feat(honcho): dialectic liveness — stale-thread watchdog, stale-result discard, empty-streak backoff

Hardens the dialectic lifecycle against three failure modes that could
leave the prefetch pipeline stuck or injecting stale content:

- Stale-thread watchdog: _thread_is_live() treats any prefetch thread
  older than timeout × 2.0 as dead. A hung Honcho call can no longer
  block subsequent fires indefinitely.

- Stale-result discard: pending _prefetch_result is tagged with its
  fire turn. prefetch() discards the result if more than cadence × 2
  turns passed before a consumer read it (e.g. a run of trivial-prompt
  turns between fire and read).

- Empty-streak backoff: consecutive empty dialectic returns widen the
  effective cadence (dialectic_cadence + streak, capped at cadence × 8).
  A healthy fire resets the streak. Prevents the plugin from hammering
  the backend every turn when the peer graph is cold.

- liveness_snapshot() on the provider exposes current turn, last fire,
  pending fire-at, empty streak, effective cadence, and thread status
  for in-process diagnostics.

- system_prompt_block: nudge the model that honcho_reasoning accepts
  reasoning_level minimal/low/medium/high/max per call.

- hermes honcho status: surface base reasoning level, cap, and heuristic
  toggle so config drift is visible at a glance.

Tests: 550 passed.
- TestDialecticLiveness (8 tests): stale-thread recovery, stale-result
  discard, fresh-result retention, backoff widening, backoff ceiling,
  streak reset on success, streak increment on empty, snapshot shape.
- Existing TestDialecticCadenceAdvancesOnSuccess::test_in_flight_thread_is_not_stacked
  updated to set _prefetch_thread_started_at so it tests the
  fresh-thread-blocks branch (stale path covered separately).
- test_cli TestCmdStatus fake updated with the new config attrs surfaced
  in the status block.
This commit is contained in:
Erosika 2026-04-18 13:07:09 -04:00 committed by kshitij
parent 098efde848
commit c630dfcdac
4 changed files with 266 additions and 16 deletions

