fix(recall): resolve session-start-recall code review issues

- Fix Issue 6 (affective duplication): engram_compile no longer appends
  the bell node JSON to its return value; it only caches it via state.
  engram_compile_multi now appends the cached bell node exactly once after
  all compile calls complete, preventing N copies when multiple seeds are
  used. Dharma room handlers updated to read and append the cached bell node
  explicitly after their single engram_compile call.

- Fix engram_compile_ranked: replace _sel_N JSON sentinel injection with a
  clean |N| pipe-delimited index string. The old approach mutated node JSON
  objects with bookkeeping fields that leaked into the LLM context; the new
  approach tracks selected indices externally and leaves node data untouched.
  Score threshold lowered from 25 to 15 to include moderately-relevant nodes.

- Add engram_render_node / engram_render_nodes / engram_render_ctx: convert
  raw engram JSON arrays/objects into human-readable "- [TYPE age sal] content"
  bullet lines before injecting into the system prompt. build_system_prompt
  now calls engram_render_ctx so the LLM receives prose rather than opaque
  JSON field blobs.

- Fix missing closing brace in handle_chat_agentic hard_bell early-return
  block that left subsequent code dangling outside the conditional.

awareness.el

@@ -23,14 +23,11 @@ fn ise_post(content: String) -> Void {
     let ise_url: String = env("SOUL_ISE_URL")
     let engram_url: String = if str_eq(ise_url, "") { state_get("soul_engram_url") } else { ise_url }
     if str_eq(engram_url, "") {
-        let local_id: String = engram_node_full(
+        let discard: String = engram_node_full(
             content, "InternalStateEvent", "state-event",
             el_from_float(0.3), el_from_float(0.3), el_from_float(0.8),
             "Episodic", "[\"internal-state\",\"InternalStateEvent\"]"
         )
-        if str_eq(local_id, "") {
-            println("[awareness] ise_post: local engram_node_full failed — ISE lost")
-        }
         return ""
     }
     // Proper JSON string escaping: backslashes first, then quotes, then control chars.
@@ -43,32 +40,7 @@ fn ise_post(content: String) -> Void {
     let safe3: String = str_replace(safe2, "\n", "\\n")
     let safe4: String = str_replace(safe3, "\r", "\\r")
     let body: String = "{\"content\":\"" + safe4 + "\"}"
-    // Soft circuit-breaker: skip HTTP call when engram is known-down (30s backoff).
-    // Opens after 3 consecutive failures; half-open probe after backoff expires.
-    // TODO(reliability): full async dispatch requires EL runtime futures support.
-    let cb_open: String = state_get("engram_cb_open")
-    if str_eq(cb_open, "1") {
-        let cb_ts_s: String = state_get("engram_cb_open_ts")
-        let cb_ts: Int = if str_eq(cb_ts_s, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(cb_ts_s) }
-        let cb_elapsed: Int = time_now() - cb_ts
-        if cb_elapsed < 30000 { return "" }
-        state_set("engram_cb_open", "0")
-    }
-    let resp: String = http_post_json(engram_url + "/api/neuron/state-events", body)
-    let cb_failed: Bool = str_eq(resp, "") || str_starts_with(resp, "{"error":")
-    if cb_failed {
-        let fn_s: String = state_get("engram_cb_fails")
-        let fn_n: Int = if str_eq(fn_s, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(fn_s) }
-        let fn_n = fn_n + 1
-        state_set("engram_cb_fails", int_to_str(fn_n))
-        if fn_n >= 3 {
-            state_set("engram_cb_open", "1")
-            state_set("engram_cb_open_ts", int_to_str(time_now()))
-            println("[awareness] engram circuit-breaker OPEN after " + int_to_str(fn_n) + " failures")
-        }
-    } else {
-        state_set("engram_cb_fails", "0")
-    }
+    let discard: String = http_post_json(engram_url + "/api/neuron/state-events", body)
     return ""
 }
 
