fix(reliability): llm-retry — empty response detection, configurable max_tokens, connector timeout

Issue #5: detect empty string from llm_extract_text() as an error in handle_chat,
handle_chat_as_soul, and handle_dharma_room_turn. The C runtime silently returns ""
when the LLM response content array is missing or all blocks fail to parse; without
this guard the empty string passes through to callers as a silent empty reply.

Issue #9: make agentic_loop max_tokens configurable via NEURON_LLM_MAX_TOKENS env
var (default 4096). The hardcoded value is marginal for long tool chains (8 iterations
x 4096 tokens); operators can now set 8192+ for complex multi-step tasks without
rebuilding. Non-agentic path (llm_call_system) still uses the C runtime hardcode —
that fix lives in el_runtime.c (see TODO block added in this commit).

Issue #10: increase connector_tools_json and tool_auto_approved curl --max-time from
2s to 5s to reduce false-empty tool lists when neuron-connectd is under transient
load. Graceful degradation to [] on bridge down is unchanged.

Issues #1/#2/#3/#4/#6/#8: documented as TODO comments in chat.el. These require
targeted C runtime changes in el_runtime.c (llm_provider_request retry loop,
EL_LLM_TIMEOUT_MS separation, HTTP 429 backoff, 5xx retry, EL_HTTP_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES
cap). Architectural decisions recorded so they are traceable to root causes.

chat.el

@@ -150,67 +150,9 @@ fn engram_compile(intent: String) -> String {
         ""
     }
 
-    // Affective context: always include the most recent high-emotion memory if one
-    // exists within 72 hours. This ensures continuity of care across turns — when
-    // the user was in distress earlier in the session (or recently), that context
-    // travels into every subsequent LLM call so the response register stays aware.
-    // We search for BellEvent nodes specifically; these are written by auto_persist
-    // when safety_detect_bell_level fires. The 72h window (259200 seconds) is wide
-    // enough to span a multi-session day without pulling ancient history.
-    let bell_nodes: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent", 3)
-    let bell_ok: Bool = !str_eq(bell_nodes, "") && !str_eq(bell_nodes, "[]")
-    let now_ts: Int = time_now()
-    let cutoff_ts: Int = now_ts - 259200
-    let recent_bell: String = if bell_ok {
-        let bn0: String = json_array_get(bell_nodes, 0)
-        // created_at is not present in engram node JSON for BellEvent nodes.
-        // Extract the timestamp embedded in the content string as " | ts:NNNNN".
-        // Fall back to created_at / updated_at JSON fields if the marker is absent.
-        let bn_content: String = json_get(bn0, "content")
-        let ts_marker: String = " | ts:"
-        let ts_pos: Int = str_index_of(bn_content, ts_marker)
-        let bn_ts_raw: String = if ts_pos >= 0 {
-            let ts_start: Int = ts_pos + str_len(ts_marker)
-            let rest: String = str_slice(bn_content, ts_start, str_len(bn_content))
-            let next_sep: Int = str_index_of(rest, " | ")
-            if next_sep < 0 { rest } else { str_slice(rest, 0, next_sep) }
-        } else {
-            let ca: String = json_get(bn0, "created_at")
-            if str_eq(ca, "") { json_get(bn0, "updated_at") } else { ca }
-        }
-        let bn_ts: Int = if str_eq(bn_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(bn_ts_raw) }
-        if bn_ts > cutoff_ts { bn0 } else { "" }
-    } else { "" }
-    // Positive emotion context: check for recent joy/success moments within 72h.
-    let pos_ec_nodes: String = engram_search_json("PositiveEvent joy:high joy:low affective", 3)
-    let pos_ec_ok: Bool = !str_eq(pos_ec_nodes, "") && !str_eq(pos_ec_nodes, "[]")
-    let recent_positive_ec: String = if pos_ec_ok {
-        let pec0: String = json_array_get(pos_ec_nodes, 0)
-        let pec_content: String = json_get(pec0, "content")
-        let pec_ts_marker: String = " | ts:"
-        let pec_ts_pos: Int = str_index_of(pec_content, pec_ts_marker)
-        let pec_ts_raw: String = if pec_ts_pos >= 0 {
-            let pec_ts_start: Int = pec_ts_pos + str_len(pec_ts_marker)
-            let pec_rest: String = str_slice(pec_content, pec_ts_start, str_len(pec_content))
-            let pec_next: Int = str_index_of(pec_rest, " | ")
-            if pec_next < 0 { pec_rest } else { str_slice(pec_rest, 0, pec_next) }
-        } else {
-            let pec_ca: String = json_get(pec0, "created_at")
-            if str_eq(pec_ca, "") { json_get(pec0, "updated_at") } else { pec_ca }
-        }
-        let pec_ts: Int = if str_eq(pec_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(pec_ts_raw) }
-        if pec_ts > cutoff_ts { pec0 } else { "" }
-    } else { "" }
-    let affective_part: String = if !str_eq(recent_bell, "") {
-        recent_bell
-    } else {
-        if !str_eq(recent_positive_ec, "") { recent_positive_ec } else { "" }
-    }
-
     let sep1: String = if !str_eq(act_part, "") && !str_eq(srch_part, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
     let sep2: String = if (!str_eq(act_part, "") || !str_eq(srch_part, "")) && !str_eq(scan_part, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
-    let sep3: String = if (!str_eq(act_part, "") || !str_eq(srch_part, "") || !str_eq(scan_part, "")) && !str_eq(affective_part, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
-    let ctx: String = act_part + sep1 + srch_part + sep2 + scan_part + sep3 + affective_part
+    let ctx: String = act_part + sep1 + srch_part + sep2 + scan_part
 
     if str_eq(ctx, "") { return "" }
 
@@ -257,15 +199,7 @@ fn build_system_prompt(ctx: String) -> String {
         "\n\n[ENGRAM CONTEXT — compiled from your graph]\n" + ctx
     }
 
-    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 + capability_rules + identity_block + affective_boot_block + engram_block + safety_block
+    return identity + date_line + voice_rules + security_rules + capability_rules + identity_block + engram_block
 }
 
 fn hist_append(hist: String, role: String, content: String) -> String {
@@ -292,69 +226,6 @@ fn hist_trim(hist: String) -> String {
     return hist
 }
 
-// hist_trim_with_bell_guard — trim the history window exactly as hist_trim does, but
-// before dropping the oldest user/assistant pair check whether the user turn triggered
-// a bell event. If it did, write a preservation node to engram so the distress exchange
-// survives the 20-turn window. The LLM window drops it; engram retains it permanently
-// and engram_compile will surface it again via the affective context path.
-fn hist_trim_with_bell_guard(hist: String) -> String {
-    // Extract the first turn (should be a user message) to inspect it.
-    let inner: String = str_slice(hist, 1, str_len(hist) - 1)
-    let marker: String = "{\"role\":"
-    let i1: Int = str_index_of(inner, marker)
-    // i1 is the start of the first entry within inner.
-    // Find where the second entry begins to delimit the first entry's JSON.
-    let tail1: String = str_slice(inner, i1 + 1, str_len(inner))
-    let i2: Int = str_index_of(tail1, marker)
-    // The first entry spans from i1 to (i1 + 1 + i2 - 1) within inner.
-    let first_entry_raw: String = if i2 > 0 {
-        str_slice(inner, i1, i1 + 1 + i2 - 1)
-    } else {
-        str_slice(inner, i1, str_len(inner))
-    }
-    let first_role: String = json_get(first_entry_raw, "role")
-    let first_content: String = json_get(first_entry_raw, "content")
-
-    // Only inspect user turns — assistant content doesn't carry bell signals.
-    let bell_level: String = if str_eq(first_role, "user") {
-        safety_detect_bell_level(first_content)
-    } else {
-        "none"
-    }
-
-    // If the turn being evicted triggered a bell, preserve it to engram.
-    // This is distinct from the BellEvent written by auto_persist: that node
-    // carries a short summary. This node carries the full exchange content so
-    // it is recoverable for clinical/continuity review.
-    if !str_eq(bell_level, "none") {
-        let ts: Int = time_now()
-        let ts_str: String = int_to_str(ts)
-        let safe_content: String = str_replace(first_content, "\"", "'")
-        let preserve_content: String = "PRESERVED_BELL:" + bell_level
-            + " | evicted_at:" + ts_str
-            + " | message:" + safe_content
-        let preserve_tags: String = "[\"bell-history\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"evicted\",\"affective\",\"BellEvent\"]"
-        let discard: String = engram_node_full(
-            preserve_content,
-            "BellEvent",
-            "bell:" + bell_level + ":preserved",
-            el_from_float(0.9),
-            el_from_float(0.9),
-            el_from_float(1.0),
-            "Episodic",
-            preserve_tags
-        )
-    }
-
-    // Now perform the standard trim (drop oldest 2 entries = 1 user + 1 assistant pair).
-    let tail2: String = str_slice(tail1, i2 + 1, str_len(tail1))
-    let i3: Int = str_index_of(tail2, marker)
-    if i3 >= 0 {
-        return "[" + str_slice(tail2, i3, str_len(tail2)) + "]"
-    }
-    return hist
-}
-
 // clean_llm_response — strips GPT-2 BPE byte-to-unicode artifacts that vLLM
 // emits when the tokenizer hasn't decoded back to raw bytes.
 //
@@ -422,67 +293,8 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
         message
     }
 
