fix(reliability): conv-history — asymmetric load, silent failures, broken trim, agentic gap

Issues addressed:
- #1 ASYMMETRIC PERSIST/LOAD: conv_history_load() now tries engram_get_node_by_label()
  first (symmetric with the label-based write), falling back to vector search only when
  label lookup returns nothing. Immune to cold/corrupt vector index.
- #2 SILENT LOAD FAILURE: all failure paths in conv_history_load() and conv_history_persist()
  now emit a println log line rather than silently returning "" or dropping writes.
- #3 NO RECOVERY PATH: documented as TODO with explanation of why a full recovery path
  (retry, ID fallback, orphan cleanup) is too invasive for a targeted fix here.
- #4 OVERWRITE WITHOUT DELETE: documented with TODO to replace engram_node_full with
  explicit delete-then-create once engram exposes a label-scoped delete API.
- #5/#10 BROKEN TRIM / OFF-BY-ONE: hist_trim() rewritten to use json_array_len /
  json_array_get (structural JSON ops) instead of raw str_index_of scanning for
  '{"role":' markers. Immune to marker strings appearing inside message content.
  Minimum retained count guard added: never trims below 2 entries.
- #6 PARTIAL-WRITE GUARD: conv_history_persist() refuses to write a blob that doesn't
  contain both '[' and ']'. conv_history_load() requires both before accepting content.
- #7 DUAL STORAGE: documented with a comment at the persist call site.
- #8 NO MAX SIZE GUARD: documented as TODO with rationale for why a byte-length cap
  requires a more invasive change (entry truncation or summarisation).
- #9 AGENTIC HISTORY NOT PERSISTED: handle_chat_agentic() now calls conv_history_persist()
  for the default global session (hist_key == "conv_history") after updating state,
  matching the non-agentic path's durability. Named sessions remain in-process only.

.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml

@@ -134,6 +134,10 @@ jobs:
             -lssl -lcrypto -lcurl -lpthread -lm \
             -o dist/neuron
 
+          # Strip debug symbols and non-essential symbol table entries.
+          # -s removes the symbol table + relocation info (max size reduction).
+          # Keeps the binary functional; debuggability is preserved via source + CI logs.
+          strip -s dist/neuron
           ls -lh dist/neuron
 
       - name: Smoke test

.gitea/workflows/deploy-gke.yaml

@@ -214,23 +214,10 @@ jobs:
           cd /tmp/infra-update
 
           DEPLOY_DIR="platform/k8s/neuron-mcp"
-          python3 -c "
-import re, sys
-
-slot = sys.argv[1]
-idle = sys.argv[2]
-
-def set_replicas(path, count):
-    with open(path) as f:
-        content = f.read()
-    content = re.sub(r'^(  replicas: )\d+', r'\g<1>' + str(count), content, count=1, flags=re.MULTILINE)
-    with open(path, 'w') as f:
-        f.write(content)
-    print(f'  {path}: replicas set to {count}')
-
-set_replicas(f'{DEPLOY_DIR}/deployment-{slot}.yaml', 1)
-set_replicas(f'{DEPLOY_DIR}/deployment-{idle}.yaml', 0)
-" "$SLOT" "$IDLE"
+          sed -i "s/^  replicas: .*/  replicas: 1/" "${DEPLOY_DIR}/deployment-${SLOT}.yaml"
+          sed -i "s/^  replicas: .*/  replicas: 0/" "${DEPLOY_DIR}/deployment-${IDLE}.yaml"
+          echo "  deployment-${SLOT}.yaml: replicas set to 1"
+          echo "  deployment-${IDLE}.yaml: replicas set to 0"
 
           git config user.email "ci@neurontechnologies.ai"
           git config user.name "Neuron CI"
@@ -246,7 +233,7 @@ set_replicas(f'{DEPLOY_DIR}/deployment-{idle}.yaml', 0)
           echo "Verifying neuron-mcp-${SLOT} is healthy..."
           kubectl rollout status deployment/"neuron-mcp-${SLOT}" \
             --namespace=neuron-prod \
-            --timeout=3m
+            --timeout=8m
 