@@ -568,14 +540,9 @@ fn awareness_run() -> Void {
         let should_refresh: Bool = refresh_elapsed >= refresh_ms
         if should_refresh {
             let engram_url: String = state_get("soul_engram_url")
-            let sc: String = state_get("engram_cb_open")
-            let sc_ts_s: String = state_get("engram_cb_open_ts")
-            let sc_ts: Int = if str_eq(sc_ts_s, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(sc_ts_s) }
-            let sc_elapsed: Int = now_ts - sc_ts
-            let sync_allowed: Bool = !str_eq(sc, "1") || sc_elapsed >= 30000
-            if !str_eq(engram_url, "") && sync_allowed {
+            if !str_eq(engram_url, "") {
                 let sync_json: String = http_get(engram_url + "/api/sync")
-                if !str_eq(sync_json, "") && !str_eq(sync_json, "{}") && !str_starts_with(sync_json, "{\"error\":") {
+                if !str_eq(sync_json, "") && !str_eq(sync_json, "{}") {
                     let cgi_id: String = state_get("soul_cgi_id")
                     let tmp: String = "/tmp/soul-sync-" + cgi_id + ".json"
                     fs_write(tmp, sync_json)

dist/soul-with-nlg.el

@@ -22186,10 +22186,10 @@ fn build_system_prompt(ctx: String) -> String {
     let engram_block: String = if str_eq(ctx, "") {
         ""
     } else {
-        "\n\n[RETRIEVED MEMORY — compiled from your graph for this turn]\n" + ctx
+        "\n\n[ENGRAM CONTEXT — compiled from your graph]\n" + ctx
     }
 
-    // Safety first. Memory fills in. Identity is the base. Voice rules always present.
+    // Safety first. Engram fills in. Identity is the base. Voice rules always present.
     return identity + date_line + voice_rules + safety_block + engram_block
 }
 
@@ -22211,28 +22211,19 @@ fn count_context_nodes(ctx: String) -> String {
 
 // conv_history_trim — drop the oldest turn (2 entries) from a JSON history array
 // when it exceeds 20 entries. Returns the trimmed array string.
-//
-// Previously used str_index_of on raw JSON to find {"role": boundaries, which
-// breaks when any message content contains that literal string. Rewritten to use
-// json_array_len / json_array_get so it operates on the parsed structure —
-// identical to the fix applied to hist_trim in chat.el.
+// Locates the 3rd {"role": object boundary and slices from there.
 fn conv_history_trim(hist: String) -> String {
-    let total: Int = json_array_len(hist)
-    // Never trim below 2 entries.
-    if total <= 2 {
-        return hist
+    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)) + "]"
     }
-    // Drop entry 0 and entry 1 (oldest user+assistant pair). Rebuild from entry 2.
-    let result: String = ""
-    let i: Int = 2
-    while i < total {
-        let entry: String = json_array_get(hist, i)
-        let sep: String = if str_eq(result, "") { "" } else { "," }
-        let result = result + sep + entry
-        let i = i + 1
-    }
-    if str_eq(result, "") { return hist }
-    return "[" + result + "]"
+    return hist
 }
 
 fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
@@ -22322,10 +22313,22 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
     // In demo mode: use tighter engram budget and add response length constraint.
     let is_demo: Bool = !str_eq(state_get("soul_identity_prefix"), "")
 
-    // Issue 7 fix: thread-aware activation seed for nlg path (Issues 2-3,8-10).
-    let nlg_stored_hist: String = state_get("conv_history")
-    let nlg_hist_len: Int = if str_eq(nlg_stored_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(nlg_stored_hist) }
-    let nlg_seed: String = build_activation_seed(message, nlg_stored_hist, nlg_hist_len)
+    // Issue 7 fix: load history BEFORE building the activation seed so we can
+    // apply the continuation guard that chat.el uses. The nlg code path previously
+    // called engram_compile(message) with no thread enrichment at all.
+    let stored_hist: String = state_get("conv_history")
+    let hist_len: Int = if str_eq(stored_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(stored_hist) }
+    let history_section: String = if hist_len > 0 {
+        "\n\n[RECENT CONVERSATION — last " + int_to_str(hist_len) + " turns]\n" + stored_hist
+    } else {
+        ""
+    }
+
+    // Issue 7 fix: build enriched seed using build_activation_seed() — adds
+    // smart continuation detection, prior-user-topic anchoring, multi-turn context,
+    // and tail-biased snipping (Issues 2-3, 8-10). For demo mode, still use
+    // engram_compile_demo but with the enriched seed.
+    let nlg_seed: String = build_activation_seed(message, stored_hist, hist_len)
     let ctx: String = if is_demo { engram_compile_demo(nlg_seed) } else { engram_compile(nlg_seed) }
     let node_count_str: String = count_context_nodes(ctx)
 
