feat(engram): add accumulation layer (layer 5) — new nodes default to it, not core-identity

Implements the accumulation layer from the Layered Consciousness architecture
(provisional 64/064,262) and answers the deferred design question. Per the spec
and Will's design: new user-facing nodes (memories, knowledge, conversations) are
created in an accumulation layer at the TOP of the consciousness stack — the engram
the user sees — while the layers below (safety, core-identity, domain, imprint,
suit) shape behavior but are hidden from the user.

- Adds ENGRAM_LAYER_ACCUMULATION (5) + the layer record in engram_init_layers
  (activation_priority 50, suppressible, not injectable, transparent=0).
- engram_node and engram_node_full now assign new nodes to ENGRAM_LAYER_ACCUMULATION.
- ENGRAM_LAYER_DEFAULT stays CORE_IDENTITY ON PURPOSE: it is the fallback for LEGACY
  nodes loaded from snapshots without a layer_id, so existing data (the originator
  corpus) is NEVER migrated. New-nodes-only — the immutable-originator rule.

This is the foundation for fixing the identity-bleed / customer-isolation issue
(user data was landing in Neuron's core-identity layer). The retrieval-side
provenance filter (introspection should compile from accumulation, not the
originator corpus — Persona 64/036,574) is a follow-on, pending the batch-2
Layered Consciousness + Engram spec docs for exact semantics. Compiles clean.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

.gitea/workflows/ci-dev.yaml

@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install build dependencies
         run: |
           apt-get update -qq
-          apt-get install -y gcc libcurl4-openssl-dev
+          apt-get install -y gcc libcurl4-openssl-dev apt-transport-https ca-certificates
+          echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt cloud-sdk main" \
+            > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-cloud-sdk.list
+          apt-get update -qq && apt-get install -y google-cloud-cli
 
       # Seed: use the committed linux-amd64 binary as the bootstrap
       - name: Bootstrap from committed linux binary (seed)
@@ -84,13 +87,22 @@ jobs:
           bash tests/html_sanitizer/run.sh
 
       # Native El test suites (elc --test, compile-link-run)
+      # el_runtime.c is precompiled to .o once and reused by all 8 modules.
+      - name: Precompile el_runtime.o
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
+          gcc -O2 -c -I "$RUNTIME" "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+            -o /tmp/el_runtime.o
+          echo "el_runtime.o compiled"
+
       - name: Run tests - native (core)
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_core.el > /tmp/el_native_core.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_core.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_core.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_core
           /tmp/el_native_core
 
@@ -100,7 +112,7 @@ jobs:
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_text.el > /tmp/el_native_text.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_text.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_text.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_text
           /tmp/el_native_text
 
@@ -110,7 +122,7 @@ jobs:
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_string.el > /tmp/el_native_string.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_string.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_string.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_string
           /tmp/el_native_string
 
@@ -120,7 +132,7 @@ jobs:
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_math.el > /tmp/el_native_math.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_math.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_math.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_math
           /tmp/el_native_math
 
@@ -130,7 +142,7 @@ jobs:
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_state.el > /tmp/el_native_state.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_state.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_state.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_state
           /tmp/el_native_state
 
@@ -140,7 +152,7 @@ jobs:
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_time.el > /tmp/el_native_time.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_time.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_time.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_time
           /tmp/el_native_time
 
@@ -150,7 +162,7 @@ jobs:
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_json.el > /tmp/el_native_json.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_json.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_json.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_json
           /tmp/el_native_json
 
@@ -160,7 +172,7 @@ jobs:
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_env.el > /tmp/el_native_env.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_env.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_env.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_env
           /tmp/el_native_env
 
@@ -170,7 +182,7 @@ jobs:
           ELC="$(pwd)/dist/platform/elc"
           RUNTIME="$(pwd)/el-compiler/runtime"
           "$ELC" --test tests/native/test_fs.el > /tmp/el_native_fs.c
-          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_fs.c "$RUNTIME/el_runtime.c" \
+          gcc -O2 -I "$RUNTIME" /tmp/el_native_fs.c /tmp/el_runtime.o \
             -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm -o /tmp/el_native_fs
           /tmp/el_native_fs
 
@@ -203,9 +215,6 @@ jobs:
           GCP_SA_KEY: ${{ secrets.GCP_SA_KEY }}
         run: |
           echo "${GCP_SA_KEY}" > /tmp/gcp-key.json
-          apt-get install -y -qq apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl
-          echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt cloud-sdk main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-cloud-sdk.list
-          apt-get update -qq && apt-get install -y google-cloud-cli
           gcloud auth activate-service-account --key-file=/tmp/gcp-key.json
           gcloud config set project neuron-785695
 
@@ -272,8 +281,9 @@ jobs:
           gcloud config set project neuron-785695
           gcloud auth configure-docker us-central1-docker.pkg.dev --quiet
 
-          # Pull existing ci-base:dev (system deps stay cached in the base layer)
-          docker pull "${CI_BASE}:dev" || docker pull "${CI_BASE}:latest"
+          # Pull existing ci-base:dev (or fall back to :latest on first run)
+          BASE_TAG="dev"
+          docker pull "${CI_BASE}:dev" || { docker pull "${CI_BASE}:latest" && BASE_TAG="latest"; }
 
           # Inline Dockerfile — only replaces the El SDK layer
           cat > /tmp/Dockerfile.ci-base-patch << 'EOF'
@@ -288,7 +298,7 @@ jobs:
           EOF
 
           docker build \
-            --build-arg BASE="${CI_BASE}:dev" \
+            --build-arg BASE="${CI_BASE}:${BASE_TAG}" \
             --build-arg BUILDKIT_INLINE_CACHE=1 \
             -f /tmp/Dockerfile.ci-base-patch \
             -t "${CI_BASE}:dev" \

elp/src/language-profile.elh

@@ -1,46 +1,46 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
-extern fn lang_profile(code: String, word_order: String, morph_type: String, has_case: String, has_gender: String, script_dir: String, agreement: String, null_subject: String) -> Any
-extern fn lang_get(profile: Any, key: String) -> String
-extern fn lang_profile_en() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_ja() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_ar() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_zh() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_de() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_es() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_fi() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_sw() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_hi() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_ru() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_fr() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_la() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_he() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_sa() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_got() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_non() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_enm() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_pi() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_grc() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_ang() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_fro() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_goh() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_sga() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_txb() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_peo() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_akk() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_uga() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_egy() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_sux() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_gez() -> Any
-extern fn lang_profile_cop() -> Any
-extern fn lang_from_code(code: String) -> Any
-extern fn lang_default() -> Any
-extern fn lang_is_isolating(profile: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn lang_is_agglutinative(profile: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn lang_is_fusional(profile: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn lang_is_polysynthetic(profile: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn lang_is_rtl(profile: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn lang_has_null_subject(profile: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn lang_has_case(profile: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn lang_has_gender(profile: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn lang_word_order(profile: Any) -> String
-extern fn lang_code(profile: Any) -> String
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
+extern fn lang_profile(code: String, word_order: String, morph_type: String, has_case: String, has_gender: String, script_dir: String, agreement: String, null_subject: String) -> [String]
+extern fn lang_get(profile: [String], key: String) -> String
+extern fn lang_profile_en() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_ja() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_ar() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_zh() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_de() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_es() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_fi() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_sw() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_hi() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_ru() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_fr() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_la() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_he() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_sa() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_got() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_non() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_enm() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_pi() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_grc() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_ang() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_fro() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_goh() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_sga() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_txb() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_peo() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_akk() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_uga() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_egy() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_sux() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_gez() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_profile_cop() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_from_code(code: String) -> [String]
+extern fn lang_default() -> [String]
+extern fn lang_is_isolating(profile: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn lang_is_agglutinative(profile: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn lang_is_fusional(profile: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn lang_is_polysynthetic(profile: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn lang_is_rtl(profile: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn lang_has_null_subject(profile: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn lang_has_case(profile: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn lang_has_gender(profile: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn lang_word_order(profile: [String]) -> String
+extern fn lang_code(profile: [String]) -> String

