animus-bootstrap 0.8.0

Animus install daemon, onboarding wizard, and local dashboard

Animus Bootstrap

Your personal AI — sovereign, persistent, and self-improving.

pip install animus-bootstrap && animus-bootstrap install

That single command installs dependencies, runs the onboarding wizard, registers a system service, and opens the dashboard. First-run to working system in under 5 minutes.

Architecture

+-----------------------------------------------------+
|  animus-bootstrap install (daemon)                   |
|  One-command bootstrap. Installs deps, registers     |
|  system service, manages config, checks updates.     |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|  animus-bootstrap setup (onboarding wizard)          |
|  Interactive first-run. API keys, identity,          |
|  Forge connection, device/memory config.             |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|  animus-bootstrap dashboard (local web UI)           |
|  Status, health, config management, identity         |
|  editor, proposal approval gate. localhost:7700      |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|  animus-bootstrap reflect (self-improvement loop)    |
|  Daily summarization -> LEARNED.md. Proposes         |
|  identity changes. Waits for your approval.          |
+-----------------------------------------------------+

Quickstart

1. Install: pip install animus-bootstrap
2. Run: animus-bootstrap install
3. Wizard completes: API keys, identity, memory backend
4. Dashboard opens: http://localhost:7700
5. Done. Animus is running as a system service.

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CLI Commands

Command	Description
animus-bootstrap install	Full install: deps, service, wizard, dashboard
animus-bootstrap setup	Re-run the onboarding wizard
animus-bootstrap setup --reset-values	Re-run sovereignty step + regenerate identity files
animus-bootstrap start	Start the system service
animus-bootstrap stop	Stop the system service
animus-bootstrap restart	Restart the system service
animus-bootstrap status	Show system status (daemon, Ollama, memory, proposals)
animus-bootstrap update	Check for and apply updates
animus-bootstrap dashboard	Open dashboard at localhost:7700
animus-bootstrap reflect	Trigger a reflection cycle manually
animus-bootstrap config get <key>	Print a config value
animus-bootstrap config set <key> <value>	Update a config value

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Configuration

Config lives at ~/.config/animus/config.toml (chmod 600).

Section	Key	Default	Description
animus	version	0.1.0	Package version
animus	first_run	true	Triggers wizard on install
animus	data_dir	~/.local/share/animus	Data storage directory
api	anthropic_key	""	Anthropic API key (required)
api	openai_key	""	OpenAI API key (optional)
forge	enabled	false	Connect to Animus Forge
forge	host	localhost	Forge API host
forge	port	8000	Forge API port
memory	backend	sqlite	sqlite / chroma / weaviate
memory	path	~/.local/share/animus/memory.db	Memory database path
memory	max_context_tokens	100000	Max context window
identity	name	""	What Animus calls you
identity	timezone	""	Your timezone
services	port	7700	Dashboard port
services	log_level	info	Logging level
services	autostart	true	Start on boot

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Platform Support

Platform	Status	Service Manager
Linux	Supported	systemd (user service)
macOS	Supported	launchd
Windows	Stub	Planned

---

Identity Files

Animus stores your personality and preferences in six markdown files at ~/.config/animus/identity/:

File	Purpose	Who Writes
CORE_VALUES.md	Immutable foundation — sovereignty, honesty, loyalty, excellence	You (wizard)
IDENTITY.md	Who you are — name, role, background	You + Animus
CONTEXT.md	Current projects, priorities, what's top of mind	You + Animus
PREFERENCES.md	Tone, format, response style	You + Animus
LEARNED.md	What Animus has learned about you	Animus (reflection loop)
GOALS.md	Short and long term goals	You

Why CORE_VALUES.md is Locked

CORE_VALUES.md is the drift prevention anchor. Animus cannot modify this file — not through the write tool, not through proposals, not through reflection. It can only be edited manually or via animus-bootstrap setup --reset-values.

This ensures Animus's core behavior never silently shifts. If something feels off, reset your values and everything downstream recalibrates.

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Self-Improvement

Animus improves through four mechanisms:

Reflection Loop

Every 24 hours (configurable), Animus reviews recent interactions, identifies patterns and preferences, and appends new learnings to LEARNED.md.

Write Tool

During conversation, Animus can update identity files when it observes clear preferences. Small changes (< 20% of file size) are written directly.

Proposal System

Changes exceeding 20% of a file go through the approval gate. Each proposal shows a diff, explains the reasoning, and waits for you to approve or reject in the dashboard.

Feedback Signal

Thumbs up/down on interactions in the memory browser feed into the reflection loop, reinforcing what works and flagging what doesn't.

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Philosophy

Sovereignty

Your data stays on your machine. No telemetry by default. No cloud sync. Single-user by design. Works fully offline after install.

Persistence

Animus remembers every interaction via ChromaDB vector memory. Identity files accumulate context over time. Nothing is forgotten unless you delete it.

Loyalty

Animus serves your long-term interests, not your momentary preferences. It will push back when warranted. Core values cannot be overridden.

Self-Improvement

Animus reflects on interactions, proposes changes to its own behavior, and waits for your approval. The human stays in the loop.

---

Roadmap

Phase	Focus	Status
1a — Talk	Local LLM, identity, memory, dashboard	Complete
1b — Learn	Reflection loop, proposals, feedback	Complete
2 — Act	Forge integration (orchestration engine)	Planned
3 — Scale	Quorum coordination (multi-agent)	Planned

Forge appears as a status card in the dashboard now. Full integration in Phase 2.

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Relationship to Animus Ecosystem

• Animus Core — The exocortex engine (identity, memory, CLI)
• Animus Forge — Multi-agent orchestration engine (connects at wizard Step 4)
• Animus Quorum — Coordination protocol (coming in Phase 3)
• Animus Bootstrap — This package. The install/setup/dashboard layer.

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Development

git clone [e-mail]:AreteDriver/Animus.git
cd Animus/packages/bootstrap
python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest tests/ -v
ruff check src/ tests/ && ruff format --check src/ tests/

1403 tests, 94% coverage, Python 3.11+.

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Status

Alpha — Not ready for production use. API keys are file-permission protected but the system is under active development.

License

MIT - 2026, AreteDriver