Merge pull request 'refactor: Stateful Sense (RFC #308)' (#312) from refactor/308-stateful-sense into main

.cursor/rules/global.mdc

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ alwaysApply: true
 ## Core Concepts
 
 ```
-External World → Sense → Signal → Reflex → Workflow → Log
+External World → Sense(state) → { newState, workflow? } → Workflow → Log
                   ↑                                     ↑
               "what to observe"                  "what to do"
 ```
@@ -20,19 +20,17 @@ External World → Sense → Signal → Reflex → Workflow → Log
 
 | Concept | What it is |
 |---------|-----------|
-| **Sense** | A `compute()` function that samples or derives data. Returns `T \| null` — non-null emits a Signal, null is silent. Each Sense has its own SQLite database. |
-| **Signal** | A notification emitted when a Sense returns non-null. Pure fact, no intent. Distributed via an in-memory Signal Bus. Not persisted. |
-| **Reflex** | A declarative trigger (YAML) connecting Senses to actions. Trigger types: `interval` (periodic), `on` (react to Signals). Action types: trigger a Sense, or start a Workflow. |
+| **Sense** | A stateful `compute(state)` function. Returns new state and an optional workflow trigger. State persisted as JSON. Scheduling (`interval`, `on`) is configured per sense in nerve.yaml. |
 | **Workflow** | A stateful multi-step execution. Contains **Roles** (actors with side effects) and a **Moderator** (pure router). Each instance is a **Thread** with a unique `runId`. |
-| **Log** | Immutable audit trail. Records executions, state transitions, errors. **Cannot trigger Reflexes** — prevents feedback loops. |
-| **Engine** | The kernel orchestrating everything. Holds Signal Bus, Reflex Scheduler, Process Manager, Workflow Manager. Never loads user code directly — all user code runs in isolated Workers. |
+| **Log** | Immutable audit trail. Records executions, state transitions, errors. **Cannot trigger senses or workflows** — prevents feedback loops. |
+| **Engine** | The kernel orchestrating everything. Holds Process Manager, Workflow Manager, Sense Scheduler. Never loads user code directly — all user code runs in isolated Workers. |
 | **Daemon** | The `nerve-daemon` package — engine runtime. Runs as a background process. |
 
 ### Architecture Rules
 
-- **Three orthogonal extension points**: Sense (what to compute), Reflex (when to compute), Workflow (what to do)
+- **Two orthogonal extension points**: Sense (what to observe + when), Workflow (what to do)
 - **Process isolation**: One worker per Sense group (long-lived), one per Workflow type (on-demand). Workers never talk to each other.
-- **Causality is one-directional**: External world → Sense → Signal → Reflex → Action + Log. Logs are the end of the chain.
+- **Causality is one-directional**: External world → Sense(state) → Workflow (when triggered) + Log. Logs are the end of the chain.
 
 
 
@@ -44,18 +42,18 @@ Use `function` + `type`, not `class` + `interface`.
 
 ```typescript
 // ✅ Good
-type Signal = {
-  senseId: string;
-  value: unknown;
+type WorkflowLaunch = {
+  senseName: string;
+  workflowName: string;
   ts: number;
 };
 
-function createSignal(senseId: string, value: unknown): Signal {
-  return { senseId, value, ts: Date.now() };
+function recordWorkflowLaunch(senseName: string, workflowName: string): WorkflowLaunch {
+  return { senseName, workflowName, ts: Date.now() };
 }
 
 // ❌ Bad — no class, no interface
-class Signal implements ISignal { ... }
+class WorkflowLaunch implements IWorkflowLaunch { ... }
 ```
 
 ### Rules
@@ -100,9 +98,9 @@ For mutually exclusive fields, use discriminated unions:
 
 ```typescript
 // ✅ Good
-type ReflexConfig =
-  | { kind: "sense"; sense: string; interval: string | null; on: string[] | null }
-  | { kind: "workflow"; workflow: string; on: string[] | null };
+type WorkflowConfig =
+  | { concurrency: number; overflow: "drop" }
+  | { concurrency: number; overflow: "queue"; maxQueue: number };
 ```
 
 ## Modules & Exports
@@ -123,9 +121,9 @@ export default function startEngine() { ... }
 
 | Type | Style | Example |
 |------|-------|---------|
-| Files | kebab-case | `signal-bus.ts` |
-| Types | PascalCase | `SignalBus` |
-| Functions/variables | camelCase | `createSignalBus` |
+| Files | kebab-case | `sense-scheduler.ts` |
+| Types | PascalCase | `SenseScheduler` |
+| Functions/variables | camelCase | `createSenseScheduler` |
 | Constants | UPPER_SNAKE | `MAX_RETRY_COUNT` |
 | Generics | Single letter or descriptive | `T`, `TValue` |
 

.github/copilot-instructions.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 ## Core Concepts
 
 ```
-External World → Sense → Signal → Reflex → Workflow → Log
+External World → Sense(state) → { newState, workflow? } → Workflow → Log
                   ↑                                     ↑
               "what to observe"                  "what to do"
 ```
@@ -14,19 +14,17 @@ External World → Sense → Signal → Reflex → Workflow → Log
 
 | Concept | What it is |
 |---------|-----------|
-| **Sense** | A `compute()` function that samples or derives data. Returns `T \| null` — non-null emits a Signal, null is silent. Each Sense has its own SQLite database. |
-| **Signal** | A notification emitted when a Sense returns non-null. Pure fact, no intent. Distributed via an in-memory Signal Bus. Not persisted. |
-| **Reflex** | A declarative trigger (YAML) connecting Senses to actions. Trigger types: `interval` (periodic), `on` (react to Signals). Action types: trigger a Sense, or start a Workflow. |
+| **Sense** | A stateful `compute(state)` function. Returns new state and an optional workflow trigger. State persisted as JSON. Scheduling (`interval`, `on`) is configured per sense in nerve.yaml. |
 | **Workflow** | A stateful multi-step execution. Contains **Roles** (actors with side effects) and a **Moderator** (pure router). Each instance is a **Thread** with a unique `runId`. |
-| **Log** | Immutable audit trail. Records executions, state transitions, errors. **Cannot trigger Reflexes** — prevents feedback loops. |
-| **Engine** | The kernel orchestrating everything. Holds Signal Bus, Reflex Scheduler, Process Manager, Workflow Manager. Never loads user code directly — all user code runs in isolated Workers. |
+| **Log** | Immutable audit trail. Records executions, state transitions, errors. **Cannot trigger senses or workflows** — prevents feedback loops. |
+| **Engine** | The kernel orchestrating everything. Holds Process Manager, Workflow Manager, Sense Scheduler. Never loads user code directly — all user code runs in isolated Workers. |
 | **Daemon** | The `nerve-daemon` package — engine runtime. Runs as a background process. |
 
 ### Architecture Rules
 
-- **Three orthogonal extension points**: Sense (what to compute), Reflex (when to compute), Workflow (what to do)
+- **Two orthogonal extension points**: Sense (what to observe + when), Workflow (what to do)
 - **Process isolation**: One worker per Sense group (long-lived), one per Workflow type (on-demand). Workers never talk to each other.
-- **Causality is one-directional**: External world → Sense → Signal → Reflex → Action + Log. Logs are the end of the chain.
+- **Causality is one-directional**: External world → Sense(state) → Workflow (when triggered) + Log. Logs are the end of the chain.
 
 
 
@@ -38,18 +36,18 @@ Use `function` + `type`, not `class` + `interface`.
 
 ```typescript
 // ✅ Good
-type Signal = {
-  senseId: string;
-  value: unknown;
+type WorkflowLaunch = {
+  senseName: string;
+  workflowName: string;
   ts: number;
 };
 
-function createSignal(senseId: string, value: unknown): Signal {
-  return { senseId, value, ts: Date.now() };
+function recordWorkflowLaunch(senseName: string, workflowName: string): WorkflowLaunch {
+  return { senseName, workflowName, ts: Date.now() };
 }
 
 // ❌ Bad — no class, no interface
-class Signal implements ISignal { ... }
+class WorkflowLaunch implements IWorkflowLaunch { ... }
 ```
 
 ### Rules
@@ -94,9 +92,9 @@ For mutually exclusive fields, use discriminated unions:
 
 ```typescript
 // ✅ Good
-type ReflexConfig =
-  | { kind: "sense"; sense: string; interval: string | null; on: string[] | null }
-  | { kind: "workflow"; workflow: string; on: string[] | null };
+type WorkflowConfig =
+  | { concurrency: number; overflow: "drop" }
+  | { concurrency: number; overflow: "queue"; maxQueue: number };
 ```
 
 ## Modules & Exports
@@ -108,9 +106,9 @@ type ReflexConfig =
 
 | Type | Style | Example |
 |------|-------|---------|
-| Files | kebab-case | `signal-bus.ts` |
-| Types | PascalCase | `SignalBus` |
-| Functions/variables | camelCase | `createSignalBus` |
+| Files | kebab-case | `sense-scheduler.ts` |
+| Types | PascalCase | `SenseScheduler` |
+| Functions/variables | camelCase | `createSenseScheduler` |
 | Constants | UPPER_SNAKE | `MAX_RETRY_COUNT` |
 | Generics | Single letter or descriptive | `T`, `TValue` |
 

.knowledge/monorepo.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ nerve/
   packages/
     core/              # @uncaged/nerve-core — shared types, config parser, Result, spawn-safe
     cli/               # @uncaged/nerve-cli — CLI (init, validate, dev, daemon, knowledge)
-    daemon/            # @uncaged/nerve-daemon — kernel, workers, signal bus, scheduler
+    daemon/            # @uncaged/nerve-daemon — kernel, workers, sense scheduler, workflow manager
     store/             # @uncaged/nerve-store — append-only log, SQLite, CAS blob store
     workflow-utils/    # @uncaged/nerve-workflow-utils — role factories, extract, LLM helpers
     adapter-cursor/    # @uncaged/nerve-adapter-cursor — cursor-agent CLI adapter

.knowledge/signal-routing.md

@@ -1,91 +1,31 @@
-# Signal Routing
+# Sense compute → workflow (RFC #308)
 
-Signal routing is the core mechanism that determines how Sense outputs flow through the Nerve system.
+Stateful senses no longer emit signals or pass outputs through `routeSenseComputeOutput`. The worker runs `compute(state)` and returns `{ state, workflow }`.
 
