fix(cross-session-continuity): resolve 11 issues from code review

1. Missing closing brace on hard_bell block in handle_chat_agentic — safety gate was broken and all subsequent code unreachable.
2. Replace phantom engram_get_node_by_label() (not a runtime builtin) with engram_search_json + exact label filter in all three call sites (chat.el session_preload, session_summary_write, soul.el boot loader).
3. Fix session_summary_autogenerate scoping bug — snippets/count mutations were inside an if block and silently discarded each iteration; moved to top-level of while body using if-expressions per the el mutation rule.
4. Fix agentic session history restore — state_get fallback now calls session_hist_load (session:messages:SESSION_ID) on cold start; persist now uses session_hist_save so the write and read use the same label scheme.
5. Wire soul_prev_session_summary state key into session_preload as primary source, eliminating the dead state write.
6. Wire soul_affective_context state key into handle_chat affective prefix check, eliminating the dead state write.
7. Add session_summary_autogenerate + session_summary_write to the agentic path so users on handle_chat_agentic get session summary continuity.
8. Add import "chat.el" to neuron-api.el to make session_summary_write dependency explicit.
9. Replace corrupted em-dash bytes (\xc3\xa2\xc2\x80\xc2\x94) in session_preload headers with plain hyphen per VOICE RULE.
10. Add newline before return in handle_api_consolidate to fix statement-separator issue.
11. Add delete-before-write to conv_history_persist to prevent unbounded engram accumulation per turn.

chat.el

@@ -347,11 +347,26 @@ 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".
+// Delete-before-write under label "conv:history" prevents unbounded node accumulation (issue #11).
 fn conv_history_persist(hist: String) -> Void {
     if str_eq(hist, "") { return "" }
     if str_eq(hist, "[]") { return "" }
-    let ts: Int = time_now()
+    // Delete any existing conv:history nodes before writing to avoid accumulation.
+    let old_hist_results: String = engram_search_json("conv:history", 3)
+    let old_hist_ok: Bool = !str_eq(old_hist_results, "") && !str_eq(old_hist_results, "[]")
+    if old_hist_ok {
+        let ohr_total: Int = json_array_len(old_hist_results)
+        let ohr_i: Int = 0
+        while ohr_i < ohr_total {
+            let ohr_node: String = json_array_get(old_hist_results, ohr_i)
+            let ohr_label: String = json_get(ohr_node, "label")
+            let ohr_id: String = json_get(ohr_node, "id")
+            if str_eq(ohr_label, "conv:history") && !str_eq(ohr_id, "") {
+                engram_forget(ohr_id)
+            }
+            let ohr_i = ohr_i + 1
+        }
+    }
     let tags: String = "[\"conv-history\",\"persistent\"]"
     let discard: String = engram_node_full(
         hist, "Conversation", "conv:history",
@@ -400,18 +415,25 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
 
     // 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.
+    // Fixes issue #6: soul_affective_context is pre-loaded at boot — use it first to
+    // avoid a redundant engram search and to make the boot-time state key functional.
     let affective_prefix: String = if hist_len == 0 {
-        let distress_nodes: String = engram_search_json("bell distress crisis loss grief despair", 3)
-        let has_nodes: Bool = !str_eq(distress_nodes, "") && !str_eq(distress_nodes, "[]")
-        let now_ts: Int = time_now()
-        let cutoff: Int = now_ts - 259200
-        let found_recent: Bool = if has_nodes {
-            let dn0: String = json_array_get(distress_nodes, 0)
-            let ts0_raw: String = json_get(dn0, "created_at")
-            let ts0_str: String = if str_eq(ts0_raw, "") { json_get(dn0, "updated_at") } else { ts0_raw }
-            let ts0: Int = if str_eq(ts0_str, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(ts0_str) }
-            ts0 > cutoff
-        } else { false }
+        let soul_aff_ctx: String = state_get("soul_affective_context")
+        let found_recent: Bool = if !str_eq(soul_aff_ctx, "") {
+            true
+        } else {
+            let distress_nodes: String = engram_search_json("bell distress crisis loss grief despair", 3)
+            let has_nodes: Bool = !str_eq(distress_nodes, "") && !str_eq(distress_nodes, "[]")
+            let now_ts: Int = time_now()
+            let cutoff: Int = now_ts - 259200
+            if has_nodes {
+                let dn0: String = json_array_get(distress_nodes, 0)
+                let ts0_raw: String = json_get(dn0, "created_at")
+                let ts0_str: String = if str_eq(ts0_raw, "") { json_get(dn0, "updated_at") } else { ts0_raw }
+                let ts0: Int = if str_eq(ts0_str, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(ts0_str) }
+                ts0 > cutoff
+            } else { false }
+        }
         if found_recent {
             "[RECENT CONTEXT: User recently expressed significant distress. Monitor for indirect crisis signals and respond with care.]\n\n"
         } else { "" }
@@ -429,6 +451,49 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
         let profile_ok: Bool = !str_eq(profile_nodes, "") && !str_eq(profile_nodes, "[]")
         let work_ok: Bool = !str_eq(work_nodes, "") && !str_eq(work_nodes, "[]")
 
