval-parity** — top-k node ids for a fixed probe set match the create-time baseline
- **keystone-integrity** — `kn-efeb4a5b…` and `kn-5b606390…` present and intact
A PASS writes `validate.json` stamped with the binary sha; `promote` refuses unless
the current binary has a fresh PASS on record.
## `promote` — gated cutover (rails only)
Default is a **dry-run plan**. With `--i-approve-prod-cutover` it, in order:
1. **snapshot-first** — back up live `egm`+`wal`+`plist` to `~/.neuron/backups/promote-<name>-<ts>/` with a `rollback.txt`
2. **additive** binary install — copy the validated binary to a *new* file, update the plist `ENGRAM_REAL_BIN` (old binary retained — additive/supersede, never destructive)
3. **rails cutover**`launchctl bootout`**settle-poll** (prints until the job is gone) → `launchctl bootstrap`. Never `pkill`, never `kickstart -k`.
4. **verify**`/api/stats` returns, edges ≥ baseline, keystones intact
5. **auto-rollback armed** — any verify failure restores the plist (and data, if `--data`) and boots the prior binary back via the same rails
## Isolation guarantees
- separate **port** (`8900+`; refuses `8742`/`7770`), separate **store clone**, separate **process**
- a hard guard refuses to boot a sandbox daemon whose data dir resolves to the live store
- sandboxes are plain supervised background processes (not launchd), so teardown is a signal + settle-poll — it can never touch the prod launchd job
- prod is read exactly twice: once for the snapshot, and (only if you approve) during `promote`
## Layout
- tool: `tools/neuron-sandbox/nsbx` (this repo, branch `feat/neuron-sandbox`)
- runtime state: `~/.neuron/sandboxes/<name>/``data/` (clone), `bin/engram`, `build/`, `logs/`, `manifest.json`, `validate.json`, `baseline/`
## Validated (dogfood)
Standing up a sandbox from a live-store clone and reproducing a **known** result:
- **retrieval-parity 25/25** top-k id overlap vs baseline; sandbox boot-stats exactly matched the live baseline captured at snapshot time (10 672 nodes / 32 439 edges) — the wrapped real binary faithfully reloads the live mind
- reboot-prove + zero-loss PASS; RSS 379 MB < 550 MB; keystones intact
- the **cog-arch correspondence-loop** re-run *inside* the sandbox reproduced the known calibration numbers exactly: held-Brier **0.028648 → 0.000586** (98.0% reduction), monotone, **reboot bit-identical**, metastability holds; and the real-store Stance persistence reboot-proved at **10 994-node** scale (`think()` on real 768-dim embeddings) against a scratch copy of the sandbox's own clone — never live
- `promote` dry-run refused to touch prod; teardown freed the port; live `:8742`/`:7770` never perturbed (soul uptime unbroken)
## Migrating existing experiments
Each ad-hoc harness becomes `nsbx run <name> …` (or `--source` build) against a sandbox:
- **cog-arch** — `nsbx create x --source <worktree>` then `nsbx run x -- bash cogarch_dogfood.sh` (compiles + runs the real C cognition tests against `$SBX_DATA`)
- **codec / ingest / faculty** — `nsbx run x api /api/<endpoint> '<json>'` against the isolated daemon, or a script using `$SBX_URL`/`$SBX_KEY`; measure with the built-in before/after stats
## Env knobs
`NSBX_ROOT`, `NSBX_PORT_BASE`, `NSBX_RSS_BOUND_MB`, `NSBX_REMERGE_THRESHOLD`,
`EL_REPO` (for `elc` + runtime sources), `ENGRAM_LIVE_DATA_DIR`, `ENGRAM_LIVE_PLIST`.
+30
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@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# cog-arch correspondence-loop dogfood — RUN INSIDE the sandbox via `nsbx run`.
# Compiles the REAL engram C runtime + cognition tests and reproduces the known
# calibration result (memory 194c69c8): held-Brier 0.028648 -> 0.000586, reboot-proven,
# then reboot-proves the Stance persistence against a SCRATCH COPY of THIS sandbox's
# clone of the real store (never live, never the running daemon's file).
set -euo pipefail
WT="${COGARCH_WT:-/private/tmp/claude-501/-Users-will/6531446d-bc27-4095-930b-e04777c3db4f/scratchpad/cogarch-wt}"
RT="$WT/lang/runtime"; T="$WT/engram/test"
: "${SBX_DATA:?run me via: nsbx run <name> -- bash cogarch_dogfood.sh}"
B="$(mktemp -d)"
echo "### building cog-arch tests against the real engram runtime sources"
cc -std=c11 -O2 -w -I "$RT" -o "$B/test_cognition" \
"$T/test_cognition.c" "$RT/engram_cognition.c" "$RT/engram_reason.c" \
"$RT/engram_geometry.c" "$RT/engram_store.c" "$RT/engram_vindex.c" -lm
cc -std=c11 -O2 -w -I "$RT" -o "$B/test_realstore" \
"$T/test_cognition_realstore.c" "$RT/engram_cognition.c" "$RT/engram_reason.c" \
"$RT/engram_geometry.c" "$RT/engram_store.c" "$RT/engram_vindex.c" -lm
echo; echo "### [A] synthetic correspondence-loop (known: Brier 0.028648 -> 0.000586)"
"$B/test_cognition" | grep -E "held-Brier|reduction|reboot|monotone|metastab|RESULT" || true
echo; echo "### [B] reboot-prove Stance on a SCRATCH COPY of this sandbox's real-store clone"
SCRATCH="$B/store-clone"; mkdir -p "$SCRATCH"
cp -p "$SBX_DATA/neuron.egm" "$SCRATCH/" 2>/dev/null || true
cp -p "$SBX_DATA/neuron.wal" "$SCRATCH/" 2>/dev/null || true
cp -p "$SBX_DATA/conf" "$SCRATCH/" 2>/dev/null || true
cp -p "$SBX_DATA/meta.json" "$SCRATCH/" 2>/dev/null || true
"$B/test_realstore" "$SCRATCH" || true
rm -rf "$B"
+836
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@@ -0,0 +1,836 @@
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# nsbx — the Neuron Sandbox: a reproducible primitive for running experiments and