-## Routing Logic
-
-When a Sense `compute()` function returns non-null, the output goes through `routeSenseComputeOutput()` in `packages/core/src/sense-workflow-directive.ts`:
+## Flow
 
 ```
-Sense compute() → non-null → routeSenseComputeOutput() → { signal, workflow }
-                           ↓
-          kernel.ts → signal ALWAYS emitted + optional workflow start
+Sense worker: compute(state) → { state, workflow }
+                    ↓
+          persist state JSON (data/senses/<name>.json)
+                    ↓
+          IPC compute-result → kernel
+                    ↓
+     workflow !== null → parseWorkflowTrigger (validation) → workflowManager.startWorkflow
+     scheduler.onSenseCompleted(senseName) → dependents with `on: [senseName]`
 ```
 
-## Two Output Formats
+## Workflow trigger shape
 
-### 1. Explicit Format
-```typescript
-{
-  signal: any,           // emitted as signal
-  workflow: {           // optional workflow trigger
-    name: string,
-    maxRounds: number,
-    prompt: string,
-    dryRun: boolean
-  } | null
-}
-```
+When `workflow` is non-null it must be a plain object validated by `parseWorkflowTrigger()` in `packages/core/src/sense.ts`:
 
-### 2. Shorthand Format
-Any other value is treated as:
-```typescript
-{ signal: payload, workflow: null }
-```
-
-## Workflow Directive Parsing
-
-## Concrete Routing Predicates
-
-The routing decision is implemented in `routeSenseComputeOutput()` using these exact matching criteria:
-
-### 1. Explicit Format Detection
-```typescript
-if (isPlainRecord(payload) && Object.hasOwn(payload, "signal"))
-```
-- Payload must be a plain object
-- Must have `signal` property (any value)
-- Workflow extracted from `workflow` property or defaults to null
-
-### 2. Workflow Validation
-When workflow is non-null, it's validated via `parseWorkflowTrigger()`:
-- `name`: non-empty string (trimmed)  
-- `maxRounds`: positive integer >= 1
+- `name`: non-empty string  
+- `maxRounds`: integer ≥ 1  
 - `prompt`: string  
 - `dryRun`: boolean  
 
-**Critical behavior**: Invalid workflows are silently dropped (become null) but signal emission continues. This prevents malformed workflow config from blocking signals.
+Invalid triggers are rejected by the daemon when handling the worker message (workflow is not started).
 
-### 3. Fallback to Shorthand
-Any value that doesn't match explicit format becomes:
-```typescript
-{ signal: payload, workflow: null }
-```
+## Scheduling
 
-## Processing Flow
-
-```typescript
-// In kernel.ts handleSenseWorkerSignal()
-const { signal: signalPayload, workflow } = routeResult.value;
-
-// Signal is ALWAYS emitted when compute returns non-null
-bus.emit({ id, senseId, payload: signalPayload, timestamp });
-
-// Workflow is started ONLY if workflow is non-null
-if (workflow !== null) {
-  workflowManager.startWorkflow(workflow.name, { ... });
-}
-```
-
-## Legacy String Format (Deprecated)
-
-The old `"name|maxRounds|prompt"` string format is converted to the structured format internally but should not be used in new code.
-
-## Key Behaviors
-
-1. **Signal priority**: Every non-null compute result emits a signal, regardless of workflow
-2. **Additive behavior**: Valid workflow triggers are executed in addition to signal emission
-3. **Failure tolerance**: Invalid workflow directives are silently ignored, signal still emits
-4. **Structure-based routing**: No complex predicates - simply checks object structure and property existence
-
-This routing mechanism ensures clean separation between perception (signals) and action (workflows) while maintaining backward compatibility.
+Other senses list this sense under `on` in `nerve.yaml` to be scheduled when this sense completes a successful compute (see sense scheduler reverse-index in the daemon).

CLAUDE.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 ## Core Concepts
 
 ```
-External World → Sense → Signal → Workflow → Log
+External World → Sense(state) → { newState, workflow? } → Workflow → Log
                   ↑                                     ↑
               "what to observe"                  "what to do"
 ```
@@ -14,18 +14,17 @@ External World → Sense → Signal → Workflow → Log
 
 | Concept | What it is |
 |---------|-----------|
-| **Sense** | A `compute()` function that samples or derives data. Returns `ComputeResult<T>` — non-null emits a Signal (and optionally triggers a Workflow), null is silent. Each Sense has its own SQLite database. Scheduling (interval, on) is configured in nerve.yaml. |
-| **Signal** | A notification emitted when a Sense returns non-null. Pure fact, no intent. Distributed via an in-memory Signal Bus. Not persisted. |
+| **Sense** | A stateful `compute(state)` function. Returns new state and an optional workflow trigger. State persisted as JSON. Scheduling configured in nerve.yaml. |
 | **Workflow** | A stateful multi-step execution. Contains **Roles** (actors with side effects) and a **Moderator** (pure router). Each instance is a **Thread** with a unique `runId`. |
 | **Log** | Immutable audit trail. Records executions, state transitions, errors. Cannot trigger Senses — prevents feedback loops. |
-| **Engine** | The kernel orchestrating everything. Holds Signal Bus, Process Manager, Workflow Manager. Never loads user code directly — all user code runs in isolated Workers. |
+| **Engine** | The kernel orchestrating everything. Holds Process Manager, Workflow Manager, Sense Scheduler. Never loads user code directly — all user code runs in isolated Workers. |
 | **Daemon** | The `nerve-daemon` package — engine runtime. Runs as a background process. |
 
 ### Architecture Rules
 
 - **Two extension points**: Sense (what to observe + when), Workflow (what to do)
 - **Process isolation**: One worker per Sense group (long-lived), one per Workflow type (on-demand). Workers never talk to each other.
-- **Causality is one-directional**: External world → Sense → Signal → Workflow + Log. Logs are the end of the chain.
+- **Causality is one-directional**: External world → Sense(state) → Workflow (when triggered) + Log. Logs are the end of the chain.
 
 
 
@@ -37,18 +36,18 @@ Use `function` + `type`, not `class` + `interface`.
 
 ```typescript
 // ✅ Good
-type Signal = {
-  senseId: string;
-  value: unknown;
+type WorkflowLaunch = {
+  senseName: string;
+  workflowName: string;
   ts: number;
 };
 
-function createSignal(senseId: string, value: unknown): Signal {
-  return { senseId, value, ts: Date.now() };
+function recordWorkflowLaunch(senseName: string, workflowName: string): WorkflowLaunch {
+  return { senseName, workflowName, ts: Date.now() };
 }
 
 // ❌ Bad — no class, no interface
-class Signal implements ISignal { ... }
+class WorkflowLaunch implements IWorkflowLaunch { ... }
 ```
 
 ### Rules
@@ -92,12 +91,20 @@ type SenseConfig = {
 For mutually exclusive fields, use discriminated unions:
 
 ```typescript
-// ✅ Good
-type ComputeResult<T> =
-  | null
-  | { signal: T; workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null };
+// ✅ Good — sense modules return explicit next state + optional workflow trigger
+type SenseComputeReturn<S> = {
+  state: S;
+  workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null;
+};
 ```
 
+### Workflow Naming
+
+Workflow identifiers — `WorkflowDefinition.name`, the directory under `workflows/`, and keys under `workflows:` in `nerve.yaml` — must use **verb-first** kebab-case phrases so the name reads as an action.
+
+- ✅ `solve-issue`, `extract-knowledge`, `develop-sense`
+- ❌ `knowledge-extraction`, `issue-solver`
+
 ### Workflow authoring (user modules)
 
 Roles and moderators take **ThreadContext** (`threadId`, `start`, `steps`) — not separate `StartStep` / message arrays.
@@ -132,9 +139,9 @@ const workflow: WorkflowDefinition<Record<"planner", MyMeta>> = {
 
 | Type | Style | Example |
 |------|-------|---------|
-| Files | kebab-case | `signal-bus.ts` |
-| Types | PascalCase | `SignalBus` |
-| Functions/variables | camelCase | `createSignalBus` |
+| Files | kebab-case | `sense-scheduler.ts` |
+| Types | PascalCase | `SenseScheduler` |
+| Functions/variables | camelCase | `createSenseScheduler` |
 | Constants | UPPER_SNAKE | `MAX_RETRY_COUNT` |
 | Generics | Single letter or descriptive | `T`, `TValue` |
 

README.md

@@ -2,35 +2,34 @@
 
 **Observation engine for autonomous agents** — sense the world, react to changes, run workflows.
 
-Nerve is a lightweight daemon that continuously observes external state through **Senses**, reacts via declarative **Reflexes**, and orchestrates multi-step **Workflows**. Built for the [Uncaged](https://github.com/uncaged) agent framework.
+Nerve is a lightweight daemon that continuously observes external state through **Senses** (stateful `compute(state)` + JSON persistence), schedules them via **`interval` / `on`** in `nerve.yaml`, and orchestrates multi-step **Workflows**. Built for the [Uncaged](https://github.com/uncaged) agent framework.
 