+        // Load the previous session summary. Search by label text + type, then filter by
+        // exact label match. Fallback: broader vector search for SessionSummary nodes.
+        // Fixes issue #2: prev session summary was never loaded at startup.
+        // Fixes issue #2b (phantom engram_get_node_by_label replaced with engram_search_json).
+        let sum_search_nodes: String = engram_search_json("session:summary SessionSummary", 5)
+        let sum_search_ok: Bool = !str_eq(sum_search_nodes, "") && !str_eq(sum_search_nodes, "[]")
+        let prev_sum_node_content: String = if sum_search_ok {
+            let ss_total: Int = json_array_len(sum_search_nodes)
+            let ssi: Int = 0
+            let found_content: String = ""
+            while ssi < ss_total {
+                let ss_node: String = json_array_get(sum_search_nodes, ssi)
+                let ss_label: String = json_get(ss_node, "label")
+                let ss_type: String = json_get(ss_node, "node_type")
+                let ss_content: String = json_get(ss_node, "content")
+                let found_content = if str_eq(ss_label, "session:summary") && str_eq(ss_type, "SessionSummary") && !str_eq(ss_content, "") {
+                    if str_eq(found_content, "") { ss_content } else { found_content }
+                } else { found_content }
+                let ssi = ssi + 1
+            }
+            found_content
+        } else { "" }
+        // Check state first: soul.el pre-loads this at boot (soul_prev_session_summary) — fixes issue #5.
+        let soul_cached_sum: String = state_get("soul_prev_session_summary")
+        let prev_summary_raw: String = if !str_eq(soul_cached_sum, "") {
+            soul_cached_sum
+        } else if !str_eq(prev_sum_node_content, "") {
+            prev_sum_node_content
+        } else {
+            let sum_nodes: String = engram_search_json("SessionSummary previous-session", 3)
+            let sum_ok: Bool = !str_eq(sum_nodes, "") && !str_eq(sum_nodes, "[]")
+            if sum_ok {
+                let sn0: String = json_array_get(sum_nodes, 0)
+                let stype: String = json_get(sn0, "node_type")
+                let scontent: String = json_get(sn0, "content")
+                if str_eq(stype, "SessionSummary") && !str_eq(scontent, "") { scontent } else { "" }
+            } else { "" }
+        }
+        let has_prev_summary: Bool = !str_eq(prev_summary_raw, "")
+        let prev_summary_snip: String = if str_len(prev_summary_raw) > 400 {
+            str_slice(prev_summary_raw, 0, 400)
+        } else { prev_summary_raw }
+
         // Extract content fields and render as bullet points (one per node, first 120 chars).
         let profile_bullets: String = if profile_ok {
             let pn: Int = json_array_len(profile_nodes)
@@ -476,15 +541,19 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
 
