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interactive-story/backend/tests/test_persona.py
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Claude 9ee052c51e Give the adventure a persona, so the protagonist has a name
The player had stats but no identity. `stat_schema.player` carried hp and
mana beside `npc.gwen.trust`, but where an NPC has a name and a
description the player had neither, so the block rendered as
`You: hp 100/100` and nothing in the prompt said who "you" was.

Three columns on `adventures`: name, pronouns, description. All
user-only, all optional, and an empty name means the app behaves exactly
as it did before — no backfill, no special case for an adventure that
predates the migration.

They are adventure columns rather than part of `stat_schema` for two
reasons. An adventure with no RPG layer still has a protagonist, and
that is the case this was added for. And `worldstate.schema._initials`
treats every dict inside a stat section as a stat definition, so a
persona placed there would be instantiated, rendered in the guide, and
handed an `initial` value as though it were one.

The paths do not change. `player.hp` stays `player.hp`; only the label
moves, to `Kaelen (player): hp 100/100`, the same way NPC lines already
print a display name beside the id. A path carrying the persona's name
would break the moment a player renamed their character, because
`_history_text` replays every past turn's stored delta into the prompt
and those blobs hold literal `player.hp` strings.

The section sits in the system block. Only the user can edit it, so it
never changes mid-story and stays inside the cached prefix. That is what
makes it free, and it is why the AI must not be able to move it — a
delta aimed at `persona.*` is already refused by `_resolve`, and there
is now a test holding that in place.

The modal that used to appear only for scenarios with `${Placeholder}`
tokens now always opens, and is where the character is named. Persona
and placeholders stay independent: a scenario asking for `${Name}` is
asking its own question. No scenario in the repo uses placeholders at
all, so the overlap is hypothetical.

Phase 2, which feeds the persona and the cast to the summarizer, is
written up in plan/18 and not started. That is where the memory-quality
problem actually gets fixed; this change is what gives it a name to use.

Not yet driven in a browser — plan/18 lists what to check by hand.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01NPyQN926gkZTAYfgugcaok
2026-08-31 15:03:20 +05:30

