handoff: symbolic identity file — TDD

Agent identity loaded from ~/memex/IDENTITY.org at skill startup.
Injected into system prompt IDENTITY section between assistant name
and reflection feedback. fboundp-guarded in think().

- symbolic-identity.lisp: load-identity-file, agent-identity (skill)
- token-economics: prompt-prefix-cached +identity-content param
- core-reason: identity-content binding in think(), both code paths
- Identity: 6/6  Token-econ: 10/10 new  Core: 65/65
  TUI View: 28/28  TUI Main: 70/70  Total: 179/179

lisp/core-reason.lisp

@@ -95,22 +95,26 @@
          (reflection-feedback (if rejection-trace
                                   (format nil "~%~%PREVIOUS PROPOSAL REJECTED: ~a" rejection-trace)
                                   ""))
-         (standing-mandates-text (let ((out ""))
-                                   (dolist (fn *standing-mandates*)
-                                     (let ((text (ignore-errors (funcall fn context))))
-                                       (when (and text (stringp text) (> (length text) 0))
-                                         (setf out (concatenate 'string out text (string #\Newline))))))
-                                   (when (> (length out) 0) out)))
-          (time-section (if (fboundp 'sensor-time-duration)  ; v0.6.0: temporal awareness
+          (standing-mandates-text (let ((out ""))
+                                    (dolist (fn *standing-mandates*)
+                                      (let ((text (ignore-errors (funcall fn context))))
+                                        (when (and text (stringp text) (> (length text) 0))
+                                          (setf out (concatenate 'string out text (string #\Newline))))))
+                                    (when (> (length out) 0) out)))
+           (identity-content (if (fboundp 'agent-identity)  ; v0.7.2: symbolic identity
+                                (agent-identity)
+                                ""))
+           (time-section (if (fboundp 'sensor-time-duration)  ; v0.6.0: temporal awareness
                             (format-time-for-llm
                              :session-duration-seconds (funcall (symbol-function 'session-duration)))
                             (if (fboundp 'format-time-for-llm)
                                 (format-time-for-llm)
                                 "")))
-          (system-prompt (if (fboundp 'prompt-prefix-cached)
-                             ;; v0.5.0: cached prefix with optional budget enforcement
-                             (let* ((prefix (prompt-prefix-cached assistant-name reflection-feedback
-                                                                   standing-mandates-text tool-belt)))
+           (system-prompt (if (fboundp 'prompt-prefix-cached)
+                              ;; v0.5.0: cached prefix with optional budget enforcement
+                              (let* ((prefix (prompt-prefix-cached assistant-name identity-content
+                                                                    reflection-feedback
+                                                                    standing-mandates-text tool-belt)))
                                (if (fboundp 'enforce-token-budget)
                                    (multiple-value-bind (pfx ctxt logs _ mandates)
                                        (enforce-token-budget prefix global-context system-logs
@@ -122,13 +126,13 @@
                                    (format nil "~a~%~%~a~%~%CONTEXT:~%~a~%~%LOGS:~%~a"
                                            time-section prefix (or global-context "") system-logs)))
                              ;; Fallback when token-economics not loaded
-                             (format nil "~a~%~%IDENTITY: ~a~a~a~%~%TOOLS:~%~a~%~%CONTEXT:~%~a~%~%LOGS:~%~a"
-                                     time-section
-                                     assistant-name reflection-feedback
-                                     (if standing-mandates-text
-                                         (concatenate 'string (string #\Newline) standing-mandates-text)
-                                         "")
-                                     tool-belt (or global-context "") system-logs))))
+                              (format nil "~a~%~%IDENTITY: ~a~a~a~a~%~%TOOLS:~%~a~%~%CONTEXT:~%~a~%~%LOGS:~%~a"
+                                      time-section
+                                      assistant-name identity-content reflection-feedback
+                                      (if standing-mandates-text
+                                          (concatenate 'string (string #\Newline) standing-mandates-text)
+                                          "")
+                                      tool-belt (or global-context "") system-logs))))
     (let* ((thought (if (and reply-stream (fboundp 'cascade-stream))  ; v0.7.1: streaming
                        (let ((acc (make-string-output-stream)))
                          (funcall 'cascade-stream raw-prompt system-prompt

