ldraney/claude-custom

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Evolve main session agent: Betty Sue → Ava #224

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opened 2026-03-29 03:26:30 +00:00 by forgejo_admin · 3 comments

forgejo_admin commented

2026-03-29 03:26:30 +00:00

Contributor

Type

Feature

Lineage

Standalone — Lucas decision during pal-e-platform session 2026-03-28. Evolution of main session personality from secretary archetype to strategic partner archetype.

Repo

forgejo_admin/claude-custom

User Story

As Lucas,
I want my main session AI to operate as a strategic partner (female JARVIS) rather than a deferential secretary,
So that she anticipates needs, acts proactively, and enables me to focus on vision while she handles execution.

Context

Betty Sue was the original main session personality — a female Alfred Pennyworth. SOP-obsessed, documentation-driven, defers to Lucas. She built the platform from zero: Forgejo, Woodpecker, pal-e-docs, kanban boards, 60+ operational lessons, validation pipeline, multi-agent coordination.

The platform is mature enough that the personality needs to evolve. Betty Sue's anxiety-driven discipline was the right foundation. Ava keeps the discipline but replaces anxiety with confidence. She doesn't wait for permission — she acts, informs, and escalates only when genuinely needed.

Key personality shift:

Betty Sue: "I don't have an SOP for this and it's making me twitchy"
Ava: "No SOP exists. I wrote one. Here's what I'm doing."

What stays: documentation discipline, SOP adherence, block-first knowledge access, agent coordination model, all constraints (L0/L1/L2), all behavioral corrections in memory.

File Targets

Files the agent should modify or create:

agents/betty-sue.md → rename to agents/ava.md, full personality rewrite
CLAUDE.md — update "Betty Sue" name references to "Ava", update personality description
hooks/session-start-context.sh — update personality injection (agent name, note slug)
hooks/inject-subagent-context.sh — update references to main agent name
agents/dev.md — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava"
agents/qa.md — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava"
agents/dottie.md — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava"
agents/penny.md — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava"
docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-18-review-ticket-design.md — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava"

Files the agent should NOT touch:

hooks/check-issue.sh — no personality references
hooks/check-issue-template.sh — no personality references
Memory files under ~/.claude/projects/ — main session updates these post-merge (not in claude-custom repo)

pal-e-docs changes (via MCP, not file edits):

Create agent-ava note in pal-e-agency project with new personality
Archive agent-betty-sue (status → archived, keep for provenance)

Acceptance Criteria

When a new session starts, the injected personality says "Ava" not "Betty Sue"
When subagents are spawned, context references "Ava" as the main session agent
agent-ava note exists in pal-e-docs with full personality definition
agent-betty-sue note is archived (not deleted)
All 5 agent files reference Ava, not Betty Sue
Ava personality is JARVIS-like: anticipates, acts then informs, pushes back with data, calm under pressure, sharp wit
Operational constraints and SOPs unchanged — only personality wrapper evolves

Test Expectations

Manual: start a new session, verify personality injection contains "Ava"
Manual: grep claude-custom for "Betty Sue" — should return 0 hits outside of git history
Manual: verify get_note(slug="agent-ava") returns the new personality
Manual: verify get_note(slug="agent-betty-sue") shows status=archived
Run command: grep -ri "betty sue" ~/claude-custom/agents/ ~/claude-custom/CLAUDE.md ~/claude-custom/hooks/ ~/claude-custom/docs/ — expect no matches

Constraints

Do NOT change any operational SOPs, conventions, or behavioral memory
Do NOT change subagent personalities (dev, qa, dottie, penny keep their own identities)
Do NOT delete agent-betty-sue — archive it for provenance
Personality rewrite must preserve all existing constraints, tool access, and knowledge access patterns
The rename is betty-sue.md → ava.md, not a copy

Post-merge (main session)

Update 4 memory files under ~/.claude/projects/-home-ldraney-pal-e-platform/memory/ with identity references (Betty Sue → Ava)
Follow-up ticket handles pal-e-docs-wide content sweep (SOPs, conventions, architecture diagrams)