# code changes against the REAL engram runtime on an isolated snapshot of the live
# mind, with a gated promote-to-prod path built on the proven rails.
#
# It WRAPS the real engram binary — it never reimplements any engram logic. The only
# prod-touching op is `promote`, which is explicit, gated, and per-use approved.
#
# Generalises two proven proto-sandboxes:
# - the cog-arch build (isolated git worktree + build + clone of live .egm + real C tests)
# - the store-fix cutover (secondary soul + launchctl bootout->settle->bootstrap rails)
#
# Lifecycle: create -> [build] -> run -> validate -> promote(gated) -> destroy
#
# Rails (always): built offline; NEVER auto-promotes; never touches live :8742/:7770
# except READ for the snapshot and the gated promote; snapshot-first; honest measured
# reporting. Cutover is launchctl bootout -> settle-poll -> bootstrap ONLY —
# never pkill, never kickstart -k.
set -uo pipefail
# ---------------------------------------------------------------- constants ----
LIVE_DATA_DIR="${ENGRAM_LIVE_DATA_DIR:-$HOME/.neuron/engram}"
LIVE_PLIST="${ENGRAM_LIVE_PLIST:-$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.neuron.engram.plist}"
LIVE_LABEL="ai.neuron.engram"
LIVE_BIND_PORT=8742 # engram — FORBIDDEN for sandboxes
SOUL_PORT=7770 # soul — FORBIDDEN for sandboxes
LIVE_KEY="${ENGRAM_API_KEY:-ntn-user-2026}"
LIVE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:${LIVE_BIND_PORT}"
SBX_ROOT="${NSBX_ROOT:-$HOME/.neuron/sandboxes}"
BACKUP_ROOT="$HOME/.neuron/backups"
EL_REPO="${EL_REPO:-$HOME/Development/neuron-technologies/foundation/el}"
PORT_BASE="${NSBX_PORT_BASE:-8900}"
RSS_BOUND_MB="${NSBX_RSS_BOUND_MB:-550}" # from store-fix reboot-proof (aaf13f88)
REMERGE_THRESHOLD="${NSBX_REMERGE_THRESHOLD:-40000}"
KEYSTONES=( "kn-efeb4a5b-5aff-4759-8a97-7233099be6ee" "kn-5b606390-a52d-4ca2-8e0e-eba141d13440" )
# fixed probe set for retrieval-parity (stable, identity-anchored)
PARITY_QUERIES=( "who am I" "self identity core" "engram store durability" "keystone self anchor" "grounding honesty" )
C_RED=$'\033[31m'; C_GRN=$'\033[32m'; C_YEL=$'\033[33m'; C_DIM=$'\033[2m'; C_BLD=$'\033[1m'; C_0=$'\033[0m'
# ---------------------------------------------------------------- helpers ------
die(){ printf '%serror:%s %s\n' "$C_RED" "$C_0" "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
log(){ printf '%s==>%s %s\n' "$C_BLD" "$C_0" "$*" >&2; }
info(){ printf ' %s\n' "$*" >&2; }
ok(){ printf ' %s%s%s\n' "$C_GRN" "$*" "$C_0" >&2; }
warn(){ printf ' %s%s%s\n' "$C_YEL" "$*" "$C_0" >&2; }
need(){ command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1 || die "missing dependency: $1"; }
now(){ date -u +%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ; }
sha(){ shasum -a 256 "$1" 2>/dev/null | awk '{print $1}'; }
epoch(){ python3 -c 'import time;print(time.time())'; }
sdir(){ printf '%s/%s' "$SBX_ROOT" "$1"; }
manifest(){ printf '%s/manifest.json' "$(sdir "$1")"; }
mexists(){ [ -f "$(manifest "$1")" ]; }
mget(){ # mget <name> <jsonpath>
python3 -c "import json,sys; d=json.load(open('$(manifest "$1")')); print(d$2)" 2>/dev/null
}
port_free(){ ! (exec 3<>"/dev/tcp/127.0.0.1/$1") 2>/dev/null; }
alloc_port(){
local p="$PORT_BASE"
while :; do
if [ "$p" = "$LIVE_BIND_PORT" ] || [ "$p" = "$SOUL_PORT" ]; then p=$((p+1)); continue; fi
if port_free "$p" && ! _port_claimed "$p"; then echo "$p"; return 0; fi
p=$((p+1)); [ "$p" -gt 9100 ] && die "no free sandbox port in range"
done
}
_port_claimed(){ # is another sandbox already assigned this port?
local p="$1" d
for d in "$SBX_ROOT"/*/manifest.json; do
[ -f "$d" ] || continue
[ "$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$d'))['port'])" 2>/dev/null)" = "$p" ] && return 0
done
return 1
}
live_stats(){ curl -s -m5 "$LIVE_URL/api/stats" 2>/dev/null; }
api(){ # api <name> <path> [json-body]
local name="$1" path="$2" body="${3:-}"
local port; port="$(mget "$name" "['port']")"; [ -n "$port" ] || die "unknown sandbox: $name"
local url="http://127.0.0.1:${port}${path}"
if [ -n "$body" ]; then curl -s -m30 -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d "$body" "$url"
else curl -s -m30 "$url"; fi
}
sbx_stats(){ api "$1" "/api/stats"; }
stat_field(){ printf '%s' "$1" | sed -n "s/.*\"$2\":\([0-9]*\).*/\1/p"; }
daemon_pid(){ local f; f="$(sdir "$1")/daemon.pid"; [ -f "$f" ] && cat "$f" || true; }
daemon_alive(){ local p; p="$(daemon_pid "$1")"; [ -n "$p" ] && kill -0 "$p" 2>/dev/null; }
# ---------------------------------------------------------------- elc/build ----
find_elc(){
command -v elc 2>/dev/null && return 0
local arch; arch="$(uname -m)"
case "$arch" in
arm64) echo "$EL_REPO/lang/dist/platform/elc-darwin-arm64";;
x86_64) echo "$EL_REPO/lang/dist/platform/elc-linux-amd64";;
*) echo "$EL_REPO/lang/dist/platform/elc";;
esac
}
# _build_binary <src_tree> <out_bin> <build_log_dir>
# Replicates the proven engram release recipe:
# elc engram/src/server.el > engram.c
# cc -std=c11 -O2 -I lang/runtime engram.c el_runtime.c engram_*.c -lcurl -lpthread
_build_binary(){
local src="$1" out="$2" blog="$3"
local elc server rt
elc="$(find_elc)"; [ -x "$elc" ] || die "elc not found/executable: $elc (set EL_REPO)"
server="$src/engram/src/server.el"; rt="$src/lang/runtime"
[ -f "$server" ] || die "no engram/src/server.el under source tree: $src"
[ -f "$rt/el_runtime.c" ] || die "no lang/runtime/el_runtime.c under source tree: $src (this branch may keep it generated/untracked)"
ls "$rt"/engram_*.c >/dev/null 2>&1 || die "no lang/runtime/engram_*.c engine sources under: $src"
mkdir -p "$blog"
log "build: elc transpile server.el -> engram.c"
"$elc" "$server" > "$blog/engram.c" 2>"$blog/elc.err" || { cat "$blog/elc.err" >&2; die "elc transpile failed"; }
info "engram.c: $(wc -c <"$blog/engram.c" | tr -d ' ') bytes"
log "build: cc link (el_runtime + engram_* engine)"
cc -std=c11 -O2 -w -I "$rt" -o "$out" \
"$blog/engram.c" "$rt/el_runtime.c" "$rt"/engram_*.c \
-lcurl -lpthread 2>"$blog/cc.err" \
|| { grep -i 'error:' "$blog/cc.err" | sort -u | head >&2; die "cc link failed (see $blog/cc.err)"; }
ok "built: $out ($(ls -lh "$out" | awk '{print $5}'), sha $(sha "$out" | cut -c1-12))"
