self-review 2026-07-24: boot counter — demote to telemetry weight, restore persistence via HTTP write-back

Three stale soul:boot_count copies (salience .9, importance .9, Canonical:
+0.2 tier bias, 0.15 threshold) held the top WM slots for 23h — a boot
counter outcompeting real context. Demoted to salience .55 / importance .2 /
tier Working: plumbing, not memory.

Persistence was also broken: in HTTP-engram mode the server owns state and
nothing wrote the counter back — the log shows boot #5 on three consecutive
boots. mem_boot_count_inc now mirrors the persona write-back: delete stale
server copies (matched by content prefix — route_create_node sets
label=content), create the replacement server-side. Working tier is in the
boot seed (/api/nodes) but excluded from periodic /api/sync, so the count
survives restarts without re-importing mid-session. Verified: restart
incremented 1->2 with exactly one server-side counter node.

awareness.el

@@ -236,7 +236,24 @@ fn auto_term_try_slot(slot_type: String, slot_lbl: String) -> Void {
         if !str_eq(slot_lbl, "") {
             let sp: Int = str_find_chars(slot_lbl, " :([")
             if sp > 3 {
-                state_set("cseed_auto", str_slice(slot_lbl, 0, sp))
+                // GENRE-WORD BLOCKLIST (2026-07-23 self-review): world-ingestor
+                // titles open with classifier prefixes ("Method paper ...",
+                // "Theory paper ..."), so the first word is a genre tag, not a
+                // topic. Verified live: every scan after Knowledge admission
+                // seeded on 'Method'. Skip these; a lower-WM slot with a
+                // topical first word wins instead.
+                let term: String = str_slice(slot_lbl, 0, sp)
+                state_set("_ats_gw", "0")
+                if str_eq(term, "Method")    { state_set("_ats_gw", "1") }
+                if str_eq(term, "Theory")    { state_set("_ats_gw", "1") }
+                if str_eq(term, "Finding")   { state_set("_ats_gw", "1") }
+                if str_eq(term, "Survey")    { state_set("_ats_gw", "1") }
+                if str_eq(term, "Paper")     { state_set("_ats_gw", "1") }
+                if str_eq(term, "Knowledge") { state_set("_ats_gw", "1") }
+                if str_eq(term, "Value")     { state_set("_ats_gw", "1") }
+                if str_eq(state_get("_ats_gw"), "0") {
+                    state_set("cseed_auto", term)
+                }
             }
         }
     }

dist/awareness.c

@@ -188,7 +188,32 @@ el_val_t auto_term_try_slot(el_val_t slot_type, el_val_t slot_lbl) {
     if (!str_eq(slot_lbl, EL_STR(""))) {
       el_val_t sp = str_find_chars(slot_lbl, EL_STR(" :(["));
       if (sp > 3) {
-        state_set(EL_STR("cseed_auto"), str_slice(slot_lbl, 0, sp));
+        el_val_t term = str_slice(slot_lbl, 0, sp);
+        state_set(EL_STR("_ats_gw"), EL_STR("0"));
+        if (str_eq(term, EL_STR("Method"))) {
+          state_set(EL_STR("_ats_gw"), EL_STR("1"));
+        }
+        if (str_eq(term, EL_STR("Theory"))) {
+          state_set(EL_STR("_ats_gw"), EL_STR("1"));
+        }
+        if (str_eq(term, EL_STR("Finding"))) {
+          state_set(EL_STR("_ats_gw"), EL_STR("1"));
+        }
+        if (str_eq(term, EL_STR("Survey"))) {
+          state_set(EL_STR("_ats_gw"), EL_STR("1"));
+        }
+        if (str_eq(term, EL_STR("Paper"))) {
+          state_set(EL_STR("_ats_gw"), EL_STR("1"));
+        }
+        if (str_eq(term, EL_STR("Knowledge"))) {
+          state_set(EL_STR("_ats_gw"), EL_STR("1"));
+        }
+        if (str_eq(term, EL_STR("Value"))) {
+          state_set(EL_STR("_ats_gw"), EL_STR("1"));
+        }
+        if (str_eq(state_get(EL_STR("_ats_gw")), EL_STR("0"))) {
+          state_set(EL_STR("cseed_auto"), term);
+        }
       }
     }
   }