View file

@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import json
import logging
import re
import threading
import time
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
@ -214,6 +215,11 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
self._last_context_turn = -999
self._last_dialectic_turn = -999
# Liveness + observability state
self._prefetch_thread_started_at: float = 0.0 # monotonic ts of current thread
self._prefetch_result_fired_at: int = -999 # turn the pending result was fired at
self._dialectic_empty_streak: int = 0 # consecutive empty returns
# Port #1957: lazy session init for tools-only mode
self._session_initialized = False
self._lazy_init_kwargs: Optional[dict] = None
@ -413,13 +419,19 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
r = self._run_dialectic_depth(_prewarm_query)
except Exception as exc:
logger.debug("Honcho dialectic prewarm failed: %s", exc)
self._dialectic_empty_streak += 1
return
if r and r.strip():
with self._prefetch_lock:
self._prefetch_result = r
self._prefetch_result_fired_at = 0
# Treat prewarm as turn 0 so cadence gating starts clean.
self._last_dialectic_turn = 0
self._dialectic_empty_streak = 0
else:
self._dialectic_empty_streak += 1
self._prefetch_thread_started_at = time.monotonic()
self._prefetch_thread = threading.Thread(
target=_prewarm_dialectic, daemon=True, name="honcho-prewarm-dialectic"
)
@ -513,7 +525,8 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
"# Honcho Memory\n"
"Active (tools-only mode). Use honcho_profile for a quick factual snapshot, "
"honcho_search for raw excerpts, honcho_context for raw peer context, "
"honcho_reasoning for synthesized answers, "
"honcho_reasoning for synthesized answers (pass reasoning_level "
"minimal/low/medium/high/max — you pick the depth per call), "
"honcho_conclude to save facts about the user. "
"No automatic context injection — you must use tools to access memory."
)
@ -523,7 +536,8 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
"Active (hybrid mode). Relevant context is auto-injected AND memory tools are available. "
"Use honcho_profile for a quick factual snapshot, "
"honcho_search for raw excerpts, honcho_context for raw peer context, "
"honcho_reasoning for synthesized answers, "
"honcho_reasoning for synthesized answers (pass reasoning_level "
"minimal/low/medium/high/max — you pick the depth per call), "
"honcho_conclude to save facts about the user."
)
@ -611,14 +625,20 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
r = self._run_dialectic_depth(query)
except Exception as exc:
logger.debug("Honcho first-turn dialectic failed: %s", exc)
self._dialectic_empty_streak += 1
return
if r and r.strip():
with self._prefetch_lock:
self._prefetch_result = r
self._prefetch_result_fired_at = _fired_at
# Advance cadence only on a non-empty result so the next
# turn retries when the call returned nothing.
self._last_dialectic_turn = _fired_at
self._dialectic_empty_streak = 0
else:
self._dialectic_empty_streak += 1
self._prefetch_thread_started_at = time.monotonic()
self._prefetch_thread = threading.Thread(
target=_run_first_turn, daemon=True, name="honcho-prefetch-first"
)
@ -635,7 +655,21 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
self._prefetch_thread.join(timeout=3.0)
with self._prefetch_lock:
dialectic_result = self._prefetch_result
fired_at = self._prefetch_result_fired_at
self._prefetch_result = ""
self._prefetch_result_fired_at = -999
# Discard stale pending results: if the fire happened more than
# cadence × multiplier turns ago (e.g. a run of trivial-prompt turns
# passed without consumption), the content likely no longer tracks
# the current conversational pivot.
stale_limit = self._dialectic_cadence * self._STALE_RESULT_MULTIPLIER
if dialectic_result and fired_at >= 0 and (self._turn_count - fired_at) > stale_limit:
logger.debug(
"Honcho pending dialectic discarded as stale: fired_at=%d, "
"turn=%d, limit=%d", fired_at, self._turn_count, stale_limit,
)
dialectic_result = ""
if dialectic_result and dialectic_result.strip():
parts.append(dialectic_result)
@ -693,18 +727,23 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
logger.debug("Honcho context prefetch failed: %s", e)
# ----- Dialectic prefetch (supplement layer) -----
# Guard against thread pile-up: if a prior dialectic is still in flight,
# let it finish instead of stacking races on _prefetch_result.
if self._prefetch_thread and self._prefetch_thread.is_alive():