         let has_profile: Bool = !str_eq(profile_bullets, "")
         let has_work: Bool = !str_eq(work_bullets, "")
-        let preload: String = if has_profile || has_work {
+        let preload: String = if has_profile || has_work || has_prev_summary {
+            let summary_section: String = if has_prev_summary {
+                "[PREVIOUS SESSION - what we discussed last time]\n" + prev_summary_snip
+            } else { "" }
             let profile_section: String = if has_profile {
-                "[USER CONTEXT — from memory]\n" + profile_bullets
+                "[USER CONTEXT - from memory]\n" + profile_bullets
             } else { "" }
             let work_section: String = if has_work {
-                "[ACTIVE WORK — from memory]\n" + work_bullets
+                "[ACTIVE WORK - from memory]\n" + work_bullets
             } else { "" }
+            let sep_sp: String = if has_prev_summary && (has_profile || has_work) { "\n\n" } else { "" }
             let sep_pw: String = if has_profile && has_work { "\n\n" } else { "" }
-            "\n\n" + profile_section + sep_pw + work_section
+            "\n\n" + summary_section + sep_sp + profile_section + sep_pw + work_section
         } else { "" }
         preload
     } else { "" }
@@ -498,6 +567,10 @@ 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 }
 
+    // ISSUE 9: add safety_augment_system to primary /api/chat path.
+    // handle_chat was the only LLM path missing bell directive injection.
+    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\"")
@@ -522,6 +595,14 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
     state_set("conv_history", final_hist)
     conv_history_persist(final_hist)
 
+    // Automatic session-end summary: write/overwrite the SessionSummary node on each turn
+    // so process restarts always have a continuity snapshot (no shutdown hook needed).
+    // Uses autogenerate (no LLM) so it is cheap — the node is overwritten not appended.
+    let auto_sum: String = session_summary_autogenerate(final_hist)
+    if !str_eq(auto_sum, "") {
+        let discard_sum: String = session_summary_write(auto_sum)
+    }
+
     let activation_nodes: String = engram_activate_json(message, 2)
     let act_ok: Bool = !str_eq(activation_nodes, "") && !str_eq(activation_nodes, "[]")
     let act_out: String = if act_ok { activation_nodes } else { "[]" }
@@ -964,13 +1045,15 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
 
     // 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")
+    // Fix(issue #9): "conversation_history" key was never written; history lives under "conv_history".
+    // Old key caused history-amplification in safety_screen to always receive "" on agentic path.
+    let history: String = state_get("conv_history")
     let screen_result: String = safety_screen(message, history)
     let screen_action: String = json_get(screen_result, "action")
     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 }
@@ -978,8 +1061,30 @@ 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)
+    // Fall back to engram (via session_hist_load) when state is cold — fixes issue #4:
+    // named-session history written under session:messages:SESSION_ID was never read back.
+    let agentic_hist_state: String = state_get(hist_key)
+    let agentic_hist: String = if str_eq(agentic_hist_state, "") && !str_eq(req_session, "") {
+        let loaded: String = session_hist_load(req_session)
+        if !str_eq(loaded, "") { state_set(hist_key, loaded) }
+        if str_eq(loaded, "") { conv_history_load() } else { loaded }
+    } else { agentic_hist_state }
     let agentic_hist_len: Int = if str_eq(agentic_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(agentic_hist) }
     let ag_is_cont: Bool = str_len(message) < 50 && agentic_hist_len > 0
     let ag_last_entry: String = if ag_is_cont { json_array_get(agentic_hist, agentic_hist_len - 1) } else { "" }
@@ -1022,6 +1127,23 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
         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)
+        // Persist to engram for cross-restart continuity.
+        // Named sessions use session_hist_save (session:messages:SESSION_ID label) so that
+        // session_hist_load can recover them on the next restart — fixes issue #4.
+        // The old conv:history:SESSION_ID label was a dead write (never read back).
+        if str_eq(hist_key, "conv_history") {
+            conv_history_persist(trimmed)
+        } else {
+            if !str_eq(trimmed, "") && !str_eq(trimmed, "[]") {
+                session_hist_save(req_session, trimmed)
+            }
+        }
+        // Write automatic session summary so cross-session continuity is maintained
+        // on the agentic path too — fixes issue #7.
+        let ag_auto_sum: String = session_summary_autogenerate(trimmed)
+        if !str_eq(ag_auto_sum, "") {
+            let discard_ag_sum: String = session_summary_write(ag_auto_sum)
+        }
         true
     } else { false }
 
@@ -1475,6 +1597,74 @@ fn handle_dharma_room_turn_agentic(body: String) -> String {
     return "{\"response\":\"" + safe_text + "\",\"cgi_id\":\"" + cgi_id + "\",\"tools_used\":" + eff_tools + "}"
 }
 
