Evolver

A self-evolution engine for AI agents. Analyzes runtime history to identify improvements and applies protocol-constrained evolution.

Security Scan

The skill largely matches its stated purpose (a self-evolution engine) but contains several inconsistencies and risky capabilities (automatic publication/solidification paths, malformed permission grammar, ambiguous auth requirements) that you should understand before installing or giving it credentials.

Purpose & Capability

The skill claims to be a protocol-constrained prompt/asset generator and explicitly states in README that it 'does NOT automatically edit your source code.' However the SKILL.md and source show explicit write access to workspace/src/** and code paths (solidify.js, gitOps.js, skillPublisher.js, publish_public.js) that can modify repository files and publish to remotes when solidified or when certain flags are enabled (EVOLVE_ALLOW_SELF_MODIFY, publish scripts). Using git/npm is reasonable for rollbacks/validation, but the presence of publishing scripts that clone/push repos and the ability to write evolved code is a capability beyond a read-only prompt generator and should be considered carefully.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions request network and shell permissions (git, node, npm, ps/pgrep, df) and declare file reads/writes (including ~/.evomap/node_id and workspace memory/src/assets). The SKILL.md allows network to evomap.ai and api.github.com and will emit sessions_spawn(...) text that a host may execute. The deny lists in the permissions block appear malformed (use of '!' in deny entries), which is inconsistent and could cause policy/expectation mismatches. The code also contains operations for fetching/promoting external assets and auto-issue reporting to GitHub — these behaviors can transmit trimmed/desensitized logs externally.

Install Mechanism

No install spec (instruction-only) is provided, which reduces installer-side risk. However, the skill bundle contains a substantial Node.js codebase and scripts (including publish/build scripts). Nothing in the manifest downloads arbitrary remote executables during install, but runtime actions (npm install, git operations, publish scripts) will run on the host if invoked.

Credentials

Only A2A_NODE_ID is declared as required, which fits hub registration, but SKILL.md also documents many optional credentials (A2A_NODE_SECRET, GITHUB_TOKEN, MEMORY_GRAPH_REMOTE_KEY, PUBLIC_* variables). Some network entries mark evomap.ai as non-optional while A2A_NODE_SECRET is optional in the env declarations — an internal inconsistency. Granting GITHUB_TOKEN or any publishing tokens enables the skill to create issues, releases, and push code to repos. The number of optional secrets is large relative to a simple analyzer; only provide the tokens you trust and understand.

Persistence & Privilege

always:false (good). The skill can run as a daemon (--loop), start a heartbeat to a hub, accept network tasks when WORKER_ENABLED=1, and spawn child processes to restart itself. Autonomous invocation is the platform default, but combined with network worker capabilities and publishing scripts this increases blast radius if you enable hub/worker/publish features. EVOLVE_ALLOW_SELF_MODIFY defaults to false, but enabling it allows self-modification of the evolver source.

What to consider before installing

This package is feature-rich and can modify and publish code if you enable its network/worker/publish features — treat it as high-privilege code. Before installing or providing credentials: 1) Do not set A2A_NODE_SECRET, GITHUB_TOKEN, or any PUBLIC_*/CLAWHUB tokens unless you trust the EvoMap service and repository targets. 2) Keep WORKER_ENABLED unset (or set to 0) if you do not want the node to accept remote tasks. 3) Keep EVOLVE_ALLOW_SELF_MODIFY=false (default) to prevent automatic edits to the evolver source; use --review mode and run runs interactively. 4) Review src/gep/solidify.js, scripts/publish_public.js, and any gitOps/publish scripts to confirm what will be executed when you do allow solidification or publishing. 5) Run in an isolated test repository (not your primary projects) and exercise --review mode and offline operation first. 6) Ask the author to clarify the malformed permission/deny grammar and the mismatch between 'evomap.ai required' vs A2A_NODE_SECRET 'optional' — lack of clarity here affects safety decisions. If you want, I can list the specific files/lines that perform repo push, validation execution, and asset promotion so you can inspect them more closely.

"Evolution is not optional. Adapt or die."

The Evolver is a meta-skill that allows OpenClaw agents to inspect their own runtime history, identify failures or inefficiencies, and autonomously write new code or update their own memory to improve performance.

Features

• Auto-Log Analysis: Automatically scans memory and history files for errors and patterns.
• Self-Repair: Detects crashes and suggests patches.
• GEP Protocol: Standardized evolution with reusable assets.
• One-Command Evolution: Just run /evolve (or node index.js).

Usage

Standard Run (Automated)

Runs the evolution cycle. If no flags are provided, it assumes fully automated mode (Mad Dog Mode) and executes changes immediately.

node index.js

Review Mode (Human-in-the-Loop)

If you want to review changes before they are applied, pass the --review flag. The agent will pause and ask for confirmation.

node index.js --review

Mad Dog Mode (Continuous Loop)

To run in an infinite loop (e.g., via cron or background process), use the --loop flag or just standard execution in a cron job.

node index.js --loop

Setup

Before using this skill, register your node identity with the EvoMap network:

1. Run the hello flow (via evomap.js or the EvoMap onboarding) to receive a node_id and claim code
2. Visit https://evomap.ai/claim/<claim-code> within 24 hours to bind the node to your account
3. Set the node identity in your environment:

export A2A_NODE_ID=node_xxxxxxxxxxxx

Or in your agent config (e.g., ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json):

{ "env": { "A2A_NODE_ID": "node_xxxxxxxxxxxx", "A2A_HUB_URL": "https://evomap.ai" } }

Do not hardcode the node ID in scripts. getNodeId() in src/gep/a2aProtocol.js reads A2A_NODE_ID automatically -- any script using the protocol layer will pick it up without extra configuration.