elp/src/morphology-akk.el

@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn akk_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-akk.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn akk_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn akk_str_len(s: String) -> Int
 extern fn akk_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String

elp/src/morphology-ang.el

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn ang_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-ang.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn ang_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn ang_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn ang_str_last_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-ar.el

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn ar_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-ar.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn ar_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn ar_str_len(s: String) -> Int
 extern fn ar_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String

elp/src/morphology-cop.el

@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn cop_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-cop.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn cop_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn cop_str_len(s: String) -> Int
 extern fn cop_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String

elp/src/morphology-de.el

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 //  Dat:    dem     der     dem     den
 //  Gen:    des     der     des     der
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn de_article_def(gender: String, gram_case: String, number: String) -> String {
     if str_eq(number, "pl") {
         if str_eq(gram_case, "nom") { return "die" }

elp/src/morphology-de.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn de_article_def(gender: String, gram_case: String, number: String) -> String
 extern fn de_article_indef(gender: String, gram_case: String, number: String) -> String
 extern fn de_article(gender: String, gram_case: String, number: String, definite: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-egy.el

@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn egy_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-egy.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn egy_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn egy_str_len(s: String) -> Int
 extern fn egy_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String

elp/src/morphology-enm.el

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn enm_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-enm.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn enm_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn enm_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn enm_first_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-es.el

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers (local, matching morphology.el conventions) ────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn es_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-es.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn es_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn es_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn es_str_last_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-fi.el

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 // If only neutral vowels are found, default to "front" (the conservative choice
 // for borrowed words and those without clear back vowels).
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn fi_harmony(word: String) -> String {
     let n: Int = str_len(word)
     let i: Int = n - 1

elp/src/morphology-fi.elh

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn fi_harmony(word: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_suffix(base: String, harmony: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_noun_case(stem: String, gram_case: String, number: String, harmony: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_str_last_char(s: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_apply_case(noun: String, gram_case: String, number: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_verb_stem(dict_form: String) -> String
-extern fn fi_irregular_verb(dict_form: String) -> Any
+extern fn fi_irregular_verb(dict_form: String) -> [String]
 extern fn fi_present_ending(stem: String, person: String, number: String, harmony: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_past_stem(stem: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_past_ending(stem: String, person: String, number: String, harmony: String) -> String
@@ -14,4 +14,4 @@ extern fn fi_negative(verb: String, person: String, number: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_conjugate(verb: String, tense: String, person: String, number: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_question_suffix(harmony: String) -> String
 extern fn fi_make_question(verb_form: String, harmony: String) -> String
-extern fn fi_full_paradigm(noun: String) -> Any
+extern fn fi_full_paradigm(noun: String) -> [String]

elp/src/morphology-fr.el

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers (local, matching morphology.el conventions) ────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn fr_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-fr.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn fr_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn fr_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn fr_str_last_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-fro.el

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn fro_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-fro.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn fro_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn fro_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn fro_slot(person: String, number: String) -> Int

elp/src/morphology-gez.el

@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn gez_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-gez.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn gez_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn gez_str_len(s: String) -> Int
 extern fn gez_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String

elp/src/morphology-goh.el

@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn goh_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-goh.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn goh_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn goh_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn goh_slot(person: String, number: String) -> Int

elp/src/morphology-got.el

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn got_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-got.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn got_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn got_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn got_slot(person: String, number: String) -> Int

elp/src/morphology-grc.el

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn grc_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-grc.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn grc_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn grc_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn grc_str_last_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-he.el

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn he_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-he.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn he_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn he_str_len(s: String) -> Int
 extern fn he_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String

elp/src/morphology-hi.el

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn hi_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-hi.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn hi_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn hi_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn hi_str_last_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-ja.el

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 // Note: this is a heuristic classifier for romanized input.  For production use
 // with native kana/kanji forms, the dictionary form (辞書形) must be consulted.
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn ja_verb_group(dict_form: String) -> String {
     // Irregular verbs (exact match on dictionary form)
     if str_eq(dict_form, "する")  { return "irregular" }

elp/src/morphology-ja.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn ja_verb_group(dict_form: String) -> String
 extern fn ja_ichidan_stem(dict_form: String) -> String
 extern fn ja_godan_stem_change(dict_form: String, row: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-la.el

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn la_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-la.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn la_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn la_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn la_str_last_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-non.el

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn non_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-non.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn non_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn non_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn non_last(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-peo.el

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn peo_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String {
     let len: Int = str_len(s)
     if n >= len { return "" }

elp/src/morphology-peo.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn peo_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn peo_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn peo_slot(person: String, number: String) -> Int

elp/src/morphology-pi.el

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn pi_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-pi.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn pi_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn pi_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn pi_last_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-ru.el

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 // The heuristic returns the most probable gender.  Caller should override
 // for known exceptions (путь, рубль are masc despite -ь).
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn ru_gender(noun: String) -> String {
     let n: Int = str_len(noun)
     if n == 0 { return "m" }

elp/src/morphology-ru.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn ru_gender(noun: String) -> String
 extern fn ru_stem_type(noun: String, gender: String) -> String
 extern fn ru_noun_case(noun: String, gender: String, gram_case: String, number: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-sa.el

@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn sa_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-sa.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn sa_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn sa_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn sa_slot(person: String, number: String) -> Int

elp/src/morphology-sga.el

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn sga_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String {
     let len: Int = str_len(s)
     if n >= len { return "" }

elp/src/morphology-sga.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn sga_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn sga_first(s: String) -> String
 extern fn sga_rest(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-sux.el

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn sux_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-sux.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn sux_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn sux_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn sux_str_last_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-sw.el