# Thread-alive guard with stale-thread recovery: a hung Honcho call
# older than timeout × multiplier is treated as dead so it can't
# block subsequent fires.
if self._thread_is_live():
logger.debug("Honcho dialectic prefetch skipped: prior thread still running")
return
# B5: cadence check — skip if too soon since last *successful* dialectic call.
# The gate applies uniformly (including cadence=1): "every turn" means once
# per turn, not twice on the same turn when first-turn sync already fired.
if (self._turn_count - self._last_dialectic_turn) < self._dialectic_cadence:
logger.debug("Honcho dialectic prefetch skipped: cadence %d, turns since last: %d",
self._dialectic_cadence, self._turn_count - self._last_dialectic_turn)
# Cadence gate, widened by the empty-streak backoff so a persistently
# silent backend doesn't retry every turn forever.
effective = self._effective_cadence()
if (self._turn_count - self._last_dialectic_turn) < effective:
logger.debug(
"Honcho dialectic prefetch skipped: effective cadence %d "
"(base %d, empty streak %d), turns since last: %d",
effective, self._dialectic_cadence, self._dialectic_empty_streak,
self._turn_count - self._last_dialectic_turn,
)
return
# Cadence advances only on a non-empty result so empty returns
@ -716,12 +755,18 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
result = self._run_dialectic_depth(query)
except Exception as e:
logger.debug("Honcho prefetch failed: %s", e)
self._dialectic_empty_streak += 1
return
if result and result.strip():
with self._prefetch_lock:
self._prefetch_result = result
self._prefetch_result_fired_at = _fired_at
self._last_dialectic_turn = _fired_at
self._dialectic_empty_streak = 0
else:
self._dialectic_empty_streak += 1
self._prefetch_thread_started_at = time.monotonic()
self._prefetch_thread = threading.Thread(
target=_run, daemon=True, name="honcho-prefetch"
)
@ -750,6 +795,59 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
_HEURISTIC_LENGTH_MEDIUM = 120
_HEURISTIC_LENGTH_HIGH = 400
# Liveness constants. A thread older than timeout × multiplier is treated
# as dead so a hung Honcho call can't block future retries indefinitely.
_STALE_THREAD_MULTIPLIER = 2.0
# Pending result whose fire-turn is older than cadence × multiplier is
# discarded on read so we don't inject context for a stale conversational
# pivot after a gap of trivial-prompt turns.
_STALE_RESULT_MULTIPLIER = 2
# Cap on the empty-streak backoff so a persistently silent backend
# eventually settles on a ceiling instead of unbounded widening.
_BACKOFF_MAX = 8
def _thread_is_live(self) -> bool:
"""Thread-alive guard that treats threads older than the stale
threshold as dead, so a hung Honcho request can't block new fires."""
if not self._prefetch_thread or not self._prefetch_thread.is_alive():
return False
timeout = (self._config.timeout if self._config and self._config.timeout else 8.0)
age = time.monotonic() - self._prefetch_thread_started_at
if age > timeout * self._STALE_THREAD_MULTIPLIER:
logger.debug(
"Honcho prefetch thread age %.1fs exceeds stale threshold "
"%.1fs — treating as dead", age, timeout * self._STALE_THREAD_MULTIPLIER,
)
return False
return True
def _effective_cadence(self) -> int:
"""Cadence plus empty-streak backoff, capped at _BACKOFF_MAX × base."""
if self._dialectic_empty_streak <= 0:
return self._dialectic_cadence
widened = self._dialectic_cadence + self._dialectic_empty_streak
ceiling = self._dialectic_cadence * self._BACKOFF_MAX
return min(widened, ceiling)
def liveness_snapshot(self) -> dict:
"""In-process snapshot of dialectic liveness state for diagnostics.
Returns current turn, last successful dialectic turn, pending-result
fire turn, empty streak, effective cadence, and thread status.
"""
thread_age = None
if self._prefetch_thread and self._prefetch_thread.is_alive():
thread_age = time.monotonic() - self._prefetch_thread_started_at
return {
"turn_count": self._turn_count,
"last_dialectic_turn": self._last_dialectic_turn,
"pending_result_fired_at": self._prefetch_result_fired_at,
"empty_streak": self._dialectic_empty_streak,
"effective_cadence": self._effective_cadence(),
"thread_alive": thread_age is not None,
"thread_age_seconds": thread_age,
}
def _apply_reasoning_heuristic(self, base: str, query: str) -> str:
"""Scale `base` up by query length, clamped at reasoning_level_cap.