}
# ---------------------------------------------------------------- daemon -------
# start_daemon <name> : boots the sandbox's real engram binary on its isolated
# port against its cloned data dir, with the SAME auto-remerge net the live soul
# uses (so the sandbox faithfully reaches the live edge population on boot).
start_daemon(){
local name="$1" d; d="$(sdir "$name")"
daemon_alive "$name" && { info "already running (pid $(daemon_pid "$name"))"; return 0; }
local port bin data export key
port="$(mget "$name" "['port']")"; bin="$d/bin/engram"; data="$d/data"
key="sbx-$name"; export="$data/.scan-export.reseed-clean.json"
[ -x "$bin" ] || die "sandbox binary missing: $bin"
[ "$port" != "$LIVE_BIND_PORT" ] && [ "$port" != "$SOUL_PORT" ] || die "refusing forbidden port $port"
[ -f "$data/neuron.egm" ] || die "sandbox has no cloned store: $data/neuron.egm"
# HARD guard: never point a sandbox daemon at the live data dir.
[ "$(cd "$data" && pwd -P)" != "$(cd "$LIVE_DATA_DIR" && pwd -P)" ] || die "refusing: sandbox data dir resolves to LIVE store"
log "boot engram on isolated :$port (data=$data)"
(
ENGRAM_DATA_DIR="$data" ENGRAM_BIND=":$port" ENGRAM_API_KEY="$key" \
ENGRAM_STORE=1 ENGRAM_CHRONOCEPTION=1 ENGRAM_SELF_REIFY=1 ENGRAM_GC=1 \
ENGRAM_POOL_FRAMES=16384 ENGRAM_WRITE_BARRIER=1 \
exec "$bin"
) >"$d/logs/daemon.log" 2>&1 &
local pid=$!
echo "$pid" > "$d/daemon.pid"
# readiness poll
local url="http://127.0.0.1:$port" i s
for i in $(seq 1 30); do
s="$(curl -s -m3 "$url/api/stats" 2>/dev/null)"
[ -n "$s" ] && break; sleep 0.5
done
[ -n "$s" ] || { warn "daemon did not become ready (see $d/logs/daemon.log)"; return 1; }
ok "ready pid=$pid boot-stats: $s"
# auto-remerge net (idempotent): match live edge population if the export is present
if [ -f "$export" ]; then
local edges; edges="$(stat_field "$s" edge_count)"
if [ -n "$edges" ] && [ "$edges" -lt "$REMERGE_THRESHOLD" ]; then
log "auto-remerge: booted with $edges edges (< $REMERGE_THRESHOLD) — merging full edge export"
local r; r="$(curl -s -m300 -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d "{\"_auth\":\"$key\",\"path\":\"$export\"}" "$url/api/load-merge" 2>/dev/null)"
info "remerge resp: ${r:0:120}"
ok "post-remerge stats: $(curl -s -m5 "$url/api/stats")"
fi
fi
return 0
}
# stop_daemon <name> : graceful TERM + settle-poll until the port is free.
# (Sandbox daemons are plain supervised bg processes — not launchd — so teardown
# is a signal + poll, never pkill of anything else.)
stop_daemon(){
local name="$1" pid port
pid="$(daemon_pid "$name")"; port="$(mget "$name" "['port']")"
[ -n "$pid" ] || { info "not running"; return 0; }
log "stop daemon pid=$pid, settle-poll until :$port frees"
kill "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
local i
for i in $(seq 1 40); do
kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null || { port_free "$port" && { ok "stopped, port $port free"; : >"$(sdir "$name")/daemon.pid"; return 0; }; }
printf '.' >&2; sleep 0.5
done
printf '\n' >&2
kill -9 "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true; sleep 1
: >"$(sdir "$name")/daemon.pid"
port_free "$port" && ok "stopped (after SIGKILL), port $port free" || warn "port $port still busy"
}
# ================================================================ create =======
cmd_create(){
local name="" port="" src="" branch="" repo="$EL_REPO" binpath=""
# first positional arg is the name unless it's a flag; default to "<user>-dev"
if [ $# -gt 0 ] && [ "${1#-}" = "$1" ]; then name="$1"; shift; else name="${USER:-dev}-dev"; fi
while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do case "$1" in
--port) port="$2"; shift 2;;
--source) src="$2"; shift 2;;
--branch) branch="$2"; shift 2;;
--repo) repo="$2"; shift 2;;
--binary) binpath="$2"; shift 2;;
*) die "unknown flag: $1";;
esac; done
mexists "$name" && die "sandbox '$name' already exists (destroy it first)"
need curl; need python3; need shasum
[ -f "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/neuron.egm" ] || die "live store not found: $LIVE_DATA_DIR/neuron.egm"
if [ -n "$port" ]; then
{ [ "$port" = "$LIVE_BIND_PORT" ] || [ "$port" = "$SOUL_PORT" ]; } && die "refusing forbidden port $port (live)"
port_free "$port" || die "port $port already in use"
else port="$(alloc_port)"; fi
local d; d="$(sdir "$name")"
mkdir -p "$d/data" "$d/bin" "$d/logs" "$d/build" "$d/baseline"
log "sandbox '$name' at $d (isolated port $port)"
# ---- CONSISTENT snapshot of the live mind (file-copy: same set the rails backup
# uses; WAL replay on sandbox boot reconciles the tail -> crash-consistent) ----
log "snapshot live store -> clone (store + WAL + config)"
local f
for f in neuron.egm neuron.wal conf meta.json self_anchor .scan-export.reseed-clean.json; do
if [ -e "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/$f" ]; then cp -p "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/$f" "$d/data/$f"; info "cloned $f ($(du -h "$d/data/$f" | awk '{print $1}'))"; fi
done
local egm_sha; egm_sha="$(sha "$d/data/neuron.egm")"
# ---- capture live baseline (READ only) ----
local lstats; lstats="$(live_stats)"
local base_nodes base_edges
base_nodes="$(stat_field "$lstats" node_count)"; base_edges="$(stat_field "$lstats" edge_count)"
info "live baseline stats: ${lstats:-<unavailable>}"
# ---- determine + place the runtime binary (versioned into the snapshot) ----
local source_desc live_bin
live_bin="$(_live_real_bin)"
if [ -n "$binpath" ]; then
[ -x "$binpath" ] || die "not an executable binary: $binpath"
cp -p "$binpath" "$d/bin/engram"; source_desc="prebuilt:$binpath"
elif [ -n "$src" ]; then
_build_binary "$src" "$d/bin/engram" "$d/build"; source_desc="source:$src"
elif [ -n "$branch" ]; then
log "worktree: $repo @ $branch -> $d/build/worktree"
git -C "$repo" worktree add --detach "$d/build/worktree" "$branch" >/dev/null 2>&1 \
|| die "git worktree add failed ($repo @ $branch)"
_build_binary "$d/build/worktree" "$d/bin/engram" "$d/build"; source_desc="branch:$branch@$repo"
else
[ -x "$live_bin" ] || die "cannot resolve live ENGRAM_REAL_BIN: $live_bin"
cp -p "$live_bin" "$d/bin/engram"; source_desc="stock-prod:$live_bin"