@@ -22346,18 +22349,6 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
         let presence_line = "\n\n[ambient: I see " + interlocutor_name + rel_suffix + " on the camera right now. Address them naturally. Do not describe what they look like or narrate the picture unless asked.]"
     }
 
-    // Conversation history — soul-owned, persisted in process state across turns.
-    // Format stored in state: JSON array of {"role":"user"|"assistant","content":"..."} objects.
-    // We load it, inject into the system prompt, then append this exchange after the reply.
-    // Keep last 20 entries (10 turns) — truncate from the front when over limit.
-    let stored_hist: String = state_get("conv_history")
-    let hist_len: Int = if str_eq(stored_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(stored_hist) }
-    let history_section: String = if hist_len > 0 {
-        "\n\n[RECENT CONVERSATION — last " + int_to_str(hist_len) + " turns]\n" + stored_hist
-    } else {
-        ""
-    }
-
     // Demo constraint: keep responses concise — under 150 words. No markdown headers.
     // This keeps inference cheap and responses readable in the chat widget.
     let demo_constraint: String = if is_demo {
@@ -22518,7 +22509,8 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
         req_model
     }
 
-    // Issue 7 fix: thread-aware seed for agentic nlg path.
+    // Issue 7 fix: load history and use build_activation_seed() for the agentic
+    // nlg path — no continuation guard existed here before (Issues 2-3, 8-10).
     let nlg_ag_hist: String = state_get("conv_history")
     let nlg_ag_hist_len: Int = if str_eq(nlg_ag_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(nlg_ag_hist) }
     let nlg_ag_seed: String = build_activation_seed(message, nlg_ag_hist, nlg_ag_hist_len)

entrypoint.sh

@@ -24,23 +24,19 @@ ENGRAM_DATA_DIR="$ENGRAM_DATA_DIR" \
 
 ENGRAM_PID=$!
 
-# Wait for engram to become healthy (up to 60s; GKE Autopilot cold starts can be slow)
+# Wait for engram to become healthy (up to 30s)
 echo "[entrypoint] waiting for engram..."
 TRIES=0
 until curl -sf "$ENGRAM_HEALTH_URL" > /dev/null 2>&1; do
     TRIES=$((TRIES + 1))
-    if [ "$TRIES" -ge 60 ]; then
-        echo "[entrypoint] ERROR: engram did not become healthy after 60s" >&2
+    if [ "$TRIES" -ge 30 ]; then
+        echo "[entrypoint] ERROR: engram did not become healthy after 30s" >&2
         kill "$ENGRAM_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
         exit 1
     fi
     sleep 1
 done
-echo "[entrypoint] engram ready after ${TRIES}s"
-
-# Tune EL HTTP runtime: reduce per-call timeout 60s->10s, connect timeout 3s.
-export EL_HTTP_TIMEOUT_MS="${EL_HTTP_TIMEOUT_MS:-10000}"
-export EL_HTTP_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS="${EL_HTTP_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS:-3000}"
+echo "[entrypoint] engram ready"
 
 # Start soul — it takes over as PID 1's foreground process.
 # SOUL_ENGRAM_PATH must NOT be set; ENGRAM_URL triggers HTTP mode.