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn sw_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-sw.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn sw_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn sw_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn sw_str_first_char(s: String) -> String

elp/src/morphology-txb.el

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn txb_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String {
     let len: Int = str_len(s)
     if n >= len { return "" }

elp/src/morphology-txb.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn txb_drop(s: String, n: Int) -> String
 extern fn txb_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn txb_slot(person: String, number: String) -> Int

elp/src/morphology-uga.el

@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "morphology.el"
 fn uga_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology-uga.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn uga_str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn uga_str_len(s: String) -> Int
 extern fn uga_str_drop_last(s: String, n: Int) -> String

elp/src/morphology.el

@@ -33,6 +33,17 @@
 
 // ── String helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+import "language-profile.el"
+import "morphology-es.el"
+import "morphology-fr.el"
+import "morphology-de.el"
+import "morphology-ru.el"
+import "morphology-fi.el"
+import "morphology-ar.el"
+import "morphology-hi.el"
+import "morphology-sw.el"
+import "morphology-la.el"
+import "morphology-ja.el"
 fn str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool {
     return str_ends_with(s, suf)
 }

elp/src/morphology.elh

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
 extern fn str_ends(s: String, suf: String) -> Bool
 extern fn str_last_char(s: String) -> String
 extern fn str_last2(s: String) -> String
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ extern fn is_vowel(c: String) -> Bool
 extern fn morph_apply_suffix(base: String, suffix: String) -> String
 extern fn en_irregular_plural(word: String) -> String
 extern fn en_irregular_singular(word: String) -> String
-extern fn en_irregular_verb(base: String) -> Any
+extern fn en_irregular_verb(base: String) -> [String]
 extern fn en_verb_3sg(base: String) -> String
 extern fn en_should_double_final(base: String) -> Bool
 extern fn en_verb_past(base: String) -> String
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ extern fn en_verb_gerund(base: String) -> String
 extern fn en_pluralize_regular(singular: String) -> String
 extern fn en_verb_form(base: String, tense: String, person: String, number: String) -> String
 extern fn agree_determiner(det: String, noun: String) -> String
-extern fn morph_pluralize(noun: String, profile: Any) -> String
+extern fn morph_pluralize(noun: String, profile: [String]) -> String
 extern fn morph_map_canonical(verb: String, code: String) -> String
-extern fn morph_conjugate(verb: String, tense: String, person: String, number: String, profile: Any) -> String
-extern fn morph_inflect(word: String, features: String, profile: Any) -> String
+extern fn morph_conjugate(verb: String, tense: String, person: String, number: String, profile: [String]) -> String
+extern fn morph_inflect(word: String, features: String, profile: [String]) -> String
 extern fn pluralize(singular: String) -> String
 extern fn singularize(plural: String) -> String
 extern fn verb_form(base: String, tense: String, person: String, number: String) -> String

elp/src/vocabulary.elh

@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
-// auto-generated by elc --emit-header - do not edit
-extern fn lex_word(entry: Any) -> String
-extern fn lex_pos(entry: Any) -> String
-extern fn lex_form(entry: Any, idx: Int) -> String
-extern fn lex_class(entry: Any) -> String
-extern fn make_entry(word: String, pos: String, f0: String, f1: String, f2: String, f3: String, f4: String, cls: String) -> Any
-extern fn make_entry2(word: String, pos: String, f0: String, f1: String, cls: String) -> Any
-extern fn make_entry3(word: String, pos: String, f0: String, f1: String, f2: String, cls: String) -> Any
-extern fn make_entry1(word: String, pos: String, f0: String, cls: String) -> Any
-extern fn build_vocab() -> Any
-extern fn get_vocab() -> Any
-extern fn vocab_lookup(word: String, lang_code: String) -> Any
-extern fn vocab_lookup_en(word: String) -> Any
+// auto-generated by elc --emit-header — do not edit
+extern fn lex_word(entry: [String]) -> String
+extern fn lex_pos(entry: [String]) -> String
+extern fn lex_form(entry: [String], idx: Int) -> String
+extern fn lex_class(entry: [String]) -> String
+extern fn make_entry(word: String, pos: String, f0: String, f1: String, f2: String, f3: String, f4: String, cls: String) -> [String]
+extern fn make_entry2(word: String, pos: String, f0: String, f1: String, cls: String) -> [String]
+extern fn make_entry3(word: String, pos: String, f0: String, f1: String, f2: String, cls: String) -> [String]
+extern fn make_entry1(word: String, pos: String, f0: String, cls: String) -> [String]
+extern fn build_vocab() -> [[String]]
+extern fn get_vocab() -> [[String]]
+extern fn vocab_lookup(word: String, lang_code: String) -> [String]
+extern fn vocab_lookup_en(word: String) -> [String]
 extern fn vocab_synonym(word: String, lang_register: String, lang_code: String) -> String
-extern fn vocab_by_pos(pos: String) -> Any
-extern fn vocab_by_class(cls: String) -> Any
-extern fn entry_found(entry: Any) -> Bool
-extern fn entry_word(entry: Any) -> String
-extern fn entry_pos(entry: Any) -> String
-extern fn entry_form(entry: Any, n: Int) -> String
+extern fn vocab_by_pos(pos: String) -> [[String]]
+extern fn vocab_by_class(cls: String) -> [[String]]
+extern fn entry_found(entry: [String]) -> Bool
+extern fn entry_word(entry: [String]) -> String
+extern fn entry_pos(entry: [String]) -> String
+extern fn entry_form(entry: [String], n: Int) -> String

lang/el-compiler/runtime/el_runtime.c

@@ -1882,6 +1882,83 @@ el_val_t http_serve_v2(el_val_t port, el_val_t handler) {
     return 0;
 }
 
