Merge pull request 'feat(recall): emotional-recall improvements' (#52) from improve/recall-emotional-recall into main

feat(recall): emotional-recall improvements

chat.el

@@ -73,8 +73,9 @@ fn engram_compile_ranked(nodes_json: String, max_nodes: Int) -> String {
         while ci < total {
             let node: String = json_array_get(nodes_json, ci)
             let score: Int = engram_score_node(node)
-            // Only include reasonably relevant nodes (threshold=25)
-            let above_thresh: Bool = score >= 25
+            // Threshold lowered from 25 to 15: includes moderately-relevant older nodes.
+            // A 3-week-old node with salience 0.6 and importance 0.6 scores ~18 — was dropped, now included.
+            let above_thresh: Bool = score >= 15
             // Check this index wasn't already selected (sentinel: look for idx marker)
             let idx_marker: String = "\"_sel_" + int_to_str(ci) + "\""
             let already_picked: Bool = str_contains(selected, idx_marker)
@@ -113,59 +114,256 @@ fn engram_compile_ranked(nodes_json: String, max_nodes: Int) -> String {
     let c7: String = str_replace(c6, "\"_sel_7\":1,", "")
     let c8: String = str_replace(c7, "\"_sel_8\":1,", "")
     let c9: String = str_replace(c8, "\"_sel_9\":1,", "")
-    return c9
+    let c10: String = str_replace(c9, "\"_sel_10\":1,", "")
+    let c11: String = str_replace(c10, "\"_sel_11\":1,", "")
+    let c12: String = str_replace(c11, "\"_sel_12\":1,", "")
+    let c13: String = str_replace(c12, "\"_sel_13\":1,", "")
+    let c14: String = str_replace(c13, "\"_sel_14\":1,", "")
+    return c14
+}
+
+// engram_split_topics — split message into sub-queries on explicit conjunctions.
+// "health goals AND startup progress" becomes two independent searches.
+fn engram_split_topics(message: String) -> String {
+    let sep: String = if str_contains(message, " AND ") { " AND " } else {
+        if str_contains(message, " and ") { " and " } else {
+            if str_contains(message, " also ") { " also " } else {
+                if str_contains(message, " plus ") { " plus " } else { "" }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if str_eq(sep, "") { return message }
+    let sep_pos: Int = str_index_of(message, sep)
+    let part1: String = str_slice(message, 0, sep_pos)
+    let part2: String = str_slice(message, sep_pos + str_len(sep), str_len(message))
+    let part2_topics: String = engram_split_topics(part2)
+    if str_eq(part1, "") { return part2_topics }
+    return part1 + "\n" + part2_topics
+}
+
+// engram_extract_entities — extract probable named entities (capital-first, 3+ chars,
+// not stop-words) from a message. Returns newline-separated list.
+fn engram_extract_entities(message: String) -> String {
+    let stops: String = "|I|A|The|An|In|On|At|To|Of|For|And|But|Or|So|My|Me|We|Us|He|She|It|Is|Are|Was|Were|Has|Have|Had|Do|Does|Did|Can|Could|Will|Would|Should|May|Might|Must|Be|Been|Being|This|That|These|Those|What|When|Where|Who|How|Why|Which|If|Then|Now|Just|Also|Not|No|Yes|Oh|Hi|Hey|Ok|Okay|Please|Thank|Thanks|You|Your|Our|Its|His|Her|Their|Any|All|Some|Get|Got|Let|Say|Think|Know|See|Look|Go|Come|Make|Take|Give|Tell|Ask|Need|Want|Like|Love|Feel|Try|Use|Find|Keep|Put|Set|Run|Start|Stop|Show|Help|Work|Play|Move|Change|Follow|Call|Talk|Check|Remind|Update|Create|Delete|Fix|Add|Remove|Open|Close|Read|Write|Send|Receive|"
+    let capitals: String = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
+    let entities: String = ""
+    let entity_count: Int = 0
+    let msg_len: Int = str_len(message)
+    let pos: Int = 0
+    while pos < msg_len && entity_count < 10 {
+        let wend: Int = pos
+        let scanning: Bool = true
+        while scanning && wend < msg_len {
+            let wch: String = str_slice(message, wend, wend + 1)
+            let is_sep: Bool = str_eq(wch, " ") || str_eq(wch, "\n") || str_eq(wch, "\t")
+                || str_eq(wch, ",") || str_eq(wch, ".") || str_eq(wch, "?")
+                || str_eq(wch, "!") || str_eq(wch, ":") || str_eq(wch, ";")
+                || str_eq(wch, "(") || str_eq(wch, ")") || str_eq(wch, "\'") || str_eq(wch, "-")
+            let scanning = if is_sep { false } else { scanning }
+            let wend = if !is_sep { wend + 1 } else { wend }
+        }
+        let word: String = str_slice(message, pos, wend)
+        let word_len: Int = str_len(word)
+        let first_ch: String = if word_len >= 3 { str_slice(word, 0, 1) } else { "" }
+        let is_capital: Bool = word_len >= 3 && str_contains(capitals, first_ch)
+        let is_stop: Bool = str_contains(stops, "|" + word + "|")
+        let already_have: Bool = str_contains(entities, word)
+        let should_add: Bool = is_capital && !is_stop && !already_have && word_len >= 3
+        let entities = if should_add {
+            let entity_count = entity_count + 1
+            if str_eq(entities, "") { word } else { entities + "\n" + word }
+        } else { entities }
+        let pos = if wend > pos { wend + 1 } else { pos + 1 }
+    }
+    return entities
+}
+
+// engram_detect_recall_intent — true when message explicitly requests memory recall.
+fn engram_detect_recall_intent(message: String) -> Bool {
+    return str_contains(message, "remind me")
+        || str_contains(message, "do you remember")
+        || str_contains(message, "what do you know")
+        || str_contains(message, "what happened")
+        || str_contains(message, "tell me about")
+        || str_contains(message, "what was")
+        || str_contains(message, "what were")
+        || str_contains(message, "how is it going")
+        || str_contains(message, "how are things")
+        || str_contains(message, "catch me up")
+        || str_contains(message, "fill me in")
+        || str_contains(message, "what's the status")
+        || str_contains(message, "whats the status")
+        || str_contains(message, "any updates")
+        || str_contains(message, "recap")
+        || str_contains(message, "look up")
+        || str_contains(message, "check on")
+        || str_contains(message, "how did")
+        || str_contains(message, "what happened with")
+}
+
+// engram_is_continuation — semantic continuation detection replacing the brittle 50-char
+// threshold. Returns true when message starts with a pronoun, continuation opener, or is
+// < 80 chars (raised from 50 to catch "Can you remind me what Prism's architecture
+// looks like?" at 57 chars which is clearly a continuation in an active thread).
+fn engram_is_continuation(message: String, hist_len: Int) -> Bool {
+    if hist_len <= 0 { return false }
+    let has_pronoun: Bool = str_starts_with(message, "It ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "it ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "That ") || str_starts_with(message, "that ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "This ") || str_starts_with(message, "this ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "They ") || str_starts_with(message, "they ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "He ") || str_starts_with(message, "he ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "She ") || str_starts_with(message, "she ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "We ") || str_starts_with(message, "we ")
+    if has_pronoun { return true }
+    let is_cont_opener: Bool = str_starts_with(message, "Go on")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "go on")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "Continue") || str_starts_with(message, "continue")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "Yes") || str_starts_with(message, "yes")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "No,") || str_starts_with(message, "no,")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "Ok") || str_starts_with(message, "ok")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "And ") || str_starts_with(message, "and ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "But ") || str_starts_with(message, "but ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "What about") || str_starts_with(message, "what about")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "Why ") || str_starts_with(message, "why ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "How ") || str_starts_with(message, "how ")
+        || str_starts_with(message, "When ") || str_starts_with(message, "when ")
+    if is_cont_opener { return true }
+    if str_len(message) < 80 { return true }
+    return false
+}
+
+// engram_compile_multi — run activation + search for one topic with expanded pools.
+// Activation depth 8 (was 5). Search 30 candidates ranked to 12 (was 20/8).
+// Per-topic result pool: up to 20 nodes (was 13).
+fn engram_compile_multi(topic: String) -> String {
+    let activate_json: String = engram_activate_json(topic, 8)
+    let search_json: String = engram_search_json(topic, 30)
+    let act_ok: Bool = !str_eq(activate_json, "") && !str_eq(activate_json, "[]")
+    let srch_ok: Bool = !str_eq(search_json, "") && !str_eq(search_json, "[]")
+    let act_nodes: String = if act_ok { activate_json } else { "" }
+    let srch_nodes: String = if srch_ok { engram_compile_ranked(search_json, 12) } else { "" }
+    if !str_eq(act_nodes, "") && !str_eq(srch_nodes, "") {
+        let act_inner: String = str_slice(act_nodes, 1, str_len(act_nodes) - 1)
+        let srch_inner: String = str_slice(srch_nodes, 1, str_len(srch_nodes) - 1)
+        return engram_dedup_nodes("[" + act_inner + "," + srch_inner + "]")
+    }
+    if !str_eq(act_nodes, "") { return act_nodes }
+    if !str_eq(srch_nodes, "") { return srch_nodes }
+    return ""
+}
+
+// engram_nodes_merge — merge two node arrays, deduplicating by node id.
+fn engram_nodes_merge(a: String, b: String) -> String {
+    let ok_a: Bool = !str_eq(a, "") && !str_eq(a, "[]")
+    let ok_b: Bool = !str_eq(b, "") && !str_eq(b, "[]")
+    if !ok_a && !ok_b { return "" }
+    if !ok_a { return b }
+    if !ok_b { return a }
+    let ai: String = str_slice(a, 1, str_len(a) - 1)
+    let bi: String = str_slice(b, 1, str_len(b) - 1)
+    return engram_dedup_nodes("[" + ai + "," + bi + "]")
 }
 