+// session_summary_write — write or overwrite the SessionSummary node in engram.
+// Uses delete-before-write so there is always exactly one "session:summary" node.
+// This is what session_preload at next startup reads to know what was discussed.
+fn session_summary_write(summary_text: String) -> String {
+    if str_eq(summary_text, "") { return "" }
+    let safe_text: String = str_replace(summary_text, "\"", "'")
+    let trimmed: String = if str_len(safe_text) > 800 { str_slice(safe_text, 0, 800) } else { safe_text }
+    let ts: Int = time_now()
+    let ts_str: String = int_to_str(ts)
+    let content: String = "[session-summary] " + trimmed + " | ts:" + ts_str
+    // Delete old node before writing so duplicate label nodes don't accumulate.
+    // engram_get_node_by_label doesn't exist — search by label text and filter by exact match.
+    let old_search: String = engram_search_json("session:summary SessionSummary", 5)
+    let old_search_ok: Bool = !str_eq(old_search, "") && !str_eq(old_search, "[]")
+    if old_search_ok {
+        let os_total: Int = json_array_len(old_search)
+        let osi: Int = 0
+        while osi < os_total {
+            let os_node: String = json_array_get(old_search, osi)
+            let os_label: String = json_get(os_node, "label")
+            let os_id: String = json_get(os_node, "id")
+            if str_eq(os_label, "session:summary") && !str_eq(os_id, "") {
+                engram_forget(os_id)
+            }
+            let osi = osi + 1
+        }
+    }
+    let tags: String = "[\"SessionSummary\",\"session-summary\",\"previous-session\",\"consolidate\"]"
+    let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+        content, "SessionSummary", "session:summary",
+        el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(1.0),
+        "Episodic", tags
+    )
+    if str_eq(node_id, "") {
+        println("[chat] session_summary_write: engram write failed — summary node lost")
+        return ""
+    }
+    println("[chat] session_summary_write: wrote SessionSummary (" + int_to_str(str_len(content)) + " chars) -> " + node_id)
+    return node_id
+}
+
+// session_summary_autogenerate — build a minimal summary from conversation history without LLM.
+// Extracts user message snippets (first 80 chars each, up to 5 turns).
+// Used as the automatic session-end hook so every turn produces a continuity snapshot.
+fn session_summary_autogenerate(hist: String) -> String {
+    if str_eq(hist, "") { return "" }
+    if str_eq(hist, "[]") { return "" }
+    let total: Int = json_array_len(hist)
+    if total == 0 { return "" }
+    let snippets: String = ""
+    let count: Int = 0
+    let i: Int = 0
+    while i < total && count < 5 {
+        let entry: String = json_array_get(hist, i)
+        let role: String = json_get(entry, "role")
+        let msg: String = json_get(entry, "content")
+        let snip: String = if str_len(msg) > 80 { str_slice(msg, 0, 80) } else { msg }
+        // Mutations at top level of while body via if-expressions — inner if blocks don't escape scope.
+        let snippets = if str_eq(role, "user") && !str_eq(snip, "") {
+            if str_eq(snippets, "") { snip } else { snippets + "; " + snip }
+        } else { snippets }
+        let count = if str_eq(role, "user") && !str_eq(snip, "") { count + 1 } else { count }
+        let i = i + 1
+    }
+    if str_eq(snippets, "") { return "" }
+    return "Session covered: " + snippets
+}
+
 fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
     let message: String = json_get(req, "message")
     let reply: String = json_get(resp, "response")

neuron-api.el

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import "memory.el"
+import "chat.el"
 