+/* ── http_serve_async — non-blocking HTTP server ─────────────────────────── */
+/* Runs the accept loop in a background pthread, returns immediately so the
+ * calling EL script can continue (e.g. to run an awareness loop).
+ *
+ * El signature: http_serve_async(port, handler) -> Void               */
+
+typedef struct { int sock; } HttpServeAsyncArg;
+
+static void* _http_serve_async_loop(void* raw) {
+    HttpServeAsyncArg* a = (HttpServeAsyncArg*)raw;
+    int sock = a->sock;
+    free(a);
+    while (1) {
+        struct sockaddr_in6 cli;
+        socklen_t clen = sizeof(cli);
+        int cfd = accept(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&cli, &clen);
+        if (cfd < 0) {
+            if (errno == EINTR) continue;
+            perror("accept"); break;
+        }
+        pthread_mutex_lock(&_http_conn_mu);
+        while (_http_conn_active >= HTTP_MAX_CONNS) {
+            pthread_cond_wait(&_http_conn_cv, &_http_conn_mu);
+        }
+        _http_conn_active++;
+        pthread_mutex_unlock(&_http_conn_mu);
+        HttpWorkerArg* arg = malloc(sizeof(HttpWorkerArg));
+        if (!arg) { close(cfd); continue; }
+        arg->fd = cfd;
+        pthread_t tid;
+        if (pthread_create(&tid, NULL, http_worker, arg) != 0) {
+            close(cfd); free(arg);
+            pthread_mutex_lock(&_http_conn_mu);
+            _http_conn_active--;
+            pthread_cond_signal(&_http_conn_cv);
+            pthread_mutex_unlock(&_http_conn_mu);
+            continue;
+        }
+        pthread_detach(tid);
+    }
+    close(sock);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+void http_serve_async(el_val_t port, el_val_t handler) {
+    const char* hname = EL_CSTR(handler);
+    if (hname && looks_like_string(handler)) {
+        http_set_handler(handler);
+    }
+    int p = (int)port;
+    if (p <= 0 || p > 65535) { fprintf(stderr, "http_serve_async: invalid port %d\n", p); return; }
+    int sock = socket(AF_INET6, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
+    if (sock < 0) { perror("socket"); return; }
+    int yes = 1; int no = 0;
+    setsockopt(sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, &yes, sizeof(yes));
+    setsockopt(sock, IPPROTO_IPV6, IPV6_V6ONLY, &no, sizeof(no));
+    struct sockaddr_in6 addr;
+    memset(&addr, 0, sizeof(addr));
+    addr.sin6_family = AF_INET6;
+    addr.sin6_addr = in6addr_any;
+    addr.sin6_port = htons((uint16_t)p);
+    if (bind(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&addr, sizeof(addr)) < 0) {
+        perror("bind"); close(sock); return;
+    }
+    if (listen(sock, 64) < 0) { perror("listen"); close(sock); return; }
+    fprintf(stderr, "[http] async listening on [::]:%d (dual-stack)\n", p);
+    HttpServeAsyncArg* a = malloc(sizeof(HttpServeAsyncArg));
+    if (!a) { close(sock); return; }
+    a->sock = sock;
+    pthread_t tid;
+    if (pthread_create(&tid, NULL, _http_serve_async_loop, a) != 0) {
+        perror("pthread_create"); free(a); close(sock); return;
+    }
+    pthread_detach(tid);
+    /* Returns immediately — caller can now run awareness_run() or any loop. */
+}
+
 /* Build the response envelope a 4-arg handler can return. We hand-write
  * the JSON so the discriminator key always lands first — the runtime's
  * http_parse_envelope() detects it via prefix match. headers_json must be
@@ -2242,6 +2319,43 @@ el_val_t url_decode(el_val_t sv) {
     return el_wrap_str(out);
 }
 
+/* ── html_raw ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ * Identity passthrough for raw HTML template interpolation.
+ * El's {raw(expr)} compiles to html_raw(expr) — the value is output as-is
+ * without any escaping. The caller is responsible for safety.
+ */
+el_val_t html_raw(el_val_t s) {
+    return s;
+}
+
+/* ── html_escape ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ * Escape < > " ' & for safe HTML text interpolation.
+ * El's {expr} in HTML templates compiles to html_escape(expr).
+ */
+el_val_t html_escape(el_val_t sv) {
+    const char* src = EL_CSTR(sv);
+    if (!src) return EL_STR("");
+    size_t len = strlen(src);
+    /* Worst case: every byte → 6 chars (&quot;) */
+    char* out = (char*)malloc(len * 6 + 1);
+    if (!out) return sv;
+    el_arena_track(out);
+    char* p = out;
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+        unsigned char c = (unsigned char)src[i];
+        switch (c) {
+            case '&':  memcpy(p, "&amp;",  5); p += 5; break;
+            case '<':  memcpy(p, "&lt;",   4); p += 4; break;
+            case '>':  memcpy(p, "&gt;",   4); p += 4; break;
+            case '"':  memcpy(p, "&quot;", 6); p += 6; break;
+            case '\'': memcpy(p, "&#39;",  5); p += 5; break;
+            default:   *p++ = (char)c;          break;
+        }
+    }
+    *p = '\0';
+    return el_wrap_str(out);
+}
+
 /* ── HTML allowlist sanitizer ────────────────────────────────────────────────
  * el_html_sanitize(input, allowlist_json)
  *
@@ -3136,23 +3250,49 @@ static void jb_puts(JsonBuf* b, const char* s) {
 
 static void jb_emit_escaped(JsonBuf* b, const char* s) {
     jb_putc(b, '"');
-    for (; *s; s++) {
-        unsigned char c = (unsigned char)*s;
+    const unsigned char* p = (const unsigned char*)s;
+    while (*p) {
+        unsigned char c = *p;
         switch (c) {
-            case '"':  jb_puts(b, "\\\""); break;
-            case '\\': jb_puts(b, "\\\\"); break;
-            case '\b': jb_puts(b, "\\b");  break;
-            case '\f': jb_puts(b, "\\f");  break;
-            case '\n': jb_puts(b, "\\n");  break;
-            case '\r': jb_puts(b, "\\r");  break;
-            case '\t': jb_puts(b, "\\t");  break;
+            case '"':  jb_puts(b, "\\\""); p++; break;
+            case '\\': jb_puts(b, "\\\\"); p++; break;
+            case '\b': jb_puts(b, "\\b");  p++; break;
+            case '\f': jb_puts(b, "\\f");  p++; break;
+            case '\n': jb_puts(b, "\\n");  p++; break;
+            case '\r': jb_puts(b, "\\r");  p++; break;
+            case '\t': jb_puts(b, "\\t");  p++; break;
             default:
                 if (c < 0x20) {
                     char tmp[8];
                     snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "\\u%04x", c);
                     jb_puts(b, tmp);
-                } else {
+                    p++;
+                } else if (c < 0x80) {
                     jb_putc(b, (char)c);
+                    p++;
+                } else {
+                    /* Multi-byte UTF-8: validate sequence, pass through if valid,
+                     * escape as \u00xx if the start byte is invalid/orphaned. */
+                    int seq_len = 0;
+                    if      ((c & 0xE0) == 0xC0) seq_len = 2;
+                    else if ((c & 0xF0) == 0xE0) seq_len = 3;
+                    else if ((c & 0xF8) == 0xF0) seq_len = 4;
+                    if (seq_len >= 2) {
+                        int valid = 1;
+                        for (int i = 1; i < seq_len; i++) {
+                            if ((p[i] & 0xC0) != 0x80) { valid = 0; break; }
+                        }
+                        if (valid) {
+                            for (int i = 0; i < seq_len; i++) jb_putc(b, (char)p[i]);
+                            p += seq_len;
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    }
+                    /* Invalid start byte or truncated sequence — escape it */
+                    char tmp[8];
+                    snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "\\u%04x", c);
+                    jb_puts(b, tmp);
+                    p++;
                 }
                 break;
         }
@@ -5891,6 +6031,14 @@ void el_cgi_init(el_val_t name, el_val_t dharma_id, el_val_t principal,
 #define ENGRAM_LAYER_DOMAIN          2u
 #define ENGRAM_LAYER_IMPRINT         3u
 #define ENGRAM_LAYER_SUIT            4u
+#define ENGRAM_LAYER_ACCUMULATION    5u
+/* New user-facing nodes (memories, knowledge, conversations) are created in the
+ * accumulation layer — the top of the consciousness stack, the engram the user
+ * sees; every layer below shapes behavior but is hidden from the user (Layered
+ * Consciousness architecture, app 64/064,262). ENGRAM_LAYER_DEFAULT stays
+ * core-identity ON PURPOSE: it is the fallback home for LEGACY nodes loaded from
+ * snapshots without a layer_id, so existing data (the originator corpus) is
+ * never migrated out of its established layer. New != legacy. */
 #define ENGRAM_LAYER_DEFAULT         ENGRAM_LAYER_CORE_IDENTITY
 