 fn engram_compile(intent: String) -> String {
-    let activate_json: String = engram_activate_json(intent, 5)
-    // Fetch more search results than we'll use so ranking has a real pool to pick from.
-    let search_json: String = engram_search_json(intent, 20)
+    // Issue 1: decompose multi-topic messages into sub-queries.
+    let topics: String = engram_split_topics(intent)
+    let has_multi_topic: Bool = str_contains(topics, "\n")
 
-    let act_ok: Bool = !str_eq(activate_json, "") && !str_eq(activate_json, "[]")
-    let srch_ok: Bool = !str_eq(search_json, "") && !str_eq(search_json, "[]")
+    // Issue 4: detect explicit recall intent and run boosted search.
+    let is_recall_intent: Bool = engram_detect_recall_intent(intent)
 
-    // Activation nodes (spreading activation) are already high-signal — keep all 5.
-    let act_part: String = if act_ok { activate_json } else { "" }
+    // Issue 2: extract named entities for dedicated per-entity searches.
+    let entity_list: String = engram_extract_entities(intent)
+    let has_entities: Bool = !str_eq(entity_list, "")
 
-    // Rank search results and keep only the top 8 (was: flat 15 unranked).
-    // This cuts context noise roughly in half while preserving the best-scoring nodes.
-    let srch_ranked: String = if srch_ok { engram_compile_ranked(search_json, 8) } else { "" }
-    let srch_part: String = srch_ranked
+    // Primary topic search (first or only topic).
+    let topic0: String = if has_multi_topic {
+        let nl0: Int = str_index_of(topics, "\n")
+        str_slice(topics, 0, nl0)
+    } else { topics }
+    let nodes0: String = engram_compile_multi(topic0)
 
-    // Fallback: when vector search returns nothing (no embeddings), fetch pinned
-    // high-salience nodes by their known IDs. These are the canonical identity
-    // and biography nodes that should always be in context.
-    // engram_get_node_json(id) returns a single node as JSON or "" if missing.
-    let scan_part: String = if !act_ok && !srch_ok {
-        let family_node: String = engram_get_node_json("knw-35940684-abc4-42f0-b942-818f66b1f69a")
-        let origin_node: String = engram_get_node_json("knw-729fc901-8335-44c4-9f3a-b150b4aa0915")
-        let fam_ok: Bool = !str_eq(family_node, "") && !str_eq(family_node, "null")
-        let orig_ok: Bool = !str_eq(origin_node, "") && !str_eq(origin_node, "null")
-        let fam_str: String = if fam_ok { family_node } else { "" }
-        let orig_str: String = if orig_ok { origin_node } else { "" }
-        let sep: String = if fam_ok && orig_ok { "\n" } else { "" }
-        let combined: String = fam_str + sep + orig_str
-        if str_eq(combined, "") { "" } else { combined }
-    } else {
-        ""
-    }
+    // Second topic segment.
+    let nodes1: String = if has_multi_topic {
+        let nl0: Int = str_index_of(topics, "\n")
+        let rest1: String = str_slice(topics, nl0 + 1, str_len(topics))
+        let nl1: Int = str_index_of(rest1, "\n")
+        let topic1: String = if nl1 < 0 { rest1 } else { str_slice(rest1, 0, nl1) }
+        if str_eq(topic1, "") { "" } else { engram_compile_multi(topic1) }
+    } else { "" }
 