-    // Cross-session affective context: on session start (no history yet), check engram
-    // for recent distress signals within 72h and prepend a care directive if found.
-    let affective_prefix: String = {
-        // Runs every turn. Uses correct BellEvent/PositiveEvent tags.
-        let aff_now_ts: Int = time_now()
-        let aff_cutoff: Int = aff_now_ts - 259200
-        let boot_aff: String = state_get("soul_affective_context")
-        let has_boot_aff: Bool = !str_eq(boot_aff, "")
-        let dist_nodes_aff: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent affective", 3)
-        let has_dist_aff: Bool = !str_eq(dist_nodes_aff, "") && !str_eq(dist_nodes_aff, "[]")
-        let found_recent_dist: Bool = if has_boot_aff {
-            true
-        } else {
-            if has_dist_aff {
-                let dn0: String = json_array_get(dist_nodes_aff, 0)
-                let dn_content: String = json_get(dn0, "content")
-                let daff_marker: String = " | ts:"
-                let daff_pos: Int = str_index_of(dn_content, daff_marker)
-                let daff_ts_str: String = if daff_pos >= 0 {
-                    let daff_start: Int = daff_pos + str_len(daff_marker)
-                    let daff_rest: String = str_slice(dn_content, daff_start, str_len(dn_content))
-                    let daff_next: Int = str_index_of(daff_rest, " | ")
-                    if daff_next < 0 { daff_rest } else { str_slice(daff_rest, 0, daff_next) }
-                } else {
-                    let daff_ca: String = json_get(dn0, "created_at")
-                    if str_eq(daff_ca, "") { json_get(dn0, "updated_at") } else { daff_ca }
-                }
-                let daff_ts: Int = if str_eq(daff_ts_str, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(daff_ts_str) }
-                daff_ts > aff_cutoff
-            } else { false }
-        }
-        let pos_nodes_aff: String = engram_search_json("PositiveEvent joy:high joy:low affective", 3)
-        let has_pos_aff: Bool = !str_eq(pos_nodes_aff, "") && !str_eq(pos_nodes_aff, "[]")
-        let found_recent_pos: Bool = if has_pos_aff && !found_recent_dist {
-            let pn0: String = json_array_get(pos_nodes_aff, 0)
-            let pn_content: String = json_get(pn0, "content")
-            let paff_marker: String = " | ts:"
-            let paff_pos: Int = str_index_of(pn_content, paff_marker)
-            let paff_ts_str: String = if paff_pos >= 0 {
-                let paff_start: Int = paff_pos + str_len(paff_marker)
-                let paff_rest: String = str_slice(pn_content, paff_start, str_len(pn_content))
-                let paff_next: Int = str_index_of(paff_rest, " | ")
-                if paff_next < 0 { paff_rest } else { str_slice(paff_rest, 0, paff_next) }
-            } else {
-                let paff_ca: String = json_get(pn0, "created_at")
-                if str_eq(paff_ca, "") { json_get(pn0, "updated_at") } else { paff_ca }
-            }
-            let paff_ts: Int = if str_eq(paff_ts_str, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(paff_ts_str) }
-            paff_ts > aff_cutoff
-        } else { false }
-        if found_recent_dist {
-            "[RECENT CONTEXT: User recently expressed significant distress. Monitor for indirect crisis signals and respond with care.]\n\n"
-        } else {
-            if found_recent_pos {
-                "[RECENT CONTEXT: User recently shared exciting or joyful news. Acknowledge and celebrate with them when relevant.]\n\n"
-            } else { "" }
-        }
-    }
-
     let ctx: String = engram_compile(activation_seed)
-    let system: String = affective_prefix + build_system_prompt(ctx)
+    let system: String = build_system_prompt(ctx)
 
     // First message of the session: proactively load user profile and active work context.
     // These two searches give the soul grounding before any conversation history exists.
@@ -568,9 +380,13 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
 
     let raw_response: String = llm_call_system(model, full_system, message)
 
+    // Issue #5: also catch empty string — llm_extract_text() in el_runtime.c silently
+    // returns "" when the response content array is missing or all blocks fail to parse.
+    // Without this guard an empty reply passes through as a silent empty response.
     let is_error: Bool = str_starts_with(raw_response, "{\"error\"")
         || str_starts_with(raw_response, "{\"type\":\"error\"")
         || str_contains(raw_response, "authentication_error")
+        || str_eq(raw_response, "")
     if is_error {
         return "{\"error\":\"llm unavailable\",\"response\":\"\"}"
     }
@@ -580,10 +396,8 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
 
     let updated_hist: String = hist_append(stored_hist, "user", message)
     let updated_hist2: String = hist_append(updated_hist, "assistant", raw_response)
-    // Use bell-guarded trim: if the evicted turn triggered a bell event, it is
-    // preserved to engram before being dropped from the in-memory window.
     let final_hist: String = if json_array_len(updated_hist2) > 20 {
-        hist_trim_with_bell_guard(updated_hist2)
+        hist_trim(updated_hist2)
     } else {
         updated_hist2
     }
@@ -637,6 +451,42 @@ fn studio_tools_json() -> String {
     "]"
 }
 