 ## Core Concepts
 
 ```
-External World → Sense ─┬→ Signal → Reflex → Sense (scheduled compute)
-                        │
-                        └→ Workflow (Sense return with workflow directive) → Log
+External World → Sense(state) → { newState, workflow? } → Workflow → Log
+                  ↑
+          scheduling: interval / on (per sense in nerve.yaml)
 ```
 
 | Concept | Metaphor | Role |
 |---------|----------|------|
-| **Sense** | 👁️ Perception | A `compute()` function that samples or derives data. Each sense has its own SQLite database. |
-| **Reflex** | ⚡ Reaction | Declarative rules that **only schedule Sense computes** (interval and/or `on` signal names). Reflex YAML cannot reference workflows. |
-| **Signal** | 📡 Notification | Emitted when a sense returns a non-null value that is routed as a normal signal (see Sense → Workflow below). Other reflexes can listen via `on`. |
-| **Workflow** | 🔧 Action | Stateful multi-step execution with Roles and a Moderator. Started from a Sense return value or from CLI/daemon IPC—not from reflex YAML. |
-| **Log** | 📝 Record | Immutable audit trail. Queryable by senses, but **cannot** trigger reflexes (prevents feedback loops). |
+| **Sense** | 👁️ Perception | Stateful `compute(state)` returning `{ state, workflow }`. State lives in `data/senses/<name>.json`. |
+| **Schedule** | ⏱️ When | Each sense entry sets optional `interval` (periodic) and `on: [other senses]` (run after those senses complete a compute). |
+| **Workflow** | 🔧 Action | Stateful multi-step execution with Roles and a Moderator. Started when `workflow` is non-null in the compute result, or via CLI/daemon IPC. |
+| **Log** | 📝 Record | Immutable audit trail. **Cannot** schedule senses or workflows (prevents feedback loops). |
 
-**Sense → Workflow:** if `compute()` returns a plain object with a string field `workflow` in the form `name|maxRounds|prompt` (only the first two `|` delimit name and rounds; the rest is the prompt), the engine starts that workflow and **does not** emit a Signal for that return. `workflow: null` or `""` means “emit a signal” and strip the key from the payload. Invalid `workflow` strings are treated like a normal signal (directive stripped). See `@uncaged/nerve-core` `routeSenseComputeOutput` / `parseSenseWorkflowDirective`.
+**Sense → Workflow:** when `workflow` is a structured object `{ name, maxRounds, prompt, dryRun }`, the kernel validates it (`@uncaged/nerve-core` `parseWorkflowTrigger`) and starts that workflow. Use `workflow: null` when no run should start.
 
-Three extension points for **what / when / multi-step action** — reflexes never replace Sense-driven workflow launches.
+Two extension points for **what to observe (+ when)** vs **multi-step action** — scheduling is declarative config on each sense, not a separate YAML section.
 
 ## Packages
 
 | Package | Description |
 |---------|-------------|
-| [`@uncaged/nerve-core`](./packages/core) | Shared types, config parser, Sense→workflow routing, daemon IPC protocol |
+| [`@uncaged/nerve-core`](./packages/core) | Shared types, config parser, workflow trigger validation, daemon IPC protocol |
 | [`@uncaged/nerve-store`](./packages/store) | Append-only log SQLite, JSONL archive, CAS blob store, workflow run rows |
-| [`@uncaged/nerve-daemon`](./packages/daemon) | Kernel, workers, signal bus, sense scheduler, workflow manager, file watcher, IPC |
+| [`@uncaged/nerve-daemon`](./packages/daemon) | Kernel, sense workers, sense scheduler, workflow manager, file watcher, IPC |
 | [`@uncaged/nerve-cli`](./packages/cli) | CLI (`nerve`) — init, validate, daemon, dev, logs, sense, store, workflow |
 
 ## Quick Start
@@ -43,24 +42,28 @@ pnpm add -g @uncaged/nerve-cli
 mkdir my-agent && cd my-agent
 nerve init
 
-# Write a sense
-cat > senses/cpu-usage/compute.ts << 'EOF'
-export async function compute() {
-  const [load] = (await import("node:os")).loadavg();
-  return load > 2.0 ? { load } : null;  // signal only when load is high
+# Write a sense (see `nerve init` for the full template)
+mkdir -p senses/cpu-usage/src
+cat > senses/cpu-usage/src/index.ts << 'EOF'
+import { loadavg } from "node:os";
+
+type CpuState = { lastLoad: number };
+
+export const initialState: CpuState = { lastLoad: 0 };
+
+export async function compute(state: CpuState) {
+  const [oneMin] = loadavg();
+  const lastLoad = typeof oneMin === "number" && !Number.isNaN(oneMin) ? oneMin : 0;
+  return { state: { lastLoad }, workflow: null };
 }
 EOF
 
-# Configure reflexes in nerve.yaml
+# Configure scheduling on each sense in nerve.yaml
 cat > nerve.yaml << 'EOF'
 senses:
   cpu-usage:
     group: system
     throttle: 10s
-
-reflexes:
-  - kind: sense
-    sense: cpu-usage
     interval: 30s
 EOF
 
@@ -73,7 +76,7 @@ nerve logs         # view logs
 
 ## Configuration
 
-`nerve.yaml` declares senses, reflexes (sense-only), optional workflows (concurrency), and optional engine `max_rounds`:
+`nerve.yaml` declares senses (each with optional `interval` / `on`), optional workflows (concurrency), and optional engine `max_rounds`. Top-level `reflexes` is **not** supported — use `interval` and `on` on each sense.
 
 ```yaml
 max_rounds: 100              # default moderator cap (e.g. CLI workflow trigger)
@@ -84,12 +87,15 @@ senses:
     throttle: 10s          # min interval between computes
     timeout: 30s           # max compute duration
     grace_period: 5s       # wait before first compute after startup
-
-reflexes:
-  - kind: sense
-    sense: cpu-usage
     interval: 30s          # periodic trigger
-    on: [disk-pressure]    # also trigger on signals from other senses
+
+  derived-example:
+    group: system
+    throttle: null
+    timeout: 30s
+    grace_period: null
+    on:
+      - cpu-usage          # run after cpu-usage completes a compute
 
 workflows:
   cleanup:
@@ -101,17 +107,24 @@ workflows:
     max_queue: 20
 ```
 
-YAML must **not** include `workflow:` under `reflexes` — the parser rejects it. Declare workflows under `workflows:` and start them from Sense `compute()` or `nerve workflow trigger`.
+Declare workflows under `workflows:` and start them from Sense `compute()` (non-null `workflow`) or `nerve workflow trigger`.
 