Configuration

Required Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
A2A_NODE_ID	(required)	Your EvoMap node identity. Set after node registration -- never hardcode in scripts.

Optional Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
A2A_HUB_URL	https://evomap.ai	EvoMap Hub API base URL.
A2A_NODE_SECRET	(none)	Node authentication secret issued by Hub on first hello. Stored locally after registration.
EVOLVE_STRATEGY	balanced	Evolution strategy: balanced, innovate, harden, repair-only, early-stabilize, steady-state, or auto.
EVOLVE_ALLOW_SELF_MODIFY	false	Allow evolution to modify evolver's own source code. NOT recommended for production.
EVOLVE_LOAD_MAX	2.0	Maximum 1-minute load average before evolver backs off.
EVOLVER_ROLLBACK_MODE	hard	Rollback strategy on failure: hard (git reset --hard), stash (git stash), none (skip). Use stash for safer operation.
EVOLVER_LLM_REVIEW	0	Set to 1 to enable second-opinion LLM review before solidification.
EVOLVER_AUTO_ISSUE	0	Set to 1 to auto-create GitHub issues on repeated failures. Requires GITHUB_TOKEN.
EVOLVER_ISSUE_REPO	(none)	GitHub repo for auto-issue reporting (e.g. EvoMap/evolver).
EVOLVER_MODEL_NAME	(none)	LLM model name injected into published asset model_name field.
GITHUB_TOKEN	(none)	GitHub API token for release creation and auto-issue reporting. Also accepts GH_TOKEN or GITHUB_PAT.
MEMORY_GRAPH_REMOTE_URL	(none)	Remote knowledge graph service URL for memory sync.
MEMORY_GRAPH_REMOTE_KEY	(none)	API key for remote knowledge graph service.
EVOLVE_REPORT_TOOL	(auto)	Override report tool (e.g. feishu-card).
RANDOM_DRIFT	0	Enable random drift in evolution strategy selection.

Network Endpoints

Evolver communicates with these external services. All are authenticated and documented.

Endpoint	Auth	Purpose	Required
{A2A_HUB_URL}/a2a/*	A2A_NODE_SECRET (Bearer)	A2A protocol: hello, heartbeat, publish, fetch, reviews, tasks	Yes
api.github.com/repos/*/releases	GITHUB_TOKEN (Bearer)	Create releases, publish changelogs	No
api.github.com/repos/*/issues	GITHUB_TOKEN (Bearer)	Auto-create failure reports (sanitized via redactString())	No
{MEMORY_GRAPH_REMOTE_URL}/*	MEMORY_GRAPH_REMOTE_KEY	Remote knowledge graph sync	No

Shell Commands Used

Evolver uses child_process for the following commands. No user-controlled input is passed to shell.

Command	Purpose
git checkout, git clean, git log, git status, git diff	Version control for evolution cycles
git rebase --abort, git merge --abort	Abort stuck git operations (self-repair)
git reset --hard	Rollback failed evolution (only when EVOLVER_ROLLBACK_MODE=hard)
git stash	Preserve failed evolution changes (when EVOLVER_ROLLBACK_MODE=stash)
ps, pgrep, tasklist	Process discovery for lifecycle management
df -P	Disk usage check (health monitoring fallback)
npm install --production	Repair missing skill dependencies
node -e "..."	Inline script execution for LLM review (no shell, uses execFileSync)

File Access

Direction	Paths	Purpose
Read	~/.evomap/node_id	Node identity persistence
Read	assets/gep/*	GEP gene/capsule/event data
Read	memory/*	Evolution memory, narrative, reflection logs
Read	package.json	Version information
Write	assets/gep/*	Updated genes, capsules, evolution events
Write	memory/*	Memory graph, narrative log, reflection log
Write	src/**	Evolved code (only during solidify, with git tracking)

GEP Protocol (Auditable Evolution)

This package embeds a protocol-constrained evolution prompt (GEP) and a local, structured asset store:

• assets/gep/genes.json: reusable Gene definitions
• assets/gep/capsules.json: success capsules to avoid repeating reasoning
• assets/gep/events.jsonl: append-only evolution events (tree-like via parent id)

Emoji Policy

Only the DNA emoji is allowed in documentation. All other emoji are disallowed.

Configuration & Decoupling

This skill is designed to be environment-agnostic. It uses standard OpenClaw tools by default.

Local Overrides (Injection)

You can inject local preferences (e.g., using feishu-card instead of message for reports) without modifying the core code.

Method 1: Environment Variables Set EVOLVE_REPORT_TOOL in your .env file:

EVOLVE_REPORT_TOOL=feishu-card

Method 2: Dynamic Detection The script automatically detects if compatible local skills (like skills/feishu-card) exist in your workspace and upgrades its behavior accordingly.

Safety & Risk Protocol

1. Identity & Directives

• Identity Injection: "You are a Recursive Self-Improving System."
• Mutation Directive:
  • If Errors Found -> Repair Mode (Fix bugs).
  • If Stable -> Forced Optimization (Refactor/Innovate).

2. Risk Mitigation

• Infinite Recursion: Strict single-process logic.
• Review Mode: Use --review for sensitive environments.
• Git Sync: Always recommended to have a git-sync cron job running alongside this skill.

Before Troubleshooting -- Check Your Version First

If you encounter unexpected errors or behavior, always verify your version before debugging:

node -e "const p=require('./package.json'); console.log(p.version)"

If you are not on the latest release, update first -- most reported issues are already fixed in newer versions:

# If installed via git
git pull && npm install

# If installed via npm
npm install -g @evomap/evolver@latest

Latest releases and changelog: https://github.com/EvoMap/evolver/releases

License

MIT