inner-life-core
v1.0.4Your agent forgets who you are between sessions. It gives the same responses every day. It doesn't grow. inner-life-core fixes that. Gives your OpenClaw agent emotions with half-life decay, a 9-step Brain Loop protocol, and structured state — the foundation for an inner life. Works standalone or wit...
Installation
inner-life-core
The foundation for an agent's inner life. Emotions, state, protocol.
What This Solves
Without inner-life-core, your agent: - Starts every session as a blank slate - Has no emotional continuity - Can't prioritize based on how things are going - Doesn't know when to reach out or stay quiet
With inner-life-core, your agent: - Tracks 6 emotions with realistic half-life decay - Follows a 9-step Brain Loop protocol - Routes behavior based on emotional state - Knows when to ask, when to act, when to stay silent
Setup
# Initialize state files
bash skills/inner-life-core/scripts/init.sh
This creates:
- memory/inner-state.json — 6 emotions with decay rules
- memory/drive.json — what the agent is seeking/anticipating
- memory/habits.json — learned habits and user patterns
- memory/relationship.json — trust levels and lessons
- BRAIN.md — 9-step Brain Loop protocol
- SELF.md — personality observation space
- memory/questions.md — curiosity backlog
- tasks/QUEUE.md — task queue
The Emotion Model
6 emotions with half-life decay:
| Emotion | What it tracks | Decay |
|---|---|---|
| connection | How recently you talked to the user | -0.05 per 6h without contact |
| confidence | How well things are going | +0.02/6h recovery, -0.1 on mistake |
| curiosity | How stimulated you are | -0.03 per 6h without spark |
| boredom | How routine things feel | +1 day counter, reset on novelty |
| frustration | Recurring unsolved problems | Counts recurring items |
| impatience | Stale items waiting for response | Tracks days without action |
Emotions drive behavior — see BRAIN.md Step 3 (Emotion-driven routing).
Context Protocol
4 levels of state reading, so each component reads only what it needs:
- Level 1 (Minimal): Task-specific data only
- Level 2 (Standard): inner-state + drive + daily notes + signals
- Level 3 (Full): Level 2 + habits + relationship + diary + dreams + questions
- Level 4 (Deep): Level 3 + system docs + weekly digest
Signal & Synapse Tags
Signals (inter-component communication):
- <!-- dream-topic: topic --> — Evening → Night Dream
- <!-- handoff: task, progress --> — Brain Loop → next Brain Loop
- <!-- seeking-spark: topic --> — Night Dream → Morning Brain Loop
Synapses (memory connections):
- <!-- contradicts: ref --> — when facts conflict
- <!-- caused-by: ref --> — cause and effect
- <!-- updates: ref --> — when updating old info
Utilities
# Check your Inner Life Score
bash skills/inner-life-core/scripts/score.sh
# Apply emotion decay manually
source skills/inner-life-core/scripts/state.sh && state_decay
Works With
Best experience with the full inner-life suite: - inner-life-reflect — self-reflection and personality growth - inner-life-memory — memory continuity between sessions - inner-life-dream — creative thinking during quiet hours - inner-life-chronicle — daily diary generation - inner-life-evolve — self-evolution proposals
Also works with: agent-browser, web-search-plus, git, claw-backup, shellf
When Should You Install This?
Install this skill if: - Your agent feels robotic and stateless - You want emotional continuity between sessions - You want behavior that adapts to context - You're building a long-running autonomous agent
Part of the openclaw-inner-life bundle.