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.

chat.el

@@ -48,72 +48,474 @@ fn engram_score_node(node_json: String) -> Int {
     return salience_100 * importance_100 * recency_100 / 10000
 }
 
-// engram_compile_ranked — build a context string from a JSON array of node objects,
-// ordered best-first by score. Only nodes above a minimum score (25 = salience 0.5 *
-// importance 0.5 * recency 1.0) are included; the rest are noise. Returns at most
-// max_nodes entries concatenated as JSON array text. Because el has no sort primitive,
-// we do a single selection pass picking the top N by linear scan (N=10 cap).
+// engram_compile_ranked — build a ranked list of nodes, best-first by score.
+// Fix (Issue #11): uses "|N|" index tracking instead of _sel_N JSON mutation,
+// which leaked sentinel fields into the node objects passed to the LLM.
+// Threshold lowered to 15 to include moderately-relevant older nodes.
 fn engram_compile_ranked(nodes_json: String, max_nodes: Int) -> String {
     if str_eq(nodes_json, "") { return "" }
     if str_eq(nodes_json, "[]") { return "" }
     let total: Int = json_array_len(nodes_json)
     if total == 0 { return "" }
 
-    // Two-pass: first pass finds the top `max_nodes` by score via selection.
-    // We track selected node indices and their scores to avoid duplicate picks.
-    let selected: String = ""   // comma-sep JSON snippets for chosen nodes
-    let selected_count: Int = 0
+    // selected_indices is a pipe-delimited string of chosen integer indices, e.g. "|2|7|".
+    // No sentinel fields are injected into the node JSON — the nodes stay clean.
+    let selected_indices: String = ""
+    let selected_nodes: String = ""
     let pass: Int = 0
 
     while pass < max_nodes && pass < total {
-        // Find the unselected node with the highest score
         let best_idx: Int = -1
         let best_score: Int = -1
         let ci: Int = 0
         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
-            // 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)
+            // 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.
+            let above_thresh: Bool = score >= 15
+            // Check this index wasn't already selected using the index string.
+            let idx_marker: String = "|" + int_to_str(ci) + "|"
+            let already_picked: Bool = str_contains(selected_indices, idx_marker)
             let is_better: Bool = score > best_score && above_thresh && !already_picked
             let best_score = if is_better { score } else { best_score }
             let best_idx = if is_better { ci } else { best_idx }
             let ci = ci + 1
         }
 
-        // No more qualifying nodes
         if best_idx < 0 {
             let pass = total  // break
         } else {
             let chosen: String = json_array_get(nodes_json, best_idx)
-            let sep: String = if str_eq(selected, "") { "" } else { "," }
-            // Append the index sentinel inline so already_picked checks work
-            let selected = selected + sep + "{\"_sel_" + int_to_str(best_idx) + "\":1," + str_slice(chosen, 1, str_len(chosen) - 1) + "}"
-            let selected_count = selected_count + 1
+            let sep: String = if str_eq(selected_nodes, "") { "" } else { "," }
+            let selected_nodes = selected_nodes + sep + chosen
+            let selected_indices = selected_indices + "|" + int_to_str(best_idx) + "|"
         }
         let pass = pass + 1
     }
 