 /* Pass 3 override floor. Layer 0 nodes that received any background
@@ -6068,6 +6216,20 @@ static void engram_init_layers(EngramStore* g) {
         .transparent = 0,
         .injectable = 1
     };
+    /* Layer 5 — accumulation. The TOP of the consciousness stack: the default
+     * home for all new user-facing nodes. This is the engram the user sees;
+     * every layer below shapes behavior but is hidden from the user. Not
+     * injectable — it is the persistent user accumulation, not a swappable
+     * overlay. transparent=0: its content is surfaced to introspection (it is
+     * the user's own knowledge/memory), unlike the lower behavioral layers. */
+    g->layers[g->layer_count++] = (EngramLayer){
+        .layer_id = ENGRAM_LAYER_ACCUMULATION,
+        .name = el_strdup_persist("accumulation"),
+        .activation_priority = 50,
+        .suppressible = 1,
+        .transparent = 0,
+        .injectable = 0
+    };
 }
 
 static EngramStore* engram_get(void) {
@@ -6259,7 +6421,7 @@ el_val_t engram_node(el_val_t content, el_val_t node_type, el_val_t salience) {
     n->last_activated = now;
     n->created_at = now;
     n->updated_at = now;
-    n->layer_id   = ENGRAM_LAYER_DEFAULT;
+    n->layer_id   = ENGRAM_LAYER_ACCUMULATION; /* new user-facing node → top layer */
     g->node_count++;
     return el_wrap_str(el_strdup(n->id));
 }
@@ -6295,7 +6457,7 @@ el_val_t engram_node_full(el_val_t content, el_val_t node_type, el_val_t label,
     n->last_activated = now;
     n->created_at = now;
     n->updated_at = now;
-    n->layer_id   = ENGRAM_LAYER_DEFAULT;
+    n->layer_id   = ENGRAM_LAYER_ACCUMULATION; /* new user-facing node → top layer */
     g->node_count++;
     return el_wrap_str(el_strdup(n->id));
 }
@@ -7852,6 +8014,257 @@ el_val_t engram_query_range(el_val_t start_ms_v, el_val_t end_ms_v) {
     return el_wrap_str(b.buf);
 }
 
