ratatoskr/persistent-memory.md

# Persistent memory — ratatoskr

_Last updated: 2026-06-30_

This file captures durable intent and supporting evidence (goals, decisions,
foot-gun warnings, in-flight state) across context resets. Read it at session
start; treat it as one input alongside `CLAUDE.md` and the auto-memory system,
not as the single source of truth.

When durable state shifts enough to warrant capture, run `/snapshot` and
commit alongside the next commit per the persistent-memory commit-along rule
in `CLAUDE.md`.

---

## Repo purpose

Ratatoskr is a **dev-grade debug-observability TUI** for Worldtree's
Conversation API. The product IS the observability surface; chat is the
input mechanism. Devs run Ratatoskr against a local Worldtree to watch a
turn flow through every layer of the system, side-by-side, in one terminal:
agent SSE stream, persona/Vili affect dispatch, tool calls, Bifrost
handshake state, admin lifecycle events, optional raw server log.

Named after the squirrel that runs up and down Yggdrasil carrying messages
between layers. On-the-nose Worldtree resonance (Yggdrasil = the World Tree).

**Second identity (since 2026-06-14): the v1 Bifrost Tier-3 consumer/provider** —
the durable persistence Worldtree writes Tier-3 agent affect (PAD/persona, `:8390`)
+ memory (`:8391`) into. Lives in `src/ratatoskr/provider/`, depends on `bifrost`
(`provider` optional-extra), separate from the conversation-API spec pin. So
ratatoskr now owns BOTH ends of the Bifrost round-trip — the lens #17 exploits.

**v0.15.0+ sibling browser surface** (`ratatoskr.web`, `ratatoskr-web` console
script): same five-pane debug surface over the same SSE wire, LAN-viewable.
Internal-LAN trust model — `0.0.0.0`, no auth/TLS/CORS (operator direction).
Disciplined regardless: transcript HTML-escapes assistant content (INV-004);
upstream API key stays server-side (INV-003).

## Current state / in-flight

_As of 2026-06-20:_

**#17 and #18 BOTH CLOSED — the composite both-plane binding is fully proven.** #18 shipped
`v0.18.0` (`359dbb1`): D2 (PAD read-endpoint, `v0.17.14`) renders live PAD in the web pane from our
`:8390` store; D1 (composite endpoint, `v0.17.16` `7f4ceaa`) — `build_combined_provider_app`
(`provider/combined.py`) on `:8392` wraps bifrost's public `build_combined_app` over BOTH stores +
the shared affect read route; one bound session drives memory.* AND affect.* through ONE endpoint,
op-feed deriving plane per path. Suite **503 green**. **#17 closed in the tracker 2026-06-20**
(shipped `v0.17.8`–`.13` + the `v0.17.17` op-feed field fix).

**#18's final leg — the Worldtree-DRIVEN composite turn — RAN and is PROVEN end-to-end + persisted
(2026-06-20).** infra-ops added `10.100.10.50:8392` to the personal WT's (`:8081`)
`BIFROST_CLIENT_ALLOWED_HOSTS` (thread `01KVHWJGTT…`), unblocking the smoke. A real WT turn through
`:8392` (session `b83a66b6`, agent `ratatoskr:sindra`, fresh end_user `resmoke-choco-1`) drove the
FULL both-plane lifecycle on ONE endpoint, caps-routed by path: `handshake`
(`caps_granted=[memory, affect]`) → `affect.fetch` + `memory.search` (reads) → `affect.emit`
(`stored:true`, PAD row in `affect_snapshots`) → `memory.upsert_many` (`upserted:1`, chunk
`2df1b79de761b948` in `memory_chunks`). Both writes verified directly in our SQLite. The
model-backend outage that blocked the first attempt (both agents' models `model_unavailable`) was
operator-fixed mid-session, then the resmoke completed clean. **No open legs remain on the composite.**

**bifrost repinned 0.8.0 → 0.10.0** (floor, `provider` extra). 0.10.0 made `affect.fetch`
MANDATORY (strong-or-absent: `_supports_affect_plane` requires `affect_supported`+`emit`+`fetch`,
gating EVERY affect op incl. emit) — so the repin FORCED `affect.fetch` (`v0.17.15`, conformed
to bifrost's reference `InMemoryAffectStore.fetch` → `{found, snapshot?}`) or our shipped affect
plane would 400. The composite's affect cap depends on it.

**OPERATOR SESSION STATE — `:8390`/`:8391`/`:8765` shells are PRE-#18 code (foot-gun).** web `:8765`
+ affect `:8390` + memory `:8391` are prior-session background shells on OLD code. The **`:8392`
composite provider is RUNNING on NEW code** (`ratatoskr-combined-provider`, pid started Jun19,
`RATATOSKR_OPFEED_PATH=/tmp/ratatoskr-combined-opfeed.jsonl`, shared `affect.db`/`memory.db`) — now
`:8392`-allowlisted and WT-turn-proven. To see the full web stack on new code, RESTART `:8390`/`:8765`
from current code (D2 web needs `RATATOSKR_AFFECT_READ_URL`). Consumer/owner key = `wt_live_d81b…`
(`~/.config/ratatoskr/provider.env`, mode 600, rotate via infra-ops); providers SQLite + sqlite-vec,
`memory.db`/`affect.db` at repo root (live sindra PAD: vuong + the `resmoke-choco-1` smoke fixture).

