From 128d8a7c1e49dd6a0ce4f019886e1505120befbd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Scott Idem <stidem@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 9 May 2026 14:35:09 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] feat: inject session mode into persona system prompt
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

context_loader.load_context() now accepts a mode param ("chat"|"otr").
In OTR mode, the --- System --- block gains a second line:

  Current mode: Off The Record — this conversation is private
  and will not be logged or included in memory distillation

routers/chat.py passes mode="otr" when req.off_record is True.
Normal chat and all orchestrator calls stay at mode="chat" (no change
to the System block). The System block consolidates date/time and mode
in one place, matching the existing timestamp pattern.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 cortex/context_loader.py | 13 +++++++++++--
 cortex/routers/chat.py   |  1 +
 2 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cortex/context_loader.py b/cortex/context_loader.py
index f1a1a7f..bf7974e 100644
--- a/cortex/context_loader.py
+++ b/cortex/context_loader.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ def load_context(
     include_short: bool = True,
     role_append: str = "",
     inject_datetime: bool = True,
+    mode: str = "chat",
 ) -> str:
     """
     Build the system-prompt context block for a given tier and memory toggles.
@@ -39,10 +40,18 @@ def load_context(
     inara_dir = persona_path()
     parts = []
 
-    # ── 0. Current date and time (per-role toggle — injected first so it's prominent) ──
+    # ── 0. System block — date/time and session mode (injected first so it's prominent) ──
+    system_lines = []
     if inject_datetime:
         now = datetime.now().astimezone()
-        parts.append(f"--- System ---\nCurrent date and time: {now.strftime('%A, %Y-%m-%d at %I:%M %p %Z')}")
+        system_lines.append(f"Current date and time: {now.strftime('%A, %Y-%m-%d at %I:%M %p %Z')}")
+    if mode == "otr":
+        system_lines.append(
+            "Current mode: Off The Record — "
+            "this conversation is private and will not be logged or included in memory distillation"
+        )
+    if system_lines:
+        parts.append("--- System ---\n" + "\n".join(system_lines))
 
     # ── 1. Core identity (always) ──────────────────────────────────
     for filename in _CORE:
diff --git a/cortex/routers/chat.py b/cortex/routers/chat.py
index bec1b48..39ef95e 100644
--- a/cortex/routers/chat.py
+++ b/cortex/routers/chat.py
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ async def _stream_chat(req: ChatRequest):
         include_long=req.include_long,
         include_mid=req.include_mid,
         include_short=req.include_short,
+        mode="otr" if req.off_record else "chat",
     )
     history = load_session(session_id)
     history.append({"role": "user", "content": req.message})