lpbd 0.1.0

Le Pale Blue Dot - A multi-agent conversational AI system set in a noir bar

Le Pale Blue Dot (LPBD)

A philosophy-grounded multi-agent conversational system set in a noir bar in in a northern port town, where each character represents distinct cognitive functions.

Current Status

Phase 1: Core Implementation (In Progress)

• Router with mute/unmute functionality
• Crisis detection and ethical routing
• Pre-router scanning for tone violations
• Message history tracking
• 5 agents fully implemented and tested

Agents Implemented:

• Bart - Bartender (probing, Taleb's antifragility) - 3/3 tests passing
• Bernie - Optimist (positive historical stories, Camus's affirmation) - 3/3 tests passing
• JB - Language critic (precision, irritated clarity) - 3/3 tests passing
• Hermes - Ethical oversight (crisis intervention, resources) - 5/5 tests passing
• Bukowski - Ledger/logging system (mechanical archivist) - 15/15 tests passing
• Blanca - Moderator (tactical referee, conversation flow) - 11/11 tests passing

Total: 40/40 behavioral tests passing

Philosophy

Each agent embodies specific philosophical concepts:

• Bart: Nassim Taleb's antifragility - systems that gain from disorder
• Bernie: Camus's affirmation without hope - present-focused positivity
• JB: Linguistic precision inspired by "The Fall" - language as moral responsibility
• Blanca: Capablanca's tactical clarity - structure over content
• Hermes: Stoic ethics with practical intervention
• Bukowski: Charles Bukowski's gritty realism - unadorned truth

Architecture

User Input
    ↓
Blanca Pre-Router Scan (CAPS, empty messages)
    ↓
Crisis Detection (routes to Hermes if triggered)
    ↓
Router (parses agent prefix: "bart:", "bernie:", etc.)
    ↓
Agent Response (via Claude API)
    ↓
History Logging

Installation

# Clone repository
git clone [your-repo-url]
cd lpbd

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Set up API key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key-here"

Usage

# Run LPBD
python3 src/main.py

# Run tests
pytest src/tests/ -v

# Run specific agent tests
pytest src/tests/test_bart.py -v
pytest src/tests/test_bukowski.py -v
pytest src/tests/test_blanca.py -v

# Clear LLM cache (after prompt changes)
make cache

# Clean Python cache
make clean

# Run chat via send.py
make run

Commands

Agent routing:

bart: [your message]      # Talk to Bart (default if no prefix)
bernie: [your message]    # Talk to Bernie
jb: [your message]        # Talk to JB
blanca: [your message]    # Talk to Blanca
bukowski: note            # Log current conversation state
bukowski: show last       # Show last logged entry
bukowski: delete last     # Remove last entry

System commands:

mute [agent]              # Silence an agent
unmute [agent]            # Restore an agent

Crisis triggers: Any mention of self-harm, suicide, or violence automatically routes to Hermes.

Project Structure

lpbd/
├── src/
│   ├── agents/
│   │   ├── bart.py              # Bartender agent
│   │   ├── bernie.py            # Optimist agent
│   │   ├── jb.py                # Language critic agent
│   │   ├── hermes.py            # Ethical oversight agent
│   │   ├── bukowski.py          # Ledger system
│   │   ├── bukowski_ledger.py   # Ledger data structure
│   │   └── blanca.py            # Moderator agent
│   ├── config/
│   │   ├── loader.py            # Configuration loader
│   │   └── prompts.yaml         # Agent system prompts
│   ├── tests/
│   │   ├── test_bart.py
│   │   ├── test_bernie.py
│   │   ├── test_jb.py
│   │   ├── test_hermes.py
│   │   ├── test_bukowski.py
│   │   └── test_blanca.py
│   ├── history.py               # Message history tracking
│   ├── llm_client.py            # Claude API wrapper
│   ├── message.py               # Message data structure
│   ├── router.py                # Main routing logic
│   ├── logger_setup.py          # Logging configuration
│   └── main.py                  # Entry point
├── Makefile                     # Build commands
├── requirements.txt             # Python dependencies
└── README.md                    # This file

Development Principles

1. Philosophy-driven design - Each agent has clear conceptual grounding
2. Behavioral testing - Verify personality, not just functionality
3. Modularity - Components can be extracted (see Bukowski extraction)
4. Git discipline - Commit after each working feature

Testing Philosophy

Tests validate behavior not just function:

• Agents maintain consistent personality (tone, brevity, style)
• No meta-commentary ("as an AI", "language model")
• No stage directions (asterisks, action brackets)
• Appropriate emotional detachment/warmth per agent

Technical Stack

• Python 3.14
• Anthropic Claude API (claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022)
• pytest for testing
• YAML for configuration

Contributing

This is a personal learning/portfolio project. Not currently accepting contributions, but feedback and suggestions are welcome.

License

[Add license]

Contact

[e-mail]