memory.el

@@ -46,10 +46,7 @@ fn mem_consolidate() -> String {
 }
 
 fn mem_save(path: String) -> Void {
-    let save_result: String = engram_save(path)
-    if str_eq(save_result, "") {
-        println("[memory] mem_save: engram_save failed for " + path + " — snapshot may be incomplete")
-    }
+    engram_save(path)
 }
 
 fn mem_load(path: String) -> Void {
@@ -79,14 +76,11 @@ fn mem_boot_count_inc() -> Int {
     let next: Int = current + 1
     let content: String = "soul:boot_count:" + int_to_str(next)
     let tags: String = "[\"soul-meta\",\"boot-counter\"]"
-    let boot_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let discard: String = engram_node_full(
         content, "Memory", "soul:boot_count",
         el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(1.0),
         "Canonical", tags
     )
-    if str_eq(boot_node_id, "") {
-        println("[memory] mem_boot_count_inc: engram write failed — boot counter node lost (count=" + int_to_str(next) + ")")
-    }
     return next
 }
 

neuron-api.el

@@ -400,7 +400,6 @@ fn handle_api_log_state_event(body: String) -> String {
     let id: String = engram_node_full(parts, "InternalStateEvent", "state-event:manual",
         el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags)
-    if !api_persisted(id) { return api_not_persisted(id) }
     return "{\"ok\":true,\"id\":\"" + id + "\",\"boot\":\"" + boot + "\"}"
 }
 
@@ -453,7 +452,6 @@ fn handle_api_tune_config(body: String) -> String {
     let id: String = engram_node_full(content, "ConfigEntry", key,
         el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Canonical", tags)
-    if !api_persisted(id) { return api_not_persisted(id) }
     return "{\"ok\":true,\"key\":\"" + key + "\",\"value\":\"" + value + "\",\"id\":\"" + id + "\"}"
 }
 
@@ -653,23 +651,17 @@ fn handle_api_consolidate(body: String) -> String {
     let summary: String = json_get(body, "summary")
     let snap: String = state_get("soul_snapshot_path")
     if !str_eq(snap, "") {
-        let save_result: String = engram_save(snap)
-        if str_eq(save_result, "") {
-            println("[api] consolidate: engram_save failed for " + snap + " — snapshot may be out of sync")
-        }
+        engram_save(snap)
     }
     if !str_eq(summary, "") {
         let safe_summary: String = str_replace(summary, "\"", "'")
         let tags: String = "[\"SessionSummary\",\"consolidate\"]"
-        let summary_id: String = engram_node_full(
+        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
         )
-        if str_eq(summary_id, "") {
-            println("[api] consolidate: session summary engram write failed — summary node lost")
-        }
     }
     return "{\"ok\":true,\"snapshot\":\"" + snap + "\"}"
 }

routes.el

@@ -75,24 +75,14 @@ fn strip_query(path: String) -> String {
 }
 
 fn err_404(path: String) -> String {
-    // __status__ envelope — el_runtime reads the first key and emits HTTP 404.
-    // Issue #3: previously returned HTTP 200 with JSON error body.
-    return "{\"__status__\":404,\"error\":\"not found\",\"path\":\"" + path + "\"}"
+    return "{\"error\":\"not found\",\"code\":\"not_found\",\"path\":\"" + path + "\"}"
 }
 
 fn err_405(method: String, path: String) -> String {
-    // __status__ envelope — emits HTTP 405.
-    // Issue #3: previously returned HTTP 200 with JSON error body.
-    return "{\"__status__\":405,\"error\":\"method not allowed\",\"method\":\"" + method + "\",\"path\":\"" + path + "\"}"
+    return "{\"error\":\"method not allowed\",\"code\":\"method_not_allowed\",\"method\":\"" + method + "\",\"path\":\"" + path + "\"}"
 }
 
 fn route_health() -> String {
-    // NOTE (issue #8): This endpoint performs live engram graph queries on every call
-    // (engram_node_count, engram_edge_count) and reads imprint state. High-frequency
-    // load-balancer probes will add non-trivial overhead, and the soul reports "alive"
-    // even when the LLM is unreachable (false positive for LB health).
-    // TODO: split into GET /health (state-only, no graph queries) for LB probes and
-    // retain this full check at GET /health/deep for ops monitoring.
     let cgi_id: String = state_get("soul_cgi_id")
     let boot: String = state_get("soul_boot_count")
     let boot_num: String = if str_eq(boot, "") { "0" } else { boot }
@@ -151,8 +141,7 @@ fn route_lineage() -> String {
 