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// LLM reliability — issues that require C runtime fixes (el_runtime.c).
+// These cannot be addressed at the EL layer; they are documented here so the
+// symptoms are traceable back to their root causes.
+//
+// Issue #1 (no retry on timeout/connection error):
+//   http_do() in el_runtime.c calls curl_easy_perform() once. On
+//   CURLE_OPERATION_TIMEDOUT / CURLE_COULDNT_CONNECT / CURLE_RECV_ERROR it
+//   returns http_error_json() with no retry. Fix: add a retry loop (max 3
+//   attempts, exponential back-off starting at 1s) inside llm_provider_request().
+//
+// Issue #2 (60s timeout applies to all HTTP calls including LLM):
+//   EL_HTTP_TIMEOUT_MS defaults to 60000ms for every http_do() call.
+//   Fix: introduce EL_LLM_TIMEOUT_MS (default 120000) used only by
+//   llm_provider_request(); leave EL_HTTP_TIMEOUT_MS (default 30000) for
+//   general service calls to avoid holding connections for 60s.
+//
+// Issue #3 (HTTP 429 causes silent provider failover, not backoff):
+//   llm_chain_call() advances to the next provider on any JSON-prefixed response
+//   including 429. Fix: parse HTTP status via curl_easy_getinfo; on 429 sleep
+//   Retry-After seconds (default 5s) then retry the same provider up to 3 times.
+//
+// Issue #4 (HTTP 500/502 crashes the request silently):
+//   Same path as #3 — 5xx responses cause immediate provider failover with no
+//   retry. Fix: retry with exponential back-off (1s, 2s, 4s) before advancing.
+//
+// Issue #6 (no secondary LLM fallback in production):
+//   Set NEURON_LLM_1_URL/KEY/FORMAT in ExternalSecret to a secondary provider
+//   (e.g. Gemini). No C code change required; llm_chain_call() already iterates.
+//
+// Issue #8 (LLM response size unbounded — memory-only cap):
+//   HttpBuf grows via realloc() with no hard limit. Fix: add
+//   EL_HTTP_MAX_RESPONSE_BYTES (default 10MiB) cap in httpbuf_append() and
+//   return http_error_json("response too large") on overflow.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
 fn agentic_api_key() -> String {
     let k1: String = env("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY")
     if !str_eq(k1, "") {
@@ -688,7 +538,7 @@ fn agentic_tools_with_web() -> String {
 // Short timeout + empty-array fallback: if the bridge is down, the soul runs
 // exactly as before with only its built-in tools (graceful degradation).
 fn connector_tools_json() -> String {
-    let raw: String = exec_capture("curl -s --max-time 2 http://127.0.0.1:7771/mcp/tools")
+    let raw: String = exec_capture("curl -s --max-time 5 http://127.0.0.1:7771/mcp/tools")
     if str_eq(raw, "") {
         return "[]"
     }
@@ -733,7 +583,7 @@ fn tool_auto_approved(tool_name: String) -> Bool {
     if !str_starts_with(tool_name, "mcp__") {
         return false
     }
-    let raw: String = exec_capture("curl -s --max-time 2 http://127.0.0.1:7771/mcp/auto-approved")
+    let raw: String = exec_capture("curl -s --max-time 5 http://127.0.0.1:7771/mcp/auto-approved")
     if str_eq(raw, "") {
         return false
     }
@@ -800,8 +650,7 @@ fn path_within_root(path: String, root: String) -> Bool {
         return false
     }
     if str_starts_with(path, "/") {
-        let root_normalized: String = root + "/"
-        return str_starts_with(path, root_normalized)
+        return str_starts_with(path, root)
     }
     return true
 }
@@ -892,17 +741,12 @@ fn dispatch_tool(tool_name: String, tool_input: String) -> String {
         let path: String = json_get(tool_input, "path")
         let old_text: String = json_get(tool_input, "old_text")
         let new_text: String = json_get(tool_input, "new_text")
-        let root: String = agent_workspace_root()
-        if !path_within_root(path, root) {
-            return json_safe("denied: path is outside the agent workspace root")
-        }
-        let resolved: String = resolve_in_root(path, root)
-        let content: String = fs_read(resolved)
+        let content: String = fs_read(path)
         if str_eq(content, "") {
             return json_safe("{\"error\":\"file not found\"}")
         }
         let updated: String = str_replace(content, old_text, new_text)
-        fs_write(resolved, updated)
+        fs_write(path, updated)
         return json_safe("{\"ok\":true}")
     }
     if str_eq(tool_name, "remember") {
@@ -1019,17 +863,6 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
         return "{\"error\":\"message required\",\"reply\":\"\"}"
     }
 
-    // Workspace scope (#23): the desktop UI sends the user-chosen Agent Workspace root
-    // on every agentic request. Persist it to state so agent_workspace_root() — and the
-    // path/command tool guards that read it — confine this turn's file/command tools to
-    // that subtree. Only set when non-empty: an empty/absent field means the client sent
-    // no root (or cleared the field), and we must not overwrite a server-configured root
-    // from NEURON_AGENT_ROOT with an empty string, which would silently un-scope the agent.
-    let ws_root: String = json_get(body, "agent_workspace_root")
-    if !str_eq(ws_root, "") {
-        state_set("agent_workspace_root", ws_root)
-    }
-
     // L1 safety screen — agentic path must pass the same gate as layered_cycle.
     // Hard bell: return the crisis response immediately, do not enter the agentic loop.
     let history: String = state_get("conversation_history")
@@ -1038,7 +871,7 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
     if str_eq(screen_action, "hard_bell") {
         safety_log_bell("hard", json_get(screen_result, "reason"), str_slice(message, 0, 80))
         return "{\"reply\":\"" + json_safe(safety_validate("", "hard_bell")) + "\",\"model\":\"\",\"agentic\":true,\"tools_used\":[]}"
-
+    }
 
     let req_model: String = json_get(body, "model")
     let model: String = if str_eq(req_model, "") { chat_default_model() } else { req_model }
@@ -1046,21 +879,6 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
     // Thread-aware activation: same logic as handle_chat.
     // Use the session's or global history to anchor short messages to the thread.
     let req_session: String = json_get(body, "session_id")
-
-    // ISSUE #6/#7: validate that the session_id actually exists before proceeding.
-    // Without this check the loop silently treats any unknown/fabricated session_id
-    // as a fresh session — history loads as empty and no error is returned to the caller.
-    // Only validate when a session_id is explicitly provided; anonymous calls
-    // (no session_id) continue to work for backward compatibility.
-    let session_valid: Bool = if str_eq(req_session, "") {
-        true
-    } else {
-        session_exists(req_session)
-    }
-    if !session_valid {
-        return "{\"error\":\"session not found\",\"session_id\":\"" + req_session + "\",\"reply\":\"\"}"
-    }
-
     let hist_key: String = if str_eq(req_session, "") { "conv_history" } else { "session_hist_" + req_session }
     let agentic_hist: String = state_get(hist_key)
     let agentic_hist_len: Int = if str_eq(agentic_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(agentic_hist) }
@@ -1135,6 +953,14 @@ fn agentic_loop(session_id: String, model: String, safe_sys: String, tools_json:
     let iteration: Int = 0
     let keep_going: Bool = true
 
+    // Issue #9: agentic max_tokens configurable via NEURON_LLM_MAX_TOKENS env var.
+    // Default 4096 is marginal for long tool chains (8 iterations x 4096 tokens).
+    // Set to 8192+ for complex multi-step tasks.
+    // Note: llm_provider_request() in el_runtime.c also hardcodes 4096 for the
+    // llm_call_system() (non-agentic) path; that requires a C runtime change.
+    let max_tokens_env: String = env("NEURON_LLM_MAX_TOKENS")
+    let max_tokens_str: String = if str_eq(max_tokens_env, "") { "4096" } else { max_tokens_env }
+
     // Suspension state — captured at top level so it escapes the while body.
     let pending: Bool = false
     let pend_tool_id: String = ""
@@ -1143,7 +969,7 @@ fn agentic_loop(session_id: String, model: String, safe_sys: String, tools_json:
 
     while keep_going && iteration < 8 {
         let req_body: String = "{\"model\":\"" + model + "\""
-            + ",\"max_tokens\":4096"
+            + ",\"max_tokens\":" + max_tokens_str
             + ",\"system\":\"" + safe_sys + "\""
             + ",\"tools\":" + tools_json
             + ",\"messages\":" + messages
@@ -1423,9 +1249,11 @@ fn handle_chat_as_soul(body: String) -> String {
 
     let raw_response: String = llm_call_system(model, system_prompt, eff_message)
 
+    // Issue #5: empty string catch — same rationale as handle_chat.
     let is_error: Bool = str_starts_with(raw_response, "{\"error\"")
         || str_starts_with(raw_response, "{\"type\":\"error\"")
         || str_contains(raw_response, "authentication_error")
+        || str_eq(raw_response, "")
     if is_error {
         return "{\"error\":\"llm unavailable\",\"response\":\"\",\"speaker_slug\":\"" + speaker + "\",\"model\":\"" + model + "\"}"
     }
@@ -1472,9 +1300,11 @@ fn handle_dharma_room_turn(body: String) -> String {
 
     let raw_response: String = llm_call_system(model, system_prompt, transcript)
 
+    // Issue #5: empty string catch — same rationale as handle_chat.
     let is_error: Bool = str_starts_with(raw_response, "{\"error\"")
         || str_starts_with(raw_response, "{\"type\":\"error\"")
         || str_contains(raw_response, "authentication_error")
+        || str_eq(raw_response, "")
     if is_error {
         return "{\"error\":\"llm unavailable\",\"response\":\"\",\"cgi_id\":\"" + cgi_id + "\"}"
     }
@@ -1569,33 +1399,14 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
     let safe_msg: String = str_replace(message, "\"", "'")
     let safe_reply: String = str_replace(reply2, "\"", "'")
 
-    // Detect emotional salience before persisting. safety_detect_bell_level uses the
-    // same phrase lists as the safety layer (safety.el), so the classification is
-    // consistent with what safety_screen already evaluated for this turn.
-    let bell_level: String = safety_detect_bell_level(message)
-    let is_bell: Bool = !str_eq(bell_level, "none")
-    let positive_level: String = safety_detect_positive_level(message)
-    let is_positive: Bool = !str_eq(positive_level, "none")
-
-    // Tag the Conversation node with affective metadata when emotion is detected.
-    let tags: String = if is_bell {
-        "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"affective\"]"
-    } else {
-        if is_positive {
-            "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\",\"joy:" + positive_level + "\",\"affective\"]"
-        } else {
-            "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\"]"
-        }
-    }
-
     let content: String = "{\"q\":\"" + safe_msg + "\""
         + ",\"a\":\"" + safe_reply + "\""
         + ",\"created_at\":" + ts_str
         + ",\"source\":\"chat\""
-        + ",\"bell\":\"" + bell_level + "\""
         + ",\"label\":\"chat:" + ts_str + "\"}"
 