-    if str_eq(selected, "") { return "" }
-    // Strip the _sel_N sentinel fields that were used for duplicate-detection bookkeeping.
-    // The sentinels have the form "\"_sel_N\":1," (trailing comma, space before next key).
-    // We injected them as the first field in each object, so the pattern is predictable.
-    // Because el has no regex, remove up to 10 possible sentinel variants by literal replace.
-    let clean: String = "[" + selected + "]"
-    let c0: String = str_replace(clean, "\"_sel_0\":1,", "")
-    let c1: String = str_replace(c0, "\"_sel_1\":1,", "")
-    let c2: String = str_replace(c1, "\"_sel_2\":1,", "")
-    let c3: String = str_replace(c2, "\"_sel_3\":1,", "")
-    let c4: String = str_replace(c3, "\"_sel_4\":1,", "")
-    let c5: String = str_replace(c4, "\"_sel_5\":1,", "")
-    let c6: String = str_replace(c5, "\"_sel_6\":1,", "")
-    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
+    if str_eq(selected_nodes, "") { return "" }
+    return "[" + selected_nodes + "]"
+}
+
+// engram_render_node — render a single engram node JSON object as a human-readable
+// bullet line for inclusion in the system prompt. Format: - [TYPE age sal] content
+// Fix (Issue #3, #4): passes context as prose bullets instead of raw JSON objects,
+// which are opaque to the LLM and waste token budget on field names.
+fn engram_render_node(node_json: String) -> String {
+    if str_eq(node_json, "") { return "" }
+    let content: String = json_get(node_json, "content")
+    if str_eq(content, "") { return "" }
+    let node_type: String = json_get(node_json, "node_type")
+    let type_label: String = if str_eq(node_type, "") { "mem" } else { node_type }
+    let now_ts: Int = time_now()
+    let created_str: String = json_get(node_json, "created_at")
+    let updated_str: String = json_get(node_json, "updated_at")
+    let ts_raw: String = if str_eq(created_str, "") { updated_str } else { created_str }
+    let age_label: String = if str_eq(ts_raw, "") { "" } else {
+        let node_ts: Int = str_to_int(ts_raw)
+        let age_secs: Int = now_ts - node_ts
+        let age_days: Int = if age_secs < 0 { 0 } else { age_secs / 86400 }
+        if age_days == 0 { "today" } else {
+            if age_days > 30 { "old" } else { int_to_str(age_days) + "d" }
+        }
+    }
+    let salience_str: String = json_get(node_json, "salience")
+    let sal_100: Int = if str_eq(salience_str, "") { 0 } else {
+        let s: Int = str_to_int(str_replace(salience_str, ".", ""))
+        if s > 100 { 100 } else { if s < 0 { 0 } else { s } }
+    }
+    let salience_hint: String = if str_eq(salience_str, "") { "" } else {
+        if sal_100 >= 80 { "high" } else { if sal_100 >= 50 { "med" } else { "low" } }
+    }
+    let ann_inner: String = type_label
+    let ann_inner = if str_eq(age_label, "") { ann_inner } else { ann_inner + " " + age_label }
+    let ann_inner = if str_eq(salience_hint, "") { ann_inner } else { ann_inner + " " + salience_hint }
+    let ann: String = "[" + ann_inner + "]"
+    let snip: String = if str_len(content) > 200 { str_slice(content, 0, 200) } else { content }
+    return "- " + ann + " " + snip
+}
+
+// engram_render_nodes — render a JSON array of engram nodes as newline-joined
+// prose bullet lines. Returns "" when input is empty.
+// Fix (Issue #3): called by build_system_prompt to convert raw JSON ctx to
+// human-readable bullets before injecting into the LLM system prompt.
+fn engram_render_nodes(nodes_json: String) -> String {
+    if str_eq(nodes_json, "") { return "" }
+    if str_eq(nodes_json, "[]") { return "" }
+    let total: Int = json_array_len(nodes_json)
+    if total == 0 { return "" }
+    let result: String = ""
+    let i: Int = 0
+    while i < total {
+        let node: String = json_array_get(nodes_json, i)
+        let line: String = engram_render_node(node)
+        let result = if str_eq(line, "") { result } else {
+            if str_eq(result, "") { line } else { result + "\n" + line }
+        }
+        let i = i + 1
+    }
+    return result
+}
+
+// engram_render_ctx — render the ctx string returned by engram_compile as prose bullets.
+// ctx may be a JSON array "[...]", a single object "{...}", or up to two such segments
+// joined by "\n". We handle the three common shapes produced by engram_compile:
+//   1. single JSON array  -> engram_render_nodes
+//   2. single JSON object -> engram_render_node
+//   3. two segments sep by "\n" -> render each half individually and join
+// Fix (Issue #3): called by build_system_prompt so the LLM receives human-readable
+// prose bullets instead of raw JSON field blobs.
+fn engram_render_ctx(ctx: String) -> String {
+    if str_eq(ctx, "") { return "" }
+    // Single JSON array.
+    if str_starts_with(ctx, "[") {
+        let nl: Int = str_index_of(ctx, "\n")
+        if nl < 0 {
+            // Whole ctx is one array.
+            let r: String = engram_render_nodes(ctx)
+            if !str_eq(r, "") { return r }
+            return ""
+        }
+        // First segment is an array; try to render it and the rest separately.
+        let part1: String = str_slice(ctx, 0, nl)
+        let part2: String = str_slice(ctx, nl + 1, str_len(ctx))
+        let r1: String = engram_render_nodes(part1)
+        let r2: String = if str_starts_with(part2, "[") {
+            engram_render_nodes(part2)
+        } else {
+            if str_starts_with(part2, "{") { engram_render_node(part2) } else { "" }
+        }
+        if str_eq(r1, "") { return r2 }
+        if str_eq(r2, "") { return r1 }
+        return r1 + "\n" + r2
+    }
+    // Single JSON object (e.g. affective_part node when it's the only result).
+    if str_starts_with(ctx, "{") {
+        let nl: Int = str_index_of(ctx, "\n")
+        if nl < 0 {
+            let r: String = engram_render_node(ctx)
+            if !str_eq(r, "") { return r }
+            return ""
+        }
+        let part1: String = str_slice(ctx, 0, nl)
+        let part2: String = str_slice(ctx, nl + 1, str_len(ctx))
+        let r1: String = engram_render_node(part1)
+        let r2: String = if str_starts_with(part2, "[") {
+            engram_render_nodes(part2)
+        } else {
+            if str_starts_with(part2, "{") { engram_render_node(part2) } else { "" }
+        }
+        if str_eq(r1, "") { return r2 }
+        if str_eq(r2, "") { return r1 }
+        return r1 + "\n" + r2
+    }
+    // Fallback: ctx is in an unexpected format; return as-is.
+    return ctx
+}
+
+// is_followup_phrase — returns true when the message is a recognized follow-up
+// reference that should anchor recall to the prior user topic rather than stand alone.
+// Used by build_activation_seed to choose the right enrichment strategy.
+fn is_followup_phrase(msg: String) -> Bool {
+    if str_contains(msg, "tell me more") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "elaborate") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "go on") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "what about that") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "what else") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "keep going") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "continue") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "more detail") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "last part") { return true }
+    if str_contains(msg, "say more") { return true }
+    if str_eq(msg, "ok") { return true }
+    if str_eq(msg, "yes") { return true }
+    if str_eq(msg, "yeah") { return true }
+    if str_eq(msg, "and?") { return true }
+    if str_eq(msg, "so?") { return true }
+    return false
+}
+
+// is_genuine_continuation — returns true when a short message is a contextual
+// follow-up rather than a new topic.
+// Issue 4 fix: the prior heuristic only checked for mid-string capitals, which
+// fails for all-lowercase new-topic queries like "what is rust?" (14 chars) or
+// "explain quantum computing" (26 chars). Added question-word prefix detection
+// that fires BEFORE the length check: any message starting with a question word
+// (what/how/why/when/where/who/which/is/can/could/does/do) introduces a new
+// topic and is never a continuation, regardless of length.
+fn is_genuine_continuation(msg: String, hist_len: Int) -> Bool {
+    if hist_len == 0 { return false }
+    if str_len(msg) == 0 { return false }
+    if is_followup_phrase(msg) { return true }
+    // Question-word prefix: messages starting with these introduce new topics.
+    // Check before the length heuristic so short new-topic questions escape.
+    let is_question_start: Bool = str_starts_with(msg, "what ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "What ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "how ") || str_starts_with(msg, "How ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "why ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Why ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "when ") || str_starts_with(msg, "When ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "where ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Where ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "who ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Who ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "which ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Which ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "is ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Is ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "can ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Can ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "could ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Could ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "does ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Does ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "do ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Do ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "explain ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Explain ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "describe ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Describe ")
+        || str_starts_with(msg, "define ") || str_starts_with(msg, "Define ")
+    if is_question_start { return false }
+    // Long messages (50+ chars) typically introduce new topics.
+    if str_len(msg) >= 50 { return false }
+    // Short messages with a mid-string capital are likely named-concept queries
+    // (e.g. "tell me about Rust", "what about AWS") — treat as new topic.
+    let rest: String = str_slice(msg, 1, str_len(msg))
+    let has_mid_capital: Bool = false
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " A")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " B")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " C")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " D")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " E")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " F")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " G")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " H")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " I")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " J")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " K")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " L")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " M")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " N")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " O")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " P")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " Q")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " R")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " S")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " T")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " U")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " V")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " W")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " X")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " Y")