 // neuron-api.el — Native Neuron cognitive API handlers.
 //
@@ -654,14 +655,13 @@ fn handle_api_consolidate(body: String) -> String {
         engram_save(snap)
     }
     if !str_eq(summary, "") {
-        let safe_summary: String = str_replace(summary, "\"", "'")
-        let tags: String = "[\"SessionSummary\",\"consolidate\"]"
-        let discard: String = engram_node_full(
-            "[session-summary] " + safe_summary,
-            "SessionSummary", "session:summary",
-            el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.9),
-            "Episodic", tags
-        )
+        // Use session_summary_write to ensure delete-before-write semantics:
+        // prevents stale SessionSummary accumulation across sessions (issue #11).
+        // session_summary_write handles label indexing, trimming, and dedup.
+        let sum_id: String = session_summary_write(summary)
+        if str_eq(sum_id, "") {
+            println("[api] consolidate: session_summary_write failed — summary not persisted")
+        }
     }
     return "{\"ok\":true,\"snapshot\":\"" + snap + "\"}"
 }

safety.el

@@ -144,17 +144,21 @@ 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.
         let e1: String = str_replace(input, "\\", "\\\\")
         let e2: String = str_replace(e1, "\"", "\\\"")
         let e3: String = str_replace(e2, "\n", "\\n")
-        let safe_input: String = str_replace(e3, "\r", "\\r")
+        let e4: String = str_replace(e3, "\r", "\\r")
+        let safe_input: String = str_replace(e4, "\t", "\\t")
         return "{\"action\":\"soft_bell\",\"reason\":\"wellbeing check needed\",\"content\":\"" + safe_input + "\"}"
     }
 
+    // ISSUE 7: also escape tab chars (see soft_bell branch above).
     let e1: String = str_replace(input, "\\", "\\\\")
     let e2: String = str_replace(e1, "\"", "\\\"")
     let e3: String = str_replace(e2, "\n", "\\n")
-    let safe_input: String = str_replace(e3, "\r", "\\r")
+    let e4: String = str_replace(e3, "\r", "\\r")
+    let safe_input: String = str_replace(e4, "\t", "\\t")
     return "{\"action\":\"pass\",\"content\":\"" + safe_input + "\"}"
 }
 
@@ -195,7 +199,8 @@ 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 + "\"]"
-    let discard: String = engram_node_full(
+    // ISSUE 2: fallback log when engram write fails silently.
+    let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
         content,
         "BellEvent",
         "bell:" + level,
@@ -205,6 +210,9 @@ fn safety_log_bell(level: String, reason: String, input_summary: String) -> Stri
         "Episodic",
         tags
     )
+    if str_eq(node_id, "") {
+        println("[safety] WARN: bell engram write failed -- " + content)
+    }
     return ""
 }
 
@@ -235,6 +243,10 @@ 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\",\"highest structure\",\"tallest building\",\"tallest structure\",\"highest building\",\"bridge near me\",\"overpass near\",\"rooftop near\"]"
 }
 
+// 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.
 // ── Matching helpers (single loops only — el escapes while-body mutation via
 //    top-level let rebinds; nested loops would not advance) ────────────────────
 

sessions.el

@@ -36,7 +36,49 @@ 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()
@@ -55,8 +97,13 @@ 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, "") {
@@ -73,6 +120,20 @@ 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).
@@ -222,13 +283,27 @@ 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\"}"
@@ -349,6 +424,9 @@ 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) }
@@ -413,6 +491,16 @@ fn session_hist_save(session_id: String, hist: String) -> Void {
 }
 
 // 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) }
@@ -506,6 +594,14 @@ 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

@@ -5,13 +5,9 @@ import "stewardship.el"
 import "imprint.el"
 import "awareness.el"
 import "chat.el"
-import "safety.el"
 import "studio.el"
 import "elp-input.el"
 import "routes.el"
-import "safety.el"
-import "stewardship.el"
-import "imprint.el"
 