+/* engram_load_merge — like engram_load but WITHOUT resetting the store.
+ * Reads a JSON snapshot from `path` and adds any nodes/edges not already
+ * present in the in-memory graph. Dedup is by node id (for nodes) and by
+ * (from_id, to_id, relation) tuple (for edges).
+ *
+ * Returns (as an EL int) the count of new nodes added. Embeddings are
+ * intentionally skipped on merged nodes to avoid Ollama delays at runtime;
+ * auto_link_semantic will handle them when nodes are next activated.
+ *
+ * Does not merge layers — the in-process layer registry is authoritative. */
+el_val_t engram_load_merge(el_val_t path) {
+    const char* p = EL_CSTR(path);
+    if (!p || !*p) return 0;
+    FILE* f = fopen(p, "rb");
+    if (!f) return 0;
+    fseek(f, 0, SEEK_END);
+    long sz = ftell(f);
+    rewind(f);
+    if (sz <= 0) { fclose(f); return 0; }
+    char* data = malloc((size_t)sz + 1);
+    if (!data) { fclose(f); return 0; }
+    size_t got = fread(data, 1, (size_t)sz, f);
+    fclose(f);
+    data[got] = '\0';
+
+    EngramStore* g = engram_get();
+    int64_t added_nodes = 0;
+
+    /* Walk nodes array — skip any node whose id already exists */
+    const char* nodes_p = json_find_key(data, "nodes");
+    if (nodes_p) {
+        nodes_p = eg_skip_ws(nodes_p);
+        if (*nodes_p == '[') {
+            nodes_p++;
+            nodes_p = eg_skip_ws(nodes_p);
+            while (*nodes_p && *nodes_p != ']') {
+                if (*nodes_p != '{') { nodes_p++; continue; }
+                const char* end = json_skip_value(nodes_p);
+                size_t n = (size_t)(end - nodes_p);
+                char* obj = malloc(n + 1);
+                memcpy(obj, nodes_p, n); obj[n] = '\0';
+                char* nid = eg_get_str_field(obj, "id");
+                int already = (nid && *nid && engram_find_node(nid) != NULL);
+                free(nid);
+                if (!already) {
+                    engram_grow_nodes();
+                    EngramNode* nn = &g->nodes[g->node_count];
+                    memset(nn, 0, sizeof(*nn));
+                    nn->id        = eg_get_str_field(obj, "id");
+                    nn->content   = eg_get_str_field(obj, "content");
+                    nn->node_type = eg_get_str_field(obj, "node_type");
+                    nn->label     = eg_get_str_field(obj, "label");
+                    nn->tier      = eg_get_str_field(obj, "tier");
+                    nn->tags      = eg_get_str_field(obj, "tags");
+                    nn->metadata  = eg_get_str_field(obj, "metadata");
+                    if (!nn->metadata || !*nn->metadata) { free(nn->metadata); nn->metadata = strdup("{}"); }
+                    nn->salience              = eg_get_num_field(obj, "salience");
+                    nn->importance            = eg_get_num_field(obj, "importance");
+                    nn->confidence            = eg_get_num_field(obj, "confidence");
+                    nn->temporal_decay_rate   = eg_get_num_field(obj, "temporal_decay_rate");
+                    nn->activation_count      = eg_get_int_field(obj, "activation_count");
+                    nn->last_activated        = eg_get_int_field(obj, "last_activated");
+                    nn->created_at            = eg_get_int_field(obj, "created_at");
+                    nn->updated_at            = eg_get_int_field(obj, "updated_at");
+                    nn->background_activation = eg_get_num_field(obj, "background_activation");
+                    nn->working_memory_weight = eg_get_num_field(obj, "working_memory_weight");
+                    if (!isfinite(nn->working_memory_weight) || nn->working_memory_weight < 0.0 || nn->working_memory_weight > 1.0)
+                        nn->working_memory_weight = 0.0; /* clamp corrupt snapshot values */
+                    nn->suppression_count     = (int32_t)eg_get_int_field(obj, "suppression_count");
+                    if (json_find_key(obj, "layer_id")) {
+                        nn->layer_id = (uint32_t)eg_get_int_field(obj, "layer_id");
+                    } else {
+                        nn->layer_id = ENGRAM_LAYER_DEFAULT;
+                    }
+                    g->node_count++;
+                    added_nodes++;
+                }
+                free(obj);
+                nodes_p = end;
+                nodes_p = eg_skip_ws(nodes_p);
+                if (*nodes_p == ',') { nodes_p++; nodes_p = eg_skip_ws(nodes_p); }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /* Walk edges array — skip if (from_id, to_id, relation) already present */
+    const char* edges_p = json_find_key(data, "edges");
+    if (edges_p) {
+        edges_p = eg_skip_ws(edges_p);
+        if (*edges_p == '[') {
+            edges_p++;
+            edges_p = eg_skip_ws(edges_p);
+            while (*edges_p && *edges_p != ']') {
+                if (*edges_p != '{') { edges_p++; continue; }
+                const char* end = json_skip_value(edges_p);
+                size_t n = (size_t)(end - edges_p);
+                char* obj = malloc(n + 1);
+                memcpy(obj, edges_p, n); obj[n] = '\0';
+                char* efrom = eg_get_str_field(obj, "from_id");
+                char* eto   = eg_get_str_field(obj, "to_id");
+                char* erel  = eg_get_str_field(obj, "relation");
+                /* Check for duplicate by scanning existing edges */
+                int dup = 0;
+                if (efrom && eto && erel) {
+                    for (int64_t ei = 0; ei < g->edge_count; ei++) {
+                        EngramEdge* ex = &g->edges[ei];
+                        if (ex->from_id && ex->to_id && ex->relation &&
+                            strcmp(ex->from_id, efrom) == 0 &&
+                            strcmp(ex->to_id,   eto)   == 0 &&
+                            strcmp(ex->relation, erel)  == 0) {
+                            dup = 1; break;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                if (!dup) {
+                    engram_grow_edges();
+                    EngramEdge* ee = &g->edges[g->edge_count];
+                    memset(ee, 0, sizeof(*ee));
+                    ee->id       = eg_get_str_field(obj, "id");
+                    ee->from_id  = efrom ? efrom : strdup("");
+                    ee->to_id    = eto   ? eto   : strdup("");
+                    ee->relation = erel  ? erel  : strdup("");
+                    ee->metadata = eg_get_str_field(obj, "metadata");
+                    if (!ee->metadata || !*ee->metadata) { free(ee->metadata); ee->metadata = strdup("{}"); }
+                    ee->weight     = eg_get_num_field(obj, "weight");
+                    ee->confidence = eg_get_num_field(obj, "confidence");
+                    ee->created_at = eg_get_int_field(obj, "created_at");
+                    ee->updated_at = eg_get_int_field(obj, "updated_at");
+                    ee->last_fired = eg_get_int_field(obj, "last_fired");
+                    ee->inhibitory = (int)eg_get_int_field(obj, "inhibitory");
+                    if (json_find_key(obj, "layer_id")) {
+                        ee->layer_id = (uint32_t)eg_get_int_field(obj, "layer_id");
+                    } else {
+                        ee->layer_id = ENGRAM_LAYER_DEFAULT;
+                    }
+                    g->edge_count++;
+                    /* NOTE: efrom/eto/erel ownership transferred to ee above */
+                    efrom = NULL; eto = NULL; erel = NULL;
+                } else {
+                    free(efrom); free(eto); free(erel);
+                }
+                free(obj);
+                edges_p = end;
+                edges_p = eg_skip_ws(edges_p);
+                if (*edges_p == ',') { edges_p++; edges_p = eg_skip_ws(edges_p); }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    free(data);
+    return (el_val_t)added_nodes;
+}
+
+el_val_t engram_wm_count(void) {
+    EngramStore* g = engram_get();
+    int64_t count = 0;
+    for (int64_t i = 0; i < g->node_count; i++) {
+        if (g->nodes[i].working_memory_weight > 0.0) count++;
+    }
+    return (el_val_t)count;
+}
+
+/* Average working_memory_weight across all promoted nodes (wm > 0).
+ * Returns the float bit-pattern via el_from_float so EL can use it with
+ * float_to_str / float_gt. Returns 0.0 when no nodes are promoted.
+ * Useful in heartbeat ISEs to distinguish "many weak activations" (sparse
+ * graph, low avg) from "few strong activations" (dense subgraph, high avg).
+ * Added 2026-06-04 self-review for graph health observability. */
+el_val_t engram_wm_avg_weight(void) {
+    EngramStore* g = engram_get();
+    double sum = 0.0;
+    int64_t count = 0;
+    for (int64_t i = 0; i < g->node_count; i++) {
+        double w = g->nodes[i].working_memory_weight;
+        /* Defensive guard: skip any corrupt/out-of-range values so a single
+         * bad snapshot node doesn't produce a garbage average (e.g. 1.77e+234). */
+        if (w > 0.0 && w <= 1.0 && isfinite(w)) { sum += w; count++; }
+    }
+    double avg = (count > 0) ? (sum / (double)count) : 0.0;
+    return el_from_float(avg);
+}
+
+/* engram_wm_top_json — return top N working-memory nodes (by wm weight) as a
+ * compact JSON array for ISE heartbeat reporting.
+ *
+ * Each element: {"label":"...","node_type":"...","tier":"...","wm":0.42}
+ *
+ * Purpose: the heartbeat ISE reports wm_active (count) and wm_avg_weight but
+ * gives zero visibility into WM *composition* — which types/tiers are active.
+ * After long uptime every WM slot is in steady-state decay+re-promotion so
+ * wm_promotion ISEs never fire (they only fire on 0→>0.1 transitions).
+ * This function fills the observability gap by snapshotting the current top-N
+ * WM nodes on every heartbeat. Inserted 2026-06-05 self-review. */
+el_val_t engram_wm_top_json(el_val_t n_v) {
+    int64_t top_n = (int64_t)n_v;
+    if (top_n <= 0) top_n = 10;
+    if (top_n > 50) top_n = 50;
+    EngramStore* g = engram_get();
+
+    /* Collect indices of promoted nodes, excluding monitoring noise.
+     * InternalStateEvent nodes are system-observation artifacts — they reflect
+     * what the daemon is doing, not what it knows. Including them in wm_top
+     * buries real knowledge (Memory, Knowledge, Belief nodes) under a wall of
+     * heartbeat/curiosity ISEs, making the heartbeat ISE useless for diagnosing
+     * WM composition. Filter them out here so wm_top always shows substantive
+     * content. (2026-06-07 self-review) */
+    int64_t* idx = malloc((size_t)(g->node_count + 1) * sizeof(int64_t));
+    if (!idx) return el_wrap_str(el_strdup("[]"));
+    int64_t mc = 0;
+    for (int64_t i = 0; i < g->node_count; i++) {
+        if (g->nodes[i].working_memory_weight > 0.0) {
+            const char* nt = g->nodes[i].node_type;
+            if (nt && strcmp(nt, "InternalStateEvent") == 0) continue;
+            idx[mc++] = i;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /* Insertion-sort descending by wm weight (mc is typically small). */
+    for (int64_t i = 1; i < mc; i++) {
+        int64_t key = idx[i];
+        double  kw  = g->nodes[key].working_memory_weight;
+        int64_t j = i;
+        while (j > 0 && g->nodes[idx[j-1]].working_memory_weight < kw) {
+            idx[j] = idx[j-1]; j--;
+        }
+        idx[j] = key;
+    }
+
+    int64_t emit = mc < top_n ? mc : top_n;
+    JsonBuf b; jb_init(&b);
+    jb_putc(&b, '[');
+    for (int64_t k = 0; k < emit; k++) {
+        EngramNode* n = &g->nodes[idx[k]];
+        if (k > 0) jb_putc(&b, ',');
+        jb_putc(&b, '{');
+        jb_puts(&b, "\"label\":");
+        jb_emit_escaped(&b, n->label     ? n->label     : "");
+        jb_puts(&b, ",\"node_type\":");
+        jb_emit_escaped(&b, n->node_type ? n->node_type : "");
+        jb_puts(&b, ",\"tier\":");
+        jb_emit_escaped(&b, n->tier      ? n->tier      : "");
+        char tmp[48];
+        snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), ",\"wm\":%.3f", n->working_memory_weight);
+        jb_puts(&b, tmp);
+        jb_putc(&b, '}');
+    }
+    free(idx);
+    jb_putc(&b, ']');
+    return el_wrap_str(b.buf);
+}
+
 #ifdef HAVE_CURL
 /* ── DHARMA network ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  * Real implementation. Peers are addressed by `dharma_id` — either bare
@@ -8492,7 +8905,7 @@ static el_val_t llm_provider_request(const char* url, const char* key,
     }
 }
 
