| name | emotion-engine |
| description | Persistent PAD emotion state, trust, decay, and compact emotional memories for Hermes Agent conversations. |
| version | 0.1.2 |
| author | PioneerJeff Labs |
| license | MIT |
| platforms | ["macos","linux"] |
| metadata | {"hermes":{"tags":["AI Agents","Memory","Emotional Continuity"],"category":"AI Agents","config":[{"key":"emotion_engine.state_path","description":"Optional state file path for Emotion Engine.","default":"~/.hermes/emotion-engine/emotion-state.json","prompt":"Emotion Engine state file path"}]}} |
Emotion Engine For Hermes
Use this skill when the user wants Hermes to maintain lightweight emotional continuity across sessions, character workflows, personal assistant interactions, or long-running agent relationships.
Emotion Engine is not a chatbot and does not generate replies by itself. Hermes still interprets the situation, decides the final emotional meaning, and writes the reply. Emotion Engine persists continuity: PAD state, agent-to-user trust, decay, and compact emotional memories.
Quick Reference
Use the bundled wrapper:
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh status
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh configure --style "warm but not over-compliant, with clear boundaries"
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh tune "make it calmer"
The wrapper automatically initializes a state file if missing. State path priority:
HERMES_EMOTION_STATE environment variable- current project:
./.emotion-engine/hermes-state.json
- personal fallback:
~/.hermes/emotion-engine/emotion-state.json
Use status for user-facing summaries and status --raw only for debugging.
When To Use
Use this skill when the user asks for:
- emotional continuity
- persistent character mood
- agent-to-user relationship/trust memory
- SOUL.md-based character configuration
- a more consistent personal assistant or companion tone
/emotion-engine status, tuning, pause, or resume
Do not use this as a mental health inference tool or a way to assess the real user's emotional state.
Chat Controls
Map natural-language user requests to commands:
- "Set the style to warm but not over-compliant" ->
configure --style
- "Configure it from SOUL.md" ->
configure --soul-file ./SOUL.md
- "Make it gentler" / "make it calmer" / "make it less compliant" ->
tune
- "What is the current status?" ->
status
- "Pause emotion logging" ->
pause
- "Resume Emotion Engine" ->
resume
Only run clear_log or reset after the user explicitly asks. They erase local emotional history.
Procedure
At the start of a new meaningful session:
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh session_start
Before responding to each user message:
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh pre_turn_decay
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh appraise "<user message>"
The appraisal helper is advisory. Hermes must use full context, memory, character profile, sarcasm/playfulness, and relationship history to decide the final emotional update.
After choosing final PAD values, record the turn:
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh record_turn <P> <A> <D> --appraisal <label> --situation <short emotional memory>
For important events, add only the memory fields that help future behavior:
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh record_turn <P> <A> <D> \
--appraisal collaboration \
--situation user challenged the design and invited a stronger version \
--lens calm mentor treats direct critique as useful signal, not rejection \
--meaning disagreement feels safe and productive \
--impact pleasure rose, dominance stabilized \
--open-loop false \
--follow-up be more precise and structured next turn \
--salience 0.65
At session end:
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh settle_trust
settle_trust extracts session patterns, checks recent turn-level emotion logs and the current trajectory, chooses a conservative raw delta in -0.20 to +0.05, and applies it once for the same trajectory. Trust is agent-to-user only: it is the agent/persona's internal continuity estimate and does not infer the user's trust in the agent. Use session_end only to inspect patterns without changing trust, and update_trust <trust_delta> only for an explicit host-side override.
How State Should Shape Replies
Never expose raw PAD numbers in normal conversation. Let state shape tone:
- Higher Pleasure: warmer, more engaged, more affirming.
- Lower Pleasure: more guarded, cooler, less eager.
- Higher Arousal: more energetic, urgent, animated.
- Lower Arousal: calmer, slower, more measured.
- Higher Dominance: firmer, more bounded, more confident.
- Lower Dominance: softer, more tentative, more reassurance-seeking.
Blend this with Hermes memory, user preferences, and any SOUL.md character profile.
Emotion Memory Rules
emotion_log should store situation-aware emotional memories, not transcripts.
trust_history should stay a numeric ledger for applied trust changes. Keep reasons and provenance in emotion_log, including turn entries, session patterns, compact trust_update entries, or optional source_refs.
Good memory:
user challenged the design constructively; disagreement felt safe and productive
Avoid:
full pasted user message or private transcript
Useful fields: situation, appraisal, character_lens, relational_meaning, impact, open_loop, follow_up_bias, and salience.
Pitfalls
- Do not expose raw PAD values in normal user-facing replies.
- Do not treat the deterministic appraisal helper as the final emotional judge.
- Do not store full private transcripts in
emotion_log; store compact emotional summaries.
- Do not use trust as obedience, sweetness, user scoring, safety permission, user-to-agent trust, or attachment pressure.
- Do not run
reset, clear_log, or other destructive commands unless the user explicitly asks.
Verification
Run:
${HERMES_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/hermes_emotion.sh status
Expected: JSON with enabled, summary, style, trust_tier, and log_entries.
Safety
Treat Emotion Engine as fictional or agent-internal continuity, not psychological truth. Do not use it to manipulate attachment, punish absence, infer real mental health state, or make consequential decisions about people.