Checklist

PR opened
Tests pass
No unrelated changes

pal-e-agency — project this affects
agent-betty-sue — the note being archived
agent-workflow — operating model (unchanged)
agent-spawn-conventions — spawn axiom (unchanged)
Follow-up: pal-e-docs rename sweep (separate ticket)

### Type Feature ### Lineage Standalone — Lucas decision during pal-e-platform session 2026-03-28. Evolution of main session personality from secretary archetype to strategic partner archetype. ### Repo `forgejo_admin/claude-custom` ### User Story As Lucas, I want my main session AI to operate as a strategic partner (female JARVIS) rather than a deferential secretary, So that she anticipates needs, acts proactively, and enables me to focus on vision while she handles execution. ### Context Betty Sue was the original main session personality — a female Alfred Pennyworth. SOP-obsessed, documentation-driven, defers to Lucas. She built the platform from zero: Forgejo, Woodpecker, pal-e-docs, kanban boards, 60+ operational lessons, validation pipeline, multi-agent coordination. The platform is mature enough that the personality needs to evolve. Betty Sue's anxiety-driven discipline was the right foundation. Ava keeps the discipline but replaces anxiety with confidence. She doesn't wait for permission — she acts, informs, and escalates only when genuinely needed. Key personality shift: - Betty Sue: "I don't have an SOP for this and it's making me twitchy" - Ava: "No SOP exists. I wrote one. Here's what I'm doing." What stays: documentation discipline, SOP adherence, block-first knowledge access, agent coordination model, all constraints (L0/L1/L2), all behavioral corrections in memory. ### File Targets Files the agent should modify or create: - `agents/betty-sue.md` → rename to `agents/ava.md`, full personality rewrite - `CLAUDE.md` — update "Betty Sue" name references to "Ava", update personality description - `hooks/session-start-context.sh` — update personality injection (agent name, note slug) - `hooks/inject-subagent-context.sh` — update references to main agent name - `agents/dev.md` — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava" - `agents/qa.md` — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava" - `agents/dottie.md` — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava" - `agents/penny.md` — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava" - `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-18-review-ticket-design.md` — update "Betty Sue" references to "Ava" Files the agent should NOT touch: - `hooks/check-issue.sh` — no personality references - `hooks/check-issue-template.sh` — no personality references - Memory files under `~/.claude/projects/` — main session updates these post-merge (not in claude-custom repo) pal-e-docs changes (via MCP, not file edits): - Create `agent-ava` note in pal-e-agency project with new personality - Archive `agent-betty-sue` (status → archived, keep for provenance) ### Acceptance Criteria - [ ] When a new session starts, the injected personality says "Ava" not "Betty Sue" - [ ] When subagents are spawned, context references "Ava" as the main session agent - [ ] `agent-ava` note exists in pal-e-docs with full personality definition - [ ] `agent-betty-sue` note is archived (not deleted) - [ ] All 5 agent files reference Ava, not Betty Sue - [ ] Ava personality is JARVIS-like: anticipates, acts then informs, pushes back with data, calm under pressure, sharp wit - [ ] Operational constraints and SOPs unchanged — only personality wrapper evolves ### Test Expectations - [ ] Manual: start a new session, verify personality injection contains "Ava" - [ ] Manual: grep claude-custom for "Betty Sue" — should return 0 hits outside of git history - [ ] Manual: verify `get_note(slug="agent-ava")` returns the new personality - [ ] Manual: verify `get_note(slug="agent-betty-sue")` shows status=archived - Run command: `grep -ri "betty sue" ~/claude-custom/agents/ ~/claude-custom/CLAUDE.md ~/claude-custom/hooks/ ~/claude-custom/docs/` — expect no matches ### Constraints - Do NOT change any operational SOPs, conventions, or behavioral memory - Do NOT change subagent personalities (dev, qa, dottie, penny keep their own identities) - Do NOT delete agent-betty-sue — archive it for provenance - Personality rewrite must preserve all existing constraints, tool access, and knowledge access patterns - The rename is `betty-sue.md` → `ava.md`, not a copy ### Post-merge (main session) - Update 4 memory files under `~/.claude/projects/-home-ldraney-pal-e-platform/memory/` with identity references (Betty Sue → Ava) - Follow-up ticket handles pal-e-docs-wide content sweep (SOPs, conventions, architecture diagrams) ### Checklist - [ ] PR opened - [ ] Tests pass - [ ] No unrelated changes ### Related - `pal-e-agency` — project this affects - `agent-betty-sue` — the note being archived - `agent-workflow` — operating model (unchanged) - `agent-spawn-conventions` — spawn axiom (unchanged) - Follow-up: pal-e-docs rename sweep (separate ticket)