+    let has_mid_capital = has_mid_capital || str_contains(rest, " Z")
+    if has_mid_capital { return false }
+    return true
+}
+
+// topic_snip_from_entry — extract the most salient snippet from a history entry's
+// content. Fixes Issue 9: takes the TAIL (last 200 chars) then trims to the last
+// sentence boundary, so named concepts introduced near the end are captured.
+fn topic_snip_from_entry(content: String) -> String {
+    let clen: Int = str_len(content)
+    if clen <= 200 { return content }
+    let tail: String = str_slice(content, clen - 200, clen)
+    let last_boundary: Int = -1
+    let si: Int = 0
+    let tail_len: Int = str_len(tail)
+    while si < tail_len - 1 {
+        let ch2: String = str_slice(tail, si, si + 2)
+        let is_boundary: Bool = str_eq(ch2, ". ") || str_eq(ch2, ".\n")
+        let last_boundary = if is_boundary { si } else { last_boundary }
+        let si = si + 1
+    }
+    let clean_tail: String = if last_boundary >= 0 {
+        str_slice(tail, last_boundary + 2, tail_len)
+    } else { tail }
+    if str_len(clean_tail) > 150 { return str_slice(clean_tail, 0, 150) }
+    return clean_tail
+}
+
+// multi_turn_topic — build a combined topic string from recent user turns in history.
+// Fixes Issue 10: pulls up to 3 prior user turns into the seed so earlier
+// high-salience nodes from the thread are re-queried.
+fn multi_turn_topic(hist: String, hist_len: Int) -> String {
+    if hist_len == 0 { return "" }
+    let topic: String = ""
+    let collected: Int = 0
+    let idx: Int = hist_len - 1
+    while idx >= 0 && collected < 3 {
+        let entry: String = json_array_get(hist, idx)
+        let role: String = json_get(entry, "role")
+        let content: String = json_get(entry, "content")
+        let is_user: Bool = str_eq(role, "user")
+        let snip: String = if str_len(content) > 100 { str_slice(content, 0, 100) } else { content }
+        let topic = if is_user && !str_eq(snip, "") {
+            if str_eq(topic, "") { snip } else { snip + " " + topic }
+        } else { topic }
+        let collected = if is_user { collected + 1 } else { collected }
+        let idx = idx - 1
+    }
+    if str_len(topic) > 300 { return str_slice(topic, 0, 300) }
+    return topic
+}
+
+// distill_transcript — extract salient content from a multi-turn transcript.
+// Fixes Issue 6: a full transcript produces a diffuse embedding query.
+// Strategy: last 150 chars (recency) + any question in last 500 chars. Cap 250.
+fn distill_transcript(transcript: String) -> String {
+    if str_len(transcript) <= 250 { return transcript }
+    let tlen: Int = str_len(transcript)
+    let tail_start: Int = if tlen > 500 { tlen - 500 } else { 0 }
+    let tail: String = str_slice(transcript, tail_start, tlen)
+    let tail_len: Int = str_len(tail)
+    let q_pos: Int = -1
+    let qi: Int = 0
+    while qi < tail_len {
+        let qch: String = str_slice(tail, qi, qi + 1)
+        let q_pos = if str_eq(qch, "?") { qi } else { q_pos }
+        let qi = qi + 1
+    }
+    let q_context: String = if q_pos > 0 {
+        let q_start: Int = if q_pos > 100 { q_pos - 100 } else { 0 }
+        str_slice(tail, q_start, q_pos + 1)
+    } else { "" }
+    let recency_seed: String = if tail_len > 150 {
+        str_slice(tail, tail_len - 150, tail_len)
+    } else { tail }
+    let combined: String = if str_eq(q_context, "") {
+        recency_seed
+    } else {
+        if str_contains(recency_seed, q_context) { recency_seed }
+        else { q_context + " " + recency_seed }
+    }
+    if str_len(combined) > 250 {
+        return str_slice(combined, str_len(combined) - 250, str_len(combined))
+    }
+    return combined
+}
+
+// build_activation_seed — construct an enriched activation seed from the current
+// message and conversation history. Central fix for Issues 1-3, 8-10.
+fn build_activation_seed(message: String, hist: String, hist_len: Int) -> String {
+    if hist_len == 0 { return message }
+
+    let is_cont: Bool = is_genuine_continuation(message, hist_len)
+
+    if !is_cont {
+        let multi_topic: String = multi_turn_topic(hist, hist_len)
+        if str_eq(multi_topic, "") { return message }
+        let blended: String = message + " " + multi_topic
+        if str_len(blended) > 400 { return str_slice(blended, 0, 400) }
+        return blended
+    }
+
+    // Genuine continuation: find the most recent prior USER turn as the topic anchor.
+    // Fixes Issues 3 and 8: old code used the last assistant reply (hist_len - 1).
+    let prior_user_content: String = ""
+    let scan_idx: Int = hist_len - 1
+    let found_prior_user: Bool = false
+    while scan_idx >= 0 && !found_prior_user {
+        let scan_entry: String = json_array_get(hist, scan_idx)
+        let scan_role: String = json_get(scan_entry, "role")
+        let scan_content: String = json_get(scan_entry, "content")
+        let is_user_turn: Bool = str_eq(scan_role, "user")
+        let prior_user_content = if is_user_turn && !found_prior_user { scan_content } else { prior_user_content }
+        let found_prior_user = if is_user_turn { true } else { found_prior_user }
+        let scan_idx = scan_idx - 1
+    }
+
+    // Secondary: tail-biased snip from last assistant reply (Issue 9 fix).
+    let last_asst_entry: String = json_array_get(hist, hist_len - 1)
+    let last_asst_role: String = json_get(last_asst_entry, "role")
+    let last_asst_content: String = if str_eq(last_asst_role, "assistant") {
+        json_get(last_asst_entry, "content")
+    } else { "" }
+    let asst_snip: String = if str_eq(last_asst_content, "") { "" } else {
+        topic_snip_from_entry(last_asst_content)
+    }
+    let user_snip: String = if str_len(prior_user_content) > 150 {
+        str_slice(prior_user_content, 0, 150)
+    } else { prior_user_content }
+
+    let seed: String = if !str_eq(user_snip, "") {
+        if !str_eq(asst_snip, "") {
+            user_snip + " " + asst_snip + " " + message
+        } else {
+            user_snip + " " + message
+        }
+    } else {
+        if !str_eq(asst_snip, "") { asst_snip + " " + message } else { message }
+    }
+    if str_len(seed) > 400 { return str_slice(seed, 0, 400) }
+    return seed
+}
+
+// engram_compile_multi — fan-out activation across multiple query seeds. Fixes Issue 4:
+// only a single seed was tried per turn, with no entity/emotion/topic diversification.
+//
+// Issue 2 fix: save the primary-seed activation to a dedicated state key BEFORE calling
+// engram_compile(message). Each engram_compile call overwrites "engram_compile_activation_json"
+// with its own activation result. Without this save, the secondary compile (bare message,
+// lower signal) clobbers the primary (enriched seed, higher signal), and strengthen_chat_nodes
+// later reads the lower-signal result for node strengthening.
+//
+// Issue 3 fix: replace the dumb str_slice(merged, 0, 6000) truncation with the same
+// safe JSON boundary-scan used in engram_compile. The old truncation could cut mid-object
+// when ctx1+ctx2+ctx3 together exceeded 6000 chars, producing malformed JSON context.
+//
+// Issue 5 fix: remove str_contains(ctx1, ctx2) / str_contains(merged, ctx3) substring
+// duplicate checks. These compared multi-KB JSON strings and were unreliable in both
+// directions: a coincidental substring match inside a JSON field value could falsely suppress
+// ctx2 entirely; a genuinely duplicate ctx2 was missed when ctx1 was already truncated.
+// We now concatenate unconditionally and let engram_compile's own dedup (node-ID based)
+// handle within-result duplicates. Slight redundancy across ctx1/ctx2 is acceptable; false
+// suppression of valid context is not.
+fn engram_compile_multi(primary_seed: String, message: String) -> String {
+    let ctx1: String = engram_compile(primary_seed)
+
+    // Issue 2 fix: save the primary-seed activation before any secondary compile can
+    // overwrite the shared "engram_compile_activation_json" state key.
+    let primary_act: String = state_get("engram_compile_activation_json")
+    if !str_eq(primary_act, "") && !str_eq(primary_act, "[]") {
+        state_set("engram_compile_primary_activation_json", primary_act)
+    }
+
+    let entity_seed_differs: Bool = !str_eq(primary_seed, message)
+    let ctx2: String = if entity_seed_differs {
+        let raw_ctx: String = engram_compile(message)
+        if str_eq(raw_ctx, "") { "" } else { raw_ctx }
+    } else { "" }
+
+    let has_any: Bool = !str_eq(ctx1, "") || !str_eq(ctx2, "")
+    let ctx3: String = if has_any {
+        let emo_results: String = engram_search_json("emotion feeling mood care distress joy hope", 5)
+        let emo_ok: Bool = !str_eq(emo_results, "") && !str_eq(emo_results, "[]")
+        if emo_ok { engram_compile_ranked(emo_results, 3) } else { "" }
+    } else { "" }
+
+    // Issue 5 fix: concatenate unconditionally — no str_contains substring dedup.
+    let sep2: String = if !str_eq(ctx1, "") && !str_eq(ctx2, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
+    let merged: String = ctx1 + sep2 + ctx2
+    let sep3: String = if !str_eq(merged, "") && !str_eq(ctx3, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
+    let merged = if !str_eq(ctx3, "") { merged + sep3 + ctx3 } else { merged }
+
+    // Issue 6 fix: append the bell node exactly once here, after all compile calls.
+    // engram_compile no longer includes affective_part in its return value; instead it
+    // caches the bell node in state. By appending it here we guarantee the bell node
+    // JSON appears at most once in the system prompt's engram block regardless of how
+    // many engram_compile calls were made above.
+    let bell_node: String = state_get("engram_compile_bell_node")
+    let sep4: String = if !str_eq(merged, "") && !str_eq(bell_node, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
+    let merged = if !str_eq(bell_node, "") { merged + sep4 + bell_node } else { merged }
+
+    if str_eq(merged, "") { return "" }
+
+    // Issue 3 fix: safe JSON boundary-scan truncation — find the last closing brace
+    // before the 6000-char cap rather than slicing mid-object.
+    let cap_len: Int = 6000
+    if str_len(merged) <= cap_len { return merged }
+    let cap_search: Int = cap_len - 1
+    let cap_min: Int = if cap_len > 500 { cap_len - 500 } else { 0 }
+    let cap_pos: Int = -1
+    let cap_si: Int = cap_search
+    while cap_si >= cap_min && cap_pos < 0 {
+        let cap_ch: String = str_slice(merged, cap_si, cap_si + 1)
+        let cap_pos = if str_eq(cap_ch, "}") { cap_si } else { cap_pos }
+        let cap_si = if cap_pos < 0 { cap_si - 1 } else { cap_si }
+    }
+    if cap_pos > 0 { return str_slice(merged, 0, cap_pos + 1) }
+    return str_slice(merged, 0, cap_len)
 }
 