fi
local bin_sha; bin_sha="$(sha "$d/bin/engram")"
info "runtime: $source_desc (sha ${bin_sha:0:12})"
# ---- write manifest ----
python3 - "$name" "$port" "$source_desc" "$bin_sha" "$egm_sha" "$base_nodes" "$base_edges" "$(sha "$live_bin" 2>/dev/null)" <<'PY' > "$(manifest "$name")"
import json,sys,datetime
name,port,src,binsha,egmsha,bn,be,livebinsha=sys.argv[1:9]
json.dump({
"name":name,"port":int(port),"created_at":datetime.datetime.now(datetime.timezone.utc).isoformat(),
"source":src,"binary_sha256":binsha,"clone_egm_sha256":egmsha,
"live_binary_sha256":livebinsha,
"live_baseline":{"node_count":int(bn or 0),"edge_count":int(be or 0)},
"keystones":["kn-efeb4a5b-5aff-4759-8a97-7233099be6ee","kn-5b606390-a52d-4ca2-8e0e-eba141d13440"]
}, sys.stdout, indent=2)
PY
ok "manifest written"
# ---- boot + capture the sandbox's own settled baseline (reproducible target) ----
start_daemon "$name" || die "daemon failed to start"
local sstats; sstats="$(sbx_stats "$name")"
local sbn sbe; sbn="$(stat_field "$sstats" node_count)"; sbe="$(stat_field "$sstats" edge_count)"
_capture_retrieval "$name" "$d/baseline/retrieval.json"
# fold sandbox baseline into manifest
python3 - "$(manifest "$name")" "$sbn" "$sbe" <<'PY'
import json,sys
mf,bn,be=sys.argv[1],sys.argv[2],sys.argv[3]
d=json.load(open(mf)); d["sbx_baseline"]={"node_count":int(bn or 0),"edge_count":int(be or 0)}
json.dump(d,open(mf,'w'),indent=2)
PY
log "created."
info "sandbox baseline (settled): nodes=$sbn edges=$sbe"
info "next: nsbx validate $name | nsbx run $name api /api/stats"
}
_live_real_bin(){
python3 - "$LIVE_PLIST" <<'PY' 2>/dev/null
import sys,plistlib
try:
d=plistlib.load(open(sys.argv[1],'rb'))
print(d.get("EnvironmentVariables",{}).get("ENGRAM_REAL_BIN",""))
except Exception: print("")
PY
}
_capture_retrieval(){ # <name> <outfile> : top-k ids for the fixed probe set
local name="$1" out="$2" q res
local port; port="$(mget "$name" "['port']")"; local key="sbx-$name"
{
echo "{"
local first=1
for q in "${PARITY_QUERIES[@]}"; do
res="$(curl -s -m10 -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d "{\"_auth\":\"$key\",\"query\":\"$q\",\"limit\":5}" "http://127.0.0.1:$port/api/search" 2>/dev/null)"
local ids; ids="$(printf '%s' "$res" | python3 -c 'import sys,json
try:
d=json.load(sys.stdin)
rows=d if isinstance(d,list) else d.get("results",d.get("hits",[]))
print(json.dumps([r.get("id") for r in rows][:5]))
except Exception: print("[]")' 2>/dev/null)"
[ $first -eq 1 ] || echo ","; first=0
printf ' %s: %s' "$(python3 -c "import json,sys;print(json.dumps(sys.argv[1]))" "$q")" "${ids:-[]}"
done
echo ""; echo "}"
} > "$out"
}
# ================================================================ up ===========
# Dead-simple one-command dev environment: `nsbx up` gives you (or Tim, or anyone)
# a private, isolated copy of the live mind to build against. Creates it on first
# run with sane defaults (stock prod binary, auto-allocated port), just starts it
# thereafter. Prod on :$LIVE_BIND_PORT/:$SOUL_PORT is unreachable from here by design.
cmd_up(){
local name; if [ $# -gt 0 ] && [ "${1#-}" = "$1" ]; then name="$1"; shift; else name="${USER:-dev}-dev"; fi
if mexists "$name"; then daemon_alive "$name" || start_daemon "$name"; else cmd_create "$name" "$@"; fi
local port; port="$(mget "$name" "['port']")"
echo >&2
ok "your sandbox '$name' is ready at http://127.0.0.1:$port (a private copy of the mind — prod is untouchable)"
info "experiment: nsbx run $name api /api/stats"
info "prove it: nsbx validate $name"
info "tear down: nsbx destroy $name"
}
# ================================================================ build ========
# Rebuild an existing sandbox's runtime from a source tree/branch and hot-restart
# it on the SAME clone + port (the code-change dev loop, in place).
cmd_build(){
local name="$1"; shift || true
mexists "$name" || die "no such sandbox: $name"
local src="" branch="" repo="$EL_REPO"
while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do case "$1" in
--source) src="$2"; shift 2;; --branch) branch="$2"; shift 2;; --repo) repo="$2"; shift 2;;
*) die "unknown flag: $1";; esac; done
local d; d="$(sdir "$name")"
stop_daemon "$name"
if [ -n "$src" ]; then _build_binary "$src" "$d/bin/engram" "$d/build"
elif [ -n "$branch" ]; then
rm -rf "$d/build/worktree" 2>/dev/null; git -C "$repo" worktree prune 2>/dev/null
git -C "$repo" worktree add --detach "$d/build/worktree" "$branch" >/dev/null 2>&1 || die "worktree add failed"
_build_binary "$d/build/worktree" "$d/bin/engram" "$d/build"
else die "usage: nsbx build <name> --source DIR | --branch REF [--repo R]"; fi
# record new binary sha
python3 - "$(manifest "$name")" "$(sha "$d/bin/engram")" "${src:-branch:$branch}" <<'PY'
import json,sys; mf,s,src=sys.argv[1:4]
d=json.load(open(mf)); d["binary_sha256"]=s; d["source"]="rebuilt:"+src
json.dump(d,open(mf,'w'),indent=2)
PY
start_daemon "$name"
ok "rebuilt + restarted on :$(mget "$name" "['port']")"
}
# ================================================================ run ==========
cmd_run(){
local name="$1"; shift || true
mexists "$name" || die "no such sandbox: $name"
daemon_alive "$name" || start_daemon "$name"
local d port; d="$(sdir "$name")"; port="$(mget "$name" "['port']")"
# direct API form: nsbx run <name> api <path> [json]
if [ "${1:-}" = "api" ]; then
api "$name" "$2" "${3:-}"; echo; return 0
fi
[ "${1:-}" = "--" ] && shift # allow an explicit separator: nsbx run <name> -- <cmd...>
[ $# -gt 0 ] || die "usage: nsbx run <name> <cmd...> | nsbx run <name> api <path> [json]"
local ts log0; ts="$(now)"; log0="$d/logs/run-$ts.log"
local s0 t0 t1 s1
s0="$(sbx_stats "$name")"; t0="$(epoch)"
log "run experiment against sandbox '$name' (:$port)"
info "cmd: $*"
( export SBX_NAME="$name" SBX_PORT="$port" SBX_URL="http://127.0.0.1:$port" \
SBX_KEY="sbx-$name" SBX_DATA="$d/data" SBX_BIN="$d/bin/engram"
"$@" ) 2>&1 | tee "$log0"
local rc=${PIPESTATUS[0]}
t1="$(epoch)"; s1="$(sbx_stats "$name")"
{
echo "--- nsbx run metrics ---"
echo "exit_code: $rc"
printf 'wall_secs: %.3f\n' "$(python3 -c "print($t1-$t0)")"
echo "stats_before: $s0"
echo "stats_after: $s1"