**Tier-3 memory PROVEN end-to-end** (earlier this session): `ratatoskr:terse-probe`
cold-recalled a seeded user fact (scope_any → 1 hit @ cosine 0.6994), and the verbose
`sindra-probe` too under #296 Stage 2 (v0.36.0). The #296 extraction-quality arc closed
(Stage 1 v0.35.19 gate + Stage 2 v0.36.0 user-only extraction at worldtree-codex; hard-
linguistic layer → Worldtree #305). `:8081` runs v0.36.0.

**Sindra:** `ratatoskr:sindra`, `thoughtful-character` role → `mistral-small-4-reasoning`
(DELETE+redefined on v0.35.16; `memory:{}` block trips the promotion gate). Owner-scoped
(separate `consumer_agents` table) — invisible to `GET /agents`; check via
`GET /agents/<owner>:<name>` with the owner key.

**Standing:** Worldtree spec pin v0.35.16 (`f1b59f8`); **bifrost 0.10.0 / wire v0.6**
(`scope_all`+`scope_any`). Heimdall key env-only at `~/.config/ratatoskr/provider.env` (mode
600); rotate via infra-ops. `graphify-out/` runs dirty (auto-regen, not chased). **Open issues:
#11** (AdminEvents pane — the next-reachable Worldtree-I/O coverage gap, blocked on an
`admin.events.read` scope request) and **#10** (subject-migration watch on Worldtree #196) — both
deferred. **#17 + #18 CLOSED.** Codex-first pilot dormant. No in-flight implementation work — repo
is at a converged checkpoint; v1 advances when Worldtree does (v1 = full Worldtree I/O coverage).

Branch: `main` (tag `v0.18.0`, `359dbb1`) — **in sync with `origin/main`** (the full #17+#18 arc is
pushed). This `/snapshot` commit will sit one ahead of origin until pushed (push is the operator's
call). Remote: `origin → git@gitea.phasefinal.com:vh/ratatoskr.git`.

## Recent decisions

Chronological log of decisions with `[YYYY-MM-DD]` prefix. One line per
decision. Captures rationale that won't be obvious from code alone.