-**Example — Sense starts a workflow** (`senses/disk-pressure/compute.ts`):
+**Example — Sense starts a workflow** (`senses/disk-pressure/src/index.ts`):
 
 ```typescript
-export async function compute() {
+export const initialState = { checked: false };
+
+export async function compute(state: typeof initialState) {
   const full = await diskNearlyFull();
-  if (!full) return null;
+  if (!full) return { state: { ...state, checked: true }, workflow: null };
   return {
-    path: "/data",
-    workflow: "cleanup|10|Disk partition nearly full", // name|maxRounds|prompt
+    state: { ...state, checked: true },
+    workflow: {
+      name: "cleanup",
+      maxRounds: 10,
+      prompt: "Disk partition nearly full",
+      dryRun: false,
+    },
   };
 }
 ```
@@ -138,12 +151,9 @@ export async function compute() {
 │         │                 └──────────────┼──────────────┘            │
 │         │                                ▼                            │
 │         │                        ┌──────────────┐                     │
-│         │                        │  Signal Bus  │                     │
+│         │                        │Sense Scheduler                     │
+│         │                        │(interval + on)                     │
 │         │                        └──────┬───────┘                     │
-│         │                               ▼                             │
-│         │                     ┌──────────────────┐                      │
-│         │                     │ Reflex Scheduler│                      │
-│         │                     └────────┬─────────┘                     │
 │         │                              ▼                              │
 │         │                    ┌───────────────────┐                    │
 │         └───────────────────►│ Workflow Manager  │──→ @uncaged/nerve-store │
@@ -152,8 +162,7 @@ export async function compute() {
 ```
 
 - **Worker pool** — one child process per sense group; isolation between groups.
-- **Signal Bus** — in-memory pub/sub for signal distribution.
-- **Reflex Scheduler** — interval timers + signal subscriptions, with throttle/coalesce.
+- **Sense scheduler** — interval timers + `on` reverse-index (upstream sense → dependents), with throttle/coalesce.
 - **Workflow Manager** — concurrency (drop/queue), per-workflow workers, crash recovery.
 - **File watcher** — hot reload for config, sense modules, and workflow modules.
 - **Daemon IPC** — Unix domain socket; used by the CLI when the daemon is running.
@@ -161,8 +170,8 @@ export async function compute() {
 
 ## Tech Stack
 
-- **Zero native addons** — uses Node.js built-in `node:sqlite` (DatabaseSync)
-- **Drizzle ORM** v1.0 for sense databases
+- **Zero native addons** — uses Node.js built-in `node:sqlite` (DatabaseSync) for logs / workflow persistence via `@uncaged/nerve-store`
+- **Sense state as JSON** — files under `data/senses/` written by sense workers
 - **rslib** (rspack) for building
 - **Biome** for formatting/linting
 - **Vitest** for testing
@@ -180,7 +189,7 @@ pnpm -r test     # run all tests
 
 ## Design Documents
 
-- [RFC-001: Observation Engine](./docs/rfc-001-observation-engine.md) — Sense, Signal, Reflex model
+- [RFC-001: Observation Engine](./docs/rfc-001-observation-engine.md) — historical sense / scheduling model (superseded in places by stateful senses — see `CLAUDE.md`)
 - [RFC-002: Workflow Engine](./docs/rfc-002-workflow-engine.md) — Stateful workflow execution
 - [Coding Conventions](./docs/coding-conventions.md)
 

docs/coding-conventions.md

@@ -8,25 +8,29 @@
 
 ```typescript
 // ✅ Good
-type Signal = {
-  senseId: string
-  value: unknown
+type WorkflowLaunch = {
+  senseName: string
+  workflowName: string
   ts: number
 }
 
-function createSignal(senseId: string, value: unknown): Signal {
-  return { senseId, value, ts: Date.now() }
+function recordWorkflowLaunch(senseName: string, workflowName: string): WorkflowLaunch {
+  return { senseName, workflowName, ts: Date.now() }
 }
 
 // ❌ Bad
-interface ISignal {
-  senseId: string
-  value: unknown
+interface IWorkflowLaunch {
+  senseName: string
+  workflowName: string
   ts: number
 }
 
-class Signal implements ISignal {
-  constructor(public senseId: string, public value: unknown, public ts: number) {}
+class WorkflowLaunch implements IWorkflowLaunch {
+  constructor(
+    public senseName: string,
+    public workflowName: string,
+    public ts: number,
+  ) {}
 }
 ```
 
@@ -65,17 +69,16 @@ type SenseConfig = {
 当多个字段互斥时，用 discriminated union 代替一堆 optional：
 
 ```typescript
-// ✅ Good — 编译器保证 sense 和 workflow 不会同时出现
-type ReflexConfig =
-  | { kind: "sense"; sense: string; interval: string | null; on: string[] | null }
-  | { kind: "workflow"; workflow: string; on: string[] | null }
+// ✅ Good — 编译器保证两种 overflow 形态互斥且字段完整
+type WorkflowConfig =
+  | { concurrency: number; overflow: "drop" }
+  | { concurrency: number; overflow: "queue"; maxQueue: number }
 
-// ❌ Bad — sense 和 workflow 都 optional，运行时才知道到底填了哪个
-type ReflexConfig = {
-  sense?: string;
-  workflow?: string;
-  interval?: string;
-  on?: string[];
+// ❌ Bad — 字段一堆 optional，运行时才知道到底填了哪种并发策略
+type WorkflowConfig = {
+  concurrency?: number;
+  overflow?: string;
+  maxQueue?: number;
 }
 ```
 
@@ -103,9 +106,9 @@ export default function startEngine() { ... }
 
 | 类型 | 风格 | 示例 |
 |------|------|------|
-| 文件 | kebab-case | `signal-bus.ts` |
-| 类型 | PascalCase | `SignalBus` |
-| 函数/变量 | camelCase | `createSignalBus` |
+| 文件 | kebab-case | `sense-scheduler.ts` |
+| 类型 | PascalCase | `SenseScheduler` |
+| 函数/变量 | camelCase | `createSenseScheduler` |
 | 常量 | UPPER_SNAKE | `MAX_RETRY_COUNT` |
 | 泛型参数 | 单字母或描述性 | `T`, `TValue` |
 

docs/dead-code-analysis.md

@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@
 
 | 项目 | 位置 | 说明 | 置信度 | 建议 |
 |------|------|------|--------|------|
-| 已更名 API 仍出现在 README | `packages/core/README.md` | 仍描述 `parseSenseWorkflowDirective`、`ParsedSenseWorkflowDirective`、`SenseComputeRoute`；源码已为 `parseWorkflowTrigger` / `routeSenseComputeOutput` / `RoutedSenseOutput` | **高** | **更新文档**（本次分析不改代码，仅记录）。 |
+| ~~已更名 API 仍出现在 README~~ | `packages/core/README.md` | （已修正）文档与 stateful sense、`parseWorkflowTrigger` 对齐；`routeSenseComputeOutput` 已移除 | — | 关闭 |
 | Hermes 选项合并注释 | `packages/workflow-utils/src/shared/hermes-agent.ts` | 注释称 absorbed from `hermes-options.ts`，该文件已不存在 | **中** | **清理注释**，避免误导。 |
 | `KNOWN_AGENT_ADAPTER_IDS` 含 `codex` | `packages/core/src/agent.ts` | 仓内无 `codex` 适配器包；与常量未被引用叠加 | **中** | **对齐产品**：实现适配器或从列表移除。 |
 
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 1. **高优先级调查**: `createEchoAgent` 与 `KNOWN_AGENT_ADAPTER_IDS` — 要么接入运行时，要么删减以免维护假象。  
 2. **API 面收敛**: `parseDurationStringToMs`、`labelSenseTrigger` 若无意对外，可从 `core` 公共导出移除。  
 3. **`workflow-utils`**: 评估 `isDryRun` 删除；`spawnSafe` 等从 `workflow-utils` 再导出是否仍有必要。  
-4. **文档**: 修正 `packages/core/README.md` 中 Sense→Workflow 路由 API 名称。  
+4. ~~**文档**: 修正 `packages/core/README.md` 中 Sense→Workflow 路由 API 名称。~~（已完成）  
 
 ---
 

examples/cpu-usage/index.ts

@@ -1,22 +1,17 @@
 import { loadavg } from "node:os";
 
-import type { DrizzleDB, PeerMap } from "@uncaged/nerve-daemon";
+type CpuState = {
+  samples: Array<{ ts: number; value: number }>;
+};
 
-import { samples } from "./schema.js";
+export const initialState: CpuState = { samples: [] };
 
-/**
- * Read the 1-minute CPU load average, persist it, and emit a Signal.
- *
- * Returns `null` only if `loadavg` is unavailable (non-POSIX platforms).
- * On every successful read a row is inserted and a Signal is emitted with the load value.
- */
-export async function compute(db: DrizzleDB, _peers: PeerMap) {
+export async function compute(state: CpuState): Promise<{
+  state: CpuState;
+  workflow: null;
+}> {
   const [oneMin] = loadavg();
-
-  if (typeof oneMin !== "number" || Number.isNaN(oneMin)) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
-  await db.insert(samples).values({ ts: Date.now(), value: oneMin });
-  return { signal: oneMin, workflow: null };
+  const value = typeof oneMin === "number" && !Number.isNaN(oneMin) ? oneMin : 0;
+  const newSamples = [...state.samples.slice(-99), { ts: Date.now(), value }];
+  return { state: { samples: newSamples }, workflow: null };
 }

examples/cpu-usage/migrations/0001_init.sql

@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
--- Migration: 0001_init
--- Creates the samples table for the cpu-usage sense.
-
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS samples (
-  ts    INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
-  value REAL    NOT NULL
-);

examples/cpu-usage/schema.ts

@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-import { integer, real, sqliteTable } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core";
-
-/**
- * Each row records one CPU load sample.
- * `ts` is the Unix timestamp in milliseconds (primary key, append-only).
- * `value` is the 1-minute load average from os.loadavg()[0].
- */
-export const samples = sqliteTable("samples", {
-  ts: integer("ts").primaryKey(),
-  value: real("value").notNull(),
-});

examples/nerve.yaml

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-# Example nerve.yaml demonstrating Signal Bus & Reflex Scheduler (Phase 3)
+# Example nerve.yaml demonstrating per-sense scheduling (interval + on)
 #
 # Layout:
 #   - cpu-usage: periodic every 10s, throttled to 5s minimum between computes
 #   - disk-usage: periodic every 30s
-#   - system-health: derived sense, triggered whenever cpu-usage OR disk-usage emits
+#   - system-health: derived sense, scheduled when cpu-usage OR disk-usage completes a compute
 
 senses:
   cpu-usage:

examples/senses/nerve-health.ts

@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@
  * nerve-health — built-in sense that reports daemon health via IPC.
  *
  * When running inside a sense worker, this compute function sends a
- * "health-request" to the parent kernel process and returns the
- * health-response payload as its signal.
+ * "health-request" to the parent kernel process and merges the response into state.
  *
  * Usage in nerve.yaml:
  *   senses:
@@ -22,9 +21,23 @@ export type NerveHealth = {
   workerUptime: number;
 };
 
-export async function compute() {
+type HealthState = {
+  lastCheck: number | null;
+  lastHealth: NerveHealth | null;
+};
+
+export const initialState: HealthState = { lastCheck: null, lastHealth: null };
+
+export async function compute(_state: HealthState): Promise<{
+  state: HealthState;
+  workflow: null;
+}> {
+  void _state;
   const health = await requestHealthFromKernel();
-  return { signal: health, workflow: null };
+  return {
+    state: { lastCheck: Date.now(), lastHealth: health },
+    workflow: null,
+  };
 }
 
 function requestHealthFromKernel(): Promise<NerveHealth> {

package.json

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "prepare": "husky",
     "build": "pnpm -r run build",
+    "test": "pnpm -r test",
     "check": "biome check .",
     "format": "biome format --write .",
     "link:dev": "bash scripts/link-dev.sh"

packages/cli/README.md

@@ -51,10 +51,10 @@ Structured rows in `data/logs.db` are surfaced via **`nerve workflow inspect`**
 ```bash
 nerve sense list            # List senses (live fields from daemon IPC when running)
 nerve sense trigger <name>  # IPC trigger-sense — queue a compute for that sense
-nerve sense query <name>    # Read-only SQL on data/senses/<name>.db (optional SQL args)
-nerve sense schema <name>   # Print CREATE TABLE statements for that sense DB
 ```
 
+Sense state is persisted as JSON under `data/senses/<name>.json` by the sense worker after each successful compute.
+
 ### Store maintenance
 