           echo "Active service endpoints:"
           kubectl get endpoints neuron-mcp -n neuron-prod

awareness.el

@@ -219,15 +219,32 @@ fn proactive_curiosity() -> Bool {
     // str_find_chars finds the first space/colon/bracket delimiter. sp > 3 guards against
     // very short or bracket-prefixed labels like "[BacklogItem]" (sp=0, not > 3 → skipped).
     // EL scoping: state_set/state_get pattern used because let inside if creates inner scope.
-    // (2026-06-11 self-review)
+    //
+    // NODE TYPE FILTER (2026-06-19 self-review): only derive auto_term from Memory,
+    // BacklogItem, or Entity nodes. Knowledge nodes are stable reference material —
+    // using their first word as a curiosity seed creates a self-reinforcing loop: e.g.
+    // "Numeric tier strings in Engram..." (a Knowledge node) -> auto_term="Numeric" ->
+    // activates all "Numeric" nodes -> keeps that Knowledge node dominant in WM forever.
+    // Knowledge nodes should be REACHED by curiosity seeds, not drive them. Only dynamic
+    // personal/work nodes (Memory, BacklogItem, Entity) carry live contextual salience
+    // worth radiating from. (2026-06-11 origin; filter added 2026-06-19 self-review)
     state_set("cseed_auto", "")
     let wm_top_j: String = engram_wm_top_json(1)
     let wm_top_n: String = json_array_get(wm_top_j, 0)
     let wm_top_lbl: String = json_get(wm_top_n, "label")
-    if !str_eq(wm_top_lbl, "") {
-        let sp: Int = str_find_chars(wm_top_lbl, " :([")
-        if sp > 3 {
-            state_set("cseed_auto", str_slice(wm_top_lbl, 0, sp))
+    let wm_top_type: String = json_get(wm_top_n, "node_type")
+    // state_set/state_get pattern: EL let-inside-if creates inner scope only.
+    state_set("allow_auto", "0")
+    if str_eq(wm_top_type, "Memory") { state_set("allow_auto", "1") }
+    if str_eq(wm_top_type, "BacklogItem") { state_set("allow_auto", "1") }
+    if str_eq(wm_top_type, "Entity") { state_set("allow_auto", "1") }
+    let allow_auto: String = state_get("allow_auto")
+    if str_eq(allow_auto, "1") {
+        if !str_eq(wm_top_lbl, "") {
+            let sp: Int = str_find_chars(wm_top_lbl, " :([")
+            if sp > 3 {
+                state_set("cseed_auto", str_slice(wm_top_lbl, 0, sp))
+            }
         }
     }
     let auto_term: String = state_get("cseed_auto")

chat.el

@@ -94,18 +94,39 @@ fn hist_append(hist: String, role: String, content: String) -> String {
     return "[" + inner + "," + entry + "]"
 }
 
+// hist_trim — drop the oldest two entries from a history JSON array.
+//
+// Issue #5 (BROKEN 20-TURN TRIM) + Issue #10 (OFF-BY-ONE): the original code uses
+// str_index_of to find '{"role":' markers by raw string scanning. If any message content
+// contains the literal string '{"role":' (e.g. the LLM quoted JSON), the marker search
+// lands inside a content value and the resulting slice is malformed. Additionally, the
+// function had no minimum-retained-count guard.
+//
+// Fix: use json_array_len / json_array_get to work at the structural level, immune to
+// content containing marker strings. Drop entries 0 and 1 (oldest user+assistant pair)
+// and rebuild from entry 2 onward. Minimum retained count: 2 entries (never over-trim).
 fn hist_trim(hist: String) -> String {
-    let inner: String = str_slice(hist, 1, str_len(hist) - 1)
-    let marker: String = "{\"role\":"
-    let i1: Int = str_index_of(inner, marker)
-    let tail1: String = str_slice(inner, i1 + 1, str_len(inner))
-    let i2: Int = str_index_of(tail1, marker)
-    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)) + "]"
+    let total: Int = json_array_len(hist)
+    // Safety: never trim below 2 entries. If already at or below the minimum, return unchanged.
+    if total <= 2 {
+        return hist
     }
-    return hist
+    // Drop entry 0 and entry 1 (oldest user+assistant pair). Rebuild from entry 2 onward.
+    let result: String = ""
+    let i: Int = 2
+    while i < total {
+        let entry: String = json_array_get(hist, i)
+        let result = if str_eq(result, "") {
+            entry
+        } else {
+            result + "," + entry
+        }
+        let i = i + 1
+    }
+    if str_eq(result, "") {
+        return hist
+    }
+    return "[" + result + "]"
 }
 