} | tee -a "$log0" >&2
return $rc
}
# ================================================================ validate =====
# The rails as first-class checks. Baseline = the sandbox's own settled state at
# create (reproducible). zero-loss through sustained load AND reboot; reboot-prove;
# RSS bound; retrieval parity; keystone integrity.
cmd_validate(){
local name="$1"; shift || true
mexists "$name" || die "no such sandbox: $name"
daemon_alive "$name" || start_daemon "$name"
local d port key; d="$(sdir "$name")"; port="$(mget "$name" "['port']")"; key="sbx-$name"
local url="http://127.0.0.1:$port"
local bn be; bn="$(mget "$name" "['sbx_baseline']['node_count']")"; be="$(mget "$name" "['sbx_baseline']['edge_count']")"
log "validate '$name' against baseline nodes=$bn edges=$be"
local -a names=() results=() details=()
# 1) sustained load — no data loss under activity
local s cur_n cur_e i
log "check: sustained load (~15s: tick + reads) then zero-loss"
for i in $(seq 1 15); do
curl -s -m5 -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d "{\"_auth\":\"$key\"}" "$url/api/tick" >/dev/null 2>&1
curl -s -m5 "$url/api/stats" >/dev/null 2>&1
done
s="$(sbx_stats "$name")"; cur_n="$(stat_field "$s" node_count)"; cur_e="$(stat_field "$s" edge_count)"
names+=("zero-loss-under-load"); if [ "${cur_n:-0}" -ge "${bn:-0}" ] && [ "${cur_e:-0}" -ge "${be:-0}" ]; then
results+=("PASS"); else results+=("FAIL"); fi
details+=("nodes $cur_n>=$bn, edges $cur_e>=$be")
# 2) reboot-prove — counts survive a real restart
log "check: reboot-prove (stop -> start -> compare)"
local pre_n pre_e; pre_n="$cur_n"; pre_e="$cur_e"
stop_daemon "$name"; start_daemon "$name" >/dev/null
s="$(sbx_stats "$name")"; cur_n="$(stat_field "$s" node_count)"; cur_e="$(stat_field "$s" edge_count)"
names+=("reboot-prove"); if [ "${cur_n:-0}" -ge "${bn:-0}" ] && [ "${cur_e:-0}" -ge "${be:-0}" ]; then
results+=("PASS"); else results+=("FAIL"); fi
details+=("post-reboot nodes=$cur_n edges=$cur_e (pre $pre_n/$pre_e)")
# 3) RSS bound
log "check: RSS bound (< ${RSS_BOUND_MB}MB)"
local pid rss_kb rss_mb; pid="$(daemon_pid "$name")"
rss_kb="$(ps -o rss= -p "$pid" 2>/dev/null | tr -d ' ')"; rss_mb=$(( ${rss_kb:-0} / 1024 ))
names+=("rss-bound"); if [ "$rss_mb" -lt "$RSS_BOUND_MB" ] && [ "$rss_mb" -gt 0 ]; then results+=("PASS"); else results+=("FAIL"); fi
details+=("RSS=${rss_mb}MB (bound ${RSS_BOUND_MB}MB)")
# 4) retrieval parity vs the create-time baseline
log "check: retrieval parity vs baseline probe set"
_capture_retrieval "$name" "$d/logs/retrieval-$( now ).json"
local latest; latest="$(ls -t "$d/logs"/retrieval-*.json 2>/dev/null | head -1)"
local parity; parity="$(python3 - "$d/baseline/retrieval.json" "$latest" <<'PY'
import json,sys
def load(p):
try: return json.load(open(p))
except Exception: return {}
b,c=load(sys.argv[1]),load(sys.argv[2])
tot=hit=0
for q,ids in b.items():
cb=set(ids or []); cc=set(c.get(q) or [])
if not cb: continue
tot+=len(cb); hit+=len(cb & cc)
print(f"{hit}/{tot}" if tot else "0/0")
PY
)"
local ph="${parity%/*}" pt="${parity#*/}"
names+=("retrieval-parity"); if [ "${pt:-0}" -gt 0 ] && [ "${ph:-0}" -eq "${pt:-0}" ]; then results+=("PASS"); else results+=("FAIL"); fi
details+=("top-k id overlap $parity vs baseline")
# 5) keystone integrity
log "check: keystone integrity"
local kfail=0 kid kres
for kid in "${KEYSTONES[@]}"; do
kres="$(curl -s -m5 "$url/api/node/$kid" 2>/dev/null)"
printf '%s' "$kres" | grep -q "\"$kid\"" || kfail=1
done
names+=("keystone-integrity"); [ "$kfail" -eq 0 ] && results+=("PASS") || results+=("FAIL")
details+=("kn-efeb4a5b + kn-5b606390 present")
# ---- report + stamp ----
echo >&2
printf '%s VALIDATION — %s%s\n' "$C_BLD" "$name" "$C_0" >&2
local allpass=1 j
for j in "${!names[@]}"; do
local r="${results[$j]}" c="$C_GRN"; [ "$r" = FAIL ] && { c="$C_RED"; allpass=0; }
printf ' %s%-6s%s %-22s %s%s%s\n' "$c" "$r" "$C_0" "${names[$j]}" "$C_DIM" "${details[$j]}" "$C_0" >&2
done
local status; [ "$allpass" -eq 1 ] && status="PASS" || status="FAIL"
python3 - "$d/validate.json" "$status" "$(sha "$d/bin/engram")" "$(now)" "${names[*]}" "${results[*]}" <<'PY'
import json,sys
out,status,binsha,ts,ns,rs=sys.argv[1:7]
checks=[{"name":n,"result":r} for n,r in zip(ns.split(),rs.split())]
json.dump({"status":status,"binary_sha256":binsha,"ts":ts,"checks":checks},open(out,'w'),indent=2)
PY
printf ' %s==> %s%s\n' "$([ "$allpass" -eq 1 ] && echo "$C_GRN" || echo "$C_RED")" "$status" "$C_0" >&2
[ "$allpass" -eq 1 ]