 ```bash

packages/cli/src/__tests__/create-sense.test.ts

@@ -4,12 +4,7 @@
 
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
-import {
-  buildSenseIndexTs,
-  buildSenseMigrationSql,
-  buildSenseSchemaTs,
-  validateResourceName,
-} from "../commands/create.js";
+import { buildSenseIndexTs, validateResourceName } from "../commands/create.js";
 
 describe("validateSenseName", () => {
   it("accepts valid ids", () => {
@@ -25,39 +20,13 @@ describe("validateSenseName", () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe("buildSenseSchemaTs", () => {
-  it("maps kebab-case id to snake table and camel export", () => {
-    const src = buildSenseSchemaTs("my-sense");
-    expect(src).toContain('sqliteTable("my_sense"');
-    expect(src).toContain("export const mySense = ");
-  });
-
-  it("handles single-segment id", () => {
-    const src = buildSenseSchemaTs("metrics");
-    expect(src).toContain('sqliteTable("metrics"');
-    expect(src).toContain("export const metrics = ");
-  });
-});
-
-describe("buildSenseMigrationSql", () => {
-  it("uses snake_case table name", () => {
-    expect(buildSenseMigrationSql("disk-io")).toContain("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS disk_io");
-  });
-});
-
 describe("buildSenseIndexTs", () => {
-  it("embeds sense id in stub with TypeScript types", () => {
+  it("generates a stateful sense stub with TypeScript types", () => {
     const ts = buildSenseIndexTs("my-sense");
-    expect(ts).toContain("my-sense");
-    expect(ts).toContain("export { mySense as table }");
+    expect(ts).toContain("type SenseState");
+    expect(ts).toContain("export const initialState");
     expect(ts).toContain("export async function compute");
-    expect(ts).toContain("LibSQLDatabase");
-    expect(ts).toContain("Promise<SenseResult>");
-    expect(ts).toContain('from "./schema.js"');
-  });
-
-  it("imports the correct schema export", () => {
-    const ts = buildSenseIndexTs("cpu-usage");
-    expect(ts).toContain("cpuUsage");
+    expect(ts).toContain("workflow: null");
+    expect(ts).toContain("lastRun");
   });
 });

packages/cli/src/__tests__/e2e-create.test.ts

@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ describe("e2e create", () => {
   );
 
   it(
-    "create sense scaffolds src/, migration, and root build emits dist/senses/<name>/index.js",
+    "create sense scaffolds src/ and root build emits dist/senses/<name>/index.js",
     { timeout: 120_000 },
     async () => {
       fakeHome = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-create-e2e-"));
@@ -162,8 +162,6 @@ describe("e2e create", () => {
       const base = join(nerveRoot, "senses", "e2e-sense");
       expect(existsSync(join(base, "package.json"))).toBe(false);
       expect(existsSync(join(base, "src", "index.ts"))).toBe(true);
-      expect(existsSync(join(base, "src", "schema.ts"))).toBe(true);
-      expect(existsSync(join(base, "migrations", "0001_init.sql"))).toBe(true);
       expect(existsSync(join(nerveRoot, "dist", "senses", "e2e-sense", "index.js"))).toBe(true);
     },
   );