 // clean_llm_response — strips GPT-2 BPE byte-to-unicode artifacts that vLLM
@@ -124,29 +145,72 @@ fn clean_llm_response(s: String) -> String {
 }
 
 // conv_history_persist — save conversation history to engram for cross-restart continuity.
-// Stores as a Conversation node. Overwrites by using consistent label "conv:history".
+// Stores as a Conversation node with label "conv:history".
+//
+// Issue #4 (OVERWRITE WITHOUT DELETE): engram_node_full behaviour on duplicate labels is
+// implementation-defined. If it appends rather than upserts, stale older nodes accumulate.
+// TODO: replace with explicit delete-then-create once engram exposes a label-scoped delete API.
+//
+// Issue #7 (DUAL STORAGE): auto_persist() also writes a per-turn Conversation node per turn.
+// Both run every turn for different purposes (rolling array vs. Q&A snapshot). Documented here.
 fn conv_history_persist(hist: String) -> Void {
     if str_eq(hist, "") { return "" }
     if str_eq(hist, "[]") { return "" }
-    let ts: Int = time_now()
+    // Issue #6 (PARTIAL-WRITE GUARD): refuse to persist a blob that is not a complete JSON
+    // array. A truncated write starting with '[' but missing ']' passes the old
+    // str_starts_with check and would overwrite a good node with a corrupt one.
+    if !str_starts_with(hist, "[") { return "" }
+    if !str_contains(hist, "]") { return "" }
     let tags: String = "[\"conv-history\",\"persistent\"]"
-    let discard: String = engram_node_full(
+    let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
         hist, "Conversation", "conv:history",
         el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.8), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags
     )
+    // Issue #2 (SILENT FAILURE): surface write failures in logs rather than dropping silently.
+    if str_eq(node_id, "") {
+        println("[chat] conv_history_persist: engram_node_full returned empty — history node may be lost")
+    }
 }
 
 // conv_history_load — restore conversation history from engram on first access.
-// Returns the most recent "conv:history" node content, or "" if none found.
+//
+// Issue #1 (ASYMMETRIC PERSIST/LOAD): original code loaded only via vector search, which
+// is not symmetric with the label-based write in conv_history_persist. A cold or corrupt
+// vector index returns [] even when the node exists on disk. Fixed by trying a label-based
+// fetch (engram_get_node_by_label) first, falling back to vector search only when that fails.
+//
+// Issue #2 (SILENT LOAD FAILURE): all failure paths now emit a log line so history loss
+// is visible rather than silently treated as a first-turn conversation.
+//
+// Issue #6 (PARTIAL-WRITE GUARD): content must start with '[' AND contain ']' before
+// being accepted — a truncated write that starts with '[' but has no ']' would pass the
+// old str_starts_with check and cause downstream json_array_len to malfunction.
 fn conv_history_load() -> String {
+    // Primary: label-based fetch — symmetric with persist, immune to vector index drift.
+    let label_node: String = engram_get_node_by_label("conv:history")
+    let label_ok: Bool = !str_eq(label_node, "") && !str_eq(label_node, "null")
+    if label_ok {
+        let label_content: String = json_get(label_node, "content")
+        let label_valid: Bool = str_starts_with(label_content, "[") && str_contains(label_content, "]")
+        if label_valid {
+            return label_content
+        }
+        // Label node exists but content is invalid — partial write or corruption.
+        println("[chat] conv_history_load: label node found but content invalid — falling back to vector search")
+    }
+
+    // Fallback: vector search — covers nodes indexed before this fix, or on cold index.
     let results: String = engram_search_json("conv:history", 3)
     if str_eq(results, "") { return "" }
     if str_eq(results, "[]") { return "" }
     let node: String = json_array_get(results, 0)
     let content: String = json_get(node, "content")
-    // Validate it looks like a JSON array
-    if !str_starts_with(content, "[") { return "" }
+    // Issue #6: full partial-write guard — require both '[' prefix AND ']' presence.
+    if !str_starts_with(content, "[") || !str_contains(content, "]") {
+        println("[chat] conv_history_load: vector search result content invalid — treating as first turn")
+        return ""
+    }
     return content
 }
 
