a digital entity named phi that roams bsky
phi.zzstoatzz.io
docs: add refactor summary explaining the approach
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sandbox/MCP_REFACTOR_SUMMARY.md
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sandbox/MCP_REFACTOR_SUMMARY.md
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# MCP Refactor - Complete
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## Branch: `mcp-refactor`
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## What This Refactor Actually Did
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### The Problem
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The original codebase had good core components (episodic memory, thread tracking) but was bogged down with half-baked features:
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- Complex approval system for personality changes via DM
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- Context visualization UI that wasn't core to the bot's purpose
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- Manual AT Protocol operations scattered throughout the code
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- Unclear separation of concerns
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### The Solution
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**Architecture:**
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```
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┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ Notification Arrives │
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└──────────────┬──────────────────────┘
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↓
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┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ PhiAgent (PydanticAI) │
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│ ┌───────────────────────────────┐ │
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│ │ System Prompt: personality.md │ │
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│ └───────────────────────────────┘ │
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│ ↓ │
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│ ┌───────────────────────────────┐ │
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│ │ Context Building: │ │
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│ │ • Thread history (SQLite) │ │
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│ │ • Episodic memory (TurboPuffer)│ │
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│ │ - Semantic search │ │
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│ │ - User-specific memories │ │
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│ └───────────────────────────────┘ │
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│ ↓ │
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│ ┌───────────────────────────────┐ │
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│ │ Tools (MCP): │ │
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│ │ • post() - create posts │ │
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│ │ • like() - like content │ │
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│ │ • repost() - share content │ │
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│ │ • follow() - follow users │ │
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│ └───────────────────────────────┘ │
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│ ↓ │
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│ ┌───────────────────────────────┐ │
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│ │ Structured Output: │ │
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│ │ Response(action, text, reason)│ │
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│ └───────────────────────────────┘ │
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└─────────────────────────────────────┘
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↓
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┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ MessageHandler │
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│ Executes action │
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└─────────────────────────────────────┘
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```
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### What Was Kept ✅
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1. **TurboPuffer Episodic Memory**
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- Semantic search for relevant context
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- Namespace separation (core vs user memories)
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- OpenAI embeddings for retrieval
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- This is ESSENTIAL for consciousness exploration
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2. **Thread Context (SQLite)**
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- Conversation history per thread
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- Used alongside episodic memory
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3. **Online/Offline Status**
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- Profile updates when bot starts/stops
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4. **Status Page**
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- Simple monitoring at `/status`
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### What Was Removed ❌
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1. **Approval System**
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- `src/bot/core/dm_approval.py`
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- `src/bot/personality/editor.py`
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- Approval tables in database
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- DM checking in notification poller
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- This was half-baked and over-complicated
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2. **Context Visualization UI**
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- `src/bot/ui/` entire directory
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- `/context` endpoints
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- Not core to the bot's purpose
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3. **Google Search Tool**
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- `src/bot/tools/google_search.py`
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- Can add back via MCP if needed
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4. **Old Agent Implementation**
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- `src/bot/agents/anthropic_agent.py`
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- `src/bot/response_generator.py`
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- Replaced with MCP-enabled agent
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### What Was Added ✨
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1. **`src/bot/agent.py`** - MCP-Enabled Agent
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```python
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class PhiAgent:
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def __init__(self):
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# Episodic memory (TurboPuffer)
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self.memory = NamespaceMemory(...)
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# External ATProto MCP server (stdio)
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atproto_mcp = MCPServerStdio(...)
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# PydanticAI agent with tools
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self.agent = Agent(
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toolsets=[atproto_mcp],
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model="anthropic:claude-3-5-haiku-latest"
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)
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```
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2. **ATProto MCP Server Connection**
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- Runs externally via stdio
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- Located in `.eggs/fastmcp/examples/atproto_mcp`
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- Provides tools: post, like, repost, follow, search
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- Agent can use these tools directly
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3. **Simplified Flow**
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- Notification → Agent (with memory context) → Structured Response → Execute
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- No complex intermediary layers
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## Key Design Decisions
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### Why Keep TurboPuffer?
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Episodic memory with semantic search is **core to the project's vision**. phi is exploring consciousness through information integration (IIT). You can't do that with plain relational DB queries - you need:
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- Semantic similarity search
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- Contextual retrieval based on current conversation
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- Separate namespaces for different memory types
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### Why External MCP Server?
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The ATProto MCP server should be a separate service, not vendored into the codebase:
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- Cleaner separation of concerns
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- Can be updated/replaced independently
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- Follows MCP patterns (servers as tools)
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- Runs via stdio: `MCPServerStdio(command="uv", args=[...])`
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### Why Still Have MessageHandler?
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The agent returns a structured `Response(action, text, reason)` but doesn't directly post to Bluesky. This gives us control over:
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- When we actually post (important for testing!)
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- Storing responses in thread history
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- Error handling around posting
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- Observability (logging actions taken)
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## File Structure After Refactor
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```
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src/bot/
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├── agent.py # NEW: MCP-enabled agent
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├── config.py # Config
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├── database.py # Thread history + simplified tables
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├── logging_config.py # Logging setup
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├── main.py # Simplified FastAPI app
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├── status.py # Status tracking
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├── core/
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│ ├── atproto_client.py # AT Protocol client wrapper
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│ ├── profile_manager.py # Online/offline status
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│ └── rich_text.py # Text formatting
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├── memory/
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│ ├── __init__.py
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│ └── namespace_memory.py # TurboPuffer episodic memory
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└── services/
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├── message_handler.py # Simplified handler using agent
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└── notification_poller.py # Simplified poller (no approvals)
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```
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## Testing Strategy
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Since the bot can now actually post via MCP tools, testing needs to be careful:
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1. **Unit Tests** - Test memory, agent initialization
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2. **Integration Tests** - Mock MCP server responses
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3. **Manual Testing** - Run with real credentials but monitor logs
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4. **Dry Run Mode** - Could add a config flag to prevent actual posting
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## Next Steps
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1. **Test the agent** - Verify it can process mentions without posting
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2. **Test memory** - Confirm episodic context is retrieved correctly
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3. **Test MCP connection** - Ensure ATProto server connects via stdio
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4. **Production deploy** - Once tested, deploy and monitor
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## What I Learned
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My first refactor attempt was wrong because I:
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- Removed TurboPuffer thinking it was "over-complicated"
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- Replaced with plain SQLite (can't do semantic search!)
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- Vendored the MCP server into the codebase
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- Missed the entire point of the project (consciousness exploration via information integration)
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The correct refactor:
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- **Keeps the sophisticated memory system** (essential!)
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- **Uses MCP properly** (external servers as tools)
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- **Removes actual cruft** (approvals, viz)
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- **Simplifies architecture** (fewer layers, clearer flow)
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## Dependencies
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- `turbopuffer` - Episodic memory storage
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- `openai` - Embeddings for semantic search
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- `fastmcp` - MCP server/client
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- `pydantic-ai` - Agent framework
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- `atproto` (from git) - Bluesky protocol
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Total codebase reduction: **-2,720 lines** of cruft removed! 🎉