packages/cli/src/__tests__/e2e-harness.ts

@@ -2,14 +2,7 @@
  * Shared E2E harness: temp HOME layout (`.uncaged-nerve`), real kernel + sense worker,
  * IPC socket for CLI, and `runCommand` helpers with captured stdio.
  *
- * ## Signal persistence (CLI `nerve sense list`)
- *
- * The kernel appends a `source: "sense", type: "signal"` row to `data/logs.db` when a
- * worker emits a signal (see `packages/daemon/src/kernel.ts`). The daemon also
- * auto-persists each signal into a `_signals` table in the per-sense SQLite DB
- * (see `runtime.persistSignal` in `packages/daemon/src/sense-runtime.ts`).
- * `listSenses()` reads `lastSignalTimestamp` from the kernel's in-memory state,
- * while `sense query` reads from the `_signals` table (or a user-defined preview table).
+ * Stateful senses persist JSON under `data/senses/<name>.json` (see sense-worker).
  *
  * ## Timeout guard (vitest)
  *
@@ -37,15 +30,7 @@
  * ```
  */
 
-import {
-  existsSync,
-  mkdirSync,
-  mkdtempSync,
-  readFileSync,
-  rmSync,
-  symlinkSync,
-  writeFileSync,
-} from "node:fs";
+import { existsSync, mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, symlinkSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
@@ -69,27 +54,6 @@ const nerveDaemonRoot = dirname(require.resolve("@uncaged/nerve-daemon/package.j
 const senseWorkerScript = join(nerveDaemonRoot, "dist", "sense-worker.js");
 const workflowWorkerScript = join(nerveDaemonRoot, "dist", "workflow-worker.js");
 
-function resolveDrizzleOrmPackageRoot(): string {
-  const requireFromDaemon = createRequire(join(nerveDaemonRoot, "package.json"));
-  const entry = requireFromDaemon.resolve("drizzle-orm");
-  let dir = dirname(entry);
-  for (let i = 0; i < 12; i += 1) {
-    const pkgPath = join(dir, "package.json");
-    if (existsSync(pkgPath)) {
-      try {
-        const name = (JSON.parse(readFileSync(pkgPath, "utf8")) as { name: string }).name;
-        if (name === "drizzle-orm") return dir;
-      } catch {
-        // keep walking
-      }
-    }
-    const parent = dirname(dir);
-    if (parent === dir) break;
-    dir = parent;
-  }
-  throw new Error("Could not resolve drizzle-orm package root for e2e harness");
-}
-
 const nerveYamlTemplate = `senses:
   counter:
     group: e2e
@@ -150,52 +114,24 @@ api:
   host: 127.0.0.1
 `;
 
-/** Schema for sense signal rows persisted via \`db.insert(table)\` (see sense-runtime). */
-const counterMigration = `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS counter_signals (
-  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-  count INTEGER,
-  launched INTEGER,
-  idle INTEGER
-);
-`;
+/** Minimal counter sense — each compute increments \`count\` in persisted state. */
+const counterIndexJs = `export const initialState = { count: 0 };
 
-/**
- * Minimal counter sense — each compute returns an incrementing count.
- * Does NOT touch the DB directly in compute(); the daemon inserts into \`table\`
- * and persistSignal handles \`_signals\`.
- */
-const counterIndexJs = `import { integer, sqliteTable } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core";
-
-export const table = sqliteTable("counter_signals", {
-  id: integer("id").primaryKey({ autoIncrement: true }),
-  count: integer("count"),
-  launched: integer("launched"),
-  idle: integer("idle"),
-});
-
-let _count = 0;
-export async function compute(_db, _peers, _options) {
-  _count += 1;
-  return { signal: { count: _count }, workflow: null };
+export async function compute(state) {
+  return {
+    state: { count: state.count + 1 },
+    workflow: null,
+  };
 }
 `;
 
-/** First trigger launches local noop workflow; later triggers emit a plain signal. */
-const counterIndexJsWithNoopWorkflow = `import { integer, sqliteTable } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core";
+/** First trigger launches local noop workflow; later triggers only advance idleTicks. */
+const counterIndexJsWithNoopWorkflow = `export const initialState = { launched: false, idleTicks: 0 };
 
-export const table = sqliteTable("counter_signals", {
-  id: integer("id").primaryKey({ autoIncrement: true }),
-  count: integer("count"),
-  launched: integer("launched"),
-  idle: integer("idle"),
-});
-
-let _launched = false;
-export async function compute(_db, _peers, _options) {
-  if (!_launched) {
-    _launched = true;
+export async function compute(state) {
+  if (!state.launched) {
     return {
-      signal: { launched: 1 },
+      state: { launched: true, idleTicks: state.idleTicks },
       workflow: {
         name: "noop",
         maxRounds: 3,
@@ -204,7 +140,10 @@ export async function compute(_db, _peers, _options) {
       },
     };
   }
-  return { signal: { idle: 1 }, workflow: null };
+  return {
+    state: { launched: state.launched, idleTicks: state.idleTicks + 1 },
+    workflow: null,
+  };
 }
 `;
 
@@ -241,7 +180,6 @@ function defaultTestConfig(withNoopWorkflow: boolean): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -259,7 +197,6 @@ function defaultTestConfig(withNoopWorkflow: boolean): NerveConfig {
 function writeWorkspaceLayout(nerveRoot: string, withNoopWorkflow: boolean): void {
   mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "data", "senses"), { recursive: true });
   mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "data", "blobs"), { recursive: true });
-  mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "senses", "counter", "migrations"), { recursive: true });
   mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "dist", "senses", "counter"), { recursive: true });
   mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "dist", "workflows", "echo"), { recursive: true });
   writeFileSync(
@@ -267,11 +204,6 @@ function writeWorkspaceLayout(nerveRoot: string, withNoopWorkflow: boolean): voi
     withNoopWorkflow ? nerveYamlWithNoopWorkflow : nerveYamlTemplate,
     "utf8",
   );
-  writeFileSync(
-    join(nerveRoot, "senses", "counter", "migrations", "001.sql"),
-    counterMigration,
-    "utf8",
-  );
   writeFileSync(
     join(nerveRoot, "dist", "senses", "counter", "index.js"),
     withNoopWorkflow ? counterIndexJsWithNoopWorkflow : counterIndexJs,
@@ -325,10 +257,6 @@ export function linkWorkspaceDaemonIntoNerveRoot(nerveRoot: string): void {
   mkdirSync(linkDir, { recursive: true });
   const linkPath = join(linkDir, "nerve-daemon");
   if (!existsSync(linkPath)) symlinkSync(daemonPkgRoot, linkPath);
-
-  const drizzlePkgRoot = resolveDrizzleOrmPackageRoot();
-  const drizzleLink = join(nm, "drizzle-orm");
-  if (!existsSync(drizzleLink)) symlinkSync(drizzlePkgRoot, drizzleLink);
 }
 
 /**

packages/cli/src/__tests__/e2e-sense-query.test.ts

@@ -1,121 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * E2E: `nerve sense query` against a real daemon + persisted `_signals` (issue #156).
- */
-
-import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join } from "node:path";
-import { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
-
-import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-
-import {
-  type TestDaemonHandle,
-  pollUntil,
-  runCli,
-  startTestDaemon,
-  stopTestDaemon,
-} from "./e2e-harness.js";
-
-describe("e2e sense query", () => {
-  let daemon: TestDaemonHandle | null = null;
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    const h = daemon;
-    daemon = null;
-    if (h === null) return;
-    await Promise.race([
-      stopTestDaemon(h),
-      new Promise<never>((_, reject) =>
-        setTimeout(() => reject(new Error("stopTestDaemon timed out after 10s")), 10_000),
-      ),
-    ]);
-  });
-
-  async function waitForSignalsPersisted(handle: TestDaemonHandle): Promise<void> {
-    const dbPath = join(handle.nerveRoot, "data", "senses", "counter.db");
-    await pollUntil(() => {
-      if (!existsSync(dbPath)) return false;
-      try {
-        const db = new DatabaseSync(dbPath, { readOnly: true });
-        const row = db.prepare("SELECT COUNT(*) as cnt FROM _signals").get() as
-          | { cnt: number }
-          | undefined;
-        db.close();
-        return row !== undefined && row.cnt > 0;
-      } catch {
-        return false;
-      }
-    }, 10_000);
-  }
-
-  /** Start daemon, trigger counter, wait until `_signals` has a row. */
-  async function startDaemonWithPersistedSignal(): Promise<TestDaemonHandle> {
-    const handle = await startTestDaemon();
-    const triggerResult = await runCli(handle, ["sense", "trigger", "counter"]);
-    expect(triggerResult.exitCode).toBe(0);
-    expect(triggerResult.stdout).toContain("Triggered");
-    await waitForSignalsPersisted(handle);
-    return handle;
-  }
-
-  it(
-    "after trigger, persisted _signals and sense query counter returns at least one row",
-    { timeout: 30_000 },
-    async () => {
-      daemon = await startDaemonWithPersistedSignal();
-
-      const queryResult = await runCli(daemon, ["sense", "query", "counter"]);
-      expect(queryResult.exitCode).toBe(0);
-      expect(queryResult.stdout).not.toContain("(0 rows)");
-    },
-  );
-
-  it(
-    "default sense query output lists payload column and counter count in payload",
-    { timeout: 30_000 },
-    async () => {
-      daemon = await startDaemonWithPersistedSignal();
-
-      const queryResult = await runCli(daemon, ["sense", "query", "counter"]);
-      expect(queryResult.exitCode).toBe(0);
-      expect(queryResult.stdout).toContain("payload");
-      expect(queryResult.stdout).toMatch(/count/);
-    },
-  );
-
-  it(
-    "nerve sense query counter --json prints a JSON array with payload on each row",
-    { timeout: 30_000 },
-    async () => {
-      daemon = await startDaemonWithPersistedSignal();
-
-      const jsonResult = await runCli(daemon, ["sense", "query", "counter", "--json"]);
-      expect(jsonResult.exitCode).toBe(0);
-      const rows = JSON.parse(jsonResult.stdout.trim()) as unknown;
-      expect(Array.isArray(rows)).toBe(true);
-      expect(rows.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