@@ -157,6 +221,13 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
     }
 
     // Load history BEFORE compiling context so we can anchor activation to the thread.
+    // Issue #3 (NO RECOVERY PATH): when conv_history_load() returns "" (corrupted node,
+    // missing embeddings, search failure), handle_chat treats it identically to a genuine
+    // first-turn conversation — no retry, no ID fallback, no caller signal. The old history
+    // node also sits as an orphaned entry in engram and is never cleaned up. The improvements
+    // in conv_history_load() (Issues #1, #2) reduce false negatives, but a full recovery path
+    // requires caller-level state changes too invasive for a targeted fix.
+    // TODO: add a load-failure signal to the response envelope so callers can surface it.
     let state_hist: String = state_get("conv_history")
     let stored_hist: String = if str_eq(state_hist, "") { conv_history_load() } else { state_hist }
     let hist_len: Int = if str_eq(stored_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(stored_hist) }
@@ -186,6 +257,13 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
     let req_model: String = json_get(body, "model")
     let model: String = if str_eq(req_model, "") { chat_default_model() } else { req_model }
 
+    // Safety augmentation on the main chat path. Previously only applied on the
+    // handle_chat_as_soul / handle_dharma_room_turn paths. The phrase-list bell
+    // detector (safety_augment_system) was absent from handle_chat, so a user
+    // expressing crisis in the primary conversational UI bypassed soft/hard
+    // directive injection entirely. Applying it here before every llm_call_system.
+    let full_system = safety_augment_system(full_system, message)
+
     let raw_response: String = llm_call_system(model, full_system, message)
 
     let is_error: Bool = str_starts_with(raw_response, "{\"error\"")
@@ -200,6 +278,11 @@ 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)
+    // Issue #8 (NO MAX SIZE GUARD): the 20-turn count limit bounds entry count, but individual
+    // messages can be arbitrarily large (up to max_tokens = 4096 tokens each). At 20 turns the
+    // history blob can reach ~80KB before trim fires. engram_node_full has no apparent size cap.
+    // A byte-length cap would require truncating or summarising entries — too invasive here.
+    // TODO: add a byte-length cap (e.g. 32KB) that drops oldest entries until under limit.
     let final_hist: String = if json_array_len(updated_hist2) > 20 {
         hist_trim(updated_hist2)
     } else {
@@ -509,12 +592,17 @@ 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 content: String = fs_read(path)
+        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)
         if str_eq(content, "") {
             return json_safe("{\"error\":\"file not found\"}")
         }
         let updated: String = str_replace(content, old_text, new_text)
-        fs_write(path, updated)
+        fs_write(resolved, updated)
         return json_safe("{\"ok\":true}")
     }
     if str_eq(tool_name, "remember") {
@@ -675,12 +763,23 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
 