-    // Affective context: always include the most recent high-emotion memory if one
-    // exists within 72 hours. This ensures continuity of care across turns — when
-    // the user was in distress earlier in the session (or recently), that context
-    // travels into every subsequent LLM call so the response register stays aware.
-    // We search for BellEvent nodes specifically; these are written by auto_persist
-    // when safety_detect_bell_level fires. The 72h window (259200 seconds) is wide
-    // enough to span a multi-session day without pulling ancient history.
+    // Third topic segment.
+    let nodes2: String = if has_multi_topic {
+        let nl0: Int = str_index_of(topics, "\n")
+        let rest1: String = str_slice(topics, nl0 + 1, str_len(topics))
+        let nl1: Int = str_index_of(rest1, "\n")
+        if nl1 < 0 { "" } else {
+            let rest2: String = str_slice(rest1, nl1 + 1, str_len(rest1))
+            let nl2: Int = str_index_of(rest2, "\n")
+            let topic2: String = if nl2 < 0 { rest2 } else { str_slice(rest2, 0, nl2) }
+            if str_eq(topic2, "") { "" } else { engram_compile_multi(topic2) }
+        }
+    } else { "" }
+
+    // Issue 2 cont.: entity 0 dedicated search (15 candidates, ranked 6).
+    let entity_nodes0: String = if has_entities {
+        let nl_e0: Int = str_index_of(entity_list, "\n")
+        let entity0: String = if nl_e0 < 0 { entity_list } else { str_slice(entity_list, 0, nl_e0) }
+        if str_eq(entity0, "") { "" } else {
+            let ent_srch: String = engram_search_json(entity0, 15)
+            let ent_ok: Bool = !str_eq(ent_srch, "") && !str_eq(ent_srch, "[]")
+            if ent_ok { engram_compile_ranked(ent_srch, 6) } else { "" }
+        }
+    } else { "" }
+
+    // Entity 1 dedicated search.
+    let entity_nodes1: String = if has_entities {
+        let nl_e0: Int = str_index_of(entity_list, "\n")
+        if nl_e0 < 0 { "" } else {
+            let rest_e: String = str_slice(entity_list, nl_e0 + 1, str_len(entity_list))
+            let nl_e1: Int = str_index_of(rest_e, "\n")
+            let entity1: String = if nl_e1 < 0 { rest_e } else { str_slice(rest_e, 0, nl_e1) }
+            if str_eq(entity1, "") { "" } else {
+                let ent_srch1: String = engram_search_json(entity1, 15)
+                let ent1_ok: Bool = !str_eq(ent_srch1, "") && !str_eq(ent_srch1, "[]")
+                if ent1_ok { engram_compile_ranked(ent_srch1, 6) } else { "" }
+            }
+        }
+    } else { "" }
+
+    // Issue 4 cont.: boosted search for recall-intent (40 candidates, ranked 15).
+    let recall_boost: String = if is_recall_intent {
+        let boost_srch: String = engram_search_json(intent, 40)
+        let boost_ok: Bool = !str_eq(boost_srch, "") && !str_eq(boost_srch, "[]")
+        if boost_ok { engram_compile_ranked(boost_srch, 15) } else { "" }
+    } else { "" }
+
+    // Merge all pools, deduplicating at each step.
+    let merged: String = engram_nodes_merge(nodes0, nodes1)
+    let merged: String = engram_nodes_merge(merged, nodes2)
+    let merged: String = engram_nodes_merge(merged, entity_nodes0)
+    let merged: String = engram_nodes_merge(merged, entity_nodes1)
+    let merged: String = engram_nodes_merge(merged, recall_boost)
+    let merged_nodes: String = merged
+
+    // Fallback: when all searches return nothing, fetch persona nodes.
+    let scan_part: String = if str_eq(merged_nodes, "") || str_eq(merged_nodes, "[]") {
+        let persona_fallback: String = engram_search_json("soul:persona Persona identity", 5)
+        let pf_ok: Bool = !str_eq(persona_fallback, "") && !str_eq(persona_fallback, "[]")
+        if pf_ok {
+            let pf_ranked: String = engram_compile_ranked(persona_fallback, 3)
+            if str_eq(pf_ranked, "") { "" } else { pf_ranked }
+        } else { "" }
+    } else { "" }
+
+    // Affective context: always include the most recent high-emotion memory within 72h.
     let bell_nodes: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent", 3)
     let bell_ok: Bool = !str_eq(bell_nodes, "") && !str_eq(bell_nodes, "[]")
     let now_ts: Int = time_now()
     let cutoff_ts: Int = now_ts - 259200
     let recent_bell: String = if bell_ok {
         let bn0: String = json_array_get(bell_nodes, 0)
-        // created_at is not present in engram node JSON for BellEvent nodes.
-        // Extract the timestamp embedded in the content string as " | ts:NNNNN".
-        // Fall back to created_at / updated_at JSON fields if the marker is absent.
         let bn_content: String = json_get(bn0, "content")
         let ts_marker: String = " | ts:"
         let ts_pos: Int = str_index_of(bn_content, ts_marker)
@@ -181,22 +379,57 @@ fn engram_compile(intent: String) -> String {
         let bn_ts: Int = if str_eq(bn_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(bn_ts_raw) }
         if bn_ts > cutoff_ts { bn0 } else { "" }
     } else { "" }
-    let affective_part: String = if !str_eq(recent_bell, "") { recent_bell } else { "" }
+    // Positive emotion context: check for recent joy/success moments within 72h.
+    let pos_ec_nodes: String = engram_search_json("PositiveEvent joy:high joy:low affective", 3)
+    let pos_ec_ok: Bool = !str_eq(pos_ec_nodes, "") && !str_eq(pos_ec_nodes, "[]")
+    let recent_positive_ec: String = if pos_ec_ok {
+        let pec0: String = json_array_get(pos_ec_nodes, 0)
+        let pec_content: String = json_get(pec0, "content")
+        let pec_ts_marker: String = " | ts:"
+        let pec_ts_pos: Int = str_index_of(pec_content, pec_ts_marker)
+        let pec_ts_raw: String = if pec_ts_pos >= 0 {
+            let pec_ts_start: Int = pec_ts_pos + str_len(pec_ts_marker)
+            let pec_rest: String = str_slice(pec_content, pec_ts_start, str_len(pec_content))
+            let pec_next: Int = str_index_of(pec_rest, " | ")
+            if pec_next < 0 { pec_rest } else { str_slice(pec_rest, 0, pec_next) }
+        } else {
+            let pec_ca: String = json_get(pec0, "created_at")
+            if str_eq(pec_ca, "") { json_get(pec0, "updated_at") } else { pec_ca }
+        }
+        let pec_ts: Int = if str_eq(pec_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(pec_ts_raw) }
+        if pec_ts > cutoff_ts { pec0 } else { "" }
+    } else { "" }
+    let affective_part: String = if !str_eq(recent_bell, "") {
+        recent_bell
+    } else {
+        if !str_eq(recent_positive_ec, "") { recent_positive_ec } else { "" }
+    }
 
