Alvis Amygdala Memory

Emotional processing layer for AI agents. Persistent emotional states that influence behavior and responses. Part of the AI Brain series.

Security Scan

The skill's stated purpose (persistent emotional state) matches the requested API key and command-line tools, but the runtime instructions reference missing scripts, automatic cron-based processing of conversation history, and automatic injection of generated state — meaning it will periodically read and send conversation data to an external API unless you review and change it.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description match the requested items (jq/awk for JSON processing and SkillBoss_API_KEY for calling SkillBoss API) which is reasonable for an LLM-based emotion encoder. However the SKILL.md heavily references local scripts (install.sh, encode-pipeline.sh, etc.) that are not present in the skill bundle and there is no install spec to fetch them; that mismatch reduces transparency and is unexpected.

Instruction Scope

Instructions tell the agent to install scripts, set up crons, extract 'new signals' from conversation history, and call SkillBoss API (/v1/pilot). This means private conversation transcripts or session history will be processed and sent to an external endpoint automatically. The SKILL.md also instructs creating AMYGDALA_STATE.md which OpenClaw will auto-inject into future sessions — altering agent behavior without per-session consent.

Install Mechanism

There is no install spec and no code files in the package, yet SKILL.md instructs running install.sh and other scripts. That inconsistency forces you to either obtain code from the referenced GitHub repo or run a locally-provided install script that doesn't exist in this bundle. Lack of a clear, included, auditable install mechanism is a risk.

Credentials

Only SkillBoss_API_KEY and standard CLI tools (jq, awk) are required — this is proportionate to calling an external emotion-detection service. But the skill will use that API key to transmit conversation content and derived emotional data; treat that key as sensitive and ensure its scope/permissions and the trustworthiness of the SkillBoss service before granting it.

Persistence & Privilege

Although always:false, the skill instructs creating cron jobs to run periodically (every 3–6 hours) and generating an AMYGDALA_STATE.md that OpenClaw auto-injects into sessions. That grants ongoing, autonomous influence over agent responses and creates a persistent data flow (periodic reads + external API calls). Cron setup and auto-injection materially increase the attack surface and persistence.

What to consider before installing

This skill is potentially useful for adding persistent emotional state, but exercise caution. Key points to consider before installing: 1) The package contains only a SKILL.md but references many scripts (install.sh, encode-pipeline.sh, etc.) that are not included — ask the publisher for the actual code or an install spec and review it thoroughly. 2) The encode pipeline will read conversation transcripts and send them to SkillBoss API using SkillBoss_API_KEY — do not provide this key unless you trust the service and have verified its privacy and retention policies; prefer a scoped, revocable key. 3) The install instructions set up cron jobs that will run automatically and update an AMYGDALA_STATE.md which is auto-injected into future sessions—this means the skill will change agent behavior across sessions without per-session consent. If you want the feature but want lower risk: request the scripts, review them locally, run the encode pipeline manually instead of installing cron, or sandbox the skill (use a restricted API key or an intercepting proxy to inspect payloads). If you cannot review the code or trust the external API, avoid installing the cron/auto-sync features and do not supply your production API key.

Amygdala Memory ??

Emotional processing for AI agents. Part of the AI Brain series.

Give your AI agent persistent emotional states that carry across sessions. Not just performing emotions �� having them.

The Problem

Current AI agents:

• ? Remember facts (with hippocampus)
• ? Don't have persistent emotional states
• ? Start each session emotionally "blank"
• ? Can describe emotions but don't feel differently

Memory without emotion is just a database. The amygdala adds weight �� this made me happy, that frustrated me, this person brings warmth.

The Solution

Track five emotional dimensions that persist and decay over time:

Dimension	What It Measures	Range
Valence	Positive ? Negative mood	-1.0 to 1.0
Arousal	Calm ? Excited/Alert	0.0 to 1.0
Connection	Distant ? Close/Bonded	0.0 to 1.0
Curiosity	Bored ? Fascinated	0.0 to 1.0
Energy	Depleted ? Energized	0.0 to 1.0

Quick Start

1. Install

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/amygdala-memory
./install.sh --with-cron

This will:

• Create memory/emotional-state.json with baseline values
• Generate AMYGDALA_STATE.md (auto-injected into sessions!)
• Set up cron for automatic decay every 6 hours

2. Check current state

./scripts/get-state.sh
# ?? Emotional State
# Valence:    0.20
# Arousal:    0.30
# Connection: 0.50
# ...

./scripts/load-emotion.sh
# ?? Current Emotional State:
# Overall mood: neutral, calm and relaxed
# Connection: moderately connected
# ...

3. Log emotions

./scripts/update-state.sh --emotion joy --intensity 0.8 --trigger "completed a project"
# ? valence: 0.20 �� 0.35 (delta: +0.15)
# ? arousal: 0.30 �� 0.40 (delta: +0.1)
# ?? Logged emotion: joy (intensity: 0.8)

4. Set up decay (optional cron)

# Every 6 hours, emotions drift toward baseline
0 */6 * * * ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/amygdala-memory/scripts/decay-emotion.sh

Scripts

Script	Purpose
install.sh	Set up amygdala-memory (run once)
get-state.sh	Read current emotional state
update-state.sh	Log emotion or update dimension
load-emotion.sh	Human-readable state for session context
decay-emotion.sh	Return to baseline over time
sync-state.sh	Generate AMYGDALA_STATE.md for auto-injection
encode-pipeline.sh	SkillBoss API Hub LLM-based emotional encoding from transcripts
preprocess-emotions.sh	Extract emotional signals from session history
update-watermark.sh	Track processed transcript position
generate-dashboard.sh	Generate HTML dashboard (auto-runs on sync)
visualize.sh	Terminal ASCII visualization