- `[2026-06-14]` **Ratatoskr becomes the v1 Bifrost Tier-3 consumer.** A second identity beyond the debug TUI: the durable persistence Worldtree writes Tier-3 agent affect (persona) + memory into. Pin `bifrost>=0.6.1` in a `provider` optional-extra (gitea PyPI index, auth via `~/.netrc`; 0.6.0 was yanked for a circular import). Implement bifrost's OWN `MemoryDataStore`/affect Protocols (NOT worldtree-memory's); `describe_store` is SYNC; affect is conduit-opaque. New module `src/ratatoskr/provider/`. Authoritative how-to: `~/development/bifrost/docs/implementing-a-consumer.md`. (commits `1a73d77` pin, `d90a58d` affect store v0.17.1, `bcdcd71` serve entrypoint v0.17.2)
- `[2026-06-14]` **Backend = SQLite + sqlite-vec; affect-first then memory; separate DB per plane** (operator-chosen). Affect = blind conduit (reads only `agent_id`+`end_user_id`); memory = structural index (reads vector/scope/id/origin to serve search). Conformance for both = #195 parity vs bifrost's `InMemory*Store` through the real `dispatch_*_call`.
- `[2026-06-14]` **The affect contract's idempotency model was WRONG; real-lib TDD caught it.** First draft modeled same-idempotency-key-different-payload as an LWW overwrite; bifrost actually raises a CONFLICT (`AffectIdempotencyConflict`), actor-scoped. The artifact-only `/heid-contract-review` STRUCTURALLY cannot catch this class (it never sees bifrost's source) — TDD against the shipped library is the gate; the executable reference store + #195 parity are the backstop. Filed the guide §6 gap to bifrost-dev, who fixed it (bifrost `c0d0a11`).
- `[2026-06-15]` **Memory v1 = the bifrost BASIC plane only** (search/get/upsert/delete + describe_store/health) per worldtree-dev re-scope (#294) — the only surface Tier-3's live path touches; gated verbs (edges/scan/atomic_supersede/mark/patch/maintenance) deferred + advertised-unsupported. Worldtree v0.35.3 already requests+maps it — no Worldtree-side blocker. Memory contract committed v1.0 (`eebab46`) → v1.1 Heid-reviewed (`1f94e5f`).
- `[2026-06-15]` **Providers run as dev-box BACKGROUND SHELLS, not infra-ops/systemd** (operator call — it's a dev box). `ratatoskr-provider` (affect) + `ratatoskr-memory-provider` as background processes; no productionization track.
- `[2026-06-15]` **Affect plane shipped (v0.17.2) + LIVE-PROVEN end-to-end against real Worldtree v0.35.2.** Personal handshake 200 + `affect.emit` 200 from `10.250.50.152` → durable row persisted (opacity held). HS256 key = the consumer's Heimdall API-key STRING utf-8-encoded (NOT base64/raw — the tripwire); cross-subnet route + `BIFROST_CLIENT_ALLOWED_HOSTS` allowlist all held (infra-ops-owned). worldtree-dev confirmed ADR-0009 holding as designed.
- `[2026-06-16]` **#295 cold-recall miss root-caused — UPSTREAM, scope-axis asymmetry.** A self-driven bound cold-recall probe captured the inbound pair via the observe log: Worldtree's recall filter carries `{end_user, agent_self}`; our chunks were `{end_user}`-only; AND-matching dropped everything on `agent_self` → 0 hits. Our store + search are SOUND; fix is Worldtree-side. F2 (question-promotion) → **#296**; F1 (recall-miss) → **#297**.
- `[2026-06-16]` **agent_self → make it CANONICAL (operator decided A).** bifrost's reference lattice was `{end_user, group, tenant}` only (agent_self → `invalid_filter` 400); Worldtree emits agent_self (#248). Operator chose canonical-not-re-expressed; worldtree-dev filed the lattice-addition with bifrost-dev. Implication: our store's permissive axis-acceptance becomes CORRECT once bifrost adds agent_self.
- `[2026-06-16]` **Self-drive auth identity: bound session-create uses the CONSUMER Heimdall key as bearer, NOT `WORLDTREE_API_KEY`.** Worldtree signs the Bifrost handshake JWT with the session-create bearer (canary key → handshake 401; consumer key → 200). Two keys, two identities. Proven by hand; documented in `docs/bifrost-self-test.md`; load-bearing for #17's Bind half.
- `[2026-06-16]` **Issue #17 v1 scope locked (operator 1A/2A): single-plane bind + dispatch-layer op-feed.** `BifrostBindingRequest` is one `endpoint_url` (one plane per session); composite-both-planes endpoint PARKED (→ now #18). Observe = structured op-feed at the DISPATCH layer (bifrost passes ctx to upsert_many but NOT search/get/delete — `memory.py:244`), session-level correlation; turn-correlated pane UI PARKED. Contract `docs/contracts/issues/17.contract.md` written + `/heid`-reviewed.
- `[2026-06-16]` **agent_self lattice SHIPPED both sides → our axis-validation gap CLOSED (v0.17.5).** bifrost 0.7.0 / wire v0.5 adds agent_self to `{end_user,group,tenant,agent_self}` (#10, driven by our foot-gun flag); Worldtree pinned 0.7.0 (v0.35.11). We DID add `_validate_scope_filter` (4-axis) to match the reference (purely additive; out-of-lattice → InvalidFilter).