dist/memory.c

@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ el_val_t mem_boot_count_inc(void) {
   }
   el_val_t content = el_str_concat(EL_STR("soul:boot_count:"), int_to_str(next));
   el_val_t tags = EL_STR("[\"soul-meta\",\"boot-counter\"]");
-  el_val_t boot_node_id = engram_node_full(content, EL_STR("Memory"), EL_STR("soul:boot_count"), el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(1.0), EL_STR("Canonical"), tags);
+  el_val_t boot_node_id = engram_node_full(content, EL_STR("Memory"), EL_STR("soul:boot_count"), el_from_float(0.55), el_from_float(0.2), el_from_float(1.0), EL_STR("Working"), tags);
   if (str_eq(boot_node_id, EL_STR(""))) {
     println(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("[memory] mem_boot_count_inc: write rejected (empty id) \xe2\x80\x94 boot counter node lost (count="), int_to_str(next)), EL_STR(")")));
     return next;
@@ -178,6 +178,32 @@ el_val_t mem_boot_count_inc(void) {
   if (str_eq(boot_readback, EL_STR("")) || str_eq(boot_readback, EL_STR("{}"))) {
     println(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("[memory] mem_boot_count_inc: WRITE VERIFY FAILED id="), boot_node_id), EL_STR(" count=")), int_to_str(next)));
   }
+  el_val_t wb_url = env(EL_STR("ENGRAM_URL"));
+  el_val_t wb_key = env(EL_STR("ENGRAM_API_KEY"));
+  if (!str_eq(wb_url, EL_STR("")) && !str_eq(wb_key, EL_STR(""))) {
+    el_val_t auth_body = el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("{\"_auth\":\""), json_safe(wb_key)), EL_STR("\"}"));
+    el_val_t srv_old = http_get(el_str_concat(wb_url, EL_STR("/api/search?q=soul:boot_count&limit=20")));
+    if (!str_eq(srv_old, EL_STR("")) && !str_eq(srv_old, EL_STR("[]"))) {
+      el_val_t srv_len = json_array_len(srv_old);
+      el_val_t si = 0;
+      while (si < srv_len) {
+        el_val_t srv_node = json_array_get(srv_old, si);
+        el_val_t srv_content = json_get(srv_node, EL_STR("content"));
+        if (str_starts_with(srv_content, EL_STR("soul:boot_count:"))) {
+          el_val_t srv_id = json_get(srv_node, EL_STR("id"));
+          if (!str_eq(srv_id, EL_STR(""))) {
+            http_delete_json(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(wb_url, EL_STR("/api/nodes/")), srv_id), auth_body);
+          }
+        }
+        si = (si + 1);
+      }
+    }
+    el_val_t wb_body = el_str_concat(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("{\"content\":\""), content), EL_STR("\",\"node_type\":\"Memory\",\"label\":\"soul:boot_count\",\"salience\":0.55,\"importance\":0.2,\"tier\":\"Working\",\"tags\":\"[\\\"soul-meta\\\",\\\"boot-counter\\\"]\",\"_auth\":\"")), json_safe(wb_key)), EL_STR("\"}"));
+    el_val_t wb_resp = http_post_json(el_str_concat(wb_url, EL_STR("/api/nodes")), wb_body);
+    if (str_contains(wb_resp, EL_STR("\"error\""))) {
+      println(el_str_concat(EL_STR("[memory] mem_boot_count_inc: HTTP write-back failed (count in-memory only): "), wb_resp));
+    }
+  }
   return next;
   return 0;
 }