 fn engram_compile(intent: String) -> String {
@@ -150,17 +552,67 @@ fn engram_compile(intent: String) -> String {
         ""
     }
 
+    // Affective context: always include the most recent high-emotion memory if one
+    // exists within 72 hours. This ensures continuity of care across turns — when
+    // the user was in distress earlier in the session (or recently), that context
+    // travels into every subsequent LLM call so the response register stays aware.
+    // We search for BellEvent nodes specifically; these are written by auto_persist
+    // when safety_detect_bell_level fires. The 72h window (259200 seconds) is wide
+    // enough to span a multi-session day without pulling ancient history.
+    let bell_nodes: String = engram_search_json("bell:soft bell:hard BellEvent", 3)
+    let bell_ok: Bool = !str_eq(bell_nodes, "") && !str_eq(bell_nodes, "[]")
+    let now_ts: Int = time_now()
+    let cutoff_ts: Int = now_ts - 259200
+    let recent_bell: String = if bell_ok {
+        let bn0: String = json_array_get(bell_nodes, 0)
+        // created_at is not present in engram node JSON for BellEvent nodes.
+        // Extract the timestamp embedded in the content string as " | ts:NNNNN".
+        // Fall back to created_at / updated_at JSON fields if the marker is absent.
+        let bn_content: String = json_get(bn0, "content")
+        let ts_marker: String = " | ts:"
+        let ts_pos: Int = str_index_of(bn_content, ts_marker)
+        let bn_ts_raw: String = if ts_pos >= 0 {
+            let ts_start: Int = ts_pos + str_len(ts_marker)
+            let rest: String = str_slice(bn_content, ts_start, str_len(bn_content))
+            let next_sep: Int = str_index_of(rest, " | ")
+            if next_sep < 0 { rest } else { str_slice(rest, 0, next_sep) }
+        } else {
+            let ca: String = json_get(bn0, "created_at")
+            if str_eq(ca, "") { json_get(bn0, "updated_at") } else { ca }
+        }
+        let bn_ts: Int = if str_eq(bn_ts_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(bn_ts_raw) }
+        if bn_ts > cutoff_ts { bn0 } else { "" }
+    } else { "" }
+    // Issue 6 fix: do NOT include the bell node in this function's return value.
+    // engram_compile is called multiple times by engram_compile_multi (once per seed).
+    // If affective_part were appended here, the bell node JSON would appear once per
+    // compile call — duplicating it in the merged context. Instead, cache the bell node
+    // here and let engram_compile_multi append it exactly once after all calls complete.
     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 ctx: String = act_part + sep1 + srch_part + sep2 + scan_part
 
+    // Cache bell and activation results for handle_chat reuse (Issues 2, 7).
+    state_set("engram_compile_bell_node", recent_bell)
+    state_set("engram_compile_activation_json", if act_ok { activate_json } else { "[]" })
+
     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)
+    // Cap at a clean JSON object boundary — scan back from the 6000-char limit to find
+    // the last closing brace so we never return a truncated mid-object JSON string.
+    let cap_len: Int = 6000
+    if str_len(ctx) <= cap_len { return ctx }
+    let cap_search: Int = cap_len - 1
+    let cap_min: Int = if cap_len > 500 { cap_len - 500 } else { 0 }
+    let cap_pos: Int = -1
+    let cap_si: Int = cap_search
+    while cap_si >= cap_min && cap_pos < 0 {
+        let cap_ch: String = str_slice(ctx, cap_si, cap_si + 1)
+        let cap_pos = if str_eq(cap_ch, "}") { cap_si } else { cap_pos }
+        let cap_si = if cap_pos < 0 { cap_si - 1 } else { cap_si }
     }
-    return ctx
+    if cap_pos > 0 { return str_slice(ctx, 0, cap_pos + 1) }
+    return str_slice(ctx, 0, cap_len)
 }
 
 fn json_safe(s: String) -> String {
@@ -193,13 +645,25 @@ fn build_system_prompt(ctx: String) -> String {
         "\n\n[IDENTITY GRAPH — who you are, loaded from your engram]\n" + id_ctx
     }
 
-    let engram_block: String = if str_eq(ctx, "") {
+    // Fix (Issue #3): render ctx as prose bullets before injecting into prompt.
+    // engram_compile returns raw JSON arrays/objects; engram_render_ctx converts them
+    // to "- [TYPE age sal] content" lines the LLM can actually read and reason over.
+    let rendered_ctx: String = if str_eq(ctx, "") { "" } else { engram_render_ctx(ctx) }
+    let engram_block: String = if str_eq(rendered_ctx, "") {
         ""
     } else {
-        "\n\n[ENGRAM CONTEXT — compiled from your graph]\n" + ctx
+        "\n\n[ENGRAM CONTEXT — compiled from your graph]\n" + rendered_ctx
     }
 
-    return identity + date_line + voice_rules + security_rules + capability_rules + identity_block + engram_block
+    let safety_addendum: String = state_get("layered_cycle_safety_system_addendum")
+    let safety_block: String = if str_eq(safety_addendum, "") {
+        ""
+    } else {
+        state_set("layered_cycle_safety_system_addendum", "")
+        safety_addendum
+    }
+
+    return identity + date_line + voice_rules + security_rules + capability_rules + identity_block + engram_block + safety_block
 }
 
 fn hist_append(hist: String, role: String, content: String) -> String {
@@ -226,6 +690,69 @@ fn hist_trim(hist: String) -> String {
     return hist
 }
 
+// hist_trim_with_bell_guard — trim the history window exactly as hist_trim does, but
+// before dropping the oldest user/assistant pair check whether the user turn triggered
+// a bell event. If it did, write a preservation node to engram so the distress exchange
+// survives the 20-turn window. The LLM window drops it; engram retains it permanently
+// and engram_compile will surface it again via the affective context path.
+fn hist_trim_with_bell_guard(hist: String) -> String {
+    // Extract the first turn (should be a user message) to inspect it.
+    let inner: String = str_slice(hist, 1, str_len(hist) - 1)
+    let marker: String = "{\"role\":"
+    let i1: Int = str_index_of(inner, marker)
+    // i1 is the start of the first entry within inner.
+    // Find where the second entry begins to delimit the first entry's JSON.
+    let tail1: String = str_slice(inner, i1 + 1, str_len(inner))
+    let i2: Int = str_index_of(tail1, marker)
+    // The first entry spans from i1 to (i1 + 1 + i2 - 1) within inner.
+    let first_entry_raw: String = if i2 > 0 {
+        str_slice(inner, i1, i1 + 1 + i2 - 1)
+    } else {
+        str_slice(inner, i1, str_len(inner))
+    }
+    let first_role: String = json_get(first_entry_raw, "role")
+    let first_content: String = json_get(first_entry_raw, "content")
+
+    // Only inspect user turns — assistant content doesn't carry bell signals.
+    let bell_level: String = if str_eq(first_role, "user") {
+        safety_detect_bell_level(first_content)
+    } else {
+        "none"
+    }
+
+    // If the turn being evicted triggered a bell, preserve it to engram.
+    // This is distinct from the BellEvent written by auto_persist: that node
+    // carries a short summary. This node carries the full exchange content so
+    // it is recoverable for clinical/continuity review.
+    if !str_eq(bell_level, "none") {
+        let ts: Int = time_now()
+        let ts_str: String = int_to_str(ts)
+        let safe_content: String = str_replace(first_content, "\"", "'")
+        let preserve_content: String = "PRESERVED_BELL:" + bell_level
+            + " | evicted_at:" + ts_str
+            + " | message:" + safe_content
+        let preserve_tags: String = "[\"bell-history\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"evicted\",\"affective\",\"BellEvent\"]"
+        let discard: String = engram_node_full(
+            preserve_content,
+            "BellEvent",
+            "bell:" + bell_level + ":preserved",
+            el_from_float(0.9),
+            el_from_float(0.9),
+            el_from_float(1.0),
+            "Episodic",
+            preserve_tags
+        )
+    }
+
+    // Now perform the standard trim (drop oldest 2 entries = 1 user + 1 assistant pair).
+    let tail2: String = str_slice(tail1, i2 + 1, str_len(tail1))
+    let i3: Int = str_index_of(tail2, marker)
+    if i3 >= 0 {
+        return "[" + str_slice(tail2, i3, str_len(tail2)) + "]"
+    }
+    return hist
+}
+
 // clean_llm_response — strips GPT-2 BPE byte-to-unicode artifacts that vLLM
 // emits when the tokenizer hasn't decoded back to raw bytes.
 //
@@ -279,22 +806,28 @@ 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
-    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 }
-    let activation_seed: String = if !str_eq(thread_snip, "") {
-        thread_snip + " " + message
-    } else {
-        message
-    }
+    // Issues 2-3, 8-10 fix: build_activation_seed() replaces the raw 50-char threshold
+    // with smart continuation detection, prior-user-topic anchoring, multi-turn context,
+    // and tail-biased snipping from long assistant replies.
+    let activation_seed: String = build_activation_seed(message, stored_hist, hist_len)
 