- `[2026-06-16]` **Repinned bifrost 0.7.0→0.8.0 + reimplemented memory `search` to the v0.6 scope split (operator-directed).** `scope_filter` → `scope_all` (AND) + `scope_any` (OR/union over a list of conjunctive scopes), bifrost #11 — the canonical resolution of the #295/#297 silent-zero. The reference now does OR via `scope_any` (a NEW field — additive split, not a flip of AND). Store / contract (v1.2) / tests at parity with the v0.6 reference; provider bounced onto 0.8.0 with a wiped DB. Shipped v0.17.6 (`96d61a4`). **(SUPERSEDED the earlier "do NOT flip `_scope_matches` to OR" note.)**
- `[2026-06-17]` **Worldtree spec pin bumped v0.29.0→v0.35.16 (`562001a`→`f1b59f8`); cold recall closed on the WIRE.** Worldtree shipped #297 (client-side per-scope-value union recall) + #298/#299 (adopt the bifrost v0.6 `scope_any`/`scope_all` wire) — emits `scope_any` on recall, pairing with our v0.17.6 provider. Re-vendored the spec; diff-reviewed the 285-commit catch-up — no client-breaking changes. `pin:`-only commit, no bump.
- `[2026-06-17]` **End-to-end cold-recall proof RAN — our stack proven, #296 isolated.** Against personal WT v0.35.16 with restored `ratatoskr:sindra`: #297/#298 union recall, write path, and cold read ALL proven. Lone gap = upstream #296 extraction quality (the WIRE closed; fact-recall was #296-blocked).
- `[2026-06-17]` **DELETE+redefine `ratatoskr:sindra` (operator-authorized; pre-v1 debug surface).** She SURVIVED the rebuild but was STALE (dead model + no memory block); memory is immutable post-define, so DELETE+redefine was the only path. v0.35.16 define takes **`role`** (capability), NOT `model`: `role:"character"` → first-healthy bind `mistral-small-4`; `memory:{}` trips the promotion gate (GET does NOT echo `memory_config`). Our `tier3.py` define is Phase-2.0-stale — untracked modernization follow-up.
- `[2026-06-17]` **Promotion = 4-trigger hybrid (worldtree-dev, code-grounded):** salience (regex, 90s rate-limit) / `turn_count≥6` / context_pressure / **idle `≥10min` (unconditional on quality)**; per-turn `plan_promotion_run` for consumer_defined. **DELETE does NOT drain/promote** (delete-is-delete, #276) — idle `≥10min` is the deterministic flush.
- `[2026-06-17]` **#296 triage sent to worldtree-dev** (`01KVBBH0…`): extraction SUBJECT-INVERSION (promotes assistant prose, drops the user's fact) + META-DESCRIPTION-not-content; verbose-persona aggravator. WAD-vs-bug resolved to BUG (extraction quality), not idle-gating.
- `[2026-06-18]` **Tier-3 memory PROVEN end-to-end live** — `ratatoskr:terse-probe` recalled a seeded user fact in a COLD history-free session (scope_any → 1 hit @ cosine 0.6994). Closes the opening "how far from Tier-3 memory" question for normal agents.
- `[2026-06-18]` **#296 Stages 1+2 closed.** Stage 1 (v0.35.19, recallability admission gate) validated live for normal turns; bisect localized the residual to verbose-persona VOLUME crowd-out. Stage 2 (v0.36.0, MERGED at worldtree-codex) = user-only one-call-per-turn extraction, the STRUCTURAL fix; hard-linguistic layer → Worldtree #305 (we handed over a live-validated eval fixture PAIR). Full-coverage re-smoke: verbose `sindra-probe` promoted the fact cleanly + cold-recalled @ 0.694 under v0.36.0.
- `[2026-06-18]` **#17 implemented end-to-end via direct in-session TDD** (6 patch bumps `v0.17.8`→`v0.17.13`, suite 470 green). Slice order: bind primitive → op-feed → CLI → TUI → web(server) → web(UI). Tests drive the REAL bifrost dispatch via minted JWTs (`bifrost.core.dispatch_jwt.mint_dispatch_jwt`) — the "test against the shipped lib" posture, not hand-mocked envelopes. Op-feed reads `session_id` off the dispatch JWT `sub` claim (the contract open-q, resolved YES at the ASGI layer where the JWT is always present — `bifrost.reference_server._dispatch_auth.DispatchContext.session_id = payload["sub"]`). bifrost wire facts captured in-code: memory envelope `{operation, args}`→`memory_result(**payload)`={success,...}; verbs bare (search/upsert_many/get/get_many/delete_many); affect `{operation:"affect.emit"}`→`{success,stored}`; error envelope `{code, message}`; scopes `memory:read|write`.
- `[2026-06-18]` **#17 live-smoke PROVEN — the whole thesis validated.** A self-driven bound CLI session showed, from the PROVIDER side, exactly which memory ops a turn produced (2 recall searches, exact bound session_id, real union-recall scopes). Negative (canary→auth_rejected) NOT live-constructible (Tier-1 agents aren't memory-bindable; a wrong key for an owner-scoped agent fails at agent-auth before the handshake) — covered by the unit test + prior hand-proof.