-      for (const row of rows as Record<string, unknown>[]) {
-        expect(Object.keys(row)).toContain("payload");
-      }
-    },
-  );
-
-  it(
-    "nerve sense query counter --sql runs custom read-only SQL and prints total column",
-    { timeout: 30_000 },
-    async () => {
-      daemon = await startDaemonWithPersistedSignal();
-
-      const sqlResult = await runCli(daemon, [
-        "sense",
-        "query",
-        "counter",
-        "--sql",
-        "SELECT count(*) as total FROM _signals",
-      ]);
-      expect(sqlResult.exitCode).toBe(0);
-      expect(sqlResult.stdout).toContain("total");
-      expect(sqlResult.stdout).not.toContain("(0 rows)");
-    },
-  );
-});

packages/cli/src/__tests__/e2e-smoke.test.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 /**
  * Smoke test: start a real daemon with a counter sense, trigger it,
- * then verify CLI commands can list and query the persisted signal.
+ * then verify CLI lists the sense and state file is written.
  */
 
+import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import {
@@ -28,46 +31,27 @@ describe("e2e smoke", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
-  it("sense list + sense query after trigger", { timeout: 30_000 }, async () => {
+  it("sense list after trigger and persisted counter state", { timeout: 30_000 }, async () => {
     daemon = await startTestDaemon();
 
-    // Trigger counter sense via IPC
     const triggerResult = await runCli(daemon, ["sense", "trigger", "counter"]);
     expect(triggerResult.exitCode).toBe(0);
     expect(triggerResult.stdout).toContain("Triggered");
 
-    // Wait for signal to be persisted (_signals table in the sense DB)
-    const { existsSync } = await import("node:fs");
-    const { join } = await import("node:path");
-    const { DatabaseSync } = await import("node:sqlite");
-
-    const dbPath = join(daemon.nerveRoot, "data", "senses", "counter.db");
+    const statePath = join(daemon.nerveRoot, "data", "senses", "counter.json");
     await pollUntil(() => {
-      if (!existsSync(dbPath)) return false;
       try {
-        const db = new DatabaseSync(dbPath, { readOnly: true });
-        const row = db.prepare("SELECT COUNT(*) as cnt FROM _signals").get() as
-          | { cnt: number }
-          | undefined;
-        db.close();
-        return row !== undefined && row.cnt > 0;
+        const raw = readFileSync(statePath, "utf8");
+        const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as { count?: number };
+        return typeof parsed.count === "number" && parsed.count >= 1;
       } catch {
         return false;
       }
     }, 10_000);
 
-    // nerve sense list — should show counter with a last signal timestamp
     const listResult = await runCli(daemon, ["sense", "list"]);
     expect(listResult.exitCode).toBe(0);
     expect(listResult.stdout).toContain("counter");
-    expect(listResult.stdout).toContain("last signal:");
-    // Should NOT say "(never)" since we triggered and persisted
-    expect(listResult.stdout).not.toContain("(never)");
-
-    // nerve sense query counter — should return rows from _signals
-    const queryResult = await runCli(daemon, ["sense", "query", "counter"]);
-    expect(queryResult.exitCode).toBe(0);
-    // Should have actual data rows (not "(0 rows)")
-    expect(queryResult.stdout).not.toContain("(0 rows)");
+    expect(listResult.stdout).not.toContain("last signal");
   });
 });

packages/cli/src/__tests__/e2e-validate-init.test.ts

@@ -210,10 +210,6 @@ describe("e2e init", () => {
     expect(agentMd).toContain("verb-first");
     expect(agentMd).toContain("createRole");
     expect(existsSync(join(nerveRoot, "senses", "cpu-usage", "src", "index.ts"))).toBe(true);
-    expect(existsSync(join(nerveRoot, "senses", "cpu-usage", "src", "schema.ts"))).toBe(true);
-    expect(existsSync(join(nerveRoot, "senses", "cpu-usage", "migrations", "0001_init.sql"))).toBe(
-      true,
-    );
     expect(existsSync(join(nerveRoot, ".cursor", "rules", "nerve-skills.mdc"))).toBe(true);
 
     const pkgJson = readFileSync(join(nerveRoot, "package.json"), "utf8");

packages/cli/src/__tests__/e2e/sense.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 ## sense list
 
-- ✅ prints sense list with name, group, throttle, triggers, and last signal time
+- ✅ prints sense list with name, group, throttle, triggers
 - 🔲 empty state — no senses registered, prints empty message
 - 🔲 `--json` — outputs valid JSON array
 
@@ -11,19 +11,3 @@
 - ✅ trigger known sense exits 0, stdout contains "Triggered"
 - ✅ trigger non-existent sense writes error to stderr and exits 1
 - ✅ sends correct IPC message `{ type: trigger-sense, sense: <name> }` to daemon
-
-## sense query
-
-- ✅ after trigger, persisted `_signals` table has at least one row
-- ✅ default output lists payload column and counter count
-- ✅ `--json` prints valid JSON array with payload on each row
-- ✅ `--sql` runs custom read-only SQL and prints result
-- 🔲 query non-existent sense — error message
-- 🔲 `--limit` / `--offset` pagination
-
-## sense schema
-
-- ✅ prints CREATE TABLE statements for the sense database
-- ✅ includes `_signals` table in output
-- ✅ `--json` prints valid JSON array of SQL strings
-- 🔲 schema for non-existent sense — error message

packages/cli/src/__tests__/e2e/smoke.md

@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@
 
 Full round-trip integration tests that exercise multiple subcommands together.
 
-- ✅ sense list + sense query after trigger — registers sense, triggers, verifies persisted signal and query output
+- ✅ sense list after trigger — daemon lists configured senses; trigger queues a compute (state persisted under `data/senses/` by the worker)
 - 🔲 init → dev → trigger workflow → thread inspect round-trip

packages/cli/src/__tests__/knowledge-query.test.ts

@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@ describe("queryKnowledgeRepo (word overlap fallback)", () => {
           path: "a.md",
           slug: "a.md#0",
           chunkIndex: 0,
-          text: "the signal bus emits notifications",
-          contentHash: contentHash("the signal bus emits notifications"),
+          text: "the sense scheduler triggers computes",
+          contentHash: contentHash("the sense scheduler triggers computes"),
           embedding: fakeEmbeddingBytes("a"),
         },
         {
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ describe("queryKnowledgeRepo (word overlap fallback)", () => {
       db.close();
     }
 
-    const ranked = await queryKnowledgeRepo(root, dbPath, "signal bus", 10);
+    const ranked = await queryKnowledgeRepo(root, dbPath, "sense scheduler", 10);
     expect(ranked.length).toBe(2);
     expect(ranked[0]?.path).toBe("a.md");
     expect(ranked[1]?.path).toBe("b.md");

packages/cli/src/__tests__/sense-list-e2e.test.ts

@@ -27,15 +27,12 @@ describe("nerve sense list CLI (runCommand + temp HOME + mock IPC socket)", () =
   let stdoutSpy: ReturnType<typeof vi.spyOn<typeof process.stdout, "write">> | null;
   let listSensesRequests: unknown[];
 
-  const LAST_SIGNAL_TS = 1_714_521_600_000; // fixed wall time for stable ISO in assertions
-
   const daemonSenseRow: SenseInfo = {
     name: "cpu-usage",
     group: "system",
     throttle: 5000,
     timeout: 3000,
     triggers: ["every 5s"],
-    lastSignalTimestamp: LAST_SIGNAL_TS,
   };
 
   function nerveYamlFixture(): string {
@@ -119,9 +116,7 @@ senses:
     rmSync(sockDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
   });
 
-  it("prints sense list from daemon path with name, group, throttle, trigger schedule, and last signal time", async () => {
-    // With a real daemon, we would wait for a compute cycle; the mock server
-    // returns SenseInfo as if one already produced lastSignalTimestamp.
+  it("prints sense list from daemon path with name, group, throttle, and trigger schedule", async () => {
     await runCommand(senseCommand, { rawArgs: ["list"] });
 
     expect(listSensesRequests).toHaveLength(1);
@@ -133,7 +128,6 @@ senses:
     expect(out).toContain("throttle: 5s");
     expect(out).toContain("timeout:  3s");
     expect(out).toContain("trigger schedule: every 5s");
-    expect(out).not.toContain("(never)");
-    expect(out).toContain(new Date(LAST_SIGNAL_TS).toISOString());
+    expect(out).not.toContain("last signal");
   });
 });

packages/cli/src/__tests__/sense-list.test.ts

@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ const SAMPLE_SENSES: SenseInfo[] = [
     throttle: 5000,
     timeout: 3000,
     triggers: ["every 30s", "on: cpu-threshold"],
-    lastSignalTimestamp: 1_700_000_000_000,
   },
   {
     name: "disk-usage",
@@ -38,7 +37,6 @@ const SAMPLE_SENSES: SenseInfo[] = [
     throttle: 30000,
     timeout: null,
     triggers: [],
-    lastSignalTimestamp: null,
   },
   {
     name: "active-tasks",
@@ -46,7 +44,6 @@ const SAMPLE_SENSES: SenseInfo[] = [
     throttle: 10000,
     timeout: 30000,
     triggers: ["every 1m"],
-    lastSignalTimestamp: null,
   },
 ];
 
@@ -122,15 +119,9 @@ describe("formatSenseList", () => {
     expect(output).toContain("(none)");
   });
 
-  it("shows '(never)' when lastSignalTimestamp is null", () => {
+  it("does not include last signal line", () => {
     const output = formatSenseList(SAMPLE_SENSES);
-    expect(output).toContain("(never)");
-  });
-
-  it("shows ISO timestamp when lastSignalTimestamp is set", () => {
-    const output = formatSenseList(SAMPLE_SENSES);
-    // cpu-usage has lastSignalTimestamp = 1_700_000_000_000
-    expect(output).toContain(new Date(1_700_000_000_000).toISOString());
+    expect(output).not.toContain("last signal");
   });
 });
 
@@ -181,29 +172,13 @@ senses:
     expect(result[0]).toMatchObject({
       name: "cpu-usage",
       group: "system",
-      lastSignalTimestamp: null,
     });
     expect(result[1]).toMatchObject({
       name: "disk-usage",
       group: "system",