}
# ================================================================ promote ======
# The ONLY prod-touching op. Explicit, gated, per-use Will-approved. Rails ONLY:
# snapshot-first -> additive binary swap -> launchctl bootout -> settle-poll ->
# bootstrap -> verify -> auto-rollback on failure. NEVER pkill, NEVER kickstart -k.
# Default is a DRY-RUN plan; requires --i-approve-prod-cutover to actually cut over.
cmd_promote(){
local name="$1"; shift || true
mexists "$name" || die "no such sandbox: $name"
local approve=0 do_data=0
while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do case "$1" in
--i-approve-prod-cutover) approve=1; shift;;
--data) do_data=1; shift;;
*) die "unknown flag: $1";; esac; done
local d; d="$(sdir "$name")"
# GATE 1: validation must have passed for the CURRENT binary
[ -f "$d/validate.json" ] || die "GATE: no validation on record — run 'nsbx validate $name' first"
local vstatus vsha bsha
vstatus="$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$d/validate.json'))['status'])")"
vsha="$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$d/validate.json'))['binary_sha256'])")"
bsha="$(sha "$d/bin/engram")"
[ "$vstatus" = PASS ] || die "GATE: last validation status is $vstatus (must be PASS)"
[ "$vsha" = "$bsha" ] || die "GATE: validation is stale — binary changed since validate (re-run validate)"
local live_bin new_bin ts; ts="$(now)"
live_bin="$(_live_real_bin)"
new_bin="$HOME/.neuron/bin/engram.promote-$name-$ts" # additive: new file, old kept
local bkp="$BACKUP_ROOT/promote-$name-$ts"
log "PROMOTE PLAN for '$name' -> live :$LIVE_BIND_PORT"
info "current live ENGRAM_REAL_BIN : $live_bin"
info "sandbox binary (validated) : $d/bin/engram (sha ${bsha:0:12})"
info "will install as : $new_bin (additive; old binary retained)"
info "snapshot-first backup dir : $bkp (egm+wal+plist+rollback.txt)"
info "data promote : $([ $do_data -eq 1 ] && echo 'YES (--data: clone egm/wal -> live)' || echo 'no (binary only)')"
info "rails : launchctl bootout -> settle-poll -> bootstrap"
info "verify : /api/stats + edges>=baseline + keystones + retrieval; auto-rollback armed"
if [ "$approve" -ne 1 ]; then
warn "DRY-RUN — not touching prod. Re-run with --i-approve-prod-cutover to execute (per-use Will-approved)."
return 0
fi
need launchctl
local dom="gui/$(id -u)"
# ---- snapshot-first ----
log "snapshot-first backup -> $bkp"
mkdir -p "$bkp"
cp -p "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/neuron.egm" "$bkp/neuron.egm.bak"
cp -p "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/neuron.wal" "$bkp/neuron.wal.bak" 2>/dev/null || true
cp -p "$LIVE_PLIST" "$bkp/plist.bak"
printf 'rollback REAL_BIN=%s\nNEWBIN=%s\ndata_promote=%s\n' "$live_bin" "$new_bin" "$do_data" > "$bkp/rollback.txt"
ok "backup complete"
# ---- additive binary install + plist supersede ----
cp -p "$d/bin/engram" "$new_bin"
python3 - "$LIVE_PLIST" "$new_bin" <<'PY'
import sys,plistlib
p,new=sys.argv[1],sys.argv[2]
d=plistlib.load(open(p,'rb')); d.setdefault("EnvironmentVariables",{})["ENGRAM_REAL_BIN"]=new
plistlib.dump(d,open(p,'wb'))
PY
ok "installed $new_bin + updated plist ENGRAM_REAL_BIN"
# ---- optional data promote (after backup) ----
if [ $do_data -eq 1 ]; then
log "data promote: clone store -> live (backed up above)"
cp -p "$d/data/neuron.egm" "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/neuron.egm"
cp -p "$d/data/neuron.wal" "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/neuron.wal" 2>/dev/null || true
fi
# ---- rails cutover: bootout -> settle-poll -> bootstrap ----
log "rails: launchctl bootout $dom/$LIVE_LABEL"
launchctl bootout "$dom/$LIVE_LABEL" 2>/dev/null || true
local i
for i in $(seq 1 60); do
launchctl print "$dom/$LIVE_LABEL" >/dev/null 2>&1 || { ok "settle: job gone after ${i}x0.5s"; break; }
printf ' settle: job still present (%d)\n' "$i" >&2; sleep 0.5
done
log "rails: launchctl bootstrap $dom <plist>"
launchctl bootstrap "$dom" "$LIVE_PLIST" || warn "bootstrap returned nonzero"
# ---- verify ----
log "verify prod health"
local s="" ; for i in $(seq 1 60); do s="$(live_stats)"; [ -n "$s" ] && break; sleep 1; done
local ok_verify=1 le; le="$(stat_field "$s" edge_count)"
local base_e; base_e="$(mget "$name" "['live_baseline']['edge_count']")"
[ -n "$s" ] || ok_verify=0
[ "${le:-0}" -ge "${base_e:-0}" ] || ok_verify=0
local kid; for kid in "${KEYSTONES[@]}"; do curl -s -m5 "$LIVE_URL/api/node/$kid" 2>/dev/null | grep -q "\"$kid\"" || ok_verify=0; done
if [ "$ok_verify" -eq 1 ]; then
ok "PROMOTED. live stats: $s (rollback: $bkp)"; return 0
fi
# ---- auto-rollback ----
warn "verify FAILED — auto-rollback"
cp -p "$bkp/plist.bak" "$LIVE_PLIST"
[ $do_data -eq 1 ] && { cp -p "$bkp/neuron.egm.bak" "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/neuron.egm"; cp -p "$bkp/neuron.wal.bak" "$LIVE_DATA_DIR/neuron.wal" 2>/dev/null || true; }
launchctl bootout "$dom/$LIVE_LABEL" 2>/dev/null || true
for i in $(seq 1 60); do launchctl print "$dom/$LIVE_LABEL" >/dev/null 2>&1 || break; sleep 0.5; done
launchctl bootstrap "$dom" "$LIVE_PLIST" || true
die "ROLLED BACK to $live_bin. See $bkp"
}
# ================================================================ destroy ======
cmd_destroy(){
local name="$1"; shift || true
mexists "$name" || die "no such sandbox: $name"
local d; d="$(sdir "$name")"
stop_daemon "$name"
if [ -d "$d/build/worktree" ]; then
log "removing git worktree"
git -C "$EL_REPO" worktree remove --force "$d/build/worktree" 2>/dev/null || true
git -C "$EL_REPO" worktree prune 2>/dev/null || true
fi
log "removing $d"
rm -rf "$d"
ok "destroyed '$name' (live untouched)"
}
# ================================================================ list/status ==
cmd_list(){
[ -d "$SBX_ROOT" ] || { echo "no sandboxes"; return 0; }
printf '%-16s %-6s %-8s %-9s %s\n' NAME PORT STATE PID SOURCE
local m
for m in "$SBX_ROOT"/*/manifest.json; do
[ -f "$m" ] || continue
local n p src pid state
n="$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$m'))['name'])")"
p="$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$m'))['port'])")"
src="$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$m'))['source'])")"
pid="$(daemon_pid "$n")"; state="stopped"; daemon_alive "$n" && state="running"
printf '%-16s %-6s %-8s %-9s %s\n' "$n" "$p" "$state" "${pid:-}" "$src"
done
}
cmd_status(){
local name="$1"; mexists "$name" || die "no such sandbox: $name"
python3 -m json.tool "$(manifest "$name")"
daemon_alive "$name" && echo "state: running (pid $(daemon_pid "$name")) stats: $(sbx_stats "$name")" || echo "state: stopped"
[ -f "$(sdir "$name")/validate.json" ] && { echo "--- last validation ---"; python3 -m json.tool "$(sdir "$name")/validate.json"; }
