diff --git a/chat.el b/chat.el
index 1b69862..4e6c2af 100644
--- a/chat.el
+++ b/chat.el
@@ -81,7 +81,15 @@ fn build_system_prompt(ctx: String) -> String {
         "\n\n[ENGRAM CONTEXT — compiled from your graph]\n" + ctx
     }
 
-    return identity + date_line + voice_rules + security_rules + identity_block + engram_block
+    let safety_addendum: String = state_get("layered_cycle_safety_system_addendum")
+    let safety_block: String = if str_eq(safety_addendum, "") {
+        ""
+    } else {
+        state_set("layered_cycle_safety_system_addendum", "")
+        safety_addendum
+    }
+
+    return identity + date_line + voice_rules + security_rules + identity_block + engram_block + safety_block
 }
 
 fn hist_append(hist: String, role: String, content: String) -> String {
@@ -184,7 +192,8 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
         let cutoff: Int = now_ts - 259200
         let found_recent: Bool = if has_nodes {
             let dn0: String = json_array_get(distress_nodes, 0)
-            let ts0_str: String = json_get(dn0, "created_at")
+            let ts0_raw: String = json_get(dn0, "created_at")
+            let ts0_str: String = if str_eq(ts0_raw, "") { json_get(dn0, "updated_at") } else { ts0_raw }
             let ts0: Int = if str_eq(ts0_str, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(ts0_str) }
             ts0 > cutoff
         } else { false }
diff --git a/soul.el b/soul.el
index 598324a..a77f736 100644
--- a/soul.el
+++ b/soul.el
@@ -312,15 +312,6 @@ fn layered_cycle(raw_input: String) -> String {
         json_get(steward_result, "redirect_to")
     }
 
-    // L1 safety augment: if a soft bell fired, inject the safety directive into state
-    // so imprint_respond (and build_system_prompt) can incorporate it before the LLM call.
-    // Hard bell is handled above (early exit). Here we act on soft_bell only.
-    if str_eq(screen_action, "soft_bell") {
-        let base_system: String = state_get("soul_identity")
-        let augmented: String = safety_augment_system(base_system, raw_input)
-        state_set("soul_safety_system_augment", augmented)
-    }
-
     // L3: imprint responds
     let output: String = imprint_respond(aligned, imprint_id)