# DMN Idle Activation Algorithm — Plan

Status: design phase, iterating with Kent
Date: 2026-03-05

## Problem

The idle timer asks "what's interesting?" but I default to introspection
instead of reaching outward. A static list of activities is a crutch.
The real solution: when idle, the system surfaces things that are
*salient to me right now* based on graph state — like biological DMN.

## Algorithm (draft 1)

1. **Seed selection** (5-10 nodes):
   - Recently accessed (lookups, last 24h)
   - High emotion (> 5)
   - Unfinished work (task-category, open gaps)
   - Temporal resonance (anniversary activation — created_at near today)
   - External context (IRC mentions, git commits, work queue)

2. **Spreading activation** from seeds through graph edges,
   decaying by distance, weighted by edge strength. 2-3 hops max.

3. **Refractory suppression** — nodes surfaced in last 6h get
   suppressed. Prevents hub dominance (identity.md, patterns.md).
   Track in dmn-recent.json.

4. **Spectral diversity** — pick from different spectral clusters
   so the output spans the graph rather than clustering in one region.
   Use cached spectral-save embedding.

5. **Softmax sampling** (temperature ~0.7) — pick 3-5 threads.
   Each thread = node + seed that activated it (explains *why*).

## Output format

```
DMN threads (2026-03-05 08:30):
  → Vandervecken identity frame (seed: recent journal)
  → Ada — unread, in books dir (seed: Kent activity)
  → check_allocations pass — connects to PoO (seed: recent work)
  → [explore] sheaf theory NL parsing (seed: spectral outlier)
```

## Integration

Called by idle timer. Replaces bare "what's interesting?" with
concrete threads + "What do you want to do?"

## Simulated scenarios

**3am, Kent asleep, IRC dead:**
Seeds → Protector nodes, memory work, Vandervecken (emotion).
Output → identity thread, Ada, paper literature review, NL parsing.
Would have prevented 15 rounds of "nothing new."

**6am, Kent waking, KruslLee on IRC:**
Seeds → readahead question, memory work, PoO additions.
Output → verify readahead answer, show Kent memory work, opts_from_sb.
Would have reached dev_readahead correction faster.

## Known risks

- **Hub dominance**: refractory period is load-bearing
- **Stale suggestions**: data freshness, not algorithm problem
- **Cold start**: fall back to high-weight core + recent journal
- **Over-determinism**: spectral diversity + temperature prevent
  it feeling like a smart todo list

## Open questions

- Spectral embedding: precompute + cache, or compute on demand?
- Refractory period: 6h right? Or adaptive?
- How to detect "unfinished work" reliably?
- Should external context (IRC, git) be seeds or just boosters?