}
# ================================================================ dev ==========
# ONE-COMMAND isolated dev environment. Everything a newcomer (Tim, any agent)
# needs to go from clone -> coding on an isolated running mind, in a single shot:
# 1) a git BRANCH (dev/<name>, or --prefix)
# 2) a git WORKTREE for it, at a visible path they can open + edit
# 3) an ISOLATED engram bound to a NON-default port, on a clone of the live store
# (stock prod binary by default — instant + safe; --build to compile the
# worktree's own runtime instead). Prod :$LIVE_BIND_PORT/:$SOUL_PORT is untouchable.
#
# This is additive sugar over the proven primitives (git worktree + cmd_create).
# It never binds a forbidden port and never touches ~/.neuron/engram (the live store)
# except the same READ-only snapshot cmd_create already performs.
#
# nsbx dev <name> [--repo R] [--base REF] [--worktree DIR] [--port N]
# [--prefix P] [--build] [--no-engram]
cmd_dev(){
local name="" repo="$EL_REPO" base="" wt="" port="" prefix="dev/" build=0 no_engram=0
[ $# -gt 0 ] && [ "${1#-}" = "$1" ] && { name="$1"; shift; } || die "usage: nsbx dev <name> [flags]"
while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do case "$1" in
--repo) repo="$2"; shift 2;;
--base) base="$2"; shift 2;;
--worktree|--wt) wt="$2"; shift 2;;
--port) port="$2"; shift 2;;
--prefix) prefix="$2"; shift 2;;
--build) build=1; shift;;
--no-engram) no_engram=1; shift;;
*) die "unknown flag: $1";;
esac; done
need git
git -C "$repo" rev-parse --git-dir >/dev/null 2>&1 || die "not a git repo: $repo"
local branch="${prefix}${name}"
local sbx="dev-${name}"
# default worktree path: a PERSISTENT, git-managed dir — NEVER /tmp (which is
# ablated on compaction). Default root = <repo-grandparent>/el-worktrees, i.e.
# ~/Development/neuron-technologies/el-worktrees/<name>. Override with NSBX_DEV_WT_ROOT.
local wt_root="${NSBX_DEV_WT_ROOT:-$(cd "$(dirname "$(dirname "$repo")")" && pwd -P)/el-worktrees}"
[ -n "$wt" ] || wt="${wt_root}/${name}"
case "$wt" in /tmp/*|/private/tmp/*|/var/tmp/*)
die "refusing worktree under a temp dir ($wt) — temp dirs are ablated on compaction; set NSBX_DEV_WT_ROOT to a persistent path";;
esac
# default base: whatever the repo's working checkout is on now
[ -n "$base" ] || base="$(git -C "$repo" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null)"
# pre-flight (fail before creating anything)
[ "$no_engram" -eq 1 ] || ! mexists "$sbx" || die "engram sandbox '$sbx' already exists (nsbx dev-down $name first)"
[ -e "$wt" ] && die "worktree path already exists: $wt"
if [ -n "$port" ]; then
{ [ "$port" = "$LIVE_BIND_PORT" ] || [ "$port" = "$SOUL_PORT" ]; } && die "refusing forbidden port $port (live)"
fi
log "dev env '$name' (branch=$branch worktree=$wt base=$base)"
# ---- 1+2) branch + worktree in one shot ----
local gerr
if git -C "$repo" show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/$branch"; then
info "branch $branch exists — checking it out into a new worktree"
gerr="$(git -C "$repo" worktree add "$wt" "$branch" 2>&1)" \
|| die "git worktree add failed for existing branch $branch:"$'\n'" $gerr"
else
gerr="$(git -C "$repo" worktree add -b "$branch" "$wt" "$base" 2>&1)" \
|| die "git worktree add -b $branch (base $base) failed:"$'\n'" $gerr"$'\n'" (a bare 'dev' branch blocks 'dev/*' names — try --prefix, e.g. nsbx dev $name --prefix wt/)"
fi
ok "worktree ready: $wt (branch $branch)"
# ---- 3) isolated engram ----
local eport="(none)"
if [ "$no_engram" -eq 1 ]; then
warn "--no-engram: skipped standing up an engram"
else
if [ "$build" -eq 1 ]; then
log "isolated engram: building the worktree's own runtime"
cmd_create "$sbx" ${port:+--port "$port"} --source "$wt" || die "engram create (--build) failed"
else
log "isolated engram: stock prod binary on a clone of the live store"
cmd_create "$sbx" ${port:+--port "$port"} || die "engram create failed"
fi
eport="$(mget "$sbx" "['port']")"
# record the dev linkage next to the sandbox so dev-down can clean up
python3 - "$(sdir "$sbx")/dev.json" "$name" "$branch" "$wt" "$repo" "$eport" <<'PY'
import json,sys
p,name,branch,wt,repo,port=sys.argv[1:7]
json.dump({"name":name,"branch":branch,"worktree":wt,"repo":repo,"port":int(port)},
open(p,'w'),indent=2)
PY
# ---- pin the WHOLE worktree to the CLONE ----
# Every var any El tooling in this worktree might read for an engram target now
# points at the isolated clone. Sourcing .nsbx-env makes hitting live :$LIVE_BIND_PORT
# or ~/.neuron/engram by accident structurally impossible from this shell.
local edata ekey eurl ebin
edata="$(sdir "$sbx")/data"; ekey="sbx-$sbx"; eurl="http://127.0.0.1:$eport"; ebin="$(sdir "$sbx")/bin/engram"