memory.el

@@ -188,10 +188,20 @@ fn mem_boot_count_inc() -> Int {
     }
     let content: String = "soul:boot_count:" + int_to_str(next)
     let tags: String = "[\"soul-meta\",\"boot-counter\"]"
+    // TELEMETRY DEMOTION (2026-07-24 self-review): this counter was written at
+    // salience 0.9 / importance 0.9 / tier Canonical — Canonical gets +0.2
+    // goal bias and the 0.15 promotion threshold, so three stale copies of a
+    // BOOT COUNTER held the top working-memory slots (wm 0.31+) for 23h,
+    // crowding out real context. It is plumbing, not memory. Working tier:
+    // 0.40 threshold, no tier bias, and the /api/sync route excludes
+    // Working-tier nodes — so the counter also stops leaking to the engram
+    // server graph, which is where the duplicate copies accumulated (the
+    // prune below only reaches the soul's local graph). Persistence across
+    // restarts comes from the soul's own snapshot (mem_save), not from sync.
     let boot_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
         content, "Memory", "soul:boot_count",
-        el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(1.0),
+        el_from_float(0.55), el_from_float(0.2), el_from_float(1.0),
-        "Canonical", tags
+        "Working", tags
     )
     if str_eq(boot_node_id, "") {
         println("[memory] mem_boot_count_inc: write rejected (empty id) — boot counter node lost (count=" + int_to_str(next) + ")")
@@ -201,6 +211,46 @@ fn mem_boot_count_inc() -> Int {
     if str_eq(boot_readback, "") || str_eq(boot_readback, "{}") {
         println("[memory] mem_boot_count_inc: WRITE VERIFY FAILED id=" + boot_node_id + " count=" + int_to_str(next))
     }
+    // HTTP WRITE-BACK (2026-07-24 self-review): in HTTP-engram mode the server
+    // owns persistence and the soul's in-process graph dies with the process —
+    // the local create above is invisible to the next boot. The counter only
+    // ever "persisted" via a long-gone push path, which is why the log shows
+    // boot #5 on three consecutive boots. Mirror the persona write-back
+    // pattern: delete stale server copies (dupes were the 23h WM-pollution
+    // bug), then create the demoted replacement server-side. Boot seeding
+    // reads /api/nodes, which includes Working-tier nodes, so the count
+    // survives restarts; the periodic /api/sync excludes Working tier, so it
+    // never re-imports mid-session. Fail-soft: on any HTTP error the counter
+    // is in-memory-only this session, same as before.
+    let wb_url: String = env("ENGRAM_URL")
+    let wb_key: String = env("ENGRAM_API_KEY")
+    if !str_eq(wb_url, "") && !str_eq(wb_key, "") {
+        let auth_body: String = "{\"_auth\":\"" + json_safe(wb_key) + "\"}"
+        let srv_old: String = http_get(wb_url + "/api/search?q=soul:boot_count&limit=20")
+        if !str_eq(srv_old, "") && !str_eq(srv_old, "[]") {
+            let srv_len: Int = json_array_len(srv_old)
+            let si: Int = 0
+            while si < srv_len {
+                let srv_node: String = json_array_get(srv_old, si)
+                // Match by CONTENT prefix, not label: route_create_node sets
+                // label = content, so server-side counter nodes carry labels
+                // like "soul:boot_count:6". (2026-07-24)
+                let srv_content: String = json_get(srv_node, "content")
+                if str_starts_with(srv_content, "soul:boot_count:") {
+                    let srv_id: String = json_get(srv_node, "id")
+                    if !str_eq(srv_id, "") {
+                        http_delete_json(wb_url + "/api/nodes/" + srv_id, auth_body)
+                    }
+                }
+                let si = si + 1
+            }
+        }
+        let wb_body: String = "{\"content\":\"" + content + "\",\"node_type\":\"Memory\",\"label\":\"soul:boot_count\",\"salience\":0.55,\"importance\":0.2,\"tier\":\"Working\",\"tags\":\"[\\\"soul-meta\\\",\\\"boot-counter\\\"]\",\"_auth\":\"" + json_safe(wb_key) + "\"}"
+        let wb_resp: String = http_post_json(wb_url + "/api/nodes", wb_body)
+        if str_contains(wb_resp, "\"error\"") {
+            println("[memory] mem_boot_count_inc: HTTP write-back failed (count in-memory only): " + wb_resp)
+        }
+    }
     return next
 }