View file

@ -638,6 +638,9 @@ def cmd_status(args) -> None:
raw = getattr(hcfg, "raw", None) or {}
dialectic_cadence = raw.get("dialecticCadence") or 1
print(f" Dialectic cad: every {dialectic_cadence} turn{'s' if dialectic_cadence != 1 else ''}")
reasoning_cap = raw.get("reasoningLevelCap") or hcfg.reasoning_level_cap
heuristic_on = "on" if hcfg.reasoning_heuristic else "off"
print(f" Reasoning: base={hcfg.dialectic_reasoning_level}, cap={reasoning_cap}, heuristic={heuristic_on}")
print(f" Observation: user(me={hcfg.user_observe_me},others={hcfg.user_observe_others}) ai(me={hcfg.ai_observe_me},others={hcfg.ai_observe_others})")
print(f" Write freq: {hcfg.write_frequency}")

View file

@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ class TestCmdStatus:
write_frequency = "async"
session_strategy = "per-session"
context_tokens = 800
dialectic_reasoning_level = "low"
reasoning_level_cap = "high"
reasoning_heuristic = True
def resolve_session_name(self):
return "hermes"

View file

@ -823,8 +823,11 @@ def _settle_prewarm(provider):
provider._prefetch_thread.join(timeout=3.0)
with provider._prefetch_lock:
provider._prefetch_result = ""
provider._prefetch_result_fired_at = -999
provider._prefetch_thread = None
provider._prefetch_thread_started_at = 0.0
provider._last_dialectic_turn = -999
provider._dialectic_empty_streak = 0
if getattr(provider, "_manager", None) is not None:
try:
provider._manager.dialectic_query.reset_mock()
@ -1227,26 +1230,28 @@ class TestDialecticCadenceAdvancesOnSuccess:
def test_in_flight_thread_is_not_stacked(self):
import threading as _threading
import time as _time
provider = self._make_provider()
provider._session_key = "test"
provider._turn_count = 10
provider._last_dialectic_turn = 0
# Simulate a prior thread still running
# Simulate a prior thread still running (fresh, not stale)
hold = _threading.Event()
def _block():
hold.wait(timeout=5.0)
stale = _threading.Thread(target=_block, daemon=True)
stale.start()
provider._prefetch_thread = stale
fresh = _threading.Thread(target=_block, daemon=True)
fresh.start()
provider._prefetch_thread = fresh
provider._prefetch_thread_started_at = _time.monotonic() # fresh start
provider.queue_prefetch("hello")
# Should have short-circuited — no new dialectic call
assert provider._manager.dialectic_query.call_count == 0
hold.set()
stale.join(timeout=2.0)
fresh.join(timeout=2.0)
class TestSessionStartDialecticPrewarm:
@ -1321,6 +1326,147 @@ class TestSessionStartDialecticPrewarm:
assert p._manager.dialectic_query.call_count == 1
class TestDialecticLiveness:
"""Liveness + observability: stale-thread recovery, stale-result discard,
empty-streak backoff, and the snapshot method used for diagnostics."""
@staticmethod
def _make_provider(cfg_extra=None):
from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
from plugins.memory.honcho.client import HonchoClientConfig
defaults = dict(api_key="test-key", enabled=True, recall_mode="hybrid", timeout=2.0)
if cfg_extra:
defaults.update(cfg_extra)
cfg = HonchoClientConfig(**defaults)
provider = HonchoMemoryProvider()
mock_manager = MagicMock()
mock_manager.get_or_create.return_value = MagicMock(messages=[])
mock_manager.get_prefetch_context.return_value = None
mock_manager.pop_context_result.return_value = None
mock_manager.dialectic_query.return_value = "" # default: silent
with patch("plugins.memory.honcho.client.HonchoClientConfig.from_global_config", return_value=cfg), \
patch("plugins.memory.honcho.client.get_honcho_client", return_value=MagicMock()), \
patch("plugins.memory.honcho.session.HonchoSessionManager", return_value=mock_manager), \
patch("hermes_constants.get_hermes_home", return_value=MagicMock()):
provider.initialize(session_id="test-liveness")
_settle_prewarm(provider)
return provider
def test_stale_thread_is_treated_as_dead(self):
"""A thread older than timeout × multiplier no longer blocks new fires."""
import threading as _threading
p = self._make_provider()