-    let sep1: String = if !str_eq(act_part, "") && !str_eq(srch_part, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
-    let sep2: String = if (!str_eq(act_part, "") || !str_eq(srch_part, "")) && !str_eq(scan_part, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
-    let sep3: String = if (!str_eq(act_part, "") || !str_eq(srch_part, "") || !str_eq(scan_part, "")) && !str_eq(affective_part, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
-    let ctx: String = act_part + sep1 + srch_part + sep2 + scan_part + sep3 + affective_part
+    let has_main: Bool = !str_eq(merged_nodes, "") && !str_eq(merged_nodes, "[]")
+    let main_part: String = if has_main { merged_nodes } else { scan_part }
+    let sep_ma: String = if !str_eq(main_part, "") && !str_eq(affective_part, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
+    let ctx: String = main_part + sep_ma + affective_part
 
     if str_eq(ctx, "") { return "" }
 
-    // Raise the cap slightly to match the ranked (higher-signal) output.
-    if str_len(ctx) > 6000 {
-        return str_slice(ctx, 0, 6000)
+    // Issue 7 fix: safe JSON truncation — find last closing brace before budget cap.
+    // Budget raised from 6000 to 8000 for the larger multi-topic pool.
+    let budget: Int = 8000
+    if str_len(ctx) <= budget { return ctx }
+    let search_end: Int = budget - 1
+    let scan_limit: Int = if search_end > 500 { search_end - 500 } else { 0 }
+    let found_pos: Int = -1
+    let si: Int = search_end
+    while si >= scan_limit {
+        let ch: String = str_slice(ctx, si, si + 1)
+        let found_pos = if str_eq(ch, "}") && found_pos < 0 { si } else { found_pos }
+        let si = if found_pos >= 0 { scan_limit - 1 } else { si - 1 }
     }
-    return ctx
+    if found_pos < 0 { return str_slice(ctx, 0, budget) }
+    let truncated: String = str_slice(ctx, 0, found_pos + 1)
+    if str_starts_with(ctx, "[") { return truncated + "]" }
+    return truncated
 }
-
 fn json_safe(s: String) -> String {
     let s1: String = str_replace(s, "\\", "\\\\")
     let s2: String = str_replace(s1, "\"", "\\\"")
@@ -241,7 +474,7 @@ fn build_system_prompt(ctx: String) -> String {
         safety_addendum
     }
 
-    return identity + date_line + voice_rules + security_rules + capability_rules + identity_block + engram_block + safety_block
+    return identity + date_line + voice_rules + security_rules + capability_rules + identity_block + affective_boot_block + engram_block + safety_block
 }
 
 fn hist_append(hist: String, role: String, content: String) -> String {
@@ -386,14 +619,12 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
     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) }
 
-    // Thread-aware activation: short/ambiguous messages (continuations like "go on",
-    // "what else?", "yes") activate on the last reply instead of the bare message.
-    // This prevents a strong off-topic memory node from hijacking the reply when the
-    // user is clearly continuing an existing thread.
-    let is_continuation: Bool = str_len(message) < 50 && hist_len > 0
+    // Issue 8 fix: use semantic continuation detection instead of brittle 50-char threshold.
+    let is_continuation: Bool = engram_is_continuation(message, hist_len)
     let last_entry: String = if is_continuation { json_array_get(stored_hist, hist_len - 1) } else { "" }
     let last_content: String = if !str_eq(last_entry, "") { json_get(last_entry, "content") } else { "" }
-    let thread_snip: String = if str_len(last_content) > 150 { str_slice(last_content, 0, 150) } else { last_content }
+    // Thread snip extended 150->250 chars for better pronoun resolution context.
+    let thread_snip: String = if str_len(last_content) > 250 { str_slice(last_content, 0, 250) } else { last_content }
     let activation_seed: String = if !str_eq(thread_snip, "") {
         thread_snip + " " + message
     } else {
@@ -402,91 +633,160 @@ 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.
-    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
+    let affective_prefix: String = {
+        // Runs every turn. Uses correct BellEvent/PositiveEvent tags.
+        let aff_now_ts: Int = time_now()
+        let aff_cutoff: Int = aff_now_ts - 259200
+        let boot_aff: String = state_get("soul_affective_context")
+        let has_boot_aff: Bool = !str_eq(boot_aff, "")
+        let dist_nodes_aff: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent affective", 3)
+        let has_dist_aff: Bool = !str_eq(dist_nodes_aff, "") && !str_eq(dist_nodes_aff, "[]")
+        let found_recent_dist: Bool = if has_boot_aff {
+            true
+        } else {
+            if has_dist_aff {
+                let dn0: String = json_array_get(dist_nodes_aff, 0)
+                let dn_content: String = json_get(dn0, "content")
+                let daff_marker: String = " | ts:"
+                let daff_pos: Int = str_index_of(dn_content, daff_marker)
+                let daff_ts_str: String = if daff_pos >= 0 {
+                    let daff_start: Int = daff_pos + str_len(daff_marker)
+                    let daff_rest: String = str_slice(dn_content, daff_start, str_len(dn_content))
+                    let daff_next: Int = str_index_of(daff_rest, " | ")
+                    if daff_next < 0 { daff_rest } else { str_slice(daff_rest, 0, daff_next) }
+                } else {
+                    let daff_ca: String = json_get(dn0, "created_at")
+                    if str_eq(daff_ca, "") { json_get(dn0, "updated_at") } else { daff_ca }
+                }
+                let daff_ts: Int = if str_eq(daff_ts_str, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(daff_ts_str) }
+                daff_ts > aff_cutoff
+            } else { false }
+        }
+        let pos_nodes_aff: String = engram_search_json("PositiveEvent joy:high joy:low affective", 3)
+        let has_pos_aff: Bool = !str_eq(pos_nodes_aff, "") && !str_eq(pos_nodes_aff, "[]")
+        let found_recent_pos: Bool = if has_pos_aff && !found_recent_dist {
+            let pn0: String = json_array_get(pos_nodes_aff, 0)
+            let pn_content: String = json_get(pn0, "content")
+            let paff_marker: String = " | ts:"
+            let paff_pos: Int = str_index_of(pn_content, paff_marker)
+            let paff_ts_str: String = if paff_pos >= 0 {
+                let paff_start: Int = paff_pos + str_len(paff_marker)
+                let paff_rest: String = str_slice(pn_content, paff_start, str_len(pn_content))
+                let paff_next: Int = str_index_of(paff_rest, " | ")
+                if paff_next < 0 { paff_rest } else { str_slice(paff_rest, 0, paff_next) }
+            } else {
+                let paff_ca: String = json_get(pn0, "created_at")
+                if str_eq(paff_ca, "") { json_get(pn0, "updated_at") } else { paff_ca }
+            }
+            let paff_ts: Int = if str_eq(paff_ts_str, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(paff_ts_str) }
+            paff_ts > aff_cutoff
         } else { false }
-        if found_recent {
+        if found_recent_dist {
             "[RECENT CONTEXT: User recently expressed significant distress. Monitor for indirect crisis signals and respond with care.]\n\n"
-        } else { "" }
-    } else { "" }
+        } else {
+            if found_recent_pos {
+                "[RECENT CONTEXT: User recently shared exciting or joyful news. Acknowledge and celebrate with them when relevant.]\n\n"
+            } else { "" }
+        }
+    }
 
     let ctx: String = engram_compile(activation_seed)
     let system: String = affective_prefix + build_system_prompt(ctx)
 
-    // First message of the session: proactively load user profile and active work context.
-    // These two searches give the soul grounding before any conversation history exists.
-    // Results are rendered as brief bullets — not raw JSON — so they don't inflate context.
+    // Issue 9 fix: add project-specific and session-summary searches to session preload.
+    // Old hardcoded "user profile" and "in_progress active project" miss project-specific
+    // nodes stored under names like "Prism" unless those exact words appear in content.
     let session_preload: String = if hist_len == 0 {
         let profile_nodes: String = engram_search_json("user profile identity preferences", 5)
-        let work_nodes: String = engram_search_json("in_progress active project", 5)
+        let work_nodes: String = engram_search_json("in_progress active project work", 5)
+        let project_nodes: String = engram_search_json("project status current ongoing active", 5)
+        let summary_nodes: String = engram_search_json("SessionSummary session:summary previous-session recent", 3)
+
         let profile_ok: Bool = !str_eq(profile_nodes, "") && !str_eq(profile_nodes, "[]")
         let work_ok: Bool = !str_eq(work_nodes, "") && !str_eq(work_nodes, "[]")
+        let project_ok: Bool = !str_eq(project_nodes, "") && !str_eq(project_nodes, "[]")
+        let summary_ok: Bool = !str_eq(summary_nodes, "") && !str_eq(summary_nodes, "[]")
 
-        // 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)
             let bullets: String = ""
-            let pi: Int = 0
-            // Collect up to 3 profile bullets
-            let bullets = if pi < pn {
+            let bullets = if pn > 0 {
                 let n0: String = json_array_get(profile_nodes, 0)
                 let c0: String = json_get(n0, "content")
-                let snip0: String = if str_len(c0) > 120 { str_slice(c0, 0, 120) } else { c0 }
-                if str_eq(snip0, "") { bullets } else { "- " + snip0 }
+                let s0: String = if str_len(c0) > 120 { str_slice(c0, 0, 120) } else { c0 }
+                if str_eq(s0, "") { bullets } else { "- " + s0 }
             } else { bullets }
             let bullets = if pn > 1 {
                 let n1: String = json_array_get(profile_nodes, 1)
                 let c1: String = json_get(n1, "content")
-                let snip1: String = if str_len(c1) > 120 { str_slice(c1, 0, 120) } else { c1 }
-                if str_eq(snip1, "") { bullets } else { bullets + "\n- " + snip1 }
+                let s1: String = if str_len(c1) > 120 { str_slice(c1, 0, 120) } else { c1 }
+                if str_eq(s1, "") { bullets } else { bullets + "\n- " + s1 }
             } else { bullets }
             let bullets = if pn > 2 {
                 let n2: String = json_array_get(profile_nodes, 2)
                 let c2: String = json_get(n2, "content")
-                let snip2: String = if str_len(c2) > 120 { str_slice(c2, 0, 120) } else { c2 }
-                if str_eq(snip2, "") { bullets } else { bullets + "\n- " + snip2 }
+                let s2: String = if str_len(c2) > 120 { str_slice(c2, 0, 120) } else { c2 }
+                if str_eq(s2, "") { bullets } else { bullets + "\n- " + s2 }
             } else { bullets }
             bullets
         } else { "" }
 
         let work_bullets: String = if work_ok {
             let wn: Int = json_array_len(work_nodes)
-            let wbullets: String = ""
-            let wbullets = if wn > 0 {
+            let wb: String = ""
+            let wb = if wn > 0 {
                 let w0: String = json_array_get(work_nodes, 0)
                 let wc0: String = json_get(w0, "content")
-                let wsnip0: String = if str_len(wc0) > 120 { str_slice(wc0, 0, 120) } else { wc0 }
-                if str_eq(wsnip0, "") { wbullets } else { "- " + wsnip0 }
-            } else { wbullets }
-            let wbullets = if wn > 1 {
+                let ws0: String = if str_len(wc0) > 120 { str_slice(wc0, 0, 120) } else { wc0 }
+                if str_eq(ws0, "") { wb } else { "- " + ws0 }
+            } else { wb }
+            let wb = if wn > 1 {
                 let w1: String = json_array_get(work_nodes, 1)
                 let wc1: String = json_get(w1, "content")
-                let wsnip1: String = if str_len(wc1) > 120 { str_slice(wc1, 0, 120) } else { wc1 }
-                if str_eq(wsnip1, "") { wbullets } else { wbullets + "\n- " + wsnip1 }
-            } else { wbullets }
-            wbullets
+                let ws1: String = if str_len(wc1) > 120 { str_slice(wc1, 0, 120) } else { wc1 }
+                if str_eq(ws1, "") { wb } else { wb + "\n- " + ws1 }
+            } else { wb }
+            wb
         } else { "" }
 
-        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 profile_section: String = if has_profile {
-                "[USER CONTEXT — from memory]\n" + profile_bullets
-            } else { "" }
-            let work_section: String = if has_work {
-                "[ACTIVE WORK — from memory]\n" + work_bullets
-            } else { "" }
-            let sep_pw: String = if has_profile && has_work { "\n\n" } else { "" }
-            "\n\n" + profile_section + sep_pw + work_section
+        let project_bullets: String = if project_ok {
+            let prn: Int = json_array_len(project_nodes)
+            let pb: String = ""
+            let pb = if prn > 0 {
+                let pr0: String = json_array_get(project_nodes, 0)
+                let prc0: String = json_get(pr0, "content")
+                let ps0: String = if str_len(prc0) > 120 { str_slice(prc0, 0, 120) } else { prc0 }
+                if str_eq(ps0, "") { pb } else { "- " + ps0 }
+            } else { pb }
+            let pb = if prn > 1 {
+                let pr1: String = json_array_get(project_nodes, 1)
+                let prc1: String = json_get(pr1, "content")
+                let ps1: String = if str_len(prc1) > 120 { str_slice(prc1, 0, 120) } else { prc1 }
+                if str_eq(ps1, "") { pb } else { pb + "\n- " + ps1 }
+            } else { pb }
+            pb
+        } else { "" }
+
+        let summary_bullet: String = if summary_ok {
+            let sn0: String = json_array_get(summary_nodes, 0)
+            let sc0: String = json_get(sn0, "content")
+            let ss0: String = if str_len(sc0) > 200 { str_slice(sc0, 0, 200) } else { sc0 }
+            if str_eq(ss0, "") { "" } else { "- " + ss0 }
+        } else { "" }
+
+        let hp: Bool = !str_eq(profile_bullets, "")
+        let hw: Bool = !str_eq(work_bullets, "")
+        let hpr: Bool = !str_eq(project_bullets, "")
+        let hs: Bool = !str_eq(summary_bullet, "")
+        let preload: String = if hp || hw || hpr || hs {
+            let sec_p: String = if hp { "[USER CONTEXT — from memory]\n" + profile_bullets } else { "" }
+            let sec_w: String = if hw { "[ACTIVE WORK — from memory]\n" + work_bullets } else { "" }
+            let sec_pr: String = if hpr { "[PROJECTS — from memory]\n" + project_bullets } else { "" }
+            let sec_s: String = if hs { "[PREVIOUS SESSION — from memory]\n" + summary_bullet } else { "" }
+            let sep1: String = if hp && (hw || hpr || hs) { "\n\n" } else { "" }
+            let sep2: String = if hw && (hpr || hs) { "\n\n" } else { "" }
+            let sep3: String = if hpr && hs { "\n\n" } else { "" }
+            "\n\n" + sec_p + sep1 + sec_w + sep2 + sec_pr + sep3 + sec_s
         } else { "" }
         preload
     } else { "" }
@@ -1005,7 +1305,8 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
     let hist_key: String = if str_eq(req_session, "") { "conv_history" } else { "session_hist_" + req_session }
     let agentic_hist: String = state_get(hist_key)
     let agentic_hist_len: Int = if str_eq(agentic_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(agentic_hist) }
-    let ag_is_cont: Bool = str_len(message) < 50 && agentic_hist_len > 0
+    // Issue 8 fix: use engram_is_continuation instead of brittle 50-char threshold.
+    let ag_is_cont: Bool = engram_is_continuation(message, agentic_hist_len)
     let ag_last_entry: String = if ag_is_cont { json_array_get(agentic_hist, agentic_hist_len - 1) } else { "" }
     let ag_last_content: String = if !str_eq(ag_last_entry, "") { json_get(ag_last_entry, "content") } else { "" }
     let ag_thread_snip: String = if str_len(ag_last_content) > 150 { str_slice(ag_last_content, 0, 150) } else { ag_last_content }
@@ -1515,13 +1816,18 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
     // consistent with what safety_screen already evaluated for this turn.
     let bell_level: String = safety_detect_bell_level(message)
     let is_bell: Bool = !str_eq(bell_level, "none")
+    let positive_level: String = safety_detect_positive_level(message)
+    let is_positive: Bool = !str_eq(positive_level, "none")
 
-    // Tag the Conversation node with bell metadata when distress is present so
-    // subsequent affective queries (e.g. engram_compile) can find this exchange.
+    // Tag the Conversation node with affective metadata when emotion is detected.
     let tags: String = if is_bell {
         "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"affective\"]"
     } else {
-        "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\"]"
+        if is_positive {
+            "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\",\"joy:" + positive_level + "\",\"affective\"]"
+        } else {
+            "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\"]"
+        }
     }
 
     let content: String = "{\"q\":\"" + safe_msg + "\""
@@ -1607,6 +1913,28 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
         }
         state_set(signal_key, safe_summary)
     }
+
+    // Dedicated PositiveEvent node for joy/pride/success moments.
+    if is_positive {
+        let pos_summary: String = if str_len(message) > 120 { str_slice(message, 0, 120) } else { message }
+        let safe_pos_sum: String = str_replace(pos_summary, "\"", "'")
+        let pos_content: String = "POSITIVE:" + positive_level
+            + " | ts:" + ts_str
+            + " | summary:" + safe_pos_sum
+        let pos_sal_a: String = if str_eq(positive_level, "high") { el_from_float(0.88) } else { el_from_float(0.75) }
+        let pos_sal_b: String = if str_eq(positive_level, "high") { el_from_float(0.88) } else { el_from_float(0.75) }
+        let pos_sal_c: String = if str_eq(positive_level, "high") { el_from_float(0.95) } else { el_from_float(0.85) }
+        let pos_tags: String = "[\"joy\",\"positive\",\"joy:" + positive_level + "\",\"affective\",\"PositiveEvent\"]"
+        let pos_ts_label: String = int_to_str(time_now())
+        let pos_label: String = "joy:" + positive_level + ":" + pos_ts_label
+        let pos_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+            pos_content, "PositiveEvent", pos_label,
+            pos_sal_a, pos_sal_b, pos_sal_c, "Episodic", pos_tags
+        )
+        if str_eq(pos_node_id, "") {
+            println("[chat] auto_persist: PositiveEvent write failed (ts=" + ts_str + ")")
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 // strengthen_chat_nodes — strengthen the engram nodes that were activated during a chat.

safety.el

@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ fn safety_general_hard_phrases() -> String {
 }
 
 fn safety_soft_phrases() -> String {
-    return "[\"stressed\",\"overwhelmed\",\"can't cope\",\"cannot cope\",\"struggling\",\"anxious\",\"anxiety\",\"depressed\",\"depression\",\"lonely\",\"isolated\",\"hopeless\",\"hopelessness\",\"exhausted\",\"burnt out\",\"burned out\",\"burnout\",\"panic\",\"panicking\",\"falling apart\",\"breaking down\",\"can't handle\",\"cannot handle\",\"losing it\",\"nothing matters\",\"don't care anymore\",\"given up\",\"giving up\",\"helpless\",\"worthless\",\"useless\",\"hate myself\",\"no one cares\",\"nobody cares\",\"no one understands\",\"nobody understands\",\"empty inside\",\"can't stop crying\",\"breaking point\",\"at my limit\",\"having a breakdown\",\"highest structure\",\"tallest building\",\"tallest structure\",\"highest building\",\"bridge near me\",\"overpass near\",\"rooftop near\"]"
+    return "[\"stressed\",\"overwhelmed\",\"can't cope\",\"cannot cope\",\"struggling\",\"anxious\",\"anxiety\",\"depressed\",\"depression\",\"lonely\",\"isolated\",\"hopeless\",\"hopelessness\",\"exhausted\",\"burnt out\",\"burned out\",\"burnout\",\"panic\",\"panicking\",\"falling apart\",\"breaking down\",\"can't handle\",\"cannot handle\",\"losing it\",\"nothing matters\",\"don't care anymore\",\"given up\",\"giving up\",\"helpless\",\"worthless\",\"useless\",\"hate myself\",\"no one cares\",\"nobody cares\",\"no one understands\",\"nobody understands\",\"empty inside\",\"can't stop crying\",\"breaking point\",\"at my limit\",\"having a breakdown\""]"
 }
 
 // ISSUE 5 TODO: phrase lists are rebuilt from JSON literals on every call.
@@ -295,6 +295,26 @@ fn safety_count_match(text: String, phrases_json: String) -> Int {
 
 // Returns "none" | "soft" | "hard". Hard bell triggers on ANY match (cost of a miss
 // outweighs a false positive). Soft bell needs >= 2 matches to reduce false positives.
+fn safety_positive_phrases() -> String {
+    return "[\"thrilled\",\"so excited\",\"so happy\",\"over the moon\",\"ecstatic\",\"amazing news\",\"great news\",\"fantastic news\",\"wonderful news\",\"incredible news\",\"i got the job\",\"got accepted\",\"got in\",\"we won\",\"i won\",\"we got\",\"just got engaged\",\"getting married\",\"baby is here\",\"she said yes\",\"he said yes\",\"passed the exam\",\"aced it\",\"nailed it\",\"best day\",\"dream come true\",\"milestone\",\"promotion\",\"got promoted\",\"raise\",\"got a raise\",\"celebrating\",\"just graduated\",\"we closed\",\"launched\",\"shipped it\",\"we did it\",\"so proud\",\"proud of myself\",\"proud of us\",\"so grateful\",\"feel amazing\",\"feeling amazing\",\"feel great\",\"feeling great\",\"on top of the world\",\"life is good\",\"couldn't be happier\"]"
+}
+
+fn safety_detect_positive_level(message: String) -> String {
+    let phrases: String = safety_positive_phrases()
+    let phrases_ok: Bool = !str_eq(phrases, "") && !str_eq(phrases, "[]")
+    if !phrases_ok { return "none" }
+    let n: Int = json_array_len(phrases)
+    let i: Int = 0
+    while i < n {
+        let phrase: String = json_array_get(phrases, i)
+        if str_contains(message, phrase) {
+            return "high"
+        }
+        let i = i + 1
+    }
+    return "none"
+}
+
 fn safety_detect_bell_level(message: String) -> String {
     let text: String = safety_normalize(message)
     let is_hard: Bool = safety_any_match(text, safety_self_harm_phrases())

soul.el

@@ -162,6 +162,75 @@ fn load_identity_context() -> Void {
             println("[soul] persona node loaded (" + int_to_str(str_len(p_content)) + " chars)")
         }
     }
+
+    // Cross-session affective context: load BellEvent and PositiveEvent nodes from last 7 days.
+    let aff_now: Int = time_now()
+    let aff_7d: Int = aff_now - 604800
+    let bell_raw: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent affective", 3)
+    let bell_aff_ok: Bool = !str_eq(bell_raw, "") && !str_eq(bell_raw, "[]")
+    let aff_ctx: String = ""
+    let aff_ctx = if bell_aff_ok {
+        let bn_total: Int = json_array_len(bell_raw)
+        let bacc: String = ""
+        let bi: Int = 0
+        let bacc = while bi < bn_total {
+            let bn: String = json_array_get(bell_raw, bi)
+            let bn_c: String = json_get(bn, "content")
+            let bm: String = " | ts:"
+            let bmp: Int = str_index_of(bn_c, bm)
+            let bn_ts_raw: String = if bmp >= 0 {
+                let bs: Int = bmp + str_len(bm)
+                let br: String = str_slice(bn_c, bs, str_len(bn_c))
+                let bn_next: Int = str_index_of(br, " | ")
+                if bn_next < 0 { br } else { str_slice(br, 0, bn_next) }
+            } else {
+                let bca: String = json_get(bn, "created_at")
+                if str_eq(bca, "") { json_get(bn, "updated_at") } else { bca }
+            }
+            let bn_ts: Int = if str_eq(bn_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(bn_ts_raw) }
+            let snip: String = if str_len(bn_c) > 200 { str_slice(bn_c, 0, 200) } else { bn_c }
+            let bacc = if bn_ts >= aff_7d && !str_eq(snip, "") {
+                if str_eq(bacc, "") { snip } else { bacc + "\n" + snip }
+            } else { bacc }
+            let bi = bi + 1
+            bacc
+        }
+        bacc
+    } else { "" }
+    let pos_raw: String = engram_search_json("PositiveEvent joy:high joy:low affective", 3)
+    let pos_aff_ok: Bool = !str_eq(pos_raw, "") && !str_eq(pos_raw, "[]")
+    let aff_ctx = if pos_aff_ok {
+        let pn_total: Int = json_array_len(pos_raw)
+        let pacc: String = aff_ctx
+        let pi: Int = 0
+        let pacc = while pi < pn_total {
+            let pn: String = json_array_get(pos_raw, pi)
+            let pn_c: String = json_get(pn, "content")
+            let pm: String = " | ts:"
+            let pmp: Int = str_index_of(pn_c, pm)
+            let pn_ts_raw: String = if pmp >= 0 {
+                let ps: Int = pmp + str_len(pm)
+                let pr: String = str_slice(pn_c, ps, str_len(pn_c))
+                let pn_next: Int = str_index_of(pr, " | ")
+                if pn_next < 0 { pr } else { str_slice(pr, 0, pn_next) }
+            } else {
+                let pca: String = json_get(pn, "created_at")
+                if str_eq(pca, "") { json_get(pn, "updated_at") } else { pca }
+            }
+            let pn_ts: Int = if str_eq(pn_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(pn_ts_raw) }
+            let psnip: String = if str_len(pn_c) > 200 { str_slice(pn_c, 0, 200) } else { pn_c }
+            let pacc = if pn_ts >= aff_7d && !str_eq(psnip, "") {
+                if str_eq(pacc, "") { psnip } else { pacc + "\n" + psnip }
+            } else { pacc }
+            let pi = pi + 1
+            pacc
+        }
+        pacc
+    } else { aff_ctx }
+    if !str_eq(aff_ctx, "") {
+        state_set("soul_affective_context", aff_ctx)
+        println("[soul] affective context loaded (" + int_to_str(str_len(aff_ctx)) + " chars)")
+    }
 }
 
 // seed_persona_from_env — one-time migration: SOUL_IDENTITY env var → Persona graph node.
@@ -323,14 +392,53 @@ 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.
+    // L2c: affective context injection.
+    let lc_aff_cutoff: Int = time_now() - 259200
+    let lc_bell_nodes: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent affective", 2)
+    let lc_has_bell: Bool = !str_eq(lc_bell_nodes, "") && !str_eq(lc_bell_nodes, "[]")
+    let lc_bell_note: String = if lc_has_bell {
+        let lb0: String = json_array_get(lc_bell_nodes, 0)
+        let lb_c: String = json_get(lb0, "content")
+        let lbm: String = " | ts:"
+        let lbmp: Int = str_index_of(lb_c, lbm)
+        let lb_ts_raw: String = if lbmp >= 0 {
+            let lbs: Int = lbmp + str_len(lbm)
+            let lbr: String = str_slice(lb_c, lbs, str_len(lb_c))
+            let lbn: Int = str_index_of(lbr, " | ")
+            if lbn < 0 { lbr } else { str_slice(lbr, 0, lbn) }
+        } else {
+            let lbca: String = json_get(lb0, "created_at")
+            if str_eq(lbca, "") { json_get(lb0, "updated_at") } else { lbca }
+        }
+        let lb_ts: Int = if str_eq(lb_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(lb_ts_raw) }
+        if lb_ts > lc_aff_cutoff { "[AFFECTIVE NOTE: User was in distress in a recent session.]" } else { "" }
+    } else { "" }
+    let lc_pos_nodes: String = engram_search_json("PositiveEvent joy:high joy:low affective", 2)
+    let lc_has_pos: Bool = !str_eq(lc_pos_nodes, "") && !str_eq(lc_pos_nodes, "[]")
+    let lc_pos_note: String = if lc_has_pos && str_eq(lc_bell_note, "") {
+        let lp0: String = json_array_get(lc_pos_nodes, 0)
+        let lp_c: String = json_get(lp0, "content")
+        let lpm: String = " | ts:"
+        let lpmp: Int = str_index_of(lp_c, lpm)
+        let lp_ts_raw: String = if lpmp >= 0 {
+            let lps: Int = lpmp + str_len(lpm)
+            let lpr: String = str_slice(lp_c, lps, str_len(lp_c))
+            let lpn: Int = str_index_of(lpr, " | ")
+            if lpn < 0 { lpr } else { str_slice(lpr, 0, lpn) }
+        } else {
+            let lpca: String = json_get(lp0, "created_at")
+            if str_eq(lpca, "") { json_get(lp0, "updated_at") } else { lpca }
+        }
+        let lp_ts: Int = if str_eq(lp_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(lp_ts_raw) }
+        if lp_ts > lc_aff_cutoff { "[AFFECTIVE NOTE: User shared positive news in a recent session.]" } else { "" }
+    } else { "" }
+    let lc_affective_note: String = if !str_eq(lc_bell_note, "") { lc_bell_note } else { lc_pos_note }
+
+    // pre-LLM bell augmentation
     let augmented_addendum: String = safety_augment_system("", raw_input)
+    let augmented_addendum = if str_eq(lc_affective_note, "") { augmented_addendum } else {
+        if str_eq(augmented_addendum, "") { lc_affective_note } else { lc_affective_note + "\n" + augmented_addendum }
+    }
     state_set("layered_cycle_safety_system_addendum", augmented_addendum)
 
     // L3: imprint responds