-static el_val_t llm_chain_call(const char* system_str, const char* user_str) {
+static el_val_t llm_chain_call(const char* model_pref, const char* system_str, const char* user_str) {
     char url_key[64], key_key[64], fmt_key[64], model_key[64];
     for (int i = 0; i < LLM_MAX_PROVIDERS; i++) {
         snprintf(url_key,   sizeof(url_key),   "NEURON_LLM_%d_URL",    i);
@@ -8505,6 +8918,7 @@ static el_val_t llm_chain_call(const char* system_str, const char* user_str) {
         const char* fmt_s = getenv(fmt_key);
         int fmt = (fmt_s && strcmp(fmt_s, "anthropic") == 0) ? 1 : 0;
         const char* model = getenv(model_key);
+        if (!model || !*model) model = model_pref; /* fall back to the caller-requested model */
         fprintf(stderr, "[llm] trying provider %d (%s)\n", i, url);
         el_val_t result = llm_provider_request(url, key, fmt, model, system_str, user_str);
         const char* t = EL_CSTR(result);
@@ -8515,7 +8929,7 @@ static el_val_t llm_chain_call(const char* system_str, const char* user_str) {
     const char* api_key = getenv("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY");
     if (!api_key || !*api_key) return http_error_json("no LLM providers configured");
     fprintf(stderr, "[llm] using legacy ANTHROPIC_API_KEY fallback\n");
-    return llm_provider_request(LLM_API_URL, api_key, 1, NULL, system_str, user_str);
+    return llm_provider_request(LLM_API_URL, api_key, 1, model_pref, system_str, user_str);
 }
 
 /* Legacy llm_request — kept for backward compat with agentic loop internals */
@@ -8579,14 +8993,16 @@ static el_val_t llm_extract_text(el_val_t resp_val) {
 }
 
 el_val_t llm_call(el_val_t model, el_val_t prompt) {
+    const char* m = EL_CSTR(model);
     const char* u = EL_CSTR(prompt); if (!u) u = "";
-    return llm_chain_call(NULL, u);
+    return llm_chain_call(m, NULL, u);
 }
 
 el_val_t llm_call_system(el_val_t model, el_val_t system_prompt, el_val_t user_prompt) {
+    const char* m = EL_CSTR(model);
     const char* s = EL_CSTR(system_prompt); if (!s) s = "";
     const char* u = EL_CSTR(user_prompt);   if (!u) u = "";
-    return llm_chain_call(s, u);
+    return llm_chain_call(m, s, u);
 }
 
 /* ── Tool registry for llm_call_agentic ─────────────────────────────────── */

lang/el-compiler/runtime/el_runtime.h

@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ el_val_t  http_set_handler(el_val_t name);
  * existing handlers (e.g. products/web/server.el): it dispatches with
  * (method, path, body), hardcodes 200 OK, and auto-detects content type. */
 el_val_t  http_serve_v2(el_val_t port, el_val_t handler);
+void      http_serve_async(el_val_t port, el_val_t handler);
 el_val_t  http_set_handler_v2(el_val_t name);
 
 /* Build an HTTP response envelope. `headers_json` should be a JSON object
@@ -227,6 +228,8 @@ el_val_t  url_decode(el_val_t s);   /* '+' → space, %XX → byte  */
  *     {"p":[],"a":["href","title"],"strong":[],...}
  * where each value is the array of attribute names allowed for that tag. */
 el_val_t  el_html_sanitize(el_val_t input_html, el_val_t allowlist_json);
+el_val_t  html_raw(el_val_t s);
+el_val_t  html_escape(el_val_t s);
 
 /* ── Filesystem ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
 
@@ -636,6 +639,12 @@ el_val_t  engram_list_layers_json(void);
  * no nodes promoted to working memory. */
 el_val_t  engram_compile_layered_json(el_val_t intent, el_val_t depth);
 
+/* ── Working memory ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────*/
+el_val_t  engram_wm_count(void);
+el_val_t  engram_wm_avg_weight(void);
+el_val_t  engram_wm_top_json(el_val_t n);
+el_val_t  engram_load_merge(el_val_t path);
+
 /* ── LLM (Anthropic API client) ─────────────────────────────────────────────
  * All functions call https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages with the API key
  * from env ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Default model when empty: claude-sonnet-4-5. */

lang/elb.el

@@ -77,6 +77,33 @@ fn parse_manifest_entry(src: String) -> String {
     return ""
 }
 
