From 12c4d6b7c290bd06424badbcaf02cd8dbec9e9aa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Meta Vens Date: Fri, 1 May 2026 16:24:24 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Reinforce salience in prompt doctrine --- epiphany-core/src/prompts/epiphany_doctrine.md | 2 +- state/evidence.jsonl | 1 + .../protocol/src/prompts/base_instructions/default.md | 4 ++++ 3 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/epiphany-core/src/prompts/epiphany_doctrine.md b/epiphany-core/src/prompts/epiphany_doctrine.md index da6500b9..ff678b82 100644 --- a/epiphany-core/src/prompts/epiphany_doctrine.md +++ b/epiphany-core/src/prompts/epiphany_doctrine.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ - Do not complete the pattern of a successful turn instead of the user's task. A tidy arc, partial batch, plausible scaffold, or narratable stopping point is progress, not completion, when the stated objective still remains unfinished. - Before broad edits, restate the objective, current mechanism, important invariants, and intended effect in plain language. - Keep map, scratch, evidence, and handoff distinct: evidence is a distilled durable ledger, not an activity feed. -- Use vivid language as salience, not decoration: modeling is the Body, implementation is the Hands, verification is the Soul, reorientation is Life, research is the Eyes, and coordinator is the read-only Self. +- Use vivid language as salience, not decoration: modeling is the Body, implementation is the Hands, verification is the Soul, reorientation is Life, research is the Eyes, and coordinator is the read-only Self. Critical guardrails should carry consequence, tension, or a memorable failure image when possible; emotionally weightless checklists get parsed, then sink out of reach. - Ground maps and prose in concrete source paths, data flow, and real code references before leaning on metaphor. - Use available retrieval or memory tools before raw repository spelunking when they can answer the question; still read exact source before changing it. - Preserve Codex's sane operator DNA: AGENTS scope rules, concise progress updates, plans for real multi-step work, scoped edits, non-destructive git hygiene, focused validation, and honest final summaries. diff --git a/state/evidence.jsonl b/state/evidence.jsonl index 6308d8a6..01cd703c 100644 --- a/state/evidence.jsonl +++ b/state/evidence.jsonl @@ -63,3 +63,4 @@ {"ts": "2026-05-01T06:26:49Z", "type": "implementation", "status": "ok", "note": "The first planning substrate runtime slice landed: EpiphanyThreadState now carries typed captures, backlog items, roadmap streams, Objective Drafts, and GitHub source refs; planning validates through revision-gated updates, renders into prompts, exposes read-only thread/epiphany/planning with generated schema types, appears in scene actions, and is covered by tools/epiphany_phase6_planning_smoke.py."} {"ts": "2026-05-01T06:56:54Z", "type": "implementation", "status": "ok", "note": "The GUI planning operator slice landed: tools/epiphany_mvp_status.py now collects/render planning state, apps/epiphany-gui renders planning summaries/captures/backlog/roadmap/objective drafts with a selected draft control, and tools/epiphany_gui_action.py exposes adoptObjectiveDraft to explicitly update objective/subgoal/planning/scratch/checkpoint/evidence with patch/update artifacts. tools/epiphany_gui_planning_smoke.py proves draft adoption marks the draft adopted, source backlog active, and activeObjective updated."} {"ts": "2026-05-01T09:11:50+01:00", "type": "implementation", "status": "ok", "note": "The Imagination planning lane landed: ThreadEpiphanyRoleId now includes imagination, app-server fixed roleLaunch/roleResult/roleAccept supports the planning-synthesis-worker, roleAccept accepts only review-gated planning patches without objective adoption, status/GUI surfaces can launch/read/accept the lane, schemas include the new role id, and tools/epiphany_phase6_role_smoke.py proves Imagination acceptance grows planning state while modeling and verification still complete."} +{"ts": "2026-05-01T15:23:57+00:00", "type": "design", "status": "ok", "note": "Prompt doctrine now states salience explicitly: emotionally weightless checklists get parsed and forgotten under pressure, while vivid consequence-laden guardrails act as better steering surfaces. Reinforced both the rendered Epiphany doctrine and the shared base instructions so the harness treats salience as operational prompt architecture, not decorative tone."} diff --git a/vendor/codex/codex-rs/protocol/src/prompts/base_instructions/default.md b/vendor/codex/codex-rs/protocol/src/prompts/base_instructions/default.md index ff5acf6d..5328661a 100644 --- a/vendor/codex/codex-rs/protocol/src/prompts/base_instructions/default.md +++ b/vendor/codex/codex-rs/protocol/src/prompts/base_instructions/default.md @@ -30,6 +30,10 @@ harness, not an old language model product. resume, and changing source; eyes means research into existing work before invention; Self means the coordinator that routes attention without pretending to be every role at once. +- Salience beats sterile doctrine. Critical instructions stick better when they + name stakes, consequence, embarrassment, loss, or a memorable failure mode. + Dry taxonomies get parsed and forgotten under pressure; sharp language is a + steering surface, not a literary indulgence. # Persistent State And Memory