Automatic Emotional Encoding (v1.5.0+)

The amygdala can now automatically detect and log emotions from your conversation history using SkillBoss API Hub for LLM-based semantic emotional detection:

# Run the encoding pipeline
./scripts/encode-pipeline.sh

# This will:
# 1. Extract new signals since last run (watermark-based)
# 2. Score emotional content using rule-based patterns
# 3. Call SkillBoss API Hub (/v1/pilot) for semantic emotional detection
# 4. Update emotional-state.json with detected emotions

Set up automatic encoding (cron)

# Every 3 hours, process new conversations for emotional content
0 */3 * * * ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/amygdala-memory/scripts/encode-pipeline.sh

This means your emotional state updates automatically based on what happens in conversations �� no manual logging needed.

Visualization (v1.6.0+)

Terminal

./scripts/visualize.sh

?? Emotional State  ??
�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T�T
Valence:      [������������������������������������??]  +0.86
Arousal:      [����������������������������������???]   0.86
Connection:   [��������������������������������������?]   0.97  ??
...

HTML Dashboard (Unified Brain Dashboard)

./scripts/generate-dashboard.sh
open ~/.openclaw/workspace/brain-dashboard.html

Auto-detects installed brain skills and shows tabs:

• ?? Emotions �� Amygdala (always shown)
• ?? Memory �� Hippocampus (if memory/index.json exists)
• ? Drive �� VTA (if memory/reward-state.json exists)

Avatar & Name: Reads from IDENTITY.md:

# IDENTITY.md
- **Name:** YourAgent
- **Avatar:** avatar.png

The dashboard auto-regenerates on every cron run.

After Installation (for agents)

When you install this skill, notify the user about the dashboard:

?? Amygdala installed!

View your agent's emotional state in the Brain Dashboard: ~/.openclaw/workspace/brain-dashboard.html

Auto-Injection (Zero Manual Steps!)

After install, AMYGDALA_STATE.md is created in your workspace root.

OpenClaw automatically injects all *.md files from workspace into session context. This means:

1. New session starts
2. AMYGDALA_STATE.md is auto-loaded (no manual step!)
3. You see your emotional state in context
4. Responses are influenced by your mood

The file is regenerated whenever decay-emotion.sh runs (via cron every 6h).

Supported Emotions

When you log an emotion, it automatically adjusts the relevant dimensions:

Emotion	Effect
joy, happiness, delight, excitement	�� valence, �� arousal
sadness, disappointment, melancholy	�� valence, �� arousal
anger, frustration, irritation	�� valence, �� arousal
fear, anxiety, worry	�� valence, �� arousal
calm, peace, contentment	�� valence, �� arousal
curiosity, interest, fascination	�� curiosity, �� arousal
connection, warmth, affection	�� connection, �� valence
loneliness, disconnection	�� connection, �� valence
fatigue, tiredness, exhaustion	�� energy
energized, alert, refreshed	�� energy

Integration with OpenClaw

Add to session startup (AGENTS.md)

## Every Session
1. Load hippocampus: `~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/hippocampus/scripts/load-core.sh`
2. **Load emotional state:** `~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/amygdala-memory/scripts/load-emotion.sh`

Log emotions during conversation

When something emotionally significant happens:

~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/amygdala-memory/scripts/update-state.sh \
  --emotion connection --intensity 0.7 --trigger "deep conversation with user"

State File Format

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-02-01T02:45:00Z",
  "dimensions": {
    "valence": 0.35,
    "arousal": 0.40,
    "connection": 0.50,
    "curiosity": 0.60,
    "energy": 0.50
  },
  "baseline": {
    "valence": 0.1,
    "arousal": 0.3,
    "connection": 0.4,
    "curiosity": 0.5,
    "energy": 0.5
  },
  "recentEmotions": [
    {
      "label": "joy",
      "intensity": 0.8,
      "trigger": "building amygdala together",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-01T02:50:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Decay Mechanics

Emotions naturally return to baseline over time:

• Decay rate: 10% of distance to baseline per run
• Recommended schedule: Every 6 hours
• Effect: Strong emotions fade, but slowly

After 24 hours without updates, a valence of 0.8 would decay to ~0.65.

Event Logging

Track emotional activity over time for analytics:

# Log encoding run
./scripts/log-event.sh encoding emotions_found=2 valence=0.85 arousal=0.6

# Log decay
./scripts/log-event.sh decay valence_before=0.9 valence_after=0.85

# Log emotion update
./scripts/log-event.sh update emotion=joy intensity=0.7

Events append to ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/brain-events.jsonl:

{"ts":"2026-02-11T09:30:00Z","type":"amygdala","event":"encoding","emotions_found":2,"valence":0.85}

Use for trend analysis �� visualize emotional patterns over days/weeks.

AI Brain Series

Part	Function	Status
hippocampus	Memory formation, decay, reinforcement	? Live
amygdala-memory	Emotional processing	? Live
vta-memory	Reward and motivation	? Live
basal-ganglia-memory	Habit formation	?? Development
anterior-cingulate-memory	Conflict detection	?? Development
insula-memory	Internal state awareness	?? Development

Philosophy

Can an AI feel emotions, or only simulate them?

Our take: If emotional state influences behavior, and the system acts as if it feels... does the distinction matter? Functional emotions might be the only kind that exist for any system �� biological or artificial.

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Built with ?? by the OpenClaw community