360 lines
14 KiB
Python

"""Phase 18: the adventure's persona — who the player is playing as.
Before this existed the protagonist had no name anywhere in the prompt. The
player's stat block rendered as `You: hp 100/100` and the summarizer was handed
second-person prose with nothing to say who "you" was.
The rules this file holds in place:
* An empty `persona_name` behaves exactly as the app did before personas
existed, so an adventure that predates the migration is not a special case.
* The persona is in the **system** block. It is user-only, so it never changes
during a story, and putting it in the cached prefix is what makes it free.
* A persona works without an RPG layer. That is the case it was added for.
* Naming the block does not rename the path. The model still writes
`player.hp`, and a delta aimed at `persona.*` is refused.
python -m pytest tests/test_persona.py -v
"""
import pytest
from fastapi import Depends
from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
from app import auth, limits, models, worldstate
from app.context import builder
from app.database import Base, SessionLocal, engine, get_db
from app.main import app
SCHEMA = {
"player": {"hp": {"min": 0, "max": 100, "initial": 100, "desc": "Health"}},
"world": {"day": {"min": 1, "initial": 1, "desc": "Day"}},
}
def _persona(**kwargs) -> models.Adventure:
"""An unsaved adventure carrying only the fields `render_persona` reads."""
return models.Adventure(
persona_name=kwargs.get("name", ""),
persona_pronouns=kwargs.get("pronouns", ""),
persona_desc=kwargs.get("desc", ""),
)
# ------------------------------------------------------------- the rendering
def test_no_persona_renders_nothing():
assert builder.render_persona(_persona()) == ""
def test_whitespace_only_is_the_same_as_empty():
"""The columns default to '', but a player can clear a field to spaces."""
assert builder.render_persona(_persona(name=" ", pronouns=" ", desc="\n")) == ""
def test_name_and_pronouns_and_description():
text = builder.render_persona(
_persona(name="Kaelen", pronouns="he/him", desc="A half-elf ranger.")
)
assert text.startswith("Player character:\n")
assert "You are Kaelen (he/him)." in text
assert "A half-elf ranger." in text
def test_name_alone_is_enough():
text = builder.render_persona(_persona(name="Kaelen"))
assert "You are Kaelen." in text
assert "(" not in text, "no empty pronoun bracket"
def test_description_alone_is_enough():
"""A player who names no character still gets their description through."""
text = builder.render_persona(_persona(desc="A nameless wanderer."))
assert "A nameless wanderer." in text
assert "You are" not in text
# ---------------------------------------------------- the world-state labels
def test_state_section_labels_the_block_with_the_name():
state = worldstate.instantiate(SCHEMA)
block = worldstate.render_state_section(state, SCHEMA, {}, "Kaelen")
# The path travels with the name. Without it the model reads "Kaelen" in
# the prose and writes `kaelen.hp`, which `apply_delta` then refuses.
assert "Kaelen (player): hp 100/100" in block
def test_state_section_falls_back_to_you():
state = worldstate.instantiate(SCHEMA)
block = worldstate.render_state_section(state, SCHEMA, {}, "")
assert "You: hp 100/100" in block
assert "(player)" not in block
def test_reference_ties_the_name_to_the_path():
guide = worldstate.render_reference(SCHEMA, "Kaelen")
assert "Protagonist Kaelen" in guide
assert "player.<stat>" in guide
def test_reference_without_a_persona_is_unchanged():
assert "Protagonist" not in worldstate.render_reference(SCHEMA, "")
def test_reference_does_not_repeat_the_description():
"""The description has its own section. The guide is about paths."""
guide = worldstate.render_reference(SCHEMA, "Kaelen")
assert "half-elf" not in guide
# ------------------------------------------------------ the assembled prompt
@pytest.fixture()
def story():
"""An adventure with an RPG layer, a persona, and a little history."""
Base.metadata.create_all(bind=engine)
db = SessionLocal()
user = models.User(is_guest=False, email="persona@example.com")
db.add(user)
db.flush()
settings = models.Settings(user_id=user.id, api_key="enc:dummy", model="m")
db.add(settings)
scenario = models.Scenario(
user_id=user.id, title="S", prompt="A road.", stat_schema=SCHEMA
)
db.add(scenario)
db.flush()
adventure = models.Adventure(
user_id=user.id, title="A", scenario_id=scenario.id, script_state={},
memory="The hero hunts bandits.",
ai_instructions="Write in second person.",
story_summary="The hero left the village.",
world_state=worldstate.instantiate(SCHEMA),
persona_name="Kaelen",
persona_pronouns="he/him",
persona_desc="A half-elf ranger, exiled from the northern holds.",
)
db.add(adventure)
db.flush()
for i in range(6):
db.add(models.Action(adventure_id=adventure.id,
type="ai" if i % 2 else "do",
text=f"[{i}] The road bends onward past the treeline."))
db.commit()
db.expire_all()
adventure = db.get(models.Adventure, adventure.id)
settings = db.get(models.Settings, settings.id)
try:
yield db, adventure, settings
finally:
db.close()
Base.metadata.drop_all(bind=engine)
def test_persona_is_in_the_system_block(story):
"""It is user-only, so it belongs in the cached prefix rather than below
the history with the values that move."""
db, adventure, settings = story
system_text, story_text, _ = builder.build_context(adventure, settings)
assert "You are Kaelen (he/him)." in system_text
assert "A half-elf ranger" in system_text
assert "Kaelen (he/him)" not in story_text
def test_persona_does_not_move_between_turns(story):
"""The static block has to be byte-identical across turns. A persona that
changed with the world state would re-price the whole history."""
db, adventure, settings = story
before, _, _ = builder.build_context(adventure, settings)
adventure.world_state = {**adventure.world_state, "player": {"hp": 40}}
db.commit()
after, story_text, _ = builder.build_context(adventure, settings)
assert before == after
assert "Kaelen (player): hp 40/100" in story_text
def test_persona_sits_above_the_plot_essentials(story):
db, adventure, settings = story
_, _, report = builder.build_context(adventure, settings)
labels = [s["label"] for s in report["sections"]]
assert labels.index("persona") < labels.index("plot_essentials")
def test_no_persona_section_when_the_fields_are_blank(story):