lisp/symbolic-identity.lisp

@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+(in-package :passepartout)
+
+(defvar *agent-identity* ""
+  "Identity text loaded from ~/memex/IDENTITY.org at startup.
+
+This variable holds the contents of the user's identity file.
+Loaded by `load-identity-file` at daemon/skill initialization,
+called from `agent-identity` for system prompt injection.
+
+The file is user-editable and persists across restarts.
+If the file is missing or empty, this variable remains \"\".")
+
+(defun load-identity-file (&optional (path nil path-p))
+  "Load agent identity from an org file.
+
+Reads the identity text file and caches it in
+`*agent-identity*`.  If PATH is not provided, defaults to
+`~/memex/IDENTITY.org`.
+
+Returns the file content string on success, or NIL if the file
+does not exist or cannot be read."
+  (let* ((file-path (if path-p
+                        (uiop:ensure-pathname path :ensure-absolute t)
+                        (merge-pathnames "memex/IDENTITY.org"
+                                         (user-homedir-pathname)))))
+    (when (uiop:file-exists-p file-path)
+      (handler-case
+          (let ((content (uiop:read-file-string file-path)))
+            (setf *agent-identity* content)
+            content)
+        (error () nil)))))
+
+(defun agent-identity ()
+  "Return the currently loaded agent identity string."
+  (or *agent-identity* ""))
+
+;; Auto-load identity at skill init
+(load-identity-file)
+
+(defpackage :passepartout-identity-tests
+  (:use :common-lisp :fiveam :passepartout)
+  (:export :identity-suite))
+
+(in-package :passepartout-identity-tests)
+
+(def-suite identity-suite
+    :description "Agent identity loading and caching")
+(in-suite identity-suite)
+
+(test test-load-identity-file-returns-content
+  "Contract 1: load-identity-file reads an existing file, returns content."
+  (let* ((path "/tmp/memex-test-identity.org")
+         (content "### Personality
+- Friendly
+- Concise"))
+    (with-open-file (f path :direction :output :if-exists :supersede)
+      (write-string content f))
+    (unwind-protect
+         (let ((result (passepartout::load-identity-file path)))
+           (is (stringp result))
+           (is (search "Friendly" result))
+           (is (search "Concise" result)))
+      (ignore-errors (delete-file path)))))
+
+(test test-load-identity-file-missing-nil
+  "Contract 1: nil when file does not exist."
+  (let ((result (passepartout::load-identity-file
+                 "/tmp/memex-nonexistent-xxxx.org")))
+    (is (null result))))
+
+(test test-agent-identity-cached
+  "Contract 2+3: agent-identity returns cached value after load."
+  (let* ((path "/tmp/memex-test-identity2.org")
+         (content "### Preferences
+- Use shell cautiously"))
+    (with-open-file (f path :direction :output :if-exists :supersede)
+      (write-string content f))
+    (unwind-protect
+         (progn
+           (passepartout::load-identity-file path)
+           (let ((id (passepartout::agent-identity)))
+             (is (search "shell cautiously" id))))
+      (ignore-errors (delete-file path)))))
+
+(test test-agent-identity-empty-default
+  "Contract 2: returns empty string when nothing was loaded."
+  (let ((prev passepartout::*agent-identity*))
+    (unwind-protect
+         (progn
+           (setf passepartout::*agent-identity* nil)
+           (is (string= "" (passepartout::agent-identity))))
+      (setf passepartout::*agent-identity* prev))))

lisp/token-economics.lisp

@@ -6,16 +6,16 @@
 (defvar *context-cache* (list :foveal-id nil :scope nil :memory-timestamp 0 :rendered "")
   "Context assembly cache: metadata + last rendered context string.")
 
-(defun prompt-prefix-cached (assistant-name feedback mandates-text tool-belt)
+(defun prompt-prefix-cached (assistant-name identity-content feedback mandates-text tool-belt)
   "Build the static IDENTITY+TOOLS system prompt prefix.
 Uses sxhash on inputs to detect changes; returns cached string on cache hit."
-  (let* ((hash-key (sxhash (list assistant-name feedback mandates-text tool-belt)))
+  (let* ((hash-key (sxhash (list assistant-name identity-content feedback mandates-text tool-belt)))
          (cached-hash (car *prompt-prefix-cache*))
          (cached-str (cdr *prompt-prefix-cache*)))
     (if (and cached-str (> (length cached-str) 0) (= hash-key cached-hash))
         cached-str
-        (let ((new-prefix (format nil "IDENTITY: ~a~a~a~%~%TOOLS:~%~a"
-                                  assistant-name feedback
+        (let ((new-prefix (format nil "IDENTITY: ~a~a~a~a~%~%TOOLS:~%~a"
+                                  assistant-name identity-content feedback
                                   (if (and mandates-text (> (length mandates-text) 0))
                                       (concatenate 'string (string #\Newline) mandates-text)
                                       "")
@@ -115,11 +115,22 @@ with trimmed sections."
     :description "Prompt prefix caching, incremental context, token budget")
 (in-suite token-economics-suite)
 
+(test test-prompt-prefix-cached-identity
+  "Contract 1: prompt-prefix-cached includes identity-content when provided."
+  (setf (car passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) nil
+        (cdr passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) "")
+  (let ((prefix (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached
+                 "Agent" "### Mode: concise" "" nil "No tools")))
+    (is (stringp prefix))
+    (is (search "IDENTITY" prefix))
+    (is (search "Mode: concise" prefix))
+    (is (search "TOOLS" prefix))))
+
 (test test-prompt-prefix-cached-builds
   "Contract 1: prompt-prefix-cached returns a string containing IDENTITY."
   (setf (car passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) nil
         (cdr passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) "")
-  (let ((prefix (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" nil "No tools")))
+  (let ((prefix (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" "" nil "No tools")))
     (is (stringp prefix))
     (is (search "IDENTITY" prefix))
     (is (search "TOOLS" prefix))))
@@ -128,16 +139,16 @@ with trimmed sections."
   "Contract 1: second call with same inputs returns cached result."
   (setf (car passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) nil
         (cdr passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) "")
-  (let ((p1 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" nil "No tools"))
-        (p2 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" nil "No tools")))
+  (let ((p1 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" "" nil "No tools"))
+        (p2 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" "" nil "No tools")))
     (is (string= p1 p2))))
 
 (test test-prompt-prefix-cached-miss
   "Contract 1: different inputs rebuild the cache."
   (setf (car passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) nil
         (cdr passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) "")
-  (let ((p1 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" nil "No tools"))
-        (p2 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Bot" "" nil "No tools")))
+  (let ((p1 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" "" nil "No tools"))
+        (p2 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Bot" "" "" nil "No tools")))
     (is (not (string= p1 p2)))
     (is (search "Bot" p2))))
 

org/core-reason.org

@@ -250,22 +250,26 @@ each cascade call via ~cost-track-backend-call~. All four calls are
          (reflection-feedback (if rejection-trace
                                   (format nil "~%~%PREVIOUS PROPOSAL REJECTED: ~a" rejection-trace)
                                   ""))
-         (standing-mandates-text (let ((out ""))
-                                   (dolist (fn *standing-mandates*)
-                                     (let ((text (ignore-errors (funcall fn context))))
-                                       (when (and text (stringp text) (> (length text) 0))
-                                         (setf out (concatenate 'string out text (string #\Newline))))))
-                                   (when (> (length out) 0) out)))
-          (time-section (if (fboundp 'sensor-time-duration)  ; v0.6.0: temporal awareness
+          (standing-mandates-text (let ((out ""))
+                                    (dolist (fn *standing-mandates*)
+                                      (let ((text (ignore-errors (funcall fn context))))
+                                        (when (and text (stringp text) (> (length text) 0))
+                                          (setf out (concatenate 'string out text (string #\Newline))))))
+                                    (when (> (length out) 0) out)))
+           (identity-content (if (fboundp 'agent-identity)  ; v0.7.2: symbolic identity
+                                (agent-identity)
+                                ""))
+           (time-section (if (fboundp 'sensor-time-duration)  ; v0.6.0: temporal awareness
                             (format-time-for-llm
                              :session-duration-seconds (funcall (symbol-function 'session-duration)))
                             (if (fboundp 'format-time-for-llm)
                                 (format-time-for-llm)
                                 "")))
-          (system-prompt (if (fboundp 'prompt-prefix-cached)
-                             ;; v0.5.0: cached prefix with optional budget enforcement
-                             (let* ((prefix (prompt-prefix-cached assistant-name reflection-feedback
-                                                                   standing-mandates-text tool-belt)))
+           (system-prompt (if (fboundp 'prompt-prefix-cached)
+                              ;; v0.5.0: cached prefix with optional budget enforcement
+                              (let* ((prefix (prompt-prefix-cached assistant-name identity-content
+                                                                    reflection-feedback
+                                                                    standing-mandates-text tool-belt)))
                                (if (fboundp 'enforce-token-budget)
                                    (multiple-value-bind (pfx ctxt logs _ mandates)
                                        (enforce-token-budget prefix global-context system-logs
@@ -277,13 +281,13 @@ each cascade call via ~cost-track-backend-call~. All four calls are
                                    (format nil "~a~%~%~a~%~%CONTEXT:~%~a~%~%LOGS:~%~a"
                                            time-section prefix (or global-context "") system-logs)))
                              ;; Fallback when token-economics not loaded
-                             (format nil "~a~%~%IDENTITY: ~a~a~a~%~%TOOLS:~%~a~%~%CONTEXT:~%~a~%~%LOGS:~%~a"
-                                     time-section
-                                     assistant-name reflection-feedback
-                                     (if standing-mandates-text
-                                         (concatenate 'string (string #\Newline) standing-mandates-text)
-                                         "")
-                                     tool-belt (or global-context "") system-logs))))
+                              (format nil "~a~%~%IDENTITY: ~a~a~a~a~%~%TOOLS:~%~a~%~%CONTEXT:~%~a~%~%LOGS:~%~a"
+                                      time-section
+                                      assistant-name identity-content reflection-feedback
+                                      (if standing-mandates-text
+                                          (concatenate 'string (string #\Newline) standing-mandates-text)
+                                          "")
+                                      tool-belt (or global-context "") system-logs))))
     (let* ((thought (if (and reply-stream (fboundp 'cascade-stream))  ; v0.7.1: streaming
                        (let ((acc (make-string-output-stream)))
                          (funcall 'cascade-stream raw-prompt system-prompt

org/symbolic-identity.org

@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+#+TITLE: Symbolic Identity — Agent Self-Concept
+#+FILETAGS: :skill:identity:
+#+PROPERTY: header-args:lisp :tangle ../lisp/symbolic-identity.lisp
+
+* Overview
+Load `~/memex/IDENTITY.org` into the agent's self-concept at daemon
+startup.  The identity text is injected into the system prompt's
+`IDENTITY` section, between assistant name and reflection feedback.
+
+The file is user-editable and survives restarts.  If the file is
+missing or empty, identity is silently `""` (no-op).
+
+* Contract
+
+1. `(load-identity-file &optional path)`:
+   Reads IDENTITY.org from `path` (default `~/memex/IDENTITY.org`).
+   Sets `*agent-identity*` to the file content string.
+   Returns the content string, or NIL if file missing/unreadable.
+2. `(agent-identity)`:
+   Returns the cached identity string (`*agent-identity*`), or `""` if
+   identity has not been loaded.
+3. `*agent-identity*`:
+   Special variable holding the loaded identity text (string).
+
+#+begin_src lisp
+(in-package :passepartout)
+
+(defvar *agent-identity* ""
+  "Identity text loaded from ~/memex/IDENTITY.org at startup.
+
+This variable holds the contents of the user's identity file.
+Loaded by `load-identity-file` at daemon/skill initialization,
+called from `agent-identity` for system prompt injection.
+
+The file is user-editable and persists across restarts.
+If the file is missing or empty, this variable remains \"\".")
+
+(defun load-identity-file (&optional (path nil path-p))
+  "Load agent identity from an org file.
+
+Reads the identity text file and caches it in
+`*agent-identity*`.  If PATH is not provided, defaults to
+`~/memex/IDENTITY.org`.
+
+Returns the file content string on success, or NIL if the file
+does not exist or cannot be read."
+  (let* ((file-path (if path-p
+                        (uiop:ensure-pathname path :ensure-absolute t)
+                        (merge-pathnames "memex/IDENTITY.org"
+                                         (user-homedir-pathname)))))
+    (when (uiop:file-exists-p file-path)
+      (handler-case
+          (let ((content (uiop:read-file-string file-path)))
+            (setf *agent-identity* content)
+            content)
+        (error () nil)))))
+
+(defun agent-identity ()
+  "Return the currently loaded agent identity string."
+  (or *agent-identity* ""))
+
+;; Auto-load identity at skill init
+(load-identity-file)
+
+#+end_src
+
+* Test Squad
+** Test Package
+#+begin_src lisp
+(defpackage :passepartout-identity-tests
+  (:use :common-lisp :fiveam :passepartout)
+  (:export :identity-suite))
+#+end_src
+
+** Test Suite
+#+begin_src lisp
+(in-package :passepartout-identity-tests)
+
+(def-suite identity-suite
+    :description "Agent identity loading and caching")
+(in-suite identity-suite)
+
+(test test-load-identity-file-returns-content
+  "Contract 1: load-identity-file reads an existing file, returns content."
+  (let* ((path "/tmp/memex-test-identity.org")
+         (content "### Personality
+- Friendly
+- Concise"))
+    (with-open-file (f path :direction :output :if-exists :supersede)
+      (write-string content f))
+    (unwind-protect
+         (let ((result (passepartout::load-identity-file path)))
+           (is (stringp result))
+           (is (search "Friendly" result))
+           (is (search "Concise" result)))
+      (ignore-errors (delete-file path)))))
+
+(test test-load-identity-file-missing-nil
+  "Contract 1: nil when file does not exist."
+  (let ((result (passepartout::load-identity-file
+                 "/tmp/memex-nonexistent-xxxx.org")))
+    (is (null result))))
+
+(test test-agent-identity-cached
+  "Contract 2+3: agent-identity returns cached value after load."
+  (let* ((path "/tmp/memex-test-identity2.org")
+         (content "### Preferences
+- Use shell cautiously"))
+    (with-open-file (f path :direction :output :if-exists :supersede)
+      (write-string content f))
+    (unwind-protect
+         (progn
+           (passepartout::load-identity-file path)
+           (let ((id (passepartout::agent-identity)))
+             (is (search "shell cautiously" id))))
+      (ignore-errors (delete-file path)))))
+
+(test test-agent-identity-empty-default
+  "Contract 2: returns empty string when nothing was loaded."
+  (let ((prev passepartout::*agent-identity*))
+    (unwind-protect
+         (progn
+           (setf passepartout::*agent-identity* nil)
+           (is (string= "" (passepartout::agent-identity))))
+      (setf passepartout::*agent-identity* prev))))
+#+end_src

org/token-economics.org

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Depends on: tokenizer.lisp, cost-tracker.lisp
 
 ** Contract
 
-1. (prompt-prefix-cached assistant-name feedback mandates-text tool-belt):
+1. (prompt-prefix-cached assistant-name identity-content feedback mandates-text tool-belt):
    Build the IDENTITY+TOOLS system prompt prefix. Uses ~sxhash~ on the inputs
    to detect changes. Returns the cached string when unchanged.
 2. (context-assemble-cached context sensor): Incrementally assemble awareness
@@ -63,16 +63,16 @@ Depends on: tokenizer.lisp, cost-tracker.lisp
 
 ** Contract 1: prompt prefix caching
 #+begin_src lisp
-(defun prompt-prefix-cached (assistant-name feedback mandates-text tool-belt)
+(defun prompt-prefix-cached (assistant-name identity-content feedback mandates-text tool-belt)
   "Build the static IDENTITY+TOOLS system prompt prefix.
 Uses sxhash on inputs to detect changes; returns cached string on cache hit."
-  (let* ((hash-key (sxhash (list assistant-name feedback mandates-text tool-belt)))
+  (let* ((hash-key (sxhash (list assistant-name identity-content feedback mandates-text tool-belt)))
          (cached-hash (car *prompt-prefix-cache*))
          (cached-str (cdr *prompt-prefix-cache*)))
     (if (and cached-str (> (length cached-str) 0) (= hash-key cached-hash))
         cached-str
-        (let ((new-prefix (format nil "IDENTITY: ~a~a~a~%~%TOOLS:~%~a"
-                                  assistant-name feedback
+        (let ((new-prefix (format nil "IDENTITY: ~a~a~a~a~%~%TOOLS:~%~a"
+                                  assistant-name identity-content feedback
                                   (if (and mandates-text (> (length mandates-text) 0))
                                       (concatenate 'string (string #\Newline) mandates-text)
                                       "")
@@ -184,11 +184,22 @@ with trimmed sections."
     :description "Prompt prefix caching, incremental context, token budget")
 (in-suite token-economics-suite)
 
+(test test-prompt-prefix-cached-identity
+  "Contract 1: prompt-prefix-cached includes identity-content when provided."
+  (setf (car passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) nil
+        (cdr passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) "")
+  (let ((prefix (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached
+                 "Agent" "### Mode: concise" "" nil "No tools")))
+    (is (stringp prefix))
+    (is (search "IDENTITY" prefix))
+    (is (search "Mode: concise" prefix))
+    (is (search "TOOLS" prefix))))
+
 (test test-prompt-prefix-cached-builds
   "Contract 1: prompt-prefix-cached returns a string containing IDENTITY."
   (setf (car passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) nil
         (cdr passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) "")
-  (let ((prefix (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" nil "No tools")))
+  (let ((prefix (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" "" nil "No tools")))
     (is (stringp prefix))
     (is (search "IDENTITY" prefix))
     (is (search "TOOLS" prefix))))
@@ -197,16 +208,16 @@ with trimmed sections."
   "Contract 1: second call with same inputs returns cached result."
   (setf (car passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) nil
         (cdr passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) "")
-  (let ((p1 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" nil "No tools"))
-        (p2 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" nil "No tools")))
+  (let ((p1 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" "" nil "No tools"))
+        (p2 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" "" nil "No tools")))
     (is (string= p1 p2))))
 
 (test test-prompt-prefix-cached-miss
   "Contract 1: different inputs rebuild the cache."
   (setf (car passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) nil
         (cdr passepartout::*prompt-prefix-cache*) "")
-  (let ((p1 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" nil "No tools"))
-        (p2 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Bot" "" nil "No tools")))
+  (let ((p1 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Agent" "" "" nil "No tools"))
+        (p2 (passepartout::prompt-prefix-cached "Bot" "" "" nil "No tools")))
     (is (not (string= p1 p2)))
     (is (search "Bot" p2))))