lex-tick

Atomic cognitive processing cycle for brain-modeled agentic AI. Implements the core tick loop with 16 active phases, 4 operating modes, and mode transition logic.

Overview

lex-tick is the central orchestrator of the LegionIO cognitive architecture. Every cognitive action the agent performs happens within a tick. A tick advances the agent's internal state, runs the appropriate phases for the current mode, and produces a result record.

Operating Modes

The agent operates in one of four modes at any time:

Mode	Description	Phases Run	Tick Budget
dormant	No active signals	memory_consolidation only	0.2s
dormant_active	Dream cycle — idle consolidation	10 dream phases, then backoff	5.0s
sentinel	Low-activity monitoring	5 phases	0.5s
full_active	Full cognitive engagement	All 16 phases	5.0s

Mode transitions are driven by signal salience thresholds and time-since-signal:

• Any signal: dormant -> sentinel
• High salience (>= 0.7) or human direct input: sentinel -> full_active
• No high-salience signal for 300s: full_active -> sentinel
• No signal for 600s while sentinel and dream backoff elapsed: sentinel -> dormant_active (dream cycle)
• No signal for 3600s while sentinel: sentinel -> dormant
• No signal for 1800s while dormant and dream backoff elapsed: dormant -> dormant_active (dream cycle)
• Completed dream cycle: dormant_active -> dormant, with backoff before another dream cycle
• Emergency trigger (:firmware_violation, :extinction_protocol): immediate full_active

16 Active Phases (full_active)

1. sensory_processing (12% budget)
2. emotional_evaluation (8%)
3. memory_retrieval (12%)
4. knowledge_retrieval (5%)
5. identity_entropy_check (4%)
6. working_memory_integration (5%)
7. procedural_check (8%)
8. prediction_engine (12%)
9. mesh_interface (4%)
10. social_cognition (4%)
11. theory_of_mind (4%)
12. gut_instinct (4%)
13. action_selection (4%)
14. memory_consolidation (4%)
15. homeostasis_regulation (5%)
16. post_tick_reflection (5%)

Phase budgets are informational — enforcement is at the tick level, not per-phase.

10 Dream Phases (dormant_active)

1. memory_audit
2. association_walk
3. contradiction_resolution
4. identity_entropy_check
5. agenda_formation
6. consolidation_commit
7. knowledge_promotion
8. dream_reflection
9. partner_reflection
10. dream_narration

Installation

Add to your Gemfile:

gem 'lex-tick'

Usage

require 'legion/extensions/tick'

# Execute a tick with signals and phase handlers
result = Legion::Extensions::Tick::Runners::Orchestrator.execute_tick(
  signals: [{ salience: 0.8, source_type: :human_direct, content: "Hello" }],
  phase_handlers: {
    sensory_processing: ->(state:, signals:, prior_results:) {
      { processed: signals.size }
    },
    action_selection: ->(state:, signals:, prior_results:) {
      { action: :respond }
    }
  }
)

# Result shape
result[:mode]            # => :full_active
result[:tick_number]     # => 1
result[:phases_executed] # => [:sensory_processing, ..., :post_tick_reflection]
result[:elapsed]         # => 0.001

# Check/set mode
Legion::Extensions::Tick::Runners::Orchestrator.tick_status
Legion::Extensions::Tick::Runners::Orchestrator.set_mode(mode: :sentinel)
# set_mode is sticky for one tick — automatic mode evaluation is skipped on the next execute_tick call

# Force mode transition for emergency
Legion::Extensions::Tick::Runners::Orchestrator.evaluate_mode_transition(
  emergency: :firmware_violation
)

State Object

The State object (Helpers::State) persists across ticks and tracks:

• mode - current operating mode
• tick_count - total ticks executed
• last_signal_at / last_high_salience_at - timestamps driving mode decay
• phase_results - results from the current tick's phases
• mode_history - last 50 mode transitions with timestamps

Development

bundle install
bundle exec rspec
bundle exec rubocop

License

MIT