p._session_key = "test"
p._turn_count = 10
p._last_dialectic_turn = 0
p._manager.dialectic_query.return_value = "fresh synthesis"
# Plant an alive thread with an old timestamp (stale)
hold = _threading.Event()
stuck = _threading.Thread(target=lambda: hold.wait(timeout=10.0), daemon=True)
stuck.start()
p._prefetch_thread = stuck
# timeout=2.0, multiplier=2.0, so anything older than 4s is stale
p._prefetch_thread_started_at = 0.0 # very old (1970 monotonic baseline)
p.queue_prefetch("hello")
# New thread should have been spawned since stuck one is stale
assert p._prefetch_thread is not stuck, "stale thread must be recycled"
if p._prefetch_thread:
p._prefetch_thread.join(timeout=2.0)
assert p._manager.dialectic_query.call_count == 1
hold.set()
stuck.join(timeout=2.0)
def test_stale_pending_result_is_discarded_on_read(self):
"""A pending dialectic result from many turns ago is discarded
instead of injected against a fresh conversational pivot."""
p = self._make_provider(cfg_extra={"raw": {"dialecticCadence": 2}})
p._session_key = "test"
p._base_context_cache = "base ctx"
with p._prefetch_lock:
p._prefetch_result = "ancient synthesis"
p._prefetch_result_fired_at = 1
# cadence=2, multiplier=2 → stale after 4 turns since fire
p._turn_count = 10
p._last_dialectic_turn = 1 # prevents sync first-turn path
result = p.prefetch("what's new")
assert "ancient synthesis" not in result, "stale pending must be discarded"
# Cache slot cleared
with p._prefetch_lock:
assert p._prefetch_result == ""
assert p._prefetch_result_fired_at == -999
def test_fresh_pending_result_is_kept(self):
"""A pending result within the staleness window is injected normally."""
p = self._make_provider(cfg_extra={"raw": {"dialecticCadence": 3}})
p._session_key = "test"
p._base_context_cache = ""
with p._prefetch_lock:
p._prefetch_result = "recent synthesis"
p._prefetch_result_fired_at = 8
p._turn_count = 9 # 1 turn since fire, well within cadence × 2 = 6
p._last_dialectic_turn = 8
result = p.prefetch("what's new")
assert "recent synthesis" in result
def test_empty_streak_widens_effective_cadence(self):
"""After N empty returns, the gate waits cadence + N turns."""
p = self._make_provider(cfg_extra={"raw": {"dialecticCadence": 1}})
p._dialectic_empty_streak = 3
# cadence=1, streak=3 → effective = 4
assert p._effective_cadence() == 4
def test_backoff_is_capped(self):
"""Effective cadence is capped at cadence × _BACKOFF_MAX."""
p = self._make_provider(cfg_extra={"raw": {"dialecticCadence": 2}})
p._dialectic_empty_streak = 100
# cadence=2, ceiling = 2 × 8 = 16
assert p._effective_cadence() == 16
def test_success_resets_empty_streak(self):
"""A non-empty result zeroes the streak so healthy operation restores
the base cadence immediately."""
p = self._make_provider(cfg_extra={"raw": {"dialecticCadence": 1}})
p._session_key = "test"
p._dialectic_empty_streak = 5
p._turn_count = 10
p._last_dialectic_turn = 0
p._manager.dialectic_query.return_value = "real output"
p.queue_prefetch("hello")
if p._prefetch_thread:
p._prefetch_thread.join(timeout=2.0)
assert p._dialectic_empty_streak == 0
assert p._last_dialectic_turn == 10
def test_empty_result_increments_streak(self):
p = self._make_provider(cfg_extra={"raw": {"dialecticCadence": 1}})
p._session_key = "test"
p._turn_count = 5
p._last_dialectic_turn = 0
p._manager.dialectic_query.return_value = "" # empty
p.queue_prefetch("hello")
if p._prefetch_thread:
p._prefetch_thread.join(timeout=2.0)
assert p._dialectic_empty_streak == 1
assert p._last_dialectic_turn == 0 # cadence not advanced
def test_liveness_snapshot_shape(self):
p = self._make_provider()
snap = p.liveness_snapshot()
for key in (
"turn_count", "last_dialectic_turn", "pending_result_fired_at",
"empty_streak", "effective_cadence", "thread_alive", "thread_age_seconds",
):
assert key in snap
class TestDialecticLifecycleSmoke:
"""End-to-end smoke walking a multi-turn session through prewarm,
turn 1 consume, trivial skip, cadence fire, empty-result retry,