Implementation Plan: Reactive Signal Pipeline Refactor

Objective

Refactor the monolithic recursive cognitive-cycle into a functional, gate-based reactive-signal-pipeline. This flattens the execution stack, enables multi-backend consensus, and improves observability according to Component VII of the evolutionary roadmap.

Key Files & Context

Target: projects/opencortex/literate/core.org (Source of src/core.lisp)
Architectural Reference: projects/opencortex/literate/evolution.org

Implementation Steps

1. Define the Signal Structure

Transition from raw plists to a structured :SIGNAL format that tracks state as it moves through the pipeline.

Attributes: :status, :payload, :context, :depth, :proposals, :reply-stream.

2. Implement the Pipeline Gates

Extract existing logic from cognitive-cycle into discrete functional gates:

perceive-gate: Normalizes input, updates *object-store*.
neuro-gate: Invokes Probabilistic Engine. Support for future parallel backend calls.
consensus-gate: (New) Selects the best proposal from multiple backends (initially a pass-through for the single proposal).
decide-gate: Invokes Deterministic Engine safety checks.
dispatch-gate: Executes tools or physical actuators.

3. Implement the Pipeline Orchestrator (`process-signal`)

Create a function that moves a signal through the sequence of gates.

Flattening Recursion: If dispatch-gate results in a tool output or error, it MUST NOT call the pipeline recursively. Instead, it returns a new :SIGNAL with depth + 1, which the orchestrator then re-injects into the top of the pipe via a loop or queue.

4. Refactor `inject-stimulus`

Update inject-stimulus to initialize a Signal and hand it to the process-signal pipeline instead of cognitive-cycle.

5. Cleanup

Remove the obsolete cognitive-cycle function and update literate/core.org documentation/diagrams to reflect the new architecture.

Verification & Testing (Phase E: Chaos)

Unit Tests: Verify each gate function in isolation.
Pipeline Test: Simulate a complex multi-turn interaction (e.g., User Prompt -> Tool Call -> Tool Result -> LLM Final Answer) and ensure the stack depth remains flat.
Immune System Test: Verify that the depth limit (Max depth 10) still correctly terminates runaway loops.

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