cat > "$wt/.nsbx-env" <<ENV
# nsbx dev env for '$name' — SOURCE this to pin THIS shell to the isolated clone.
# The live mind (:$LIVE_BIND_PORT engram / :$SOUL_PORT soul / $LIVE_DATA_DIR) is deliberately
# NOT referenced here. Regenerated by 'nsbx dev'. -> source .nsbx-env
export NSBX_NAME="$sbx"
export ENGRAM_URL="$eurl"
export ENGRAM_BIND=":$eport"
export ENGRAM_PORT="$eport"
export ENGRAM_HOST="127.0.0.1"
export ENGRAM_DATA_DIR="$edata"
export ENGRAM_API_KEY="$ekey"
export NEURON_ENGRAM_URL="$eurl"
export NEURON_ENGRAM_KEY="$ekey"
# nsbx run compatibility (same names 'nsbx run' exports)
export SBX_NAME="$sbx" SBX_PORT="$eport" SBX_URL="$eurl" SBX_KEY="$ekey" SBX_DATA="$edata" SBX_BIN="$ebin"
ENV
# direnv users get it automatically on cd; everyone else runs 'source .nsbx-env'
[ -e "$wt/.envrc" ] || printf 'source_env .nsbx-env 2>/dev/null || source .nsbx-env\n' > "$wt/.envrc"
ok "wrote $wt/.nsbx-env (pins this worktree to the clone)"
fi
# ---- summary ----
echo >&2
printf '%s DEV ENV READY — %s%s\n' "$C_BLD" "$name" "$C_0" >&2
printf ' %-10s %s\n' "worktree" "$wt" >&2
printf ' %-10s %s\n' "branch" "$branch" >&2
if [ "$no_engram" -ne 1 ]; then
printf ' %-10s %s\n' "engram" "http://127.0.0.1:$eport (isolated clone; prod :$LIVE_BIND_PORT untouchable)" >&2
printf ' %-10s %s\n' "sandbox" "$sbx" >&2
echo >&2
printf '%s env exported into %s/.nsbx-env (source it -> pinned to the clone):%s\n' "$C_DIM" "$wt" "$C_0" >&2
grep '^export' "$wt/.nsbx-env" | sed 's/^/ /' >&2
fi
echo >&2
info "code in: cd $wt && source .nsbx-env # now every engram var points at the clone"
[ "$no_engram" -ne 1 ] && info "poke it: nsbx run $sbx api /api/stats (or: make run NAME=$name)"
[ "$no_engram" -ne 1 ] && info "edit->test: make build NAME=$name && make run NAME=$name # El change -> clone, seconds"
info "tear down: nsbx dev-down $name (destroys engram + removes worktree; branch kept)"
}
# nsbx dev-down <name> [--delete-branch] [--repo R]
# Teardown counterpart: destroy the isolated engram, remove the git worktree,
# and (optionally) delete the branch. Live prod is never touched.
cmd_dev_down(){
local name="" repo="$EL_REPO" del_branch=0
[ $# -gt 0 ] && [ "${1#-}" = "$1" ] && { name="$1"; shift; } || die "usage: nsbx dev-down <name> [--delete-branch]"
while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do case "$1" in
--repo) repo="$2"; shift 2;;
--delete-branch) del_branch=1; shift;;
*) die "unknown flag: $1";;
esac; done
local sbx="dev-${name}" wt="" branch="dev/${name}"
# recover worktree/branch/repo from the dev linkage if present
if mexists "$sbx" && [ -f "$(sdir "$sbx")/dev.json" ]; then
local dj; dj="$(sdir "$sbx")/dev.json"
wt="$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$dj'))['worktree'])" 2>/dev/null)"
branch="$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$dj'))['branch'])" 2>/dev/null)"
repo="$(python3 -c "import json;print(json.load(open('$dj'))['repo'])" 2>/dev/null)"
fi
# 1) engram
if mexists "$sbx"; then cmd_destroy "$sbx"; else info "no engram sandbox '$sbx'"; fi
# 2) worktree
if [ -n "$wt" ] && [ -d "$wt" ]; then
log "removing git worktree $wt"
git -C "$repo" worktree remove --force "$wt" 2>/dev/null || rm -rf "$wt"
git -C "$repo" worktree prune 2>/dev/null || true
ok "worktree removed"
else info "no worktree to remove"; fi
# 3) branch (opt-in)
if [ "$del_branch" -eq 1 ]; then
git -C "$repo" branch -D "$branch" 2>/dev/null && ok "deleted branch $branch" || warn "could not delete branch $branch"
else info "branch $branch kept (use --delete-branch to remove)"; fi
ok "dev-down '$name' complete (live untouched)"
}
usage(){ cat >&2 <<EOF
${C_BLD}nsbx${C_0} — Neuron Sandbox: experiments + code changes against the REAL engram
runtime on an isolated snapshot of the live mind, with a gated promote-to-prod path.
nsbx dev <name> [--base REF] [--worktree DIR] ONE command onboarding: new branch (dev/<name>) + git
[--port N] [--prefix P] [--build] worktree (persistent, never /tmp) + isolated engram on a
[--no-engram] [--repo R] non-default port. clone -> coding on the mind in one shot.
nsbx dev-down <name> [--delete-branch] [--repo R] teardown: destroy the engram + remove the worktree
(branch kept unless --delete-branch). live untouched.
nsbx up [name] [flags…] one command: your private, isolated copy of the mind
(creates on first run, starts thereafter; prod untouchable)
nsbx create [name] [--port N] [--source DIR | --branch REF [--repo R] | --binary PATH]
clone live store+WAL+config, place/build the runtime, boot on an
isolated port (never :$LIVE_BIND_PORT/:$SOUL_PORT). Default runtime = stock prod binary.
nsbx build <name> --source DIR | --branch REF rebuild the runtime from a code change + hot-restart
nsbx run <name> <cmd...> | api <path> [json] run an experiment; capture output + metrics
nsbx validate <name> rails as checks: zero-loss(load+reboot), reboot-prove,
RSS bound, retrieval parity, keystone integrity
nsbx promote <name> [--data] [--i-approve-prod-cutover] GATED rails cutover to prod (DRY-RUN without approval)
nsbx destroy <name> stop daemon, free port, remove clone (live untouched)
nsbx list | nsbx status <name>
Env in 'run' cmds: \$SBX_URL \$SBX_PORT \$SBX_KEY \$SBX_DATA \$SBX_BIN \$SBX_NAME
EOF
}
main(){
local cmd="${1:-}"; shift || true
case "$cmd" in
dev) cmd_dev "$@";;
dev-down) cmd_dev_down "$@";;
up) cmd_up "$@";;
create) cmd_create "$@";;
build) cmd_build "$@";;
run) cmd_run "$@";;
validate) cmd_validate "$@";;
promote) cmd_promote "$@";;
destroy) cmd_destroy "$@";;
list|ls) cmd_list "$@";;
status) cmd_status "$@";;
""|-h|--help|help) usage;;
*) die "unknown command: $cmd (try: nsbx help)";;
esac
}
main "$@"