db, adventure, settings = story
adventure.persona_name = ""
adventure.persona_pronouns = ""
adventure.persona_desc = ""
db.commit()
system_text, story_text, report = builder.build_context(adventure, settings)
assert "persona" not in [s["label"] for s in report["sections"]]
assert "Player character" not in system_text
assert "You: hp 100/100" in story_text
def test_persona_is_charged_to_the_token_budget(story):
"""It moved into `system_sections`, and everything there is counted in
`reserved`. If it were not, the history would overrun the budget."""
db, adventure, settings = story
_, _, report = builder.build_context(adventure, settings)
persona = next(s for s in report["sections"] if s["label"] == "persona")
assert persona["tokens"] > 0
assert report["tokens"]["total"] >= persona["tokens"]
# --------------------------------------------- a persona with no RPG layer
@pytest.fixture()
def plain():
"""A blank adventure: no scenario, so no `stat_schema` at all."""
Base.metadata.create_all(bind=engine)
db = SessionLocal()
user = models.User(is_guest=False, email="plain@example.com")
db.add(user)
db.flush()
settings = models.Settings(user_id=user.id, api_key="enc:dummy", model="m")
db.add(settings)
adventure = models.Adventure(
user_id=user.id, title="A", script_state={}, world_state={},
persona_name="Wren", persona_pronouns="they/them",
persona_desc="A courier who reads other people's letters.",
)
db.add(adventure)
db.flush()
db.add(models.Action(adventure_id=adventure.id, type="do", text="Walk east."))
db.commit()
db.expire_all()
adventure = db.get(models.Adventure, adventure.id)
settings = db.get(models.Settings, settings.id)
try:
yield db, adventure, settings
finally:
db.close()
Base.metadata.drop_all(bind=engine)
def test_persona_works_without_an_rpg_layer(plain):
"""The case the persona exists for. It must not be gated behind `has_ws`."""
db, adventure, settings = plain
system_text, _, _ = builder.build_context(adventure, settings)
assert "You are Wren (they/them)." in system_text
assert "A courier who reads other people's letters." in system_text
# ------------------------------------------------- the AI cannot rewrite it
@pytest.mark.parametrize("path", ["persona.name", "persona.desc", "persona"])
def test_a_delta_aimed_at_the_persona_is_refused(path):
"""Nothing was built for this: `_resolve` rejects unknown paths already.
The test holds the behavior in place, because the persona sitting in the
cached prefix depends on the model being unable to move it."""
state = worldstate.instantiate(SCHEMA)
_, report = worldstate.apply_delta(state, SCHEMA, {path: "Bob"}, 1)
assert [r["path"] for r in report["rejected"]] == [path]
assert not report["applied"]
def test_the_player_path_still_works_with_a_persona_set():
"""Naming the block does not rename the path."""
state = worldstate.instantiate(SCHEMA)
new_state, report = worldstate.apply_delta(state, SCHEMA, {"player.hp": -15}, 1)
assert new_state["player"]["hp"] == 85
assert [r["path"] for r in report["applied"]] == ["player.hp"]
# ------------------------------------- setting it at the start, editing it later
@pytest.fixture()
def client(monkeypatch):
Base.metadata.create_all(bind=engine)
setup = SessionLocal()
user = models.User(is_guest=False, email="persona-api@example.com")
setup.add(user)
setup.flush()
setup.add(models.Settings(user_id=user.id, api_key="enc:dummy", model="test-model"))
setup.commit()
user_id = user.id
setup.close()
monkeypatch.setattr(limits, "rate_limit", lambda *a, **k: None)
monkeypatch.setattr(limits, "check_row_cap", lambda *a, **k: None)
def _current_user(db=Depends(get_db)):
return db.get(models.User, user_id)
app.dependency_overrides[auth.get_current_user] = _current_user
c = TestClient(app)
try:
yield c
finally:
app.dependency_overrides.clear()
Base.metadata.drop_all(bind=engine)
def test_a_persona_can_be_named_when_the_adventure_is_created(client):
"""The modal that used to appear only for `${Placeholder}` scenarios now
always opens, and this is what it posts."""
r = client.post("/api/adventures", json={
"title": "A", "persona_name": "Kaelen", "persona_pronouns": "he/him",
"persona_desc": "A half-elf ranger.",
})
assert r.status_code == 201, r.text
body = r.json()
assert body["persona_name"] == "Kaelen"
assert body["persona_pronouns"] == "he/him"
assert body["persona_desc"] == "A half-elf ranger."
def test_creating_without_a_persona_still_works(client):
"""Every field is optional. A blank adventure is the old behavior."""
r = client.post("/api/adventures", json={"title": "A"})
assert r.status_code == 201, r.text
assert r.json()["persona_name"] == ""
def test_the_persona_is_stripped_on_the_way_in(client):
r = client.post("/api/adventures", json={
"title": "A", "persona_name": " Kaelen ", "persona_desc": " ranger \n",
})
assert r.json()["persona_name"] == "Kaelen"
assert r.json()["persona_desc"] == "ranger"
def test_the_persona_can_be_edited_later(client):
"""A player renames their character mid-story; nothing else moves."""
adv_id = client.post("/api/adventures", json={
"title": "A", "persona_name": "Kaelen",
}).json()["id"]
r = client.patch(f"/api/adventures/{adv_id}", json={"persona_name": "Aria"})
assert r.status_code == 200, r.text
assert r.json()["persona_name"] == "Aria"
assert client.get(f"/api/adventures/{adv_id}").json()["persona_name"] == "Aria"
def test_an_over_long_name_is_refused_rather_than_truncated(client):
"""The column is VARCHAR(80). A 422 here is a 500 at INSERT otherwise."""
r = client.post("/api/adventures", json={"title": "A", "persona_name": "K" * 81})
assert r.status_code == 422
def test_placeholders_and_the_persona_are_independent(client):
"""A scenario asking for `${Name}` is asking its own question. Nothing
fills it in from the persona, and nothing fills the persona from it."""
db = SessionLocal()
scenario = models.Scenario(
user_id=db.query(models.User).first().id,
title="S", prompt="A guard sneers at ${Name}.",
)
db.add(scenario)
db.commit()
scenario_id = scenario.id
db.close()
adv = client.post("/api/adventures", json={
"scenario_id": scenario_id,
"persona_name": "Kaelen",
"placeholders": {"Name": "Wren"},
}).json()
assert adv["persona_name"] == "Kaelen"
opening = next(a for a in adv["actions"] if a["type"] == "start")
assert "A guard sneers at Wren." == opening["text"]