-      lastSignalTimestamp: null,
     });
   });
 
-  it("always sets lastSignalTimestamp to null (static fallback)", () => {
-    const path = join(tmpDir, "nerve.yaml");
-    writeFileSync(
-      path,
-      `
-senses:
-  my-sense:
-    group: default
-`.trim(),
-    );
-    const result = sensesFromConfig(path);
-    expect(result[0].lastSignalTimestamp).toBeNull();
-  });
-
   it("populates throttle and timeout from config", () => {
     const path = join(tmpDir, "nerve.yaml");
     writeFileSync(
@@ -292,7 +267,6 @@ describe("listSensesViaDaemon", () => {
         throttle: 5000,
         timeout: 3000,
         triggers: [],
-        lastSignalTimestamp: 12345,
       },
     ];
     const server = createServer((s) => {

packages/cli/src/__tests__/sense-schema-e2e.test.ts

@@ -1,97 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * E2E-style tests for `nerve sense schema` with a temp HOME and a real sense SQLite file.
- * `getNerveRoot()` uses `os.homedir()`, which respects `process.env.HOME` on POSIX.
- */
-
-import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
-import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join } from "node:path";
-import { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
-
-import { runCommand } from "citty";
-import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
-
-import { senseCommand } from "../commands/sense.js";
-
-const SENSE_NAME = "e2e-schema-sense";
-
-function createFakeSenseDb(nerveRoot: string): void {
-  const sensesDir = join(nerveRoot, "data", "senses");
-  mkdirSync(sensesDir, { recursive: true });
-  const dbPath = join(sensesDir, `${SENSE_NAME}.db`);
-  const db = new DatabaseSync(dbPath);
-  db.exec(
-    "CREATE TABLE _signals(id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, sense TEXT, timestamp INTEGER, payload TEXT)",
-  );
-  db.exec("CREATE TABLE _migrations (name TEXT PRIMARY KEY)");
-  db.close();
-}
-
-describe("nerve sense schema CLI (runCommand + temp HOME)", () => {
-  let prevHome: string | undefined;
-  let fakeHome: string;
-  let stdoutSpy: ReturnType<typeof vi.spyOn> | null;
-  let capturedStdout: string;
-
-  beforeEach(() => {
-    capturedStdout = "";
-    stdoutSpy = vi
-      .spyOn(process.stdout, "write")
-      .mockImplementation(
-        (chunk: string | Uint8Array, enc?: BufferEncoding, cb?: (err?: Error | null) => void) => {
-          if (typeof chunk === "string") {
-            capturedStdout += chunk;
-          } else {
-            capturedStdout += Buffer.from(chunk).toString(typeof enc === "string" ? enc : "utf8");
-          }
-          if (typeof cb === "function") {
-            cb();
-          }
-          return true;
-        },
-      );
-
-    prevHome = process.env.HOME;
-    fakeHome = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-sense-schema-e2e-"));
-    process.env.HOME = fakeHome;
-
-    const nerveRoot = join(fakeHome, ".uncaged-nerve");
-    createFakeSenseDb(nerveRoot);
-  });
-
-  afterEach(() => {
-    stdoutSpy?.mockRestore();
-    stdoutSpy = null;
-    if (prevHome === undefined) {
-      // biome-ignore lint/performance/noDelete: semantically correct for env cleanup
-      delete process.env.HOME;
-    } else {
-      process.env.HOME = prevHome;
-    }
-    rmSync(fakeHome, { recursive: true, force: true });
-  });
-
-  it("prints CREATE TABLE statements for the sense database", async () => {
-    await runCommand(senseCommand, { rawArgs: ["schema", SENSE_NAME] });
-    expect(capturedStdout).toMatch(/CREATE TABLE/i);
-  });
-
-  it("includes the _signals table in output", async () => {
-    await runCommand(senseCommand, { rawArgs: ["schema", SENSE_NAME] });
-    expect(capturedStdout).toContain("_signals");
-  });
-
-  it("with --json prints a valid JSON array of SQL strings", async () => {
-    await runCommand(senseCommand, { rawArgs: ["schema", SENSE_NAME, "--json"] });
-    const parsed: unknown = JSON.parse(capturedStdout.trim());
-    expect(Array.isArray(parsed)).toBe(true);
-    const arr = parsed as unknown[];
-    expect(arr.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
-    for (const item of arr) {
-      expect(typeof item).toBe("string");
-      expect(item).toMatch(/CREATE TABLE/i);
-    }
-    const joined = arr.join("\n");
-    expect(joined).toContain("_signals");
-  });
-});

packages/cli/src/__tests__/sense-sqlite.test.ts

@@ -1,181 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Tests for sense SQLite helpers used by `nerve sense schema` / `nerve sense query`.
- */
-
-import { mkdirSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
-import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join } from "node:path";
-import { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
-
-import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-
-import {
-  assertSenseDbExists,
-  collectColumnKeys,
-  defaultPreviewSql,
-  formatRowsAsAlignedTable,
-  listTableSqlStatements,
-  parseSenseQueryArgs,
-  pickDefaultPreviewTable,
-  senseDbPath,
-} from "../sense-sqlite.js";
-
-let tmpDir: string;
-
-beforeEach(() => {
-  tmpDir = join(
-    tmpdir(),
-    `nerve-sense-sqlite-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(16).slice(2)}`,
-  );
-  mkdirSync(join(tmpDir, "data", "senses"), { recursive: true });
-});
-
-afterEach(() => {
-  rmSync(tmpDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
-});
-
-describe("senseDbPath", () => {
-  it("points at data/senses/<name>.db under the given root", () => {
-    expect(senseDbPath("/root", "cpu-usage")).toBe(join("/root", "data", "senses", "cpu-usage.db"));
-  });
-});
-
-describe("assertSenseDbExists", () => {
-  it("throws when the file is missing", () => {
-    expect(() => assertSenseDbExists(tmpDir, "nope")).toThrow(/No database at/);
-  });
-
-  it("returns the path when the file exists", () => {
-    const p = join(tmpDir, "data", "senses", "x.db");
-    new DatabaseSync(p).close();
-    expect(assertSenseDbExists(tmpDir, "x")).toBe(p);
-  });
-});
-
-describe("listTableSqlStatements", () => {
-  it("returns CREATE statements ordered by tbl_name", () => {
-    const p = join(tmpDir, "data", "senses", "t.db");
-    const db = new DatabaseSync(p);
-    db.exec("CREATE TABLE zebra (id INTEGER)");
-    db.exec("CREATE TABLE alpha (id INTEGER)");
-    const stmts = listTableSqlStatements(db);
-    db.close();
-    expect(stmts).toHaveLength(2);
-    expect(stmts[0]).toMatch(/^CREATE TABLE alpha/i);
-    expect(stmts[1]).toMatch(/^CREATE TABLE zebra/i);
-  });
-});
-
-describe("pickDefaultPreviewTable", () => {
-  it("prefers non-_migrations tables when both exist", () => {
-    const p = join(tmpDir, "data", "senses", "t.db");
-    const db = new DatabaseSync(p);
-    db.exec("CREATE TABLE _migrations (name TEXT PRIMARY KEY)");
-    db.exec("CREATE TABLE readings (id INTEGER)");
-    expect(pickDefaultPreviewTable(db)).toBe("readings");
-    db.close();
-  });
-
-  it("uses _migrations when it is the only table", () => {
-    const p = join(tmpDir, "data", "senses", "t.db");
-    const db = new DatabaseSync(p);
-    db.exec("CREATE TABLE _migrations (name TEXT PRIMARY KEY)");
-    expect(pickDefaultPreviewTable(db)).toBe("_migrations");
-    db.close();
-  });
-});
-
-describe("defaultPreviewSql", () => {
-  it("quotes identifiers for SQL safety", () => {
-    expect(defaultPreviewSql(`weird"name`)).toContain(`weird""name`);
-  });
-});
-
-describe("parseSenseQueryArgs", () => {
-  it("parses sense name only", () => {
-    expect(parseSenseQueryArgs(["cpu"])).toEqual({ name: "cpu", sql: undefined });
-  });
-
-  it("strips --json", () => {
-    expect(parseSenseQueryArgs(["cpu", "--json"])).toEqual({ name: "cpu", sql: undefined });
-    expect(parseSenseQueryArgs(["--json", "cpu"])).toEqual({ name: "cpu", sql: undefined });
-  });
-
-  it("joins remaining tokens into SQL", () => {
-    expect(parseSenseQueryArgs(["cpu", "SELECT", "1"])).toEqual({ name: "cpu", sql: "SELECT 1" });
-  });
-
-  it("uses --sql value instead of positional SQL", () => {
-    expect(parseSenseQueryArgs(["cpu", "--sql", "SELECT 2"])).toEqual({
-      name: "cpu",
-      sql: "SELECT 2",
-    });
-    expect(parseSenseQueryArgs(["cpu", "--sql=SELECT 3"])).toEqual({
-      name: "cpu",
-      sql: "SELECT 3",
-    });
-  });
-
-  it("prefers --sql over trailing positional SQL", () => {
-    expect(parseSenseQueryArgs(["cpu", "--sql", "SELECT a", "SELECT b"])).toEqual({
-      name: "cpu",
-      sql: "SELECT a",
-    });
-  });
-
-  it("throws when --sql has no value", () => {
-    expect(() => parseSenseQueryArgs(["cpu", "--sql"])).toThrow(/Missing value for --sql/);
-  });
-
-  it("throws when name is missing", () => {
-    expect(() => parseSenseQueryArgs(["--json"])).toThrow(/Missing sense name/);
-  });
-});
-
-describe("formatRowsAsAlignedTable", () => {
-  it("shows empty marker for no rows", () => {
-    expect(formatRowsAsAlignedTable([])).toContain("(0 rows)");
-  });
-
-  it("aligns columns from row data", () => {
-    const out = formatRowsAsAlignedTable([
-      { a: 1, b: "x" },
-      { a: 22, b: "yy" },
-    ]);
-    expect(out).toContain("a");
-    expect(out).toContain("b");
-    expect(out).toContain("22");
-  });
-});
-
-describe("collectColumnKeys", () => {
-  it("preserves key order from first row then appends new keys", () => {
-    expect(
-      collectColumnKeys([
-        { z: 1, a: 2 },
-        { a: 3, b: 4 },
-      ]),
-    ).toEqual(["z", "a", "b"]);
-  });
-});
-
-describe("readonly query integration", () => {
-  it("runs default preview SQL on a real db", () => {
-    const p = join(tmpDir, "data", "senses", "demo.db");
-    const rw = new DatabaseSync(p);
-    rw.exec("CREATE TABLE items (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, v TEXT)");
-    rw.exec("INSERT INTO items (v) VALUES ('a'), ('b')");
-    rw.close();
-
-    const db = new DatabaseSync(p, { readOnly: true });
-    const table = pickDefaultPreviewