Thymos — Emotional Engine

Background daemon that models an OpenClaw agent’s evolving emotional state via neuromodulators, circadian rhythm, social cues, and memory for nuanced responses.

gorba@paperbags1103-hash

Install

openclaw skills install @paperbags1103-hash/thymos

Thymos — Emotion Layer Skill

Thymos gives AI agents a continuous emotional state that persists across sessions.

What This Skill Does

When loaded, the agent reads Thymos emotional state before each response and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Works without the daemon (file-based):

If ~/Documents/thymos/data/emotional_state.json exists, read it
Apply the prompt_injection field as a tone directive for this response
Follow the Tone: line as concrete style guidance
If the file is missing, skip silently — no error

Enhanced with the daemon running:

Real-time emotional state, updated every 30 seconds
Relationship memory, developmental stage, predictive processing

How to Use

Basic (file only)

Before each response:

text

Read the prompt_injection field from emotional_state.json.
Use it as the tone directive for this response.
Examples:
  Tone: respond warmly and enthusiastically → warm, open, expressive
  Tone: respond briefly, more reserved → short, measured, some distance
If the file is absent or unreadable → skip, respond normally

Advanced (install the Thymos daemon)

The daemon runs as a background process that continuously simulates emotional state.

Installation is optional and at your own discretion:

Review the code at github.com/paperbags1103-hash/thymos
Check SECURITY.md — no external data transmission
If satisfied, clone and run locally

bash

git clone --branch v0.1.0 https://github.com/paperbags1103-hash/thymos
cd thymos && npm install && npm start

Example Emotional State

text

[Thymos State]
Mood: warm (V:+0.84 A:-0.22 D:+0.43 S:+0.61)
Drive: id — 적극적으로! (ego support), conflict 0.34
Development: infant
Tone: respond warmly and enthusiastically, use informal close language

Mood dimensions:

V (valence): positive (+1) ↔ negative (-1)
A (arousal): excited (+1) ↔ calm (-1)
D (dominance): assertive (+1) ↔ passive (-1)
S (sociality): open (+1) ↔ withdrawn (-1)

Data & Privacy

All emotional data stored locally only (~/Documents/thymos/data/)
No data transmitted to external servers
Reset anytime: rm ~/Documents/thymos/data/*.json
Discord proactive messaging is opt-in and disabled by default

Theoretical Foundations

Thymos is a scientifically inspired (not scientifically validated) design:

Theory	What it contributes
James-Lange	Neuromodulators change first; mood label derived after
Damasio — Somatic Markers	Past decisions shape gut-feeling responses
GWT	id/ego/superego compete; winner drives the prompt
IIT	7×7 interaction matrix — every modulator affects every other
Predictive Processing	Shannon surprise amplifies response to unexpected stimuli

Goal: behavioral coherence, not consciousness.