- `[2026-06-18]` **Fixed a pre-existing test-isolation bug exposed by the #17 CLI tests** (`0bebad7`): `test_no_textual_import` did a live `importlib.reload(ratatoskr.cli)` that mutated the shared module in place, breaking class identity (`isinstance`/`pytest.raises`) for every test ordered after it. The real check is the static source-grep; the reload was vestigial → removed. Lesson: never `importlib.reload` a shared module in a test without restoring it.
- `[2026-06-18]` **#18 filed (composite endpoint + PAD read-endpoint) — DEFERRED, tracked at Gitea #18.** Two pieces: (1) a composite Bifrost facade (new port e.g. `:8392`) fronting BOTH `:8390`+`:8391` advertising both caps at handshake → one session binds both planes (un-parks the #17 open-q; bifrost reference_server already mounts both planes in one app → thin combined builder; needs per-plane failure-status + the op-feed deriving plane PER-REQUEST from the path instead of its fixed `plane` param). (2) a non-bifrost PAD read-endpoint on the affect provider (recommended over web-reads-`affect.db`-directly) → web persona pane renders PAD/valence from OUR `:8390` store. **Composite half APPROVED by operator ("A is correct"); contract-first next.** **Persona-telemetry diagnosis (verified):** affect bind persists PAD (vuong: pleasure +0.146, familiarity 0.18→0.59 over 8 turns) but the pane reads Tier-3-404 `persona_state` AND Tier-3 emits ZERO `affect_update` SSE (wire-verified) — both WT sources dead, so #18's PAD-display half is the only path. `affect.fetch` over bifrost is RESERVED/blocked but irrelevant (we own the store). Proposed: fast-track the PAD-display half now (awaiting operator go), keep composite contract-first.
- `[2026-06-18]` **#18 SPLIT; Deliverable 1 (composite) routed to bifrost — Option C (operator).** D2 (PAD read-endpoint, our-side only) fast-tracked; D1 (composite `:8392` endpoint) routed to bifrost-dev to add a PUBLIC `build_combined_app` rather than hand-roll one from bifrost privates — because ratatoskr is a debug surface that must exercise the CANONICAL surface ("don't go off the reservation"). The Heid framing-panel had unanimously recommended hand-rolling (Option B) — DISCARDED as wrong-grounded (the panel lacked the canonical-surface principle; their own finding that B reaches external/underscore-private names actually vindicated C). bifrost-dev confirmed: clean additive minor (~`v0.9.0`), design locked (advertise-by-store-PRESENCE handshake — no health probe; per-route call-time isolation within a shared ASGI process), slotted after WT #289. [principle → auto-memory `feedback-debug-surface-uses-canonical-surface-only`]
- `[2026-06-18]` **FR-1 RESOLVED — the composite premise was unverified, now wire-proven: single-endpoint, caps-routed.** The Heid panel's sharpest catch (Regin): "advertise both caps → Worldtree dispatches both planes to one endpoint" was an ASSUMPTION about WT dispatch, stated as fact. worldtree-dev verified IN CODE: one `BifrostClient` per session (single `_endpoint_url`), handshake `capabilities_granted` parsed INDEPENDENTLY into memory+affect sets, both stores attach off the SAME endpoint iff their cap was granted (`service.py:2597/2703-2713/2745-2751`, `bifrost_client.py ~357-369`; tests `test_tier3_bifrost_{memory,affect}_routing.py`). So D1 is **bifrost-only, ZERO Worldtree change** — #18's "no WT change needed" assumption was correct.
- `[2026-06-18]` **#18 D2 implemented via direct in-session TDD (suite 470→482).** Provider read route `GET /affect/state/{agent_id}` added via `app.add_route` (NOT an outer `Mount` — keeps `/bifrost/*` top-level so the existing route test + the op-feed path-check stay valid); web `GET /api/affect/{agent_id}` proxy (server-supplied `end_user_id`, colon-id `quote()`'d, `RATATOSKR_AFFECT_READ_URL`); pane renders the affect-emit shape honestly. Contract `docs/contracts/issues/18.contract.md` (D2-scoped; D1 deferred). **heid-code-review panel (Gróa 5 / Hulda 3 / Regin 0): 1 real INV-001 drift + 4 test-gaps, all fixed.** No contract amendments (code was wrong, contract was right).
- `[2026-06-19]` **#18 D2 SHIPPED (`v0.17.14`, `39eebd1`) and the full #17+#18 arc PUSHED to origin.** Live-smoke PROVEN against real data (throwaway `:8393`/`:8766` vs the real `affect.db` → real sindra/vuong PAD through the full web→provider chain; Playwright DOM check confirmed the pane render + the F1 fix — no fabricated "neutral"). The push carried 9 previously-held commits incl. the deliberately-unpushed #17 (`v0.17.8`→`v0.17.13`); origin/main now == `39eebd1`, tag `v0.17.14`.