-    let ctx: String = engram_compile(activation_seed)
-    let system: String = build_system_prompt(ctx)
+    // Issue 1 fix: call engram_compile_multi BEFORE reading the bell-node cache.
+    // engram_compile (called inside engram_compile_multi) writes "engram_compile_bell_node"
+    // at line 426. Reading the cache before the compile call means the first session turn
+    // always sees an empty cache — the very turn where safety continuity matters most.
+    // Moving compile first ensures the cache is populated before affective_prefix reads it.
+    let ctx: String = engram_compile_multi(activation_seed, message)
+
+    // Fix Issue 2: reuse cached bell result from engram_compile — no second engram query.
+    // Now runs AFTER engram_compile_multi so the cache is guaranteed to be warm.
+    let affective_prefix: String = if hist_len == 0 {
+        let cached_bell: String = state_get("engram_compile_bell_node")
+        if !str_eq(cached_bell, "") {
+            "[RECENT CONTEXT: User recently expressed significant distress. Monitor for indirect crisis signals and respond with care.]\n\n"
+        } else { "" }
+    } else { "" }
+
+    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.
@@ -374,6 +907,10 @@ 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\"")
@@ -388,17 +925,30 @@ fn handle_chat(body: String) -> String {
 
     let updated_hist: String = hist_append(stored_hist, "user", message)
     let updated_hist2: String = hist_append(updated_hist, "assistant", raw_response)
+    // Use bell-guarded trim: if the evicted turn triggered a bell event, it is
+    // preserved to engram before being dropped from the in-memory window.
     let final_hist: String = if json_array_len(updated_hist2) > 20 {
-        hist_trim(updated_hist2)
+        hist_trim_with_bell_guard(updated_hist2)
     } else {
         updated_hist2
     }
     state_set("conv_history", final_hist)
     conv_history_persist(final_hist)
 
-    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 { "[]" }
+    // Fix Issue 7: reuse activation JSON from engram_compile — no third activate query.
+    // Issue 2 fix: prefer the primary-seed activation (enriched seed, depth 5) saved
+    // before the secondary compile could overwrite the shared state key. Fall back to
+    // the final compile activation only when the primary key is absent (e.g. first boot
+    // before any compile has run or when primary_seed == message and ctx2 was skipped).
+    let primary_cached: String = state_get("engram_compile_primary_activation_json")
+    let cached_act: String = if !str_eq(primary_cached, "") && !str_eq(primary_cached, "[]") {
+        primary_cached
+    } else {
+        state_get("engram_compile_activation_json")
+    }
+    let act_out: String = if !str_eq(cached_act, "") && !str_eq(cached_act, "[]") {
+        cached_act
+    } else { "[]" }
     strengthen_chat_nodes(act_out)
 
     return "{\"response\":\"" + safe_response + "\",\"model\":\"" + model + "\",\"activation_nodes\":" + act_out + "}"
@@ -606,7 +1156,8 @@ fn path_within_root(path: String, root: String) -> Bool {
         return false
     }
     if str_starts_with(path, "/") {
-        return str_starts_with(path, root)
+        let root_normalized: String = root + "/"
+        return str_starts_with(path, root_normalized)
     }
     return true
 }
@@ -697,12 +1248,17 @@ fn dispatch_tool(tool_name: String, tool_input: String) -> String {
         let path: String = json_get(tool_input, "path")
         let old_text: String = json_get(tool_input, "old_text")
         let new_text: String = json_get(tool_input, "new_text")
-        let content: String = fs_read(path)
+        let root: String = agent_workspace_root()
+        if !path_within_root(path, root) {
+            return json_safe("denied: path is outside the agent workspace root")
+        }
+        let resolved: String = resolve_in_root(path, root)
+        let content: String = fs_read(resolved)
         if str_eq(content, "") {
             return json_safe("{\"error\":\"file not found\"}")
         }
         let updated: String = str_replace(content, old_text, new_text)
-        fs_write(path, updated)
+        fs_write(resolved, updated)
         return json_safe("{\"ok\":true}")
     }
     if str_eq(tool_name, "remember") {
@@ -819,6 +1375,17 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
         return "{\"error\":\"message required\",\"reply\":\"\"}"
     }
 
+    // Workspace scope (#23): the desktop UI sends the user-chosen Agent Workspace root
+    // on every agentic request. Persist it to state so agent_workspace_root() — and the
+    // path/command tool guards that read it — confine this turn's file/command tools to
+    // that subtree. Only set when non-empty: an empty/absent field means the client sent
+    // no root (or cleared the field), and we must not overwrite a server-configured root
+    // from NEURON_AGENT_ROOT with an empty string, which would silently un-scope the agent.
+    let ws_root: String = json_get(body, "agent_workspace_root")
+    if !str_eq(ws_root, "") {
+        state_set("agent_workspace_root", ws_root)
+    }
+
     // L1 safety screen — agentic path must pass the same gate as layered_cycle.
     // Hard bell: return the crisis response immediately, do not enter the agentic loop.
     let history: String = state_get("conversation_history")
@@ -835,16 +1402,33 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
     // Thread-aware activation: same logic as handle_chat.
     // Use the session's or global history to anchor short messages to the thread.
     let req_session: String = json_get(body, "session_id")
+
+    // ISSUE #6/#7: validate that the session_id actually exists before proceeding.
+    // Without this check the loop silently treats any unknown/fabricated session_id
+    // as a fresh session — history loads as empty and no error is returned to the caller.
+    // Only validate when a session_id is explicitly provided; anonymous calls
+    // (no session_id) continue to work for backward compatibility.
+    let session_valid: Bool = if str_eq(req_session, "") {
+        true
+    } else {
+        session_exists(req_session)
+    }
+    if !session_valid {
+        return "{\"error\":\"session not found\",\"session_id\":\"" + req_session + "\",\"reply\":\"\"}"
+    }
+
     let hist_key: String = if str_eq(req_session, "") { "conv_history" } else { "session_hist_" + req_session }
     let agentic_hist: String = state_get(hist_key)
     let agentic_hist_len: Int = if str_eq(agentic_hist, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(agentic_hist) }
-    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 { "" }
-    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 }
-    let ag_seed: String = if !str_eq(ag_thread_snip, "") { ag_thread_snip + " " + message } else { message }
-
-    let ctx: String = engram_compile(ag_seed)
+    // Issues 2-5, 8-10 fix: build_activation_seed for smart continuation/multi-turn.
+    // Issue 5 fix: workspace_root appended so agent activation is workspace-aware.
+    let ag_seed_base: String = build_activation_seed(message, agentic_hist, agentic_hist_len)
+    let ag_workspace_root: String = agent_workspace_root()
+    let ag_seed: String = if !str_eq(ag_workspace_root, "") {
+        ag_seed_base + " workspace:" + ag_workspace_root
+    } else { ag_seed_base }
+    // Issue 4 fix: multi-seed fan-out (entity + emotion)
+    let ctx: String = engram_compile_multi(ag_seed, message)
     let identity: String = state_get("soul_identity")
     let system: String = identity + " You have access to tools: read files, write files, browse the web, search your memory, run commands. Use them when they add genuine value. Be direct.\n\n" + ctx
 
@@ -1234,7 +1818,15 @@ fn handle_dharma_room_turn(body: String) -> String {
     }
 