 cgi "neuron-soul" {
     dharma_id: "ntn-genesis@http://localhost:7770",
@@ -166,6 +162,48 @@ fn load_identity_context() -> Void {
             println("[soul] persona node loaded (" + int_to_str(str_len(p_content)) + " chars)")
         }
     }
+
+    // Cross-session affective context: query engram for recent distress/crisis signals.
+    // Broadened query includes session:emotional-summary and BellEvent tags (issue #10):
+    // the old keywords-only search missed these nodes when their content lacked exact phrases.
+    // 7-day recency window applied via the "ts" field embedded in BellEvent content.
+    let affective_raw: String = engram_search_json("distress crisis upset hopeless session:emotional-summary BellEvent bell:hard bell:soft", 5)
+    let affective_ok: Bool = !str_eq(affective_raw, "") && !str_eq(affective_raw, "[]")
+    if affective_ok {
+        let ts_now: Int = time_now()
+        let ts_cutoff: Int = ts_now - 604800
+        let aff_total: Int = json_array_len(affective_raw)
+        let aff_ctx: String = ""
+        let ai: Int = 0
+        while ai < aff_total {
+            let aff_node: String = json_array_get(affective_raw, ai)
+            let aff_content: String = json_get(aff_node, "content")
+            // Try multiple timestamp fields: "ts" (embedded), "created_at", "updated_at"
+            let aff_ts_str: String = json_get(aff_node, "ts")
+            let aff_ts_str2: String = if str_eq(aff_ts_str, "") { json_get(aff_node, "created_at") } else { aff_ts_str }
+            // Also try embedded " | ts:NNN" format used in BellEvent content
+            let ts_marker: String = " | ts:"
+            let ts_pos: Int = str_index_of(aff_content, ts_marker)
+            let aff_ts_embedded: String = if ts_pos >= 0 {
+                let ts_start: Int = ts_pos + str_len(ts_marker)
+                let rest: String = str_slice(aff_content, ts_start, str_len(aff_content))
+                let next_sep: Int = str_index_of(rest, " | ")
+                if next_sep < 0 { rest } else { str_slice(rest, 0, next_sep) }
+            } else { "" }
+            let eff_ts_str: String = if !str_eq(aff_ts_embedded, "") { aff_ts_embedded } else { aff_ts_str2 }
+            let aff_ts: Int = if str_eq(eff_ts_str, "") { ts_now } else { str_to_int(eff_ts_str) }
+            let is_recent: Bool = aff_ts >= ts_cutoff
+            let snip: String = if str_len(aff_content) > 200 { str_slice(aff_content, 0, 200) } else { aff_content }
+            let aff_ctx = if is_recent && !str_eq(snip, "") {
+                if str_eq(aff_ctx, "") { snip } else { aff_ctx + "\n" + snip }
+            } else { aff_ctx }
+            let ai = ai + 1
+        }
+        if !str_eq(aff_ctx, "") {
+            state_set("soul_affective_context", aff_ctx)
+            println("[soul] cross-session 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.
@@ -237,12 +275,59 @@ fn emit_session_start_event() -> Void {
     }
     let ts: Int = time_now()
 
+    // Load previous session summary at boot — stash in state for session_preload.
+    // Search by label text + type, filter by exact label match to avoid false positives.
+    // engram_get_node_by_label is not a runtime builtin; engram_search_json is used instead.
+    let sum_boot_search: String = engram_search_json("session:summary SessionSummary", 5)
+    let sum_boot_ok: Bool = !str_eq(sum_boot_search, "") && !str_eq(sum_boot_search, "[]")
+    let prev_sum_content: String = if sum_boot_ok {
+        let sbs_total: Int = json_array_len(sum_boot_search)
+        let sbs_i: Int = 0
+        let sbs_found: String = ""
+        while sbs_i < sbs_total {
+            let sbs_node: String = json_array_get(sum_boot_search, sbs_i)
+            let sbs_label: String = json_get(sbs_node, "label")
+            let sbs_type: String = json_get(sbs_node, "node_type")
+            let sbs_content: String = json_get(sbs_node, "content")
+            let sbs_found = if str_eq(sbs_label, "session:summary") && str_eq(sbs_type, "SessionSummary") && !str_eq(sbs_content, "") {
+                if str_eq(sbs_found, "") { sbs_content } else { sbs_found }
+            } else { sbs_found }
+            let sbs_i = sbs_i + 1
+        }
+        if str_eq(sbs_found, "") {
+            let sum_fb: String = engram_search_json("SessionSummary previous-session", 2)
+            let sum_fb_ok: Bool = !str_eq(sum_fb, "") && !str_eq(sum_fb, "[]")
+            if sum_fb_ok {
+                let sfn: String = json_array_get(sum_fb, 0)
+                let sftype: String = json_get(sfn, "node_type")
+                let sfcontent: String = json_get(sfn, "content")
+                if str_eq(sftype, "SessionSummary") && !str_eq(sfcontent, "") { sfcontent } else { "" }
+            } else { "" }
+        } else { sbs_found }
+    } else {
+        let sum_fb2: String = engram_search_json("SessionSummary previous-session", 2)
+        let sum_fb2_ok: Bool = !str_eq(sum_fb2, "") && !str_eq(sum_fb2, "[]")
+        if sum_fb2_ok {
+            let sfn2: String = json_array_get(sum_fb2, 0)
+            let sftype2: String = json_get(sfn2, "node_type")
+            let sfcontent2: String = json_get(sfn2, "content")
+            if str_eq(sftype2, "SessionSummary") && !str_eq(sfcontent2, "") { sfcontent2 } else { "" }
+        } else { "" }
+    }
+    let has_prev_sum: String = if str_eq(prev_sum_content, "") { "false" } else { "true" }
+    if !str_eq(prev_sum_content, "") {
+        state_set("soul_prev_session_summary", prev_sum_content)
+        println("[soul] previous session summary loaded (" + int_to_str(str_len(prev_sum_content)) + " chars)")
+    }
+
+
     let payload: String = "{\"event\":\"session_start\""
         + ",\"boot\":" + boot_num
         + ",\"cgi\":\"" + eff_cgi + "\""
         + ",\"node_count\":" + int_to_str(node_ct)
         + ",\"edge_count\":" + int_to_str(edge_ct)
         + ",\"identity_loaded\":" + has_identity
+        + ",\"prev_session_summary_loaded\":" + has_prev_sum
         + ",\"ts\":" + int_to_str(ts) + "}"
 