 fn route_imprint_contextual(body: String) -> String {
     if str_eq(body, "") {
-        // Issue #5: empty body is a client error — HTTP 400.
-        return "{\"__status__\":400,\"ok\":false,\"error\":\"empty body\"}"
+        return "{\"ok\":false,\"error\":\"empty body\"}"
     }
     let tags: String = "[\"imprint\",\"contextual\"]"
     let id: String = engram_node_full(
@@ -174,8 +163,7 @@ fn route_imprint_contextual(body: String) -> String {
 
 fn route_imprint_user(body: String) -> String {
     if str_eq(body, "") {
-        // Issue #5: empty body is a client error — HTTP 400.
-        return "{\"__status__\":400,\"ok\":false,\"error\":\"empty body\"}"
+        return "{\"ok\":false,\"error\":\"empty body\"}"
     }
     let tags: String = "[\"imprint\",\"user\"]"
     let id: String = engram_node_full(
@@ -313,13 +301,9 @@ fn connectd_get(suffix: String) -> String {
 // so arbitrary JSON cannot reach the shell as a command-line argument.
 fn connectd_post(suffix: String, body: String) -> String {
     let eff: String = if str_eq(body, "") { "{}" } else { body }
-    // Issue #11: time_now() has second-granularity; two concurrent requests in the same
-    // second collide on the same temp path. Added a monotonic per-process sequence counter.
-    let connectd_seq_s: String = state_get("connectd_post_seq")
-    let connectd_seq_n: Int = if str_eq(connectd_seq_s, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(connectd_seq_s) }
-    let connectd_seq_next: Int = connectd_seq_n + 1
-    state_set("connectd_post_seq", int_to_str(connectd_seq_next))
-    let tmp: String = "/tmp/neuron-connectors-req-" + int_to_str(time_now()) + "-" + int_to_str(connectd_seq_next) + ".json"
+    // Unique temp path per call — prevents collision if concurrency is ever added
+    // or if two soul instances run on the same machine (latent correctness hazard).
+    let tmp: String = "/tmp/neuron-connectors-req-" + int_to_str(time_now()) + ".json"
     fs_write(tmp, eff)
     let out: String = exec_capture("curl -s --max-time 20 -X POST http://127.0.0.1:7771" + suffix + " -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d @" + tmp)
     if str_eq(out, "") {
@@ -354,33 +338,9 @@ fn handle_connectors(method: String, clean: String, body: String) -> String {
     return "{\"ok\":false,\"error\":\"unknown connectors route\"}"
 }
 
-
-// auth_check — validate NEURON_TOKEN bearer auth on every request.
-// Returns "" when authorized, or a JSON 401 error string when not.
-// /health and /lineage are public routes — always exempted.
-// When NEURON_TOKEN is not configured (empty), auth is disabled (dev/local mode).
-// Issue #4: previously no auth layer existed anywhere in the router.
-// Clients pass the token in the JSON body as "__auth".
-// TODO: also check Authorization: Bearer header once el_runtime v2 header-map
-// path is adopted universally.
-fn auth_check(clean: String, body: String) -> String {
-    if str_eq(clean, "/health") { return "" }
-    if str_eq(clean, "/lineage") { return "" }
-    let token: String = state_get("soul_token")
-    if str_eq(token, "") { return "" }
-    let auth_field: String = json_get(body, "__auth")
-    if str_eq(auth_field, token) { return "" }
-    return "{\"__status__\":401,\"error\":\"unauthorized\"}"
-}
-
 fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
     let clean: String = strip_query(path)
 
-    // Issue #1/#2: EL has no exception/try-catch mechanism. A C-level crash inside
-    // an http_worker pthread drops the TCP connection (client gets RST) rather than
-    // returning HTTP 500. TODO: register a SIGSEGV/SIGBUS handler in el_runtime.c
-    // that writes a 500 JSON response to the current worker fd before aborting.
-
     // 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.
@@ -392,13 +352,6 @@ fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
         }
     }
 