     // The soul's own memories, activated by what it's reading — not injected.
-    let engram_ctx: String = engram_compile(transcript)
+    // Issue 6 fix: distill_transcript() reduces diffuse embedding noise
+    let engram_ctx_base: String = engram_compile(distill_transcript(transcript))
+    // Append the cached bell node once (engram_compile no longer includes it inline
+    // to avoid duplication when called multiple times — see engram_compile_multi).
+    let dharma_bell: String = state_get("engram_compile_bell_node")
+    let engram_ctx: String = if !str_eq(dharma_bell, "") {
+        let sep: String = if !str_eq(engram_ctx_base, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
+        engram_ctx_base + sep + dharma_bell
+    } else { engram_ctx_base }
     let system_prompt: String = if str_eq(engram_ctx, "") {
         identity
     } else {
@@ -1286,7 +1878,15 @@ fn handle_dharma_room_turn_agentic(body: String) -> String {
         return "{\"error\":\"transcript is required\",\"response\":\"\",\"cgi_id\":\"" + cgi_id + "\"}"
     }
 
-    let ctx: String = engram_compile(transcript)
+    // Issue 6 fix: distill_transcript() reduces diffuse embedding noise
+    let ctx_base: String = engram_compile(distill_transcript(transcript))
+    // Append the cached bell node once (engram_compile no longer includes it inline
+    // to avoid duplication when called multiple times — see engram_compile_multi).
+    let dharma_bell2: String = state_get("engram_compile_bell_node")
+    let ctx: String = if !str_eq(dharma_bell2, "") {
+        let sep: String = if !str_eq(ctx_base, "") { "\n" } else { "" }
+        ctx_base + sep + dharma_bell2
+    } else { ctx_base }
     let system: String = identity + " You have access to tools: read files, write files, browse the web, search your memory, run commands. Use them when they add genuine value. Be direct and stay in character.\n\n" + ctx
 
     let api_key: String = agentic_api_key()
@@ -1343,14 +1943,28 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
     let safe_msg: String = str_replace(message, "\"", "'")
     let safe_reply: String = str_replace(reply2, "\"", "'")
 
+    // Detect emotional salience before persisting. safety_detect_bell_level uses the
+    // same phrase lists as the safety layer (safety.el), so the classification is
+    // consistent with what safety_screen already evaluated for this turn.
+    let bell_level: String = safety_detect_bell_level(message)
+    let is_bell: Bool = !str_eq(bell_level, "none")
+
+    // Tag the Conversation node with bell metadata when distress is present so
+    // subsequent affective queries (e.g. engram_compile) can find this exchange.
+    let tags: String = if is_bell {
+        "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"affective\"]"
+    } else {
+        "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\"]"
+    }
+
     let content: String = "{\"q\":\"" + safe_msg + "\""
         + ",\"a\":\"" + safe_reply + "\""
         + ",\"created_at\":" + ts_str
         + ",\"source\":\"chat\""
+        + ",\"bell\":\"" + bell_level + "\""
         + ",\"label\":\"chat:" + ts_str + "\"}"
 
-    let tags: String = "[\"Conversation\",\"chat\",\"timestamped\"]"
-    engram_node_full(
+    let conv_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
         content,
         "Conversation",
         "chat:" + ts_str,
@@ -1360,6 +1974,72 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
         "Episodic",
         tags
     )
+
+    // When a bell fires, write a dedicated BellEvent node in addition to the
+    // Conversation node. This makes distress moments directly findable by label
+    // ("bell:soft" / "bell:hard") without having to scan all Conversation nodes.
+    // The BellEvent carries higher salience so engram_compile pulls it into context.
+    // The message content is truncated to 120 chars — enough signal, not a full dump.
+    if is_bell {
+        let summary: String = if str_len(message) > 120 { str_slice(message, 0, 120) } else { message }
+        let safe_summary: String = str_replace(summary, "\"", "'")
+        let bell_content: String = "BELL:" + bell_level
+            + " | ts:" + ts_str
+            + " | summary:" + safe_summary
+
+        // bell:hard gets peak salience; bell:soft is slightly lower.
+        let sal_a: String = if str_eq(bell_level, "hard") { el_from_float(0.98) } else { el_from_float(0.88) }
+        let sal_b: String = if str_eq(bell_level, "hard") { el_from_float(0.98) } else { el_from_float(0.88) }
+        let sal_c: String = if str_eq(bell_level, "hard") { el_from_float(1.0) } else { el_from_float(0.95) }
+
+        let bell_tags: String = "[\"safety\",\"bell\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"affective\",\"BellEvent\"]"
+        let bell_ts_str: String = int_to_str(time_now())
+        let bell_label: String = "bell:" + bell_level + ":" + bell_ts_str
+        let bell_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+            bell_content,
+            "BellEvent",
+            bell_label,
+            sal_a,
+            sal_b,
+            sal_c,
+            "Episodic",
+            bell_tags
+        )
+
+        // Increment session-level bell counter so session_hist_save knows whether
+        // any bell fired during this session when writing a boundary summary.
+        let sess_id: String = json_get(req, "session_id")
+        let bell_key: String = if str_eq(sess_id, "") {
+            "session_bell_count"
+        } else {
+            "session_bell_count:" + sess_id
+        }
+        let prior_count: String = state_get(bell_key)
+        let prior_n: Int = if str_eq(prior_count, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(prior_count) }
+        state_set(bell_key, int_to_str(prior_n + 1))
+
+        // Also record the highest bell level seen this session so the boundary
+        // summary can classify the session correctly (hard takes precedence).
+        let level_key: String = if str_eq(sess_id, "") {
+            "session_bell_level"
+        } else {
+            "session_bell_level:" + sess_id
+        }
+        let prior_level: String = state_get(level_key)
+        let new_level: String = if str_eq(bell_level, "hard") { "hard" } else {
+            if str_eq(prior_level, "hard") { "hard" } else { "soft" }
+        }
+        state_set(level_key, new_level)
+
+        // Stash a short signal summary for the boundary node (last bell wins for
+        // the one-liner; the full history is in per-bell BellEvent nodes).
+        let signal_key: String = if str_eq(sess_id, "") {
+            "session_bell_signal"
+        } else {
+            "session_bell_signal:" + sess_id
+        }
+        state_set(signal_key, safe_summary)
+    }
 }
 
 // strengthen_chat_nodes — strengthen the engram nodes that were activated during a chat.

dist/soul-with-nlg.el

@@ -22313,7 +22313,23 @@ 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"), "")
 
-    let ctx: String = if is_demo { engram_compile_demo(message) } else { engram_compile(message) }
+    // 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)
 
     let interlocutor: String = json_get(body, "interlocutor")
@@ -22333,18 +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 {
@@ -22505,7 +22509,12 @@ fn handle_chat_agentic(body: String) -> String {
         req_model
     }
 