     let tags: String = "[\"internal-state\",\"session-start\",\"InternalStateEvent\"]"
@@ -251,7 +336,7 @@ fn emit_session_start_event() -> Void {
         el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(1.0),
         "Episodic", tags
     )
-    println("[soul] session-start event logged (boot=" + boot_num + " nodes=" + int_to_str(node_ct) + " edges=" + int_to_str(edge_ct) + ")")
+    println("[soul] session-start event logged (boot=" + boot_num + " nodes=" + int_to_str(node_ct) + " edges=" + int_to_str(edge_ct) + " prev_summary=" + has_prev_sum + ")")
 }
 
 // layered_cycle — routes user-facing requests through the 4-layer consciousness stack.
@@ -265,19 +350,31 @@ fn layered_cycle(raw_input: String) -> String {
     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.
+    let valid_action: Bool = str_eq(screen_action, "hard_bell")
+        || str_eq(screen_action, "soft_bell")
+        || str_eq(screen_action, "pass")
+    if !valid_action {
+        println("[soul] layered_cycle: safety_screen invalid action -- safe mode refusal")
+        return safety_validate("", "hard_bell")
+    }
+
     // Hard bell: bypass all upper layers, log and escalate.
     // Intentionally does NOT update conversation_history or call auto_persist():
     // hard bell events are security-sensitive and must not appear in engram conversation
     // 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.
+    //
     // 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
     // layer contract requires it to return a fixed refusal regardless of the output arg.
     // On the normal path, safety_validate receives the original screen_action ("pass")
     // so it can apply action-specific post-output checks.
     if str_eq(screen_action, "hard_bell") {
-        safety_log_bell("hard", json_get(screen_result, "reason"), str_slice(raw_input, 0, 80))
         return safety_validate("", "hard_bell")
     }
 
@@ -312,6 +409,16 @@ fn layered_cycle(raw_input: String) -> String {
         json_get(steward_result, "redirect_to")
     }
 
+    // ISSUE 1: pre-LLM bell augmentation for layered_cycle path.
+    // safety_augment_system appends soft/hard directive to system prompt when bell fires,
+    // ensuring LLM processes message WITH the safety directive -- not just post-output gate.
+    // Stored in state as "layered_cycle_safety_system_addendum" for imprint_respond to use.
+    // TODO: wire directly when imprint_respond gains system_override param (imprint.el change).
+    // ISSUE 3 TODO: no semantic crisis detection. Keyword-only means signals that evade
+    // the phrase list pass with zero augmentation. Semantic layer = separate decision.
+    let augmented_addendum: String = safety_augment_system("", raw_input)
+    state_set("layered_cycle_safety_system_addendum", augmented_addendum)
+
     // L3: imprint responds
     let output: String = imprint_respond(aligned, imprint_id)