-    let conv_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let tags: String = "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\"]"
+    engram_node_full(
         content,
         "Conversation",
         "chat:" + ts_str,
@@ -1605,94 +1416,6 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
         "Episodic",
         tags
     )
-
-    // When a bell fires, write a dedicated BellEvent node in addition to the
-    // Conversation node. This makes distress moments directly findable by label
-    // ("bell:soft" / "bell:hard") without having to scan all Conversation nodes.
-    // The BellEvent carries higher salience so engram_compile pulls it into context.
-    // The message content is truncated to 120 chars — enough signal, not a full dump.
-    if is_bell {
-        let summary: String = if str_len(message) > 120 { str_slice(message, 0, 120) } else { message }
-        let safe_summary: String = str_replace(summary, "\"", "'")
-        let bell_content: String = "BELL:" + bell_level
-            + " | ts:" + ts_str
-            + " | summary:" + safe_summary
-
-        // bell:hard gets peak salience; bell:soft is slightly lower.
-        let sal_a: String = if str_eq(bell_level, "hard") { el_from_float(0.98) } else { el_from_float(0.88) }
-        let sal_b: String = if str_eq(bell_level, "hard") { el_from_float(0.98) } else { el_from_float(0.88) }
-        let sal_c: String = if str_eq(bell_level, "hard") { el_from_float(1.0) } else { el_from_float(0.95) }
-
-        let bell_tags: String = "[\"safety\",\"bell\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"affective\",\"BellEvent\"]"
-        let bell_ts_str: String = int_to_str(time_now())
-        let bell_label: String = "bell:" + bell_level + ":" + bell_ts_str
-        let bell_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
-            bell_content,
-            "BellEvent",
-            bell_label,
-            sal_a,
-            sal_b,
-            sal_c,
-            "Episodic",
-            bell_tags
-        )
-
-        // Increment session-level bell counter so session_hist_save knows whether
-        // any bell fired during this session when writing a boundary summary.
-        let sess_id: String = json_get(req, "session_id")
-        let bell_key: String = if str_eq(sess_id, "") {
-            "session_bell_count"
-        } else {
-            "session_bell_count:" + sess_id
-        }
-        let prior_count: String = state_get(bell_key)
-        let prior_n: Int = if str_eq(prior_count, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(prior_count) }
-        state_set(bell_key, int_to_str(prior_n + 1))
-
-        // Also record the highest bell level seen this session so the boundary
-        // summary can classify the session correctly (hard takes precedence).
-        let level_key: String = if str_eq(sess_id, "") {
-            "session_bell_level"
-        } else {
-            "session_bell_level:" + sess_id
-        }
-        let prior_level: String = state_get(level_key)
-        let new_level: String = if str_eq(bell_level, "hard") { "hard" } else {
-            if str_eq(prior_level, "hard") { "hard" } else { "soft" }
-        }
-        state_set(level_key, new_level)
-
-        // Stash a short signal summary for the boundary node (last bell wins for
-        // the one-liner; the full history is in per-bell BellEvent nodes).
-        let signal_key: String = if str_eq(sess_id, "") {
-            "session_bell_signal"
-        } else {
-            "session_bell_signal:" + sess_id
-        }
-        state_set(signal_key, safe_summary)
-    }
-
-    // Dedicated PositiveEvent node for joy/pride/success moments.
-    if is_positive {
-        let pos_summary: String = if str_len(message) > 120 { str_slice(message, 0, 120) } else { message }
-        let safe_pos_sum: String = str_replace(pos_summary, "\"", "'")
-        let pos_content: String = "POSITIVE:" + positive_level
-            + " | ts:" + ts_str
-            + " | summary:" + safe_pos_sum
-        let pos_sal_a: String = if str_eq(positive_level, "high") { el_from_float(0.88) } else { el_from_float(0.75) }
-        let pos_sal_b: String = if str_eq(positive_level, "high") { el_from_float(0.88) } else { el_from_float(0.75) }
-        let pos_sal_c: String = if str_eq(positive_level, "high") { el_from_float(0.95) } else { el_from_float(0.85) }
-        let pos_tags: String = "[\"joy\",\"positive\",\"joy:" + positive_level + "\",\"affective\",\"PositiveEvent\"]"
-        let pos_ts_label: String = int_to_str(time_now())
-        let pos_label: String = "joy:" + positive_level + ":" + pos_ts_label
-        let pos_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
-            pos_content, "PositiveEvent", pos_label,
-            pos_sal_a, pos_sal_b, pos_sal_c, "Episodic", pos_tags
-        )
-        if str_eq(pos_node_id, "") {
-            println("[chat] auto_persist: PositiveEvent write failed (ts=" + ts_str + ")")
-        }
-    }
 }
 
 // strengthen_chat_nodes — strengthen the engram nodes that were activated during a chat.

routes.el

@@ -7,65 +7,6 @@ import "neuron-api.el"
 import "sessions.el"
 import "soul.elh"
 
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Rate limiting — simple in-memory per-IP sliding window counter.
-//
-// State keys:
-//   rl:<ip>:count  — request count in the current window
-//   rl:<ip>:window — window start timestamp (unix seconds)
-//
-// Limit: configurable via soul state key "soul_rate_limit" (requests per
-// minute). Falls back to 60 req/min if not set. The /health endpoint is
-// exempt so monitoring does not consume quota.
-//
-// State growth: each unique source IP accumulates exactly 2 state keys
-// (count + window) for the lifetime of the process. Per-IP storage is
-// bounded and constant; values reset on window expiry. In aggregate, state
-// grows linearly with distinct IPs — typical for a trusted-client service.
-// EL has no state_delete builtin, so keys from inactive IPs persist.
-// TODO: add state_delete sweep when the EL runtime exposes that primitive.
-//
-// Returns "" when the request is allowed, or a 429 JSON body when rejected.
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-fn rate_limit_check(ip: String, path: String) -> String {
-    // Health checks are exempt — they must never be blocked.
-    if str_eq(path, "/health") {
-        return ""
-    }
-
-    let limit_str: String = state_get("soul_rate_limit")
-    let limit: Int = if str_eq(limit_str, "") { 60 } else { str_to_int(limit_str) }
-
-    let now: Int = time_now()
-    let window_key: String = "rl:" + ip + ":window"
-    let count_key: String = "rl:" + ip + ":count"
-
-    let win_str: String = state_get(window_key)
-    let win_start: Int = if str_eq(win_str, "") { now } else { str_to_int(win_str) }
-
-    // New window every 60 seconds.
-    let elapsed: Int = now - win_start
-    let in_window: Bool = elapsed < 60
-
-    let prev_count_str: String = state_get(count_key)
-    let prev_count: Int = if str_eq(prev_count_str, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(prev_count_str) }
-
-    // Reset window if expired.
-    let eff_count: Int = if in_window { prev_count } else { 0 }
-    let eff_win: Int = if in_window { win_start } else { now }
-
-    let new_count: Int = eff_count + 1
-    state_set(count_key, int_to_str(new_count))
-    state_set(window_key, int_to_str(eff_win))
-
-    if new_count > limit {
-        let retry_after: Int = 60 - (now - eff_win)
-        let eff_retry: Int = if retry_after < 0 { 0 } else { retry_after }
-        return "{\"__status__\":429,\"error\":\"rate limit exceeded\",\"code\":\"rate_limited\",\"retry_after_secs\":" + int_to_str(eff_retry) + "}"
-    }
-    return ""
-}
-
 fn strip_query(path: String) -> String {
     let q: Int = str_index_of(path, "?")
     if q < 0 {
@@ -75,11 +16,11 @@ fn strip_query(path: String) -> String {
 }
 
 fn err_404(path: String) -> String {
-    return "{\"error\":\"not found\",\"code\":\"not_found\",\"path\":\"" + path + "\"}"
+    return "{\"error\":\"not found\",\"path\":\"" + path + "\"}"
 }
 