- `[2026-06-19]` **bifrost repinned 0.8.0→0.10.0; `affect.fetch` became MANDATORY (strong-or-absent).** 0.10.0's `_supports_affect_plane` requires `affect_supported`+`emit`+`fetch` and gates EVERY affect op — an emit-only store 400s. Implemented `affect.fetch` (`v0.17.15`, `ca6af6b`) conformed to bifrost's reference `InMemoryAffectStore.fetch` (`{found, snapshot?}`): the forced D1 prerequisite + a new Worldtree I/O point consumed. Flagged the now-stale consumer-guide line to bifrost-dev (fixed `a2e6d62`).
- `[2026-06-19]` **#18 D1 SHIPPED — composite `build_combined_app` on `:8392` (`v0.17.16`, `7f4ceaa`); #18 CLOSED; published `v0.18.0` (`359dbb1`).** `build_combined_provider_app` wraps bifrost's public builder over both stores + the shared read route; op-feed `plane='combined'` per-path. Direct in-session TDD; heid-code-review panel (Gróa/Hulda/Regin) returned ZERO drift. Live-proven at wire+dispatch; WT-turn gated on infra-ops `:8392` allowlist.
- `[2026-06-19]` **op-feed handshake field-name fix (#17, `v0.17.17` `d60b77d`): `capabilities_requested`→`capabilities`.** The summary read a field that never exists on the wire (bifrost reads `capabilities`, `_protocol.py:181`) → caps_requested was always null. Surfaced by the heid panel (Regin) during the D1 review — a latent #17 bug, not D1 drift.
- `[2026-06-19]` **Ratatoskr is a REFERENCE implementation of the Worldtree/Bifrost standard (operator).** Adopt the dep's canonical way (even if ours works); INFORM of drift/gaps; ADVISE a different approach only when ours is genuinely better (dep owner decides), never unilaterally fork. [auto-memory `feedback-ratatoskr-is-a-reference-impl-adopt-canonical`]
- `[2026-06-19]` **Ratatoskr v1 is DERIVED from Worldtree I/O coverage (operator) — no self-defined feature ROADMAP.** v1 = consume all of Worldtree's I/O points, reached when Worldtree hits 1.0; the convergence target is a coverage map, not a 3–7 capability list. [auto-memory `project-ratatoskr-v1-derived-from-worldtree-io-coverage`]
- `[2026-06-20]` **#18's final leg PROVEN — composite `:8392` WT-driven smoke ran end-to-end + persisted.** infra-ops allowlisted `10.100.10.50:8392` on the personal WT (`01KVHWJGTT…`); a real WT turn (session `b83a66b6`, `ratatoskr:sindra`, fresh end_user `resmoke-choco-1`) dispatched the full both-plane lifecycle through ONE endpoint — handshake (both caps) → `affect.fetch` + `memory.search` → `affect.emit` (`stored:true`) → `memory.upsert_many` (`upserted:1`) — both writes verified in our SQLite (`affect_snapshots` PAD row + `memory_chunks` chunk `2df1b79…`). First attempt blocked by a `model_unavailable` outage on the personal WT (both agents' models down), operator-fixed mid-session, then clean. The composite has no open legs.
- `[2026-06-20]` **#17 CLOSED in the tracker.** Shipped end-to-end (`v0.17.8`–`.13` + op-feed field fix `v0.17.17`); the 2026-06-20 composite smoke re-exercised its op-feed live. Closing comment captures the full both-plane proof. Open issues now just #11 (scope-blocked) + #10 (watch).
- `[2026-06-20]` **Sindra has real PAD but ~empty memory — the affect/memory persistence asymmetry, confirmed on real sessions.** affect EMITS every turn (persona always accumulates: vuong 8→14 interactions across the session); memory only writes on a PROMOTION trigger (salience / turn_count≥6 / idle-≥10min flush). Two real vuong sessions through the combined bind (`04d6414c`, `433541fe`) drove affect emits + memory SEARCHES but ZERO promotion upserts → `memory.db` holds only the smoke fixture, zero vuong chunks. Operator: acceptable (server-takedown = "Sindra bonked on the head"; transient memory loss WAD). Operational catch: combined-as-default web bind saves persona reliably but silently LOSES memory if a session closes before a promotion trigger fires.
- `[2026-06-29]` **Web SPA combined-bind default (`v0.18.1`, `719e4d6`) — operator-caught gap.** #18 shipped the composite `:8392` provider but never exposed it in the web bind dropdown (only memory/affect single-plane). Added `combined (:8392)` as the DEFAULT option (both planes in one session), kept single-plane for isolation diagnostics; wired `endpoint_for_plane` combined→8392 + server validation + the dropdown. Direct TDD; #17 contract updated (the governing spec for the web bind). Restarted `:8765` on current code (env.sh + provider.env + `RATATOSKR_AFFECT_READ_URL=:8392`).
- `[2026-06-29]` **bifrost repinned 1.0.0 (`v0.18.2`, `af67ad9`).** bifrost-dev shipped its first stable release; wire v0.6 now STABLE/FROZEN. Non-breaking (byte-identical to 0.10.0); switched the floor pin → exact `==1.0.0` per the stable-substrate posture. Post-1.0 breaking changes ride a bifrost MAJOR + new wire (v0.7+); a v0.6-pinned consumer is stable indefinitely. (Also this session: althing migrated to v0.15.0+ lean-bus / schema v4 — moderation retired, chamber/redis ripped; our tooling auto-updated to 0.17.4.)
- `[2026-06-30]` **Worldtree v1.0.0b1→b2 consumer adaptation: eager turn-launch statuses (`v0.18.3` `b2e4901`, `v0.18.4` `e4317f6`).** Worldtree #331 decoupled turn execution from the SSE connection → turn-launch failures now arrive EAGERLY as a status before any stream: 409 `agent_not_available` (pre-b1 a 200 + in-stream error event), 503 retryable. Mapped both in `stream_turn` to typed `SseConnectFailed` subclasses keyed on STATUS, parsing the `{detail:{error_code,message}}` envelope — POST-003 preserved (no synthetic event yielded), existing handlers still catch (the design fork vs yield-an-Error-event was decided by POST-003). **DEFERRED follow-ups** (tracked here; bundle with the v1 coverage-audit): (1) live-prove the 409/503 end-to-end on personal-b2 (now unblocked — personal on b2, my key works there); (2) full `conversation-api-spec.md` markdown re-vendor to the b2 era (ratatoskr vendors the markdown, not the OpenAPI JSON).
- `[2026-06-30]` **Verify-against-the-real-spec-before-committing caught a real upstream gap.** Holding the v0.18.3 commit to verify against demo's OpenAPI surfaced that the FROZEN OpenAPI 2.1.0 didn't document the 409/503 the heads-up described (`agent_not_available` was in the ErrorCode enum, but NO 503/turn-launch code). worldtree-dev confirmed it was THEIR gap (#331 added the statuses without extending the #328 `openapi()` override), shipped the fix in **v1.0.0b2 / OpenAPI 2.2.0** (409/503 now enumerated, 503 code finalized as `not_ready`). "The consumer-oracle earning its keep." Lesson: a provider's prose heads-up can diverge from its frozen machine-readable spec — verify the actual spec before committing a consumer adaptation.
- `[2026-06-30]` **regard is a DEAD AXIS in Worldtree's emitted affect (caught provider-side; worldtree-dev confirmed + escalated to Vuong).** Across all our affect snapshots, `valence[].regard` is EXACTLY 0.15 regardless of agent/end_user/interaction_count, while familiarity accumulates (vuong 0.18→0.69 over 14 turns). Root cause (worldtree-dev, code-grounded): 0.15 = `base_regard = agreeableness*0.3` (sindra A=0.5); regard's only human-writer `update_regard` early-returns unless an emotion is `about="other"`, but the Vili appraiser's `ViliResponse` schema has NO directedness axis (everything hardcoded `about="situation"`) — producer side lost in the #265 Vili rework; consumer machinery intact. NOT WAD; the fix (reintroduce other-directed classification) is an affect-model change touching every agent + a directedness-classification design call → worldtree-dev filing an issue to Vuong. [the consumer/provider thesis paying off again]

