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//! **Nudger profiles** — named bundles of the harness's numeric persistence
//! knobs (the "disposition" of a turn: how hard the tool loop is pushed, how
//! much slack it's given). This module is the *schema + validation* layer; it
//! is pure and IO-free, and — for now — entirely dormant: nothing consumes it
//! yet, so it cannot change runtime behavior.
//!
//! Design: `docs/design/nudger.md`. The shape deliberately mirrors
//! [`crate::model_card`] — all-`Option`/defaultable fields, `deny_unknown_fields`
//! on the *structural* keys, a field-by-field overlay merge, TOML/YAML parsing,
//! and (later, in sibling PRs) `include_str!` seeds + `~/.newt/nudger` drop-ins
//! resolved by merge-by-name.
//!
//! Two rules that are load-bearing:
//!
//! - **The `[knobs]` table is OPEN.** A profile's knobs are a `key -> value`
//! map, not a fixed struct, so a new harness dimension is *config, not a
//! schema change*. [`KNOWN_KNOBS`] is the single source of truth mapping a
//! knob key to where it plugs into per-turn resolution ([`KnobScope`]) and its
//! valid range. Runtime resolution silently ignores an unknown key
//! (forward/backward compat); [`NudgerProfile::validate`] surfaces it loudly
//! (for `nudger validate` / hand-editing).
//! - **`rank` is an OPTIONAL projection.** It is a profile's position on the
//! nudger ladder (the "effort axis" a future `/effort` projects labels onto).
//! `None` means the profile is *off the axis*: usable by name, invisible to
//! up/down/enumeration. This — not a separate "kind" field — is how the
//! qualitatively-different postures (e.g. a future multi-agent `crew`/`ultra`)
//! and unranked user drop-ins live off the slider.
use std::collections::BTreeMap;
use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
/// Where a knob plugs into per-turn resolution — which decides whether a
/// mid-session profile switch actually moves it, and where the resolver reads
/// it. (The resolver itself lands in a later PR; this tag is its wiring map.)
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
#[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
pub enum KnobScope {
/// Folded into the per-model `eff_*` block each turn — a mid-session switch
/// moves it on the next turn.
PerModelEff,
/// Overlaid at `ChatCtx` build (a global-inline budget knob) — also moves
/// per turn.
GlobalInline,
/// Seeded once per session (e.g. a stateful counter). A profile may set it,
/// but it takes effect only at the *next* session start; a live switch does
/// not move it.
SessionOnce,
}
/// A knob the harness understands: its per-turn resolution scope and valid
/// range. Adding a new dimension the harness reads = add a row here **and** wire
/// its scope's resolution site — the profile schema itself never changes.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
pub struct KnownKnob {
pub key: &'static str,
pub scope: KnobScope,
/// Inclusive valid range used by [`NudgerProfile::validate`] for range
/// warnings. Not enforced at runtime (resolution saturates/skips).
pub min: i64,
pub max: i64,
pub doc: &'static str,
}
/// The registry of knobs a nudger profile may set. Single source of truth for
/// key → (scope, range). Values outside `[min, max]` are a `validate` warning,
/// not a runtime error.
pub const KNOWN_KNOBS: &[KnownKnob] = &[
KnownKnob {
key: "max_tool_rounds",
scope: KnobScope::PerModelEff,
min: 1,
max: 10_000,
doc: "initial tool-call round allowance; fresh progress can renew it",
},
KnownKnob {
key: "workflow_grace_rounds",
scope: KnobScope::PerModelEff,
min: 0,
max: 1_000,
doc: "renewable rounds per fresh-progress window (0 = hard round cap)",
},
KnownKnob {
key: "narration_nudge_cap",
scope: KnobScope::PerModelEff,
min: 0,
max: 1_000,
doc: "how many narration nudges the harness will emit in a turn",
},
KnownKnob {
key: "mid_loop_trim_threshold",
scope: KnobScope::PerModelEff,
min: 0,
max: 10_000,
doc: "round count at which mid-loop context trim triggers (re-clamped to max_tool_rounds-3)",
},
KnownKnob {
key: "mid_loop_trim_tokens",
scope: KnobScope::PerModelEff,
min: 0,
max: 100_000_000,
doc: "token count that triggers mid-loop trim (0 disables)",
},
KnownKnob {
key: "input_ceiling_pct",
scope: KnobScope::GlobalInline,
min: 1,
max: 99,
doc: "percent of the context budget usable for input before trimming",
},
KnownKnob {
key: "low_budget_pct",
scope: KnobScope::GlobalInline,
min: 1,
max: 50,
doc: "budget-remaining percent below which the low-budget nudge fires (consume-clamped to 1..50; 0 cannot disable it)",
},
KnownKnob {
key: "note_nudge_interval",
scope: KnobScope::SessionOnce,
min: 0,
max: 10_000,
doc: "turns between note nudges (0 = off); session-fixed — takes effect next session",
},
];
/// Look up a knob by key, if the harness knows it.