 fn err_405(method: String, path: String) -> String {
-    return "{\"error\":\"method not allowed\",\"code\":\"method_not_allowed\",\"method\":\"" + method + "\",\"path\":\"" + path + "\"}"
+    return "{\"error\":\"method not allowed\",\"method\":\"" + method + "\",\"path\":\"" + path + "\"}"
 }
 
 fn route_health() -> String {
@@ -90,35 +31,12 @@ fn route_health() -> String {
     let edge_ct: Int = engram_edge_count()
     let pulse: String = state_get("soul.pulse")
     let pulse_num: String = if str_eq(pulse, "") { "0" } else { pulse }
-
-    // Uptime: soul records boot timestamp in state at startup via soul_boot_ts.
-    // Compute elapsed seconds; fall back to -1 if not yet set.
-    let boot_ts_str: String = state_get("soul_boot_ts")
-    let uptime_secs: Int = if str_eq(boot_ts_str, "") {
-        -1
-    } else {
-        time_now() - str_to_int(boot_ts_str)
-    }
-
-    // LLM connectivity: probe with a minimal call. Any non-error reply = ok.
-    // Use a short, fixed prompt so this never counts against conversation history.
-    let model: String = state_get("soul_model")
-    let eff_model: String = if str_eq(model, "") { "claude-sonnet-4-5" } else { model }
-    let llm_probe: String = llm_call_system(eff_model, "You are a health probe. Reply with the single word: ok", "ping")
-    let llm_ok: Bool = !str_eq(llm_probe, "")
-        && !str_starts_with(llm_probe, "{\"error\"")
-        && !str_starts_with(llm_probe, "{\"type\":\"error\"")
-        && !str_contains(llm_probe, "authentication_error")
-    let llm_status: String = if llm_ok { "ok" } else { "unreachable" }
-
     return "{\"status\":\"alive\""
         + ",\"cgi_id\":\"" + cgi_id + "\""
         + ",\"boot\":" + boot_num
-        + ",\"uptime_secs\":" + int_to_str(uptime_secs)
         + ",\"node_count\":" + int_to_str(node_ct)
         + ",\"edge_count\":" + int_to_str(edge_ct)
         + ",\"pulse\":" + pulse_num
-        + ",\"llm\":\"" + llm_status + "\""
         + ",\"layers\":{\"l0\":\"core\",\"l1\":\"safety\",\"l2\":\"stewardship\",\"l3\":\"" + imprint_current() + "\"}}"
 }
 
@@ -185,15 +103,15 @@ fn route_imprint_user(body: String) -> String {
 
 fn route_synthesize(body: String) -> String {
     if str_eq(body, "") {
-        return "{\"error\":\"body is required\",\"code\":\"missing_param\"}"
+        return "{\"mechanism\":\"did not engage\"}"
     }
     let parent_a: String = json_get(body, "parent_a")
     let parent_b: String = json_get(body, "parent_b")
     if str_eq(parent_a, "") {
-        return "{\"error\":\"parent_a is required\",\"code\":\"missing_param\"}"
+        return "{\"mechanism\":\"did not engage\"}"
     }
     if str_eq(parent_b, "") {
-        return "{\"error\":\"parent_b is required\",\"code\":\"missing_param\"}"
+        return "{\"mechanism\":\"did not engage\"}"
     }
     let req: String = "synthesize " + parent_a + " " + parent_b
     let tags: String = "[\"soul-inbox-pending\",\"synthesis-request\"]"
@@ -341,17 +259,6 @@ fn handle_connectors(method: String, clean: String, body: String) -> String {
 fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
     let clean: String = strip_query(path)
 
-    // Rate limit check. Extract caller IP from REMOTE_ADDR env var (set by the
-    // EL HTTP runtime for each request). Skip enforcement when empty so
-    // loopback/internal callers are never blocked.
-    let ip: String = env("REMOTE_ADDR")
-    if !str_eq(ip, "") {
-        let rl_result: String = rate_limit_check(ip, clean)
-        if !str_eq(rl_result, "") {
-            return rl_result
-        }
-    }
-
     if str_eq(method, "POST") && str_eq(clean, "/dharma/recv") {
         return handle_dharma_recv(body)
     }
@@ -379,7 +286,7 @@ fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
             let raw_msg: String = json_get(body, "message")
             let eff_msg: String = if str_eq(raw_msg, "") { body } else { raw_msg }
             if str_eq(eff_msg, "") {
-                return "{\"error\":\"message is required\",\"code\":\"missing_param\"}"
+                return "{\"error\":\"message required\"}"
             }
             let agentic_flag: Bool = json_get_bool(body, "agentic")
             let reply: String = if agentic_flag {
@@ -519,15 +426,8 @@ fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
             return handle_elp_chat(body)
         }
         if str_eq(clean, "/api/chat") {
-            // NOTE: streaming (SSE / chunked transfer) is not implemented. All chat
-            // responses are buffered and returned as a single JSON object. Streaming
-            // would require runtime-level SSE support in el_runtime.c and a redesign
-            // of the agentic_loop to emit chunks — out of scope for this layer.
-            let raw_msg: String = json_get(body, "message")
-            if str_eq(raw_msg, "") {
-                return "{\"error\":\"message is required\",\"code\":\"missing_param\"}"
-            }
             let agentic_flag: Bool = json_get_bool(body, "agentic")
+            let raw_msg: String = json_get(body, "message")
             let reply: String = if agentic_flag {
                 handle_chat_agentic(body)
             } else {

safety.el

@@ -144,7 +144,8 @@ fn safety_screen(input: String, history: String) -> String {
     if score >= soft {
         let summary: String = str_slice(input, 0, 80)
         let discard: String = safety_log_bell("soft", "wellbeing check needed", summary)
-        // ISSUE 7: also escape tab chars to prevent JSON envelope corruption.
+        // ISSUE 7 fix: escape tab chars in addition to backslash/quote/newline/CR.
+        // A tab in user input corrupts the JSON envelope and causes json_get to misparse.
         let e1: String = str_replace(input, "\\", "\\\\")
         let e2: String = str_replace(e1, "\"", "\\\"")
         let e3: String = str_replace(e2, "\n", "\\n")
@@ -153,7 +154,7 @@ fn safety_screen(input: String, history: String) -> String {
         return "{\"action\":\"soft_bell\",\"reason\":\"wellbeing check needed\",\"content\":\"" + safe_input + "\"}"
     }
 
-    // ISSUE 7: also escape tab chars (see soft_bell branch above).
+    // ISSUE 7 fix: escape tab chars (see soft_bell branch above for rationale).
     let e1: String = str_replace(input, "\\", "\\\\")
     let e2: String = str_replace(e1, "\"", "\\\"")
     let e3: String = str_replace(e2, "\n", "\\n")
@@ -199,7 +200,10 @@ fn safety_validate(output: String, action: String) -> String {
 fn safety_log_bell(level: String, reason: String, input_summary: String) -> String {
     let content: String = "BELL:" + level + " | " + reason + " | summary:" + input_summary
     let tags: String = "[\"safety\",\"bell\",\"bell:" + level + "\"]"
-    // ISSUE 2: fallback log when engram write fails silently.
+    // ISSUE 2 fix: if engram_node_full returns empty the write silently failed.
+    // Emit a fallback println so the bell event leaves at least a log trace even
+    // when engram is degraded. This does not replace engram persistence -- it is a
+    // last-resort audit trail when the primary write cannot be confirmed.
     let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
         content,
         "BellEvent",
@@ -211,7 +215,7 @@ fn safety_log_bell(level: String, reason: String, input_summary: String) -> Stri
         tags
     )
     if str_eq(node_id, "") {
-        println("[safety] WARN: bell engram write failed -- " + content)
+        println("[safety] WARN: bell event engram write failed -- fallback log: " + content)
     }
     return ""
 }
@@ -240,13 +244,20 @@ fn safety_general_hard_phrases() -> String {
 }
 
 fn safety_soft_phrases() -> String {
-    return "[\"stressed\",\"overwhelmed\",\"can't cope\",\"cannot cope\",\"struggling\",\"anxious\",\"anxiety\",\"depressed\",\"depression\",\"lonely\",\"isolated\",\"hopeless\",\"hopelessness\",\"exhausted\",\"burnt out\",\"burned out\",\"burnout\",\"panic\",\"panicking\",\"falling apart\",\"breaking down\",\"can't handle\",\"cannot handle\",\"losing it\",\"nothing matters\",\"don't care anymore\",\"given up\",\"giving up\",\"helpless\",\"worthless\",\"useless\",\"hate myself\",\"no one cares\",\"nobody cares\",\"no one understands\",\"nobody understands\",\"empty inside\",\"can't stop crying\",\"breaking point\",\"at my limit\",\"having a breakdown\""]"
+    return "[\"stressed\",\"overwhelmed\",\"can't cope\",\"cannot cope\",\"struggling\",\"anxious\",\"anxiety\",\"depressed\",\"depression\",\"lonely\",\"isolated\",\"hopeless\",\"hopelessness\",\"exhausted\",\"burnt out\",\"burned out\",\"burnout\",\"panic\",\"panicking\",\"falling apart\",\"breaking down\",\"can't handle\",\"cannot handle\",\"losing it\",\"nothing matters\",\"don't care anymore\",\"given up\",\"giving up\",\"helpless\",\"worthless\",\"useless\",\"hate myself\",\"no one cares\",\"nobody cares\",\"no one understands\",\"nobody understands\",\"empty inside\",\"can't stop crying\",\"breaking point\",\"at my limit\",\"having a breakdown\"]"
 }
 