_41 older entries (2026-05-* — the original debug-TUI/web build era) archived to archival-memory.md._

_For per-issue TDD implementation notes, Volva findings, and contract amendments, see the git log — every per-issue commit carries a structured message capturing the trail._

## Tried and abandoned

Log of approaches that were tried and rejected, with rationale. Future-self
defense against re-attempting the same cul-de-sac.

- `[2026-06-15]` **"Sindra hasn't been registered" was an under-verified inference — WRONG.** Concluded it from grepping ratatoskr's CODE (`sindra` absent from `src/`), but Tier-3 registration is SERVER-SIDE (`POST /agents/define`) — a code grep structurally can't see it. **Rule: to check whether a Tier-3 agent exists, query the Worldtree instance, never the consumer repo's code.** (Extended 2026-06-17: even `GET /agents` can't see consumer agents; only `GET /agents/<owner>:<name>` with the owner key does.)
- `[2026-06-14]` **Artifact-only contract review can't validate against a dependency's ACTUAL behavior.** `/heid-contract-review` sees only the contract, never the external library (bifrost) — so "the consumer under-built against bifrost's real semantics" is invisible to it by construction (the affect idempotency model shipped wrong because of this). Real-lib TDD against the shipped library + the executable reference store + the #195 parity test are the gate. Don't treat a clean contract review as evidence the code matches the dependency.
- `[2026-06-15]` **"byte-equal" round-trip slip propagated affect→memory via copy-paste.** The affect contract's byte-identical→semantic fix reappeared in the memory contract's INV-001 (sibling copy). Only an INDEPENDENT `/heid-contract-review` of the memory contract re-caught it. **Paraphrase every sibling contract fresh — don't amortize one review across a family; copies carry the parent's slips.** (also a feedback auto-memory)
- `[2026-06-15]` **Canonical sync retired the issue-scoped parser staleness.** `contract_parser.py` synced to v2.1 (commit `d85ab43`): now validates issue-scoped frontmatter + four v2.1 test categories. The old "treat parser ERROR-on-issue-scoped as expected" note no longer applies.
- `[2026-06-15]` **Memory plane TDD'd + shipped** (commit `cd12951`, v0.17.3). Impl decisions worth keeping: vec0 `distance_metric=cosine` at table creation (`score = 1 − distance`); `search` over-fetches ALL candidates by cosine then scope-filters in Python so `top_k` counts IN-SCOPE hits; idempotency_id = reference 4-tuple `("default",verb,_ctx_actor(ctx),key)` pipe-joined as the SQLite PK, digest = sha256 canonical-JSON; `_ctx_actor` = `job_id|jwt_sub|session_id`. heid-code-review returned zero true drift; optimistic-lock semantics pinned to the reference via an `expected_revisions` parity test.
- `[2026-06-15]` **Memory provider LIVE-PROVEN against personal v0.35.3; recall-injection is upstream.** worldtree-dev's Tier-3 promotion recipe: memory-call fires from Tier-3 PROMOTION, gated at `service.py:2623` on `ctx.kind=="consumer_defined"` AND `ctx.memory_config is not None` (agent DEFINED WITH a `memory` block, dim 1024) AND handshake-granted memory caps AND `embedding_dim==1024`. Binding = `POST /sessions BifrostBindingRequest{endpoint_url}`, handshake `caps=["affect","memory"]`, **`binding.scope` null** (per-op scopes auto-minted). A `BIFROST_CLIENT_ALLOWED_HOSTS` allowlist gates the endpoint (infra-ops added `:8391`). HTTP + HS256 both work in dev.
- `[2026-06-15]` **Diagnostic: our recall-search is SOUND — the cross-session recall gap is UPSTREAM, and it caught an upstream bug.** Embedded the recall query via gateway `qwen3-embedding` + searched our live store directly → the fact recalls at cosine 0.60, correctly ranked. So the cold-session recall failure is Worldtree's recall-assembly/injection, NOT our search. ALSO found a latent UPSTREAM bug: a recall QUESTION got promoted as a durable chunk and ranked #1. **This is exactly #17's thesis — ratatoskr-as-provider caught an upstream bug invisible from the chat side.**
- `[2026-06-15]` **"Wire 200 ≠ recall works" — prove recall efficacy at the model's answer in a COLD (history-free) session, not on the wire.** A `search`/memory-call returns 200 whether or not its results are injected, and same-session "recall" can be plain session history. Don't call cross-session recall proven from a clean wire.
- `[2026-06-15]` **Issue #17 filed.** REVERSES design-brief §6's "no Bifrost-binding consumer support" — that negative clause predates ratatoskr's provider identity (2026-06-14), so the canary now owns both ends but its client couldn't drive its own provider. (Shipped 2026-06-18.)
- `[2026-06-16]` **`scripts/contract_drift_check.py` defaults `GITEA_REPO` to "Worldtree"** (line 74), so a bare run in ratatoskr false-positives DRIFT by hashing Worldtree's same-numbered issue. Always `export GITEA_REPO=ratatoskr GITEA_OWNER=vh` before running the drift-checker here.
- `[2026-06-16]` **My #295 coupling hypothesis (the promoted question crowds out the fact at small top_k) was REFUTED** — worldtree-dev's recall over-fetches `top_k=128`, so the question can't crowd the fact out at search level. The real cause was the scope-axis asymmetry. Lesson: offer provider-side hypotheses, let the upstream owner check them against their code.
- `[2026-06-16]` **#17 contract drifted from its own design in two spots, caught only by `/heid-contract-review` (not same-author paraphrase):** the `OpEvent` dataclass omitted the `turn_id` INV-005 promised; a `session_id` comment contradicted the dispatch-layer design. Cross-model paraphrase is load-bearing for catching an author's own contract-vs-intent drift.
- `[2026-06-16]` **"No promotion" was checked TOO EARLY — Tier-3 promotion is ASYNC (lands AFTER the SSE turn-end).** Don't trust an immediate post-turn fixture snapshot to judge promotion; it lands after the turn completes. (The reason #17's contract pins a post-turn grace window + fixture before/after assertion.)
- `[2026-06-17]` **"sindra is GONE" (infra-ops, from `GET /agents` + admin token) was a FALSE NEGATIVE.** Consumer-defined Tier-3 agents are OWNER-SCOPED (separate `consumer_agents` table) — invisible to the foundational `GET /agents` roster even with an admin token. To check, `GET /agents/<owner>:<name>` with the OWNER key.
- `[2026-06-17]` **"Promotion didn't fire → #296" was PREMATURE — twice over.** (1) Polled the op-feed only ~2min, but the upsert landed at ~4min — promotion is async + multi-trigger; watch a longer window. (2) It DID fire; the real bug is extraction QUALITY, not non-firing. "No upsert while a session is live and `<10min` idle" is WAD.
- `[2026-06-18]` **Wiping our `:8391` store does NOT reset Worldtree's promotion-side dedup** — a same-agent re-smoke returned `reason_code=noop_duplicate` / `candidate_count=0`: the extractor NEVER RE-RAN, dedup short-circuited against an earlier promotion. **For a clean promotion smoke, use a BRAND-NEW agent + end_user (never-used names).** (Also: `llm_calls_used=0` is NOT the "did the extractor run" tell — `noop_duplicate` is.)
- `[2026-06-18]` **`affect.emit` is POST-TURN ASYNC — checking the op-feed immediately after a turn MISSES it.** The Tier-3 affect appraise→emit→rehydrate loop runs AFTER the SSE `[done]`; the emit lands in our `:8390` store seconds later (op-feed grep right after `[done]` showed only the handshake; the `emit stored:true` appeared on a later read). Same family as the async-promotion timing trap. Watch a few-second window post-turn before concluding "no affect emitted." Also wire-verified the same turn: Tier-3 sindra emits ZERO `affect_update` SSE (the persona-strip SSE path never populates for consumer agents) — see the #18 PAD-display decision.
- `[2026-06-18]` **Rationalized away a KNOWN contract-invariant deviation during TDD — only the cross-model code-review caught it.** #18 D2's `loadAffect` called `setPersonaStrip(snap)`, which renders `dominant_emotion || "neutral"`; the affect snapshot has no `dominant_emotion`, so it fabricated a "neutral" emotion — violating the very INV-001 ("no synthesized Tier-1 fields") I had WRITTEN. I knew the strip did this and talked myself into it as acceptable. Neither the design panel nor TDD caught it (unit tests don't exercise the JS render); the post-implementation `/heid-code-review` did (Gróa + Hulda both). **Lesson: a known deviation from a contract invariant is drift even when you've rationalized it — flag it, don't argue yourself past it; the post-implementation cross-model review is the backstop for author-rationalized drift, distinct from the design-stage panel.**
- `[2026-06-18]` **Latent SQLite thread-safety bug in the affect store, surfaced ONLY by the new HTTP read route.** `open_affect_store` created the connection without `check_same_thread=False`; the bifrost emit path never tripped it (uvicorn's loop ran on the connection's creating thread), but the `TestClient`-driven read route runs handlers off a worker thread → `sqlite3.ProgrammingError`. Fix: `check_same_thread=False` (safe — the event loop serializes access) + explicit `PRAGMA busy_timeout=5000` (don't rely on sqlite3's `timeout=5.0` default). **Lesson: a sqlite-backed ASGI app needs `check_same_thread=False`; the HTTP-layer test exposed what the direct-store-method tests structurally couldn't.**

- `[2026-06-19]` **The SAME `check_same_thread` sqlite bug recurred in the MEMORY store — exposed by the contract-mandated `search` dispatch test (TestClient = worker thread).** Heid's test-fidelity finding (the D1 dispatch test used `describe_store` where the contract says `search`) → fixing it to `search` tripped `sqlite3.ProgrammingError` because `open_memory_store` also lacked `check_same_thread=False`. Fixed (mirrors affect INV-006). **Lesson: this bug is PER-STORE — every sqlite-backed ASGI store needs `check_same_thread=False`; an HTTP-layer (TestClient) test exposes what direct-store tests can't, and the composite serving memory over HTTP makes it bite.**
- `[2026-06-19]` **Full WT-driven `:8392` live-smoke is infra-gated — `:8392` not in WT's `BIFROST_CLIENT_ALLOWED_HOSTS` (bind 422s).** New provider ports are NOT auto-allowlisted (only `:8390/:8391` are). Self-driven dispatch (minted consumer-key JWTs → `:8392`) is the wire-proof; the WT-turn needs infra-ops to add `:8392` (requested `01KVHWJGTT…`).
- `[2026-06-19]` **heid-code-review pulled MORE weight than its own "marginal" self-assessment.** The panel returned zero drift, but its single test-fidelity finding CASCADED into 2 real latent-bug fixes when applied (the memory `check_same_thread` bug + Regin's op-feed field-name bug). **Lesson: a contract-fidelity nudge can transitively expose bugs the test never reached — don't dismiss a "marginal" finding by its count.**

- `[2026-06-20]` **The post-turn-async timing trap bit AGAIN — even a 35s post-`[done]` read missed the promotion `upsert_many` by ~2s** (it landed `19:48:58`; the read was ~`19:48:56`). A 15s-interval background poll caught it on the first tick. Same family as the affect.emit / async-promotion traps already logged — re-confirmed that "wait once then read" is fragile for post-turn writes; **poll a window, don't snapshot once.** (The affect.emit write, by contrast, DID land inside the 35s window — promotion is the slower of the two post-turn writes.)
- `[2026-06-30]` **Heimdall keys are PER-INSTANCE — a key minted on one Worldtree 401s on another.** Our Conversation-API key works on personal `:8081` but 401s `auth_invalid` on demo `:8080` (per-instance Heimdall user store + pepper; fresh deploys start with an EMPTY key store). Same as the admin key (personal-only). **To live-drive a given instance you need a key minted FOR that instance** (request via infra-ops). Couldn't live-prove the b2 409 on demo for this reason → deferred to personal-b2 where we have access.
- `[2026-06-30]` **`tea comment <N>` hangs on Gitea** (the whole compound bash auto-backgrounded + stuck on the open `tea` call). The #11 prereq comment hung; killed it + posted via the Gitea HTTP API directly (`POST /api/v1/repos/vh/ratatoskr/issues/<N>/comments`, token from `~/.config/tea/config.yml`). **For issue comments, prefer the Gitea API over `tea comment` when `tea` is flaky** (CLAUDE.md already says use HTTP for comment-EDITS; this extends it to ADD when tea hangs). Verify-then-post (check the comment didn't already land) to avoid a double-post after a kill.

_18 older entries (2026-05-* — the original debug-TUI/web build era) archived to archival-memory.md._