pub fn known_knob(key: &str) -> Option<&'static KnownKnob> {
KNOWN_KNOBS.iter().find(|k| k.key == key)
}
/// A named nudger profile: an optional ladder `rank` plus an open overlay of
/// numeric knob values. The merge / drop-in key is `name`.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default, PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
#[serde(deny_unknown_fields)]
pub struct NudgerProfile {
/// Profile identity, e.g. `effort-high`. The merge / drop-in key.
pub name: String,
/// Position on the nudger ladder — sparse (10, 20, 30…) so profiles can be
/// inserted between. `None` = OFF the axis (usable by name, invisible to
/// up/down/enumeration). Named `rank`, deliberately NOT `effort_order`:
/// `/effort` is a later label-projection onto ranks and must not be welded
/// into the fundamental.
#[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
pub rank: Option<i32>,
/// One-line human description.
#[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
pub description: Option<String>,
/// The knob overlay: `key -> value`. OPEN by design — any key is accepted
/// (extensibility is config, not code). Unknown or out-of-range keys are
/// tolerated at runtime and flagged by [`validate`](Self::validate).
#[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "BTreeMap::is_empty")]
pub knobs: BTreeMap<String, i64>,
}
impl NudgerProfile {
/// Overlay `o` onto `self`; `o` wins per field and per knob key (the
/// drop-in / higher-precedence layer overrides). Mirrors the model-card
/// `.or()` merge, extended with a per-key knob overlay so a partial profile
/// overrides only the knobs it sets. `name` is the merge key and is kept.
#[must_use]
pub fn merge(mut self, o: Self) -> Self {
self.rank = o.rank.or(self.rank);
self.description = o.description.or(self.description);
for (k, v) in o.knobs {
self.knobs.insert(k, v);
}
self
}
/// Loud validation for authoring / `nudger validate` — NOT the runtime path
/// (resolution silently tolerates unknown/out-of-range knobs for
/// forward-compat). An empty `name` is a hard **error**; unknown knob keys
/// and out-of-range values are **warnings** (a value valid on a newer newt
/// build should not hard-fail an older one).
pub fn validate(&self) -> ValidationReport {
let mut report = ValidationReport::default();
if self.name.trim().is_empty() {
report.errors.push("`name` is empty".to_string());
}
for (key, &val) in &self.knobs {
match known_knob(key) {
None => report
.warnings
.push(format!("unknown knob `{key}` (ignored at runtime)")),
Some(k) if val < k.min || val > k.max => report.warnings.push(format!(
"knob `{key}` = {val} is out of range [{}, {}]",
k.min, k.max
)),
Some(_) => {}
}
}
report
}
}
/// Parse a nudger profile from TOML or YAML, dispatched by file extension —
/// mirrors [`crate::model_card::parse_card`].
pub fn parse_profile(contents: &str, ext: &str) -> Result<NudgerProfile, String> {
match ext.trim_start_matches('.').to_ascii_lowercase().as_str() {
"toml" => toml::from_str(contents).map_err(|e| format!("nudger profile TOML: {e}")),
"yaml" | "yml" => {
serde_yaml::from_str(contents).map_err(|e| format!("nudger profile YAML: {e}"))
}
other => Err(format!(
"nudger profile: unknown extension `.{other}` (expected .toml / .yaml / .yml)"
)),
}
}
/// The outcome of [`NudgerProfile::validate`]: hard `errors` (a malformed
/// profile) vs soft `warnings` (unknown / out-of-range knobs). The command
/// layer decides exit codes; the runtime never calls this.
