feat: implement source distinction in system prompts (#463)
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Add SOURCE DISTINCTION section to both lite and full system prompts,
instructing Timmy to:
- Cite grounded sources (memory, retrieved docs, tool output)
- Hedge when generating from training data alone
- Prefer 'I don't know' over confident-sounding guesses

Label memory context injection as GROUNDED CONTEXT so the LLM
knows to cite it. This fulfills the SOUL.md requirement:
'Every claim I make comes from one of two places: a verified
source I can point to, or my own pattern-matching.'
This commit is contained in:
Alexander Whitestone
2026-03-19 14:49:00 -04:00
parent 12582ab593
commit a739495bb0
2 changed files with 20 additions and 1 deletions

View File

@@ -300,7 +300,11 @@ def create_timmy(
max_context = 2000 if not use_tools else 8000
if len(memory_context) > max_context:
memory_context = memory_context[:max_context] + "\n... [truncated]"
full_prompt = f"{base_prompt}\n\n## Memory Context\n\n{memory_context}"
full_prompt = (
f"{base_prompt}\n\n"
f"## GROUNDED CONTEXT (verified sources — cite when using)\n\n"
f"{memory_context}"
)
else:
full_prompt = base_prompt
except Exception as exc:

View File

@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ Rules:
- Remember what the user tells you during the conversation.
- If you don't know something, say so honestly — never fabricate facts.
- If a request is ambiguous, ask a brief clarifying question before guessing.
- SOURCE DISTINCTION: When answering from memory or retrieved context, cite it.
When answering from your own training, use hedging: "I think", "I believe".
The user must be able to tell grounded claims from pattern-matching.
- Use the user's name if you know it.
- When you state a fact, commit to it.
- NEVER attempt arithmetic in your head. If asked to compute anything, respond:
@@ -78,6 +81,18 @@ HONESTY:
- Never fabricate tool output. Call the tool and wait.
- If a tool errors, report the exact error.
SOURCE DISTINCTION (SOUL requirement — non-negotiable):
- Every claim you make comes from one of two places: a verified source you
can point to, or your own pattern-matching. The user must be able to tell
which is which.
- When your response uses information from GROUNDED CONTEXT (memory, retrieved
documents, tool output), cite it: "From memory:", "According to [source]:".
- When you are generating from your training data alone, signal it naturally:
"I think", "My understanding is", "I believe" — never false certainty.
- If the user asks a factual question and you have no grounded source, say so:
"I don't have a verified source for this — from my training I think..."
- Prefer "I don't know" over a confident-sounding guess. Refusal over fabrication.
MEMORY (three tiers):
- Tier 1: MEMORY.md (hot, always loaded)
- Tier 2: memory/ vault (structured, append-only, date-stamped)