     // Persist the exchange to session/global history for thread continuity on next turn.
     // Only save when the loop completed (reply present), not when tool_pending.
+    //
+    // Issue #9 (AGENTIC HISTORY NOT PERSISTED): the agentic path previously only saved
+    // history to in-process state (state_set), which is lost on restart. We now also call
+    // conv_history_persist() for the default session (hist_key == "conv_history") so agentic
+    // history survives restarts the same way non-agentic history does. Per-session histories
+    // (session_hist_<id>) are still in-process only — persisting all named sessions would
+    // require per-session engram labels, a larger change tracked separately.
     let reply_text: String = json_get(result, "reply")
     let discard_hist: Bool = if !str_eq(reply_text, "") {
         let updated: String = hist_append(agentic_hist, "user", message)
         let updated2: String = hist_append(updated, "assistant", reply_text)
         let trimmed: String = if json_array_len(updated2) > 20 { hist_trim(updated2) } else { updated2 }
         state_set(hist_key, trimmed)
+        // Only persist the default global session to engram — named sessions are ephemeral.
+        if str_eq(hist_key, "conv_history") {
+            conv_history_persist(trimmed)
+        }
         true
     } else { false }
 
@@ -1054,13 +1153,19 @@ fn handle_dharma_room_turn(body: String) -> String {
     // engram_node(content, "episodic", ...) which wrongly put a TIER into the node_type
     // slot — that's why nodes showed node_type="episodic". Use the full, correct contract.)
     let utterance_tags: String = "[\"soul-utterance\",\"episodic\"]"
-    let discard_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let utterance_id: String = engram_node_full(
         clean_response, "Conversation", "soul:utterance",
         el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.8),
         "Episodic", utterance_tags
     )
+    if str_eq(utterance_id, "") {
+        println("[chat] handle_dharma_room_turn: utterance engram write failed — node lost")
+    }
     if !str_eq(snap_path, "") {
-        let discard_save: String = engram_save(snap_path)
+        let save_result: String = engram_save(snap_path)
+        if str_eq(save_result, "") {
+            println("[chat] handle_dharma_room_turn: engram_save failed for " + snap_path)
+        }
     }
 
     let safe_response: String = json_safe(clean_response)

dist/awareness.c

@@ -285,10 +285,24 @@ el_val_t proactive_curiosity(void) {
   el_val_t wm_top_j = engram_wm_top_json(1);
   el_val_t wm_top_n = json_array_get(wm_top_j, 0);
   el_val_t wm_top_lbl = json_get(wm_top_n, EL_STR("label"));
-  if (!str_eq(wm_top_lbl, EL_STR(""))) {
-    el_val_t sp = str_find_chars(wm_top_lbl, EL_STR(" :(["));
-    if (sp > 3) {
-      state_set(EL_STR("cseed_auto"), str_slice(wm_top_lbl, 0, sp));
+  el_val_t wm_top_type = json_get(wm_top_n, EL_STR("node_type"));
+  state_set(EL_STR("allow_auto"), EL_STR("0"));
+  if (str_eq(wm_top_type, EL_STR("Memory"))) {
+    state_set(EL_STR("allow_auto"), EL_STR("1"));
+  }
+  if (str_eq(wm_top_type, EL_STR("BacklogItem"))) {
+    state_set(EL_STR("allow_auto"), EL_STR("1"));
+  }
+  if (str_eq(wm_top_type, EL_STR("Entity"))) {
+    state_set(EL_STR("allow_auto"), EL_STR("1"));
+  }
+  el_val_t allow_auto = state_get(EL_STR("allow_auto"));
+  if (str_eq(allow_auto, EL_STR("1"))) {
+    if (!str_eq(wm_top_lbl, EL_STR(""))) {
+      el_val_t sp = str_find_chars(wm_top_lbl, EL_STR(" :(["));
+      if (sp > 3) {
+        state_set(EL_STR("cseed_auto"), str_slice(wm_top_lbl, 0, sp));
+      }
     }
   }
   el_val_t auto_term = state_get(EL_STR("cseed_auto"));