#[derive(Debug, Default, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub struct ValidationReport {
pub errors: Vec<String>,
pub warnings: Vec<String>,
}
impl ValidationReport {
/// No hard errors — the profile is structurally usable (warnings may remain).
pub fn is_ok(&self) -> bool {
self.errors.is_empty()
}
/// No errors AND no warnings — nothing to report at all.
pub fn is_clean(&self) -> bool {
self.errors.is_empty() && self.warnings.is_empty()
}
}
#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
use super::*;
#[test]
fn parses_a_full_toml_profile() {
let toml = r#"
name = "effort-high"
rank = 30
description = "push harder"
[knobs]
max_tool_rounds = 40
workflow_grace_rounds = 5
"#;
let p = parse_profile(toml, "toml").expect("valid profile");
assert_eq!(p.name, "effort-high");
assert_eq!(p.rank, Some(30));
assert_eq!(p.description.as_deref(), Some("push harder"));
assert_eq!(p.knobs.get("max_tool_rounds"), Some(&40));
assert_eq!(p.knobs.get("workflow_grace_rounds"), Some(&5));
}
#[test]
fn rank_is_optional_off_the_axis() {
// A profile with no rank is valid and lives off the ladder — this is how
// crew/ultra and unranked drop-ins work, with no special "kind" field.
let p = parse_profile(
"name = \"effort-crew\"\n[knobs]\nmax_tool_rounds = 60\n",
"toml",
)
.expect("valid");
assert_eq!(p.rank, None);
assert_eq!(p.knobs.get("max_tool_rounds"), Some(&60));
}
#[test]
fn deny_unknown_fields_catches_a_structural_typo() {
// `effort_order` is a typo of `rank`; a top-level unknown key is a hard
// parse error (loud, by design) — the model-card discipline.
let err = parse_profile("name = \"x\"\neffort_order = 10\n", "toml").unwrap_err();
assert!(err.contains("nudger profile TOML"), "got: {err}");
}
#[test]
fn the_knobs_table_is_open() {
// A key inside [knobs] that the harness does not know still PARSES — the
// map is open; the loudness is deferred to validate().
let p = parse_profile("name = \"x\"\n[knobs]\nsome_future_knob = 7\n", "toml")
.expect("open map accepts any knob key");
assert_eq!(p.knobs.get("some_future_knob"), Some(&7));
}
#[test]
fn merge_overlays_per_knob_key_and_field() {
let base = parse_profile(
"name = \"base\"\nrank = 10\n[knobs]\nmax_tool_rounds = 20\nnarration_nudge_cap = 3\n",
"toml",
)
.unwrap();
let overlay = parse_profile(
"name = \"base\"\nrank = 15\n[knobs]\nmax_tool_rounds = 40\n",
"toml",
)
.unwrap();
let merged = base.merge(overlay);
assert_eq!(merged.rank, Some(15), "overlay rank wins");
assert_eq!(
merged.knobs.get("max_tool_rounds"),
Some(&40),
"overlay knob wins"
);
assert_eq!(
merged.knobs.get("narration_nudge_cap"),
Some(&3),
"base-only knob survives"
);
}
#[test]
fn validate_empty_name_is_a_hard_error() {
let p = NudgerProfile::default();
let r = p.validate();
assert!(!r.is_ok(), "empty name must be an error");
assert!(r.errors.iter().any(|e| e.contains("name")));
}
#[test]
fn validate_unknown_and_out_of_range_knobs_are_warnings() {
let p = parse_profile(
"name = \"x\"\n[knobs]\nbogus_knob = 1\nmax_tool_rounds = 0\n",
"toml",
)
.unwrap();
let r = p.validate();
assert!(r.is_ok(), "warnings are not hard errors");
assert!(!r.is_clean(), "there are warnings");
assert!(r.warnings.iter().any(|w| w.contains("bogus_knob")));
assert!(
r.warnings
.iter()
.any(|w| w.contains("max_tool_rounds") && w.contains("range")),
"0 is below max_tool_rounds min of 1"
);
}
#[test]
fn a_clean_profile_reports_clean() {
let p = parse_profile(
"name = \"effort-medium\"\nrank = 20\n[knobs]\nmax_tool_rounds = 20\n",
"toml",
)
.unwrap();
assert!(p.validate().is_clean());
}
#[test]
fn known_knobs_carry_scope_tags() {
assert_eq!(
known_knob("max_tool_rounds").unwrap().scope,
KnobScope::PerModelEff
);
assert_eq!(
known_knob("low_budget_pct").unwrap().scope,
KnobScope::GlobalInline
);
assert_eq!(
known_knob("input_ceiling_pct").unwrap().max,
99,
"the nudger must not emit a value config normalization rewrites to 80",
);
assert_eq!(
known_knob("note_nudge_interval").unwrap().scope,
KnobScope::SessionOnce
);
assert!(known_knob("not_a_knob").is_none());
}
}