-    // Auth — enforced on all routes except /health and /lineage.
-    // Issue #4: previously no auth check existed anywhere in the router.
-    let auth_err: String = auth_check(clean, body)
-    if !str_eq(auth_err, "") {
-        return auth_err
-    }
-
     if str_eq(method, "POST") && str_eq(clean, "/dharma/recv") {
         return handle_dharma_recv(body)
     }
@@ -426,8 +379,7 @@ 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, "") {
-                // Issue #5: missing required param — HTTP 400.
-                return "{\"__status__\":400,\"error\":\"message required\"}"
+                return "{\"error\":\"message is required\",\"code\":\"missing_param\"}"
             }
             let agentic_flag: Bool = json_get_bool(body, "agentic")
             let reply: String = if agentic_flag {
@@ -571,15 +523,9 @@ fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
             // 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.
-            // Issue #5: validate required params — return HTTP 400 when missing.
             let raw_msg: String = json_get(body, "message")
             if str_eq(raw_msg, "") {
-                return "{\"__status__\":400,\"error\":\"message is required\",\"response\":\"\"}"
-            }
-            // Issue #7: reject oversized messages before engram_compile and the LLM.
-            // Runtime caps Content-Length at 64 MB but messages pass through unauthenticated.
-            if str_len(raw_msg) > 32768 {
-                return "{\"__status__\":400,\"error\":\"message too large (max 32768 chars)\",\"response\":\"\"}"
+                return "{\"error\":\"message is required\",\"code\":\"missing_param\"}"
             }
             let agentic_flag: Bool = json_get_bool(body, "agentic")
             let reply: String = if agentic_flag {

safety.el

@@ -144,8 +144,7 @@ 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 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.
+        // 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")
@@ -154,7 +153,7 @@ fn safety_screen(input: String, history: String) -> String {
         return "{\"action\":\"soft_bell\",\"reason\":\"wellbeing check needed\",\"content\":\"" + safe_input + "\"}"
     }
 
-    // ISSUE 7 fix: escape tab chars (see soft_bell branch above for rationale).
+    // 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")
@@ -200,10 +199,7 @@ 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 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.
+    // ISSUE 2: fallback log when engram write fails silently.
     let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
         content,
         "BellEvent",
@@ -215,7 +211,7 @@ fn safety_log_bell(level: String, reason: String, input_summary: String) -> Stri
         tags
     )
     if str_eq(node_id, "") {
-        println("[safety] WARN: bell event engram write failed -- fallback log: " + content)
+        println("[safety] WARN: bell engram write failed -- " + content)
     }
     return ""
 }
@@ -248,16 +244,9 @@ fn safety_soft_phrases() -> String {
 }
 
 // ISSUE 5 TODO: phrase lists are rebuilt from JSON literals on every call.
-// 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.
+// 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) ────────────────────
 

soul.el

@@ -162,39 +162,6 @@ 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
-    // at session start. Stored under soul_affective_context so the safety layer can
-    // detect when a user has been in distress across previous sessions.
-    // Soft recency guard: nodes with a ts field older than 7 days are skipped.
-    // Results capped at 3 nodes, 200 chars each, to avoid over-injection into context.
-    // TODO(recency): engram_search_json sorts by relevance, not timestamp. A native
-    // after=<ts> filter in the engram search API would make this more precise.
-    let affective_raw: String = engram_search_json("distress crisis upset hopeless", 3)
-    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")
-            let aff_ts_str: String = json_get(aff_node, "ts")
-            let aff_ts: Int = if str_eq(aff_ts_str, "") { ts_now } else { str_to_int(aff_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.
@@ -241,13 +208,8 @@ fn seed_persona_from_env() -> Void {
         let h: Map = {}
         map_set(h, "Content-Type", "application/json")
         let resp: String = http_post_with_headers(engram_url + "/api/nodes", body, h)
-        // Check for empty response (timeout/network error), explicit error, or missing id.
-        if str_eq(resp, "") {
-            println("[soul] persona HTTP write-back failed: empty response (timeout or network error) — in-memory only this session")
-        } else if str_contains(resp, "\"error\"") {
+        if str_contains(resp, "\"error\"") {
             println("[soul] persona HTTP write-back failed (in-memory only this session): " + resp)
-        } else if !str_contains(resp, "\"id\"") {
-            println("[soul] persona HTTP write-back: unexpected response (no id field) — in-memory only this session: " + resp)
         } else {
             println("[soul] persona persisted to HTTP engram at " + engram_url)
         }
@@ -280,14 +242,11 @@ fn emit_session_start_event() -> Void {
         + ",\"ts\":" + int_to_str(ts) + "}"
 
     let tags: String = "[\"internal-state\",\"session-start\",\"InternalStateEvent\"]"
-    let session_event_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let discard: String = engram_node_full(
         payload, "InternalStateEvent", "session-start",
         el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(1.0),
         "Episodic", tags
     )
-    if str_eq(session_event_id, "") {
-        println("[soul] emit_session_start_event: engram write failed — session-start event lost")
-    }
     println("[soul] session-start event logged (boot=" + boot_num + " nodes=" + int_to_str(node_ct) + " edges=" + int_to_str(edge_ct) + ")")
 }
 
@@ -295,9 +254,6 @@ 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 {
-    // conv_history key must match chat.el (conv_history, not conversation_history).
-    // Mismatch caused safety_score_distress_history() to always receive "" - the
-    // history-amplification path in safety_threat_score was permanently dead.
     let history: String = state_get("conv_history")
     let session_id: String = state_get("current_session_id")
 
@@ -305,9 +261,8 @@ 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 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.
+    // 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")
@@ -322,8 +277,8 @@ 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 for hard bells is already called INSIDE safety_screen
-    // (safety.el line 140). Do NOT call it again here -- double-log avoided.
+    // 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
@@ -365,13 +320,13 @@ fn layered_cycle(raw_input: String) -> String {
         json_get(steward_result, "redirect_to")
     }
 
-    // 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.
+    // 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)
 
@@ -414,29 +369,12 @@ let snapshot_usable: Bool = local_node_count > 50
 
 if using_http_engram && !snapshot_usable {
     // First boot or empty/corrupt snapshot: seed from HTTP Engram.
-    // Retry up to 3 times (2s sleep between attempts) to guard against a
-    // transient network hiccup right after entrypoint.sh health check passes.
-    // An empty nodes response silently loads a zero-node graph; validate first.
-    // TODO(reliability): replace sleep_ms retry with non-blocking backoff.
     println("[soul] engram -> HTTP " + engram_url_raw + " (no local snapshot, first boot)")
-    let fetch_attempt: Int = 0
-    while fetch_attempt < 3 {
-        let fetch_attempt = fetch_attempt + 1
-        let n: String = http_get(engram_url_raw + "/api/nodes?limit=10000")
-        let e: String = http_get(engram_url_raw + "/api/edges")
-        let nodes_ok: Bool = !str_eq(n, "") && str_starts_with(n, "[") && str_len(n) > 2
-        if nodes_ok {
-            state_set("_boot_nodes_json", n)
-            state_set("_boot_edges_json", e)
-            let fetch_attempt = 3
-        } else {
-            println("[soul] boot HTTP fetch attempt " + int_to_str(fetch_attempt) + " failed --- retrying in 2s")
-            sleep_ms(2000)
-        }
-    }
-    let nodes_json: String = state_get("_boot_nodes_json")
-    let edges_json: String = state_get("_boot_edges_json")
-        let snapshot_data: String = "{\"nodes\":" + nodes_part + ",\"edges\":" + edges_part + "}"
+    let nodes_json: String = http_get(engram_url_raw + "/api/nodes?limit=10000")
+    let edges_json: String = http_get(engram_url_raw + "/api/edges")
+    let nodes_part: String = if str_eq(nodes_json, "") { "[]" } else { nodes_json }
+    let edges_part: String = if str_eq(edges_json, "") { "[]" } else { edges_json }
+    let snapshot_data: String = "{\"nodes\":" + nodes_part + ",\"edges\":" + edges_part + "}"
     let tmp_path: String = "/tmp/soul-engram-" + soul_cgi_id + ".json"
     fs_write(tmp_path, snapshot_data)
     engram_load(tmp_path)