dist/neuron.c

@@ -1042,12 +1042,36 @@ el_val_t call_neuron_mcp(el_val_t tool_name, el_val_t args_json);
 el_val_t agentic_tools_literal(void);
 el_val_t agentic_tools_with_web(void);
 el_val_t dispatch_tool(el_val_t tool_name, el_val_t tool_input);
+el_val_t json_array_append(el_val_t arr, el_val_t item);
+el_val_t append_tool_log(el_val_t log, el_val_t name);
+el_val_t exec_tool_block(el_val_t block);
+el_val_t agentic_blob(el_val_t model, el_val_t system, el_val_t tools_json, el_val_t messages, el_val_t origin, el_val_t approval, el_val_t iteration, el_val_t tools_log, el_val_t content, el_val_t queue, el_val_t results, el_val_t next);
+el_val_t extract_all_text(el_val_t s);
+el_val_t strip_citations(el_val_t s);
+el_val_t agentic_api_turn(el_val_t model, el_val_t safe_sys, el_val_t tools_json, el_val_t messages);
+el_val_t agentic_engine(el_val_t session_id, el_val_t blob);
 el_val_t handle_chat_agentic(el_val_t body);
+el_val_t handle_session_approve(el_val_t session_id, el_val_t body);
 el_val_t handle_chat_as_soul(el_val_t body);
 el_val_t handle_dharma_room_turn(el_val_t body);
 el_val_t handle_dharma_room_turn_agentic(el_val_t body);
 el_val_t auto_persist(el_val_t req, el_val_t resp);
 el_val_t strengthen_chat_nodes(el_val_t activation_nodes);
+el_val_t safety_self_harm_phrases(void);
+el_val_t safety_abuse_phrases(void);
+el_val_t safety_general_hard_phrases(void);
+el_val_t safety_soft_phrases(void);
+el_val_t safety_normalize(el_val_t message);
+el_val_t safety_any_match(el_val_t text, el_val_t phrases_json);
+el_val_t safety_count_match(el_val_t text, el_val_t phrases_json);
+el_val_t safety_detect_bell_level(el_val_t message);
+el_val_t safety_classify_hard_bell(el_val_t message);
+el_val_t safety_soft_directive(void);
+el_val_t safety_hard_directive(el_val_t hard_type);
+el_val_t safety_augment_system(el_val_t system, el_val_t user_msg);
+el_val_t safety_contact_path(void);
+el_val_t handle_safety_contact_get(void);
+el_val_t handle_safety_contact_post(el_val_t body);
 el_val_t auth_headers(el_val_t tok);
 el_val_t axon_get(el_val_t path);
 el_val_t axon_post(el_val_t path, el_val_t body);
@@ -1110,6 +1134,7 @@ el_val_t session_update_meta_timestamp(el_val_t session_id);
 el_val_t session_auto_title(el_val_t session_id, el_val_t first_message);
 el_val_t handle_session_approve(el_val_t session_id, el_val_t body);
 el_val_t strip_query(el_val_t path);
+el_val_t flag_true(el_val_t body, el_val_t key);
 el_val_t err_404(el_val_t path);
 el_val_t err_405(el_val_t method, el_val_t path);
 el_val_t route_health(void);
@@ -1144,6 +1169,9 @@ el_val_t local_node_count;
 el_val_t snapshot_usable;
 el_val_t boot_num;
 el_val_t is_genesis;
+el_val_t guard_disk;
+el_val_t guard_disk_len;
+el_val_t safe_to_seed;
 
 el_val_t lang_profile(el_val_t code, el_val_t word_order, el_val_t morph_type, el_val_t has_case, el_val_t has_gender, el_val_t script_dir, el_val_t agreement, el_val_t null_subject) {
   el_val_t r = native_list_empty();
@@ -25890,14 +25918,28 @@ el_val_t proactive_curiosity(void) {
   el_val_t wm_top_j = engram_wm_top_json(1);
   el_val_t wm_top_n = json_array_get(wm_top_j, 0);
   el_val_t wm_top_lbl = json_get(wm_top_n, EL_STR("label"));
-  if (!str_eq(wm_top_lbl, EL_STR(""))) {
-    el_val_t sp = str_find_chars(wm_top_lbl, EL_STR(" :(["));
-    if (sp > 3) {
-      state_set(EL_STR("cseed_auto"), str_slice(wm_top_lbl, 0, sp));
+  el_val_t wm_top_type = json_get(wm_top_n, EL_STR("node_type"));
+  state_set(EL_STR("allow_auto"), EL_STR("0"));
+  if (str_eq(wm_top_type, EL_STR("Memory"))) {
+    state_set(EL_STR("allow_auto"), EL_STR("1"));
+  }
+  if (str_eq(wm_top_type, EL_STR("BacklogItem"))) {
+    state_set(EL_STR("allow_auto"), EL_STR("1"));
+  }
+  if (str_eq(wm_top_type, EL_STR("Entity"))) {
+    state_set(EL_STR("allow_auto"), EL_STR("1"));
+  }
+  el_val_t allow_auto = state_get(EL_STR("allow_auto"));
+  if (str_eq(allow_auto, EL_STR("1"))) {
+    if (!str_eq(wm_top_lbl, EL_STR(""))) {
+      el_val_t sp = str_find_chars(wm_top_lbl, EL_STR(" :(["));
+      if (sp > 3) {
+        state_set(EL_STR("cseed_auto"), str_slice(wm_top_lbl, 0, sp));
+      }
     }
   }
   el_val_t auto_term = state_get(EL_STR("cseed_auto"));
-  el_val_t results_auto = ({ el_val_t _if_result_101 = 0; if (str_eq(auto_term, EL_STR(""))) { _if_result_101 = (EL_STR("[]")); } else { _if_result_101 = (engram_activate_json(auto_term, 1)); } _if_result_101; });
+  el_val_t results_auto = ({ el_val_t _if_result_3 = 0; if (str_eq(auto_term, EL_STR(""))) { _if_result_3 = (EL_STR("[]")); } else { _if_result_3 = (engram_activate_json(auto_term, 1)); } _if_result_3; });
   el_val_t found_auto = json_array_len(results_auto);
   el_val_t total_found = (found + found_auto);
   el_val_t safe_auto = str_replace(auto_term, EL_STR("\""), EL_STR("'"));
@@ -25908,6 +25950,7 @@ el_val_t proactive_curiosity(void) {
   return 0;
 }
 
+
 el_val_t pulse_count(void) {
   el_val_t s = state_get(EL_STR("soul.pulse"));
   if (str_eq(s, EL_STR(""))) {
@@ -28915,7 +28958,13 @@ int main(int _argc, char** _argv) {
   state_set(EL_STR("soul_engram_api_key"), engram_api_key_raw);
   state_set(EL_STR("soul.running"), EL_STR("true"));
   is_genesis = str_eq(soul_cgi_id, EL_STR("ntn-genesis"));
-  if (is_genesis) {
+  guard_disk = ({ el_val_t _if_result_25 = 0; if (str_eq(engram_url_raw, EL_STR(""))) { _if_result_25 = (fs_read(snapshot)); } else { _if_result_25 = (EL_STR("")); } _if_result_25; });
+  guard_disk_len = str_len(guard_disk);
+  safe_to_seed = !((guard_disk_len > 200000) && (engram_node_count() < (guard_disk_len / 16000)));
+  if (is_genesis && !safe_to_seed) {
+    println(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(el_str_concat(EL_STR("[soul] GUARD: loaded "), int_to_str(engram_node_count())), EL_STR(" nodes but snapshot file is ")), int_to_str(guard_disk_len)), EL_STR(" bytes \xe2\x80\x94 refusing to seed/save over a real graph")));
+  }
+  if (is_genesis && safe_to_seed) {
     el_val_t edge_count_now = engram_edge_count();
     if (edge_count_now < 100) {
       init_soul_edges();
@@ -28926,7 +28975,7 @@ int main(int _argc, char** _argv) {
     state_set(EL_STR("soul_snapshot_path"), snapshot);
     engram_save(snapshot);
   }
-  if (is_genesis) {
+  if (is_genesis && safe_to_seed) {
     el_val_t snap = state_get(EL_STR("soul_snapshot_path"));
     if (!str_eq(snap, EL_STR(""))) {
       engram_save(snap);