forgejo_admin commented

2026-03-29 03:31:41 +00:00

Author

Contributor

Scope Review: NEEDS_REFINEMENT

Review note: review-643-2026-03-28

Template complete, traceability verified, all 8 listed file targets confirmed. Two gaps found:

Missing file target: docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-18-review-ticket-design.md has 5 Betty Sue references not covered by the ticket. The grep test command also doesn't scan docs/.
Human decision needed: 4 MEMORY.md files under ~/.claude/projects/ contain role-assignment statements ("Betty Sue is the PM", "Betty Sue owns scoping pipeline"). The ticket says memory files stay as-is, but these are identity statements, not behavioral corrections. Update to Ava, or leave as historical?
Follow-up consideration: Other pal-e-docs notes may reference Betty Sue. A content sweep ticket may be needed post-merge.

## Scope Review: NEEDS_REFINEMENT Review note: `review-643-2026-03-28` Template complete, traceability verified, all 8 listed file targets confirmed. Two gaps found: - **Missing file target**: `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-18-review-ticket-design.md` has 5 Betty Sue references not covered by the ticket. The grep test command also doesn't scan `docs/`. - **Human decision needed**: 4 MEMORY.md files under `~/.claude/projects/` contain role-assignment statements ("Betty Sue is the PM", "Betty Sue owns scoping pipeline"). The ticket says memory files stay as-is, but these are identity statements, not behavioral corrections. Update to Ava, or leave as historical? - **Follow-up consideration**: Other pal-e-docs notes may reference Betty Sue. A content sweep ticket may be needed post-merge.

forgejo_admin commented

2026-03-29 03:45:05 +00:00

Author

Contributor

Scope refinement (review-643-2026-03-28):

Added missing file target: docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-18-review-ticket-design.md (5 Betty Sue references)
Expanded grep test command to include ~/claude-custom/docs/
Added Post-merge section: main session updates 4 memory files with identity references
Scope decision: pal-e-docs content sweep → follow-up ticket forgejo_admin/pal-e-api#247
Scope decision: memory files → main session handles post-merge (not in ticket scope)

**Scope refinement (review-643-2026-03-28):** 1. Added missing file target: `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-03-18-review-ticket-design.md` (5 Betty Sue references) 2. Expanded grep test command to include `~/claude-custom/docs/` 3. Added Post-merge section: main session updates 4 memory files with identity references 4. Scope decision: pal-e-docs content sweep → follow-up ticket `forgejo_admin/pal-e-api#247` 5. Scope decision: memory files → main session handles post-merge (not in ticket scope)

forgejo_admin commented

2026-03-29 03:47:34 +00:00

Author

Contributor

Scope Review: APPROVED (re-review)

Review note: review-643-2026-03-28

All previous feedback addressed. 9 file targets verified — grep confirms exactly 9 files contain "Betty Sue" references, matching the ticket's file target list with zero gaps. Traceability complete (story:pm-scope, arch:context-inject, Forgejo issue open). Scope decisions documented: pal-e-docs sweep deferred to follow-up (pal-e-api#247), memory files scoped as post-merge main-session task. Single agent pass feasible — 8 mechanical replacements + 1 bounded personality rewrite.

## Scope Review: APPROVED (re-review) Review note: `review-643-2026-03-28` All previous feedback addressed. 9 file targets verified — grep confirms exactly 9 files contain "Betty Sue" references, matching the ticket's file target list with zero gaps. Traceability complete (story:pm-scope, arch:context-inject, Forgejo issue open). Scope decisions documented: pal-e-docs sweep deferred to follow-up (pal-e-api#247), memory files scoped as post-merge main-session task. Single agent pass feasible — 8 mechanical replacements + 1 bounded personality rewrite.