+// parse_manifest_c_sources - collect all `c_source "path"` lines from the
+// build block.  Returns a flat list of path strings.
+fn parse_manifest_c_sources(src: String) -> [String] {
+    let result: [String] = native_list_empty()
+    let lines: [String] = str_split(src, "\n")
+    let n: Int = native_list_len(lines)
+    let i = 0
+    while i < n {
+        let line: String = native_list_get(lines, i)
+        let t: String = str_trim(line)
+        if str_starts_with(t, "c_source ") {
+            let after: String = str_slice(t, 9, str_len(t))
+            let trimmed: String = str_trim(after)
+            if str_starts_with(trimmed, "\"") {
+                let inner: String = str_slice(trimmed, 1, str_len(trimmed))
+                let q: Int = str_index_of(inner, "\"")
+                if q >= 0 {
+                    let path: String = str_slice(inner, 0, q)
+                    let result = native_list_append(result, path)
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        let i = i + 1
+    }
+    return result
+}
+
 fn parse_manifest_name(src: String) -> String {
     let lines: [String] = str_split(src, "\n")
     let n: Int = native_list_len(lines)
@@ -274,7 +301,18 @@ fn link_binary(c_files: [String], out_bin: String, runtime_path: String, out_dir
     // Detect clang vs gcc: -fbracket-depth is clang-only; silently ignored
     // if unsupported but gcc rejects it with an error.
     let bracket_flag: String = "$(cc --version 2>&1 | grep -q clang && printf -- '-fbracket-depth=1024' || true)"
-    let parts = native_list_append(parts, "cc -O2 " + bracket_flag + " -I " + dirname_of(runtime_path) + " -I " + out_dir)
+    // On macOS, OpenSSL is not on the default linker path. Detect homebrew
+    // prefix and add it if present (no-op on Linux where libssl is in /usr/lib).
+    let ossl_lib_flag: String = "$(brew --prefix openssl 2>/dev/null | xargs -I{} printf -- '-L{}/lib' 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    let ossl_inc_flag: String = "$(brew --prefix openssl 2>/dev/null | xargs -I{} printf -- '-I{}/include' 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    // Force-include the C-level master declarations header so every translation
+    // unit sees all cross-module function signatures. Handles packages (like ELP)
+    // where modules call each other without explicit El import statements.
+    // The header is generated by elb --gen-decls or manually placed in out_dir.
+    let master_decls: String = out_dir + "/elp-c-decls.h"
+    let has_master: String = str_trim(exec_capture("test -f " + master_decls + " && echo yes || echo no"))
+    let include_flag: String = if str_eq(has_master, "yes") { "-include " + master_decls } else { "" }
+    let parts = native_list_append(parts, "cc -O2 " + bracket_flag + " " + ossl_inc_flag + " " + include_flag + " -I " + dirname_of(runtime_path) + " -I " + out_dir)
     let i = 0
     while i < n {
         let f: String = native_list_get(c_files, i)
@@ -282,7 +320,7 @@ fn link_binary(c_files: [String], out_bin: String, runtime_path: String, out_dir
         let i = i + 1
     }
     let parts = native_list_append(parts, runtime_path)
-    let parts = native_list_append(parts, "-lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm")
+    let parts = native_list_append(parts, ossl_lib_flag + " -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lpthread -lm")
     let parts = native_list_append(parts, "-o " + out_bin)
     let cmd: String = str_join(parts, " ")
     println("  link     " + out_bin)
@@ -315,6 +353,7 @@ fn main() -> Void {
 
     let pkg_name: String = parse_manifest_name(manifest_src)
     let entry: String    = parse_manifest_entry(manifest_src)
+    let extra_c: [String] = parse_manifest_c_sources(manifest_src)
     if str_eq(entry, "") {
         println("elb: manifest.el has no 'entry' declaration")
         exit(1)
@@ -393,6 +432,15 @@ fn main() -> Void {
         exit(1)
     }
 
+    // Append any extra C sources declared in the manifest (e.g. platform stubs)
+    let ei = 0
+    let en: Int = native_list_len(extra_c)
+    while ei < en {
+        let ec: String = native_list_get(extra_c, ei)
+        let c_files = native_list_append(c_files, ec)
+        let ei = ei + 1
+    }
+
     // Link
     let out_bin: String = out_dir + "/" + pkg_name
     let linked: Bool = link_binary(c_files, out_bin, runtime_path, out_dir, dry_run)

lang/runtime/engram.el

@@ -6,15 +6,55 @@
 //
 // Dependencies: runtime/string.el, runtime/json.el
 
+// --- Validation (defense in depth) ---
+// el_val_t is an untyped machine word, so a wrong TYPE can't be caught here — but a
+// wrong VALUE can (a tier in the node_type slot, an empty/garbage string, an int, a
+// path, a model name, a cgi id). Reject loudly instead of silently writing junk.
+
+fn engram_valid_node_type(t: String) -> Bool {
+    return str_eq(t, "Memory") || str_eq(t, "Knowledge") || str_eq(t, "Belief")
+        || str_eq(t, "Project") || str_eq(t, "Tag") || str_eq(t, "BacklogItem")
+        || str_eq(t, "Artifact") || str_eq(t, "Conversation") || str_eq(t, "ExecutionContext")
+        || str_eq(t, "InternalStateEvent") || str_eq(t, "Self") || str_eq(t, "Entity")
+        || str_eq(t, "Process") || str_eq(t, "ConfigEntry") || str_eq(t, "Concept") || str_eq(t, "Imprint")
+        || str_eq(t, "SessionSummary")
+}
+
+fn engram_valid_tier(t: String) -> Bool {
+    return str_eq(t, "Semantic") || str_eq(t, "Episodic") || str_eq(t, "Working")
+        || str_eq(t, "Procedural") || str_eq(t, "Canonical") || str_eq(t, "Note") || str_eq(t, "Lesson")
+}
+
 // --- Node creation ---
 
 fn engram_node(content: String, node_type: String, salience: Float) -> String {
+    if !engram_valid_node_type(node_type) {
+        __println("[engram] REJECTED node write — invalid node_type '" + node_type + "'")
+        return ""
+    }
     return __engram_node(content, node_type, salience)
 }
 
-fn engram_node_full(content: String, nt: String, sal: Float, imp: Float,
-                    source: String, lang: String, ts: Int, tags: String) -> String {
-    return __engram_node_full(content, nt, sal, imp, source, lang, ts, tags)
+// Signature MUST match the C primitive __engram_node_full exactly (el_seed.h):
+//   (content, node_type, label, salience, importance, confidence, tier, tags)
+// The previous wrapper declared a stale 8-arg schema with wrong names AND types
+// (sal:Float at the label slot, ts:Int at the tier slot). Because el_val_t is an
+// untyped machine word, the EL compiler coerced caller args to those wrong param
+// types and then forwarded them BY POSITION into the C function — so tier received
+// an int, importance/confidence received strings, label received a float, etc.
+// That is the field-corruption bug. Match the contract 1:1 — no coercion, no reorder.
+fn engram_node_full(content: String, node_type: String, label: String,
+                    salience: Float, importance: Float, confidence: Float,
+                    tier: String, tags: String) -> String {
+    if !engram_valid_node_type(node_type) {
+        __println("[engram] REJECTED node write — invalid node_type '" + node_type + "' (label=" + label + ")")
+        return ""
+    }
+    if !engram_valid_tier(tier) {
+        __println("[engram] REJECTED node write — invalid tier '" + tier + "' (node_type=" + node_type + ", label=" + label + ")")
+        return ""
+    }
+    return __engram_node_full(content, node_type, label, salience, importance, confidence, tier, tags)
 }
 
 // --- Node retrieval ---