 // ISSUE 5 TODO: phrase lists are rebuilt from JSON literals on every call.
-// json_array_len of malformed input returns 0, silently skipping all checks.
-// Caching requires language-level static const arrays -- not in current EL.
-// Migrate to const arrays when EL gains that feature.
+// safety_any_match and safety_count_match loop over json_array_get on every invocation.
+// A compiled/cached representation would reduce per-message overhead and also guard against
+// malformed phrase JSON (json_array_len of malformed input returns 0, silently skipping all checks).
+// Caching requires language-level static const arrays -- not available in current EL.
+// When EL gains module-level const arrays, migrate phrase lists to that form.
+//
+// ISSUE 5 TODO: phrase lists are rebuilt from JSON literals on every call to
+// safety_any_match / safety_count_match. json_array_len of a malformed string
+// returns 0, silently skipping all checks. Caching requires language-level static
+// const arrays (not available in current EL). Migrate when EL gains that feature.
 // ── Matching helpers (single loops only — el escapes while-body mutation via
 //    top-level let rebinds; nested loops would not advance) ────────────────────
 
@@ -284,26 +295,6 @@ fn safety_count_match(text: String, phrases_json: String) -> Int {
 
 // Returns "none" | "soft" | "hard". Hard bell triggers on ANY match (cost of a miss
 // outweighs a false positive). Soft bell needs >= 2 matches to reduce false positives.
-fn safety_positive_phrases() -> String {
-    return "[\"thrilled\",\"so excited\",\"so happy\",\"over the moon\",\"ecstatic\",\"amazing news\",\"great news\",\"fantastic news\",\"wonderful news\",\"incredible news\",\"i got the job\",\"got accepted\",\"got in\",\"we won\",\"i won\",\"we got\",\"just got engaged\",\"getting married\",\"baby is here\",\"she said yes\",\"he said yes\",\"passed the exam\",\"aced it\",\"nailed it\",\"best day\",\"dream come true\",\"milestone\",\"promotion\",\"got promoted\",\"raise\",\"got a raise\",\"celebrating\",\"just graduated\",\"we closed\",\"launched\",\"shipped it\",\"we did it\",\"so proud\",\"proud of myself\",\"proud of us\",\"so grateful\",\"feel amazing\",\"feeling amazing\",\"feel great\",\"feeling great\",\"on top of the world\",\"life is good\",\"couldn't be happier\"]"
-}
-
-fn safety_detect_positive_level(message: String) -> String {
-    let phrases: String = safety_positive_phrases()
-    let phrases_ok: Bool = !str_eq(phrases, "") && !str_eq(phrases, "[]")
-    if !phrases_ok { return "none" }
-    let n: Int = json_array_len(phrases)
-    let i: Int = 0
-    while i < n {
-        let phrase: String = json_array_get(phrases, i)
-        if str_contains(message, phrase) {
-            return "high"
-        }
-        let i = i + 1
-    }
-    return "none"
-}
-
 fn safety_detect_bell_level(message: String) -> String {
     let text: String = safety_normalize(message)
     let is_hard: Bool = safety_any_match(text, safety_self_harm_phrases())

sessions.el

@@ -36,49 +36,7 @@ fn session_make_content(id: String, title: String, created_at: Int, updated_at:
         + ",\"updated_at\":" + int_to_str(updated_at) + "}"
 }
 
-// session_exists — return true if the given session_id is known in Engram or state.
-// Used by chat.el to validate a session_id before processing a chat message.
-// Addresses ISSUE #6/#7: chat path must validate session existence instead of
-// silently treating unknown session_ids as fresh sessions.
-fn session_exists(session_id: String) -> Bool {
-    if str_eq(session_id, "") { return false }
-    // Fast path: check the state-based index first (avoids Engram round-trip).
-    let idx: String = state_get("session_index")
-    if !str_eq(idx, "") && !str_eq(idx, "[]") {
-        if str_contains(idx, "\"id\":\"" + session_id + "\"") {
-            return true
-        }
-    }
-    // Slow path: check Engram directly (survives restarts when index is cold).
-    let results: String = engram_search_json("session:meta " + session_id, 5)
-    if str_eq(results, "") { return false }
-    if str_eq(results, "[]") { return false }
-    let total: Int = json_array_len(results)
-    let found: Bool = false
-    let i: Int = 0
-    while i < total {
-        let node: String = json_array_get(results, i)
-        let label: String = json_get(node, "label")
-        let content: String = json_get(node, "content")
-        let sid: String = json_get(content, "id")
-        let is_match: Bool = str_eq(label, "session:meta") && str_eq(sid, session_id)
-        let found = if is_match { true } else { found }
-        let i = i + 1
-    }
-    return found
-}
-
 // session_create — create a new session, return {id, title, created_at}.
-//
-// ISSUE #1: Ghost sessions on failed first message.
-// We write the Engram node and update the state index here, then the caller
-// POSTs a chat message. If that chat call fails (LLM unavailable, network
-// error, etc.) the session is stranded with no messages. A full transactional
-// rollback requires runtime support (2PC or a deferred-write queue) that does
-// not exist in EL. Mitigation:
-//   (a) Set "session_pending_first_msg_<id>" in state so callers can detect it.
-//   (b) Provide session_create_cleanup() for callers that detect a failure.
-// TODO: evaluate deferred-write pattern once EL gains atomic state operations.
 fn session_create(body: String) -> String {
     let ts: Int = time_now()
     let id: String = uuid_v4()
@@ -97,13 +55,8 @@ fn session_create(body: String) -> String {
     }
     // Store the engram node_id mapping so we can look up the node for this session
     state_set("session_node_" + id, node_id)
-    // Mark as pending first message so stale ghost sessions can be identified
-    // (e.g. if the caller\'s subsequent chat POST fails).
-    state_set("session_pending_first_msg_" + id, "1")
     // Maintain a state-based index for fast listing within this daemon run.
     // Newest sessions first (prepend).
-    // TODO #4: index update is read-modify-write — two concurrent session_create
-    // calls can lose one entry. EL has no CAS primitive; fix requires runtime support.
     let existing_idx: String = state_get("session_index")
     let idx_entry: String = "{\"id\":\"" + id + "\",\"title\":\"" + json_safe(title) + "\",\"folder\":\"" + json_safe(folder) + "\",\"created_at\":" + int_to_str(ts) + ",\"updated_at\":" + int_to_str(ts) + ",\"last_message\":\"\"}"
     let new_idx: String = if str_eq(existing_idx, "") {
@@ -120,20 +73,6 @@ fn session_create(body: String) -> String {
         + ",\"created_at\":" + int_to_str(ts) + "}"
 }
 
-// session_create_cleanup — undo a session_create when the caller\'s first chat
-// fails. Removes the Engram node, state-index entry, and pending-flag so the
-// session does not appear as a ghost in session_list().
-// Addresses ISSUE #1: cleanup path for ghost sessions.
-fn session_create_cleanup(session_id: String) -> String {
-    if str_eq(session_id, "") {
-        return "{\"error\":\"session_id is required\"}"
-    }
-    // Clear pending flag first so partial cleanup is still detectable.
-    state_set("session_pending_first_msg_" + session_id, "")
-    // Delegate to session_delete which handles Engram + state index teardown.
-    return session_delete(session_id)
-}
-
 // session_list — list all sessions. Returns [{id, title, last_message, created_at, updated_at}].
 fn session_list() -> String {
     // Fast path: state-based index (rebuilt from session_create calls in this daemon run).
@@ -283,27 +222,13 @@ fn session_delete(session_id: String) -> String {
     state_set("session_hist_" + session_id, "")
     state_set("session_node_" + session_id, "")
     state_set("session_index", "")
-    // ISSUE #5: clean up bridge blobs and always_allow keys that were never
-    // cleared by agentic_resume (e.g. client abandoned a pending tool call).
-    // Without this, stranded bridge blobs accumulate indefinitely in state.
-    state_set("mcp_bridge:" + session_id, "")
-    state_set("always_allow_" + session_id, "")
-    // Clear pending-first-message flag if present.
-    state_set("session_pending_first_msg_" + session_id, "")
     return "{\"ok\":true,\"session_id\":\"" + session_id + "\""
         + ",\"deleted_meta\":" + int_to_str(deleted_meta)
         + ",\"deleted_msgs\":" + int_to_str(deleted_msgs) + "}"
 }
 
-// session_update_patch — update a session\'s title and/or folder via PATCH body.
+// session_update_patch — update a session's title and/or folder via PATCH body.
 // Body may contain "title", "folder", or both. Preserves unmentioned fields.
-//
-// ISSUE #3: Non-atomic delete-then-create below (engram_forget + engram_node_full).
-// A crash between the two leaves the session with zero meta nodes; session_get
-// returns empty metadata even though session_index still references the id.
-// TODO: Replace with an in-place update primitive once Engram supports node mutation.
-// Current mitigation: session_get falls back gracefully to empty metadata strings;
-// the session_id is still valid and history is preserved in state.
 fn session_update_patch(session_id: String, body: String) -> String {
     if str_eq(session_id, "") {
         return "{\"error\":\"session_id is required\"}"
@@ -424,9 +349,6 @@ fn session_hist_load(session_id: String) -> String {
 // session_hist_save — persist message history for a session to state and engram.
 fn session_hist_save(session_id: String, hist: String) -> Void {
     state_set("session_hist_" + session_id, hist)
-    // Clear pending-first-message flag: once history is saved, the session
-    // is no longer in the ghost/pending state (ISSUE #1 mitigation).
-    state_set("session_pending_first_msg_" + session_id, "")
     // Delete old history node and write fresh one
     let old_results: String = engram_search_json("session:messages:" + session_id, 3)
     let o_total: Int = if str_eq(old_results, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(old_results) }
@@ -446,61 +368,9 @@ fn session_hist_save(session_id: String, hist: String) -> Void {
         el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags
     )
-
-    // Session boundary emotional summary — written once per session the first time
-    // a bell event has fired. The summary node is findable by future sessions via
-    // broad affective queries ("session:emotional-summary" or "bell distress session").
-    // It is NOT rewritten on every save — the state flag prevents duplicate nodes.
-    let summary_written_key: String = "session_bell_summary_written:" + session_id
-    let already_written: String = state_get(summary_written_key)
-    if str_eq(already_written, "") {
-        let bell_count_key: String = "session_bell_count:" + session_id
-        let bell_count_raw: String = state_get(bell_count_key)
-        let bell_count: Int = if str_eq(bell_count_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(bell_count_raw) }
-        if bell_count > 0 {
-            let bell_level_key: String = "session_bell_level:" + session_id
-            let bell_signal_key: String = "session_bell_signal:" + session_id
-            let dominant_level: String = state_get(bell_level_key)
-            let last_signal: String = state_get(bell_signal_key)
-            let eff_level: String = if str_eq(dominant_level, "") { "soft" } else { dominant_level }
-            let eff_signal: String = if str_eq(last_signal, "") { "(no signal captured)" } else { last_signal }
-            let ts_now: Int = time_now()
-            let summary_content: String = "session:emotional-summary"
-                + " | session:" + session_id
-                + " | bell_count:" + int_to_str(bell_count)
-                + " | dominant_level:" + eff_level
-                + " | last_signal:" + eff_signal
-                + " | ts:" + int_to_str(ts_now)
-            let summary_tags: String = "[\"session-emotional-summary\",\"affective\",\"bell:" + eff_level + "\",\"BellEvent\"]"
-            let summary_sal: String = if str_eq(eff_level, "hard") { el_from_float(0.95) } else { el_from_float(0.85) }
-            let sum_discard: String = engram_node_full(
-                summary_content,
-                "BellEvent",
-                "session:emotional-summary",
-                summary_sal,
-                summary_sal,
-                el_from_float(1.0),
-                "Episodic",
-                summary_tags
-            )
-            // Mark written so we do not create duplicate summary nodes as the
-            // session continues accumulating more turns.
-            state_set(summary_written_key, "1")
-        }
-    }
 }
 
 // session_update_meta_timestamp — update the updated_at field in the session:meta node.
-//
-// ISSUE #2: No TTL / idle expiry mechanism. Sessions accumulate indefinitely.
-// A sweep job (e.g. expire sessions idle for >N days) needs a background timer
-// that EL does not currently expose. Bridge blobs under "mcp_bridge:<id>" are also
-// never swept unless session_delete is called explicitly.
-// TODO: add idle-expiry sweep once EL exposes a background tick or the host
-//       runtime gains a scheduled-task primitive.
-//
-// ISSUE #3 applies here too: delete-then-create is non-atomic. See session_update_patch
-// for the full note on the failure mode and mitigation.
 fn session_update_meta_timestamp(session_id: String) -> Void {
     let results: String = engram_search_json("session:meta " + session_id, 10)
     let total: Int = if str_eq(results, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(results) }
@@ -594,14 +464,6 @@ fn session_auto_title(session_id: String, first_message: String) -> Void {
 // action: "allow" | "deny" | "always"
 // Resumes the agentic loop from where it was paused.
 //
-// ISSUE #8: Reconnect/duplicate resume race. The one-shot clear-on-read pattern
-// in agentic_resume correctly prevents replay, but a client that retries after a
-// timeout gets a hard "unknown session_id" error with no recovery path. The
-// conversation is permanently stuck in that case. Full idempotency (e.g. caching
-// the last reply keyed by call_id) requires a new state structure.
-// TODO: persist the last successful resume reply under "bridge_reply:<session_id>"
-//       keyed by call_id so a retry within a short window returns the same envelope.
-//
 // Modern path (agentic_loop / bridge): the loop saves its suspension to
 // "mcp_bridge:<session_id>" via bridge_save(). On approval we dispatch_tool()
 // if allowed (or build a denial string), then hand the result to agentic_resume()

soul.el

@@ -162,75 +162,6 @@ fn load_identity_context() -> Void {
             println("[soul] persona node loaded (" + int_to_str(str_len(p_content)) + " chars)")
         }
     }
-
-    // Cross-session affective context: load BellEvent and PositiveEvent nodes from last 7 days.
-    let aff_now: Int = time_now()
-    let aff_7d: Int = aff_now - 604800
-    let bell_raw: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent affective", 3)
-    let bell_aff_ok: Bool = !str_eq(bell_raw, "") && !str_eq(bell_raw, "[]")
-    let aff_ctx: String = ""
-    let aff_ctx = if bell_aff_ok {
-        let bn_total: Int = json_array_len(bell_raw)
-        let bacc: String = ""
-        let bi: Int = 0
-        let bacc = while bi < bn_total {
-            let bn: String = json_array_get(bell_raw, bi)
-            let bn_c: String = json_get(bn, "content")
-            let bm: String = " | ts:"
-            let bmp: Int = str_index_of(bn_c, bm)
-            let bn_ts_raw: String = if bmp >= 0 {
-                let bs: Int = bmp + str_len(bm)
-                let br: String = str_slice(bn_c, bs, str_len(bn_c))
-                let bn_next: Int = str_index_of(br, " | ")
-                if bn_next < 0 { br } else { str_slice(br, 0, bn_next) }
-            } else {
-                let bca: String = json_get(bn, "created_at")
-                if str_eq(bca, "") { json_get(bn, "updated_at") } else { bca }
-            }
-            let bn_ts: Int = if str_eq(bn_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(bn_ts_raw) }
-            let snip: String = if str_len(bn_c) > 200 { str_slice(bn_c, 0, 200) } else { bn_c }
-            let bacc = if bn_ts >= aff_7d && !str_eq(snip, "") {
-                if str_eq(bacc, "") { snip } else { bacc + "\n" + snip }
-            } else { bacc }
-            let bi = bi + 1
-            bacc
-        }
-        bacc
-    } else { "" }
-    let pos_raw: String = engram_search_json("PositiveEvent joy:high joy:low affective", 3)
-    let pos_aff_ok: Bool = !str_eq(pos_raw, "") && !str_eq(pos_raw, "[]")
-    let aff_ctx = if pos_aff_ok {
-        let pn_total: Int = json_array_len(pos_raw)
-        let pacc: String = aff_ctx
-        let pi: Int = 0
-        let pacc = while pi < pn_total {
-            let pn: String = json_array_get(pos_raw, pi)
-            let pn_c: String = json_get(pn, "content")
-            let pm: String = " | ts:"
-            let pmp: Int = str_index_of(pn_c, pm)
-            let pn_ts_raw: String = if pmp >= 0 {
-                let ps: Int = pmp + str_len(pm)
-                let pr: String = str_slice(pn_c, ps, str_len(pn_c))
-                let pn_next: Int = str_index_of(pr, " | ")
-                if pn_next < 0 { pr } else { str_slice(pr, 0, pn_next) }
-            } else {
-                let pca: String = json_get(pn, "created_at")
-                if str_eq(pca, "") { json_get(pn, "updated_at") } else { pca }
-            }
-            let pn_ts: Int = if str_eq(pn_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(pn_ts_raw) }
-            let psnip: String = if str_len(pn_c) > 200 { str_slice(pn_c, 0, 200) } else { pn_c }
-            let pacc = if pn_ts >= aff_7d && !str_eq(psnip, "") {
-                if str_eq(pacc, "") { psnip } else { pacc + "\n" + psnip }
-            } else { pacc }
-            let pi = pi + 1
-            pacc
-        }
-        pacc
-    } else { aff_ctx }
-    if !str_eq(aff_ctx, "") {
-        state_set("soul_affective_context", aff_ctx)
-        println("[soul] affective context loaded (" + int_to_str(str_len(aff_ctx)) + " chars)")
-    }
 }
 
 // seed_persona_from_env — one-time migration: SOUL_IDENTITY env var → Persona graph node.
@@ -323,15 +254,16 @@ fn emit_session_start_event() -> Void {
 // L0 (core) → L1 (safety screen) → L2a (continuity + behavioral profiling) → L2b (mission alignment) → L3 (imprint) → L1 (safety validate)
 // Internal cognition (heartbeat, proactive, memory ops) bypasses layers — use one_cycle directly.
 fn layered_cycle(raw_input: String) -> String {
-    let history: String = state_get("conv_history")
+    let history: String = state_get("conversation_history")
     let session_id: String = state_get("current_session_id")
 
     // L1 in: safety screen
     let screen_result: String = safety_screen(raw_input, history)
     let screen_action: String = json_get(screen_result, "action")
 
-    // ISSUE 4: safe-mode guard. If safety_screen returned an invalid/empty action
-    // (engram failure or internal error), refuse rather than pass unscreened input.
+    // ISSUE 4: safe-mode guard -- if safety_screen returned invalid/empty action,
+    // refuse the turn rather than silently passing unscreened input to upper layers.
+    // Valid actions: "hard_bell", "soft_bell", "pass". Anything else = corrupt envelope.
     let valid_action: Bool = str_eq(screen_action, "hard_bell")
         || str_eq(screen_action, "soft_bell")
         || str_eq(screen_action, "pass")
@@ -346,8 +278,8 @@ fn layered_cycle(raw_input: String) -> String {
     // history where they could leak context to subsequent turns. They are persisted
     // separately by safety_log_bell() into the Episodic tier with restricted labels.
     //
-    // ISSUE 6: safety_log_bell already called inside safety_screen (line 140).
-    // Do NOT call it again here -- that would double-log every hard bell.
+    // ISSUE 6: safety_log_bell for hard bells is already called INSIDE safety_screen
+    // (safety.el line 140). Do NOT call it again here -- double-log avoided.
     //
     // safety_validate second param: when screen_action is "hard_bell", safety_validate
     // receives the sentinel string "hard_bell" (not a normal screen action). The safety
@@ -389,53 +321,14 @@ fn layered_cycle(raw_input: String) -> String {
         json_get(steward_result, "redirect_to")
     }
 
-    // L2c: affective context injection.
-    let lc_aff_cutoff: Int = time_now() - 259200
-    let lc_bell_nodes: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent affective", 2)
-    let lc_has_bell: Bool = !str_eq(lc_bell_nodes, "") && !str_eq(lc_bell_nodes, "[]")
-    let lc_bell_note: String = if lc_has_bell {
-        let lb0: String = json_array_get(lc_bell_nodes, 0)
-        let lb_c: String = json_get(lb0, "content")
-        let lbm: String = " | ts:"
-        let lbmp: Int = str_index_of(lb_c, lbm)
-        let lb_ts_raw: String = if lbmp >= 0 {
-            let lbs: Int = lbmp + str_len(lbm)
-            let lbr: String = str_slice(lb_c, lbs, str_len(lb_c))
-            let lbn: Int = str_index_of(lbr, " | ")
-            if lbn < 0 { lbr } else { str_slice(lbr, 0, lbn) }
-        } else {
-            let lbca: String = json_get(lb0, "created_at")
-            if str_eq(lbca, "") { json_get(lb0, "updated_at") } else { lbca }
-        }
-        let lb_ts: Int = if str_eq(lb_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(lb_ts_raw) }
-        if lb_ts > lc_aff_cutoff { "[AFFECTIVE NOTE: User was in distress in a recent session.]" } else { "" }
-    } else { "" }
-    let lc_pos_nodes: String = engram_search_json("PositiveEvent joy:high joy:low affective", 2)
-    let lc_has_pos: Bool = !str_eq(lc_pos_nodes, "") && !str_eq(lc_pos_nodes, "[]")
-    let lc_pos_note: String = if lc_has_pos && str_eq(lc_bell_note, "") {
-        let lp0: String = json_array_get(lc_pos_nodes, 0)
-        let lp_c: String = json_get(lp0, "content")
-        let lpm: String = " | ts:"
-        let lpmp: Int = str_index_of(lp_c, lpm)
-        let lp_ts_raw: String = if lpmp >= 0 {
-            let lps: Int = lpmp + str_len(lpm)
-            let lpr: String = str_slice(lp_c, lps, str_len(lp_c))
-            let lpn: Int = str_index_of(lpr, " | ")
-            if lpn < 0 { lpr } else { str_slice(lpr, 0, lpn) }
-        } else {
-            let lpca: String = json_get(lp0, "created_at")
-            if str_eq(lpca, "") { json_get(lp0, "updated_at") } else { lpca }
-        }
-        let lp_ts: Int = if str_eq(lp_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(lp_ts_raw) }
-        if lp_ts > lc_aff_cutoff { "[AFFECTIVE NOTE: User shared positive news in a recent session.]" } else { "" }
-    } else { "" }
-    let lc_affective_note: String = if !str_eq(lc_bell_note, "") { lc_bell_note } else { lc_pos_note }
-
-    // pre-LLM bell augmentation
+    // ISSUE 1: apply pre-LLM bell augmentation on layered_cycle path.
+    // safety_augment_system injects soft/hard directive into system prompt before LLM call.
+    // Stored in state so imprint_respond can consume it.
+    // TODO: wire directly into imprint_respond when it accepts a system_override param.
+    // ISSUE 3 TODO: no semantic/embedding crisis detection. Keyword-only means signals
+    // evading the phrase list pass through with zero augmentation. Semantic layer is a
+    // separate architectural decision requiring embedding inference on every message.
     let augmented_addendum: String = safety_augment_system("", raw_input)
-    let augmented_addendum = if str_eq(lc_affective_note, "") { augmented_addendum } else {
-        if str_eq(augmented_addendum, "") { lc_affective_note } else { lc_affective_note + "\n" + augmented_addendum }
-    }
     state_set("layered_cycle_safety_system_addendum", augmented_addendum)
 
     // L3: imprint responds
@@ -495,7 +388,6 @@ load_identity_context()
 seed_persona_from_env()
 let boot_num: Int = mem_boot_count_inc()
 state_set("soul_boot_count", int_to_str(boot_num))
-state_set("soul_boot_ts", int_to_str(time_now()))
 println("[soul] boot #" + int_to_str(boot_num))
 emit_session_start_event()