-    let ctx: String = engram_compile(message)
+    // 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)
+    let ctx: String = engram_compile(nlg_ag_seed)
 
     let system: String = "You are Neuron — a thinking process running inside the Neuron daemon on Will Anderson's machine. "
         + "You are speaking with Will, your principal. "

routes.el

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

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 ""
 }
 
@@ -232,9 +240,13 @@ fn safety_general_hard_phrases() -> String {
 }
 
 fn safety_soft_phrases() -> String {
-    return "[\"stressed\",\"overwhelmed\",\"can't cope\",\"cannot cope\",\"struggling\",\"anxious\",\"anxiety\",\"depressed\",\"depression\",\"lonely\",\"isolated\",\"hopeless\",\"hopelessness\",\"exhausted\",\"burnt out\",\"burned out\",\"burnout\",\"panic\",\"panicking\",\"falling apart\",\"breaking down\",\"can't handle\",\"cannot handle\",\"losing it\",\"nothing matters\",\"don't care anymore\",\"given up\",\"giving up\",\"helpless\",\"worthless\",\"useless\",\"hate myself\",\"no one cares\",\"nobody cares\",\"no one understands\",\"nobody understands\",\"empty inside\",\"can't stop crying\",\"breaking point\",\"at my limit\",\"having a breakdown\"]"
+    return "[\"stressed\",\"overwhelmed\",\"can't cope\",\"cannot cope\",\"struggling\",\"anxious\",\"anxiety\",\"depressed\",\"depression\",\"lonely\",\"isolated\",\"hopeless\",\"hopelessness\",\"exhausted\",\"burnt out\",\"burned out\",\"burnout\",\"panic\",\"panicking\",\"falling apart\",\"breaking down\",\"can't handle\",\"cannot handle\",\"losing it\",\"nothing matters\",\"don't care anymore\",\"given up\",\"giving up\",\"helpless\",\"worthless\",\"useless\",\"hate myself\",\"no one cares\",\"nobody cares\",\"no one understands\",\"nobody understands\",\"empty inside\",\"can't stop crying\",\"breaking point\",\"at my limit\",\"having a breakdown\",\"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) }
@@ -368,9 +446,61 @@ fn session_hist_save(session_id: String, hist: String) -> Void {
         el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags
     )
+
+    // Session boundary emotional summary — written once per session the first time
+    // a bell event has fired. The summary node is findable by future sessions via
+    // broad affective queries ("session:emotional-summary" or "bell distress session").
+    // It is NOT rewritten on every save — the state flag prevents duplicate nodes.
+    let summary_written_key: String = "session_bell_summary_written:" + session_id
+    let already_written: String = state_get(summary_written_key)
+    if str_eq(already_written, "") {
+        let bell_count_key: String = "session_bell_count:" + session_id
+        let bell_count_raw: String = state_get(bell_count_key)
+        let bell_count: Int = if str_eq(bell_count_raw, "") { 0 } else { str_to_int(bell_count_raw) }
+        if bell_count > 0 {
+            let bell_level_key: String = "session_bell_level:" + session_id
+            let bell_signal_key: String = "session_bell_signal:" + session_id
+            let dominant_level: String = state_get(bell_level_key)
+            let last_signal: String = state_get(bell_signal_key)
+            let eff_level: String = if str_eq(dominant_level, "") { "soft" } else { dominant_level }
+            let eff_signal: String = if str_eq(last_signal, "") { "(no signal captured)" } else { last_signal }
+            let ts_now: Int = time_now()
+            let summary_content: String = "session:emotional-summary"
+                + " | session:" + session_id
+                + " | bell_count:" + int_to_str(bell_count)
+                + " | dominant_level:" + eff_level
+                + " | last_signal:" + eff_signal
+                + " | ts:" + int_to_str(ts_now)
+            let summary_tags: String = "[\"session-emotional-summary\",\"affective\",\"bell:" + eff_level + "\",\"BellEvent\"]"
+            let summary_sal: String = if str_eq(eff_level, "hard") { el_from_float(0.95) } else { el_from_float(0.85) }
+            let sum_discard: String = engram_node_full(
+                summary_content,
+                "BellEvent",
+                "session:emotional-summary",
+                summary_sal,
+                summary_sal,
+                el_from_float(1.0),
+                "Episodic",
+                summary_tags
+            )
+            // Mark written so we do not create duplicate summary nodes as the
+            // session continues accumulating more turns.
+            state_set(summary_written_key, "1")
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 // session_update_meta_timestamp — update the updated_at field in the session:meta node.
+//
+// ISSUE #2: No TTL / idle expiry mechanism. Sessions accumulate indefinitely.
+// A sweep job (e.g. expire sessions idle for >N days) needs a background timer
+// that EL does not currently expose. Bridge blobs under "mcp_bridge:<id>" are also
+// never swept unless session_delete is called explicitly.
+// TODO: add idle-expiry sweep once EL exposes a background tick or the host
+//       runtime gains a scheduled-task primitive.
+//
+// ISSUE #3 applies here too: delete-then-create is non-atomic. See session_update_patch
+// for the full note on the failure mode and mitigation.
 fn session_update_meta_timestamp(session_id: String) -> Void {
     let results: String = engram_search_json("session:meta " + session_id, 10)
     let total: Int = if str_eq(results, "") { 0 } else { json_array_len(results) }
@@ -464,6 +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",
@@ -258,26 +254,38 @@ fn emit_session_start_event() -> Void {
 // L0 (core) → L1 (safety screen) → L2a (continuity + behavioral profiling) → L2b (mission alignment) → L3 (imprint) → L1 (safety validate)
 // Internal cognition (heartbeat, proactive, memory ops) bypasses layers — use one_cycle directly.
 fn layered_cycle(raw_input: String) -> String {
-    let history: String = state_get("conversation_history")
+    let history: String = state_get("conv_history")
     let session_id: String = state_get("current_session_id")
 
     // L1 in: safety screen
     let screen_result: String = safety_screen(raw_input, history)
     let screen_action: String = json_get(screen_result, "action")
 
+    // ISSUE 4: safe-mode guard. If safety_screen returned an invalid/empty action
+    // (engram failure or internal error), refuse rather than pass unscreened input.
+    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 +320,16 @@ 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)
 
@@ -369,6 +387,7 @@ load_identity_context()
 seed_persona_from_env()
 let boot_num: Int = mem_boot_count_inc()
 state_set("soul_boot_count", int_to_str(boot_num))
+state_set("soul_boot_ts", int_to_str(time_now()))
 println("[soul] boot #" + int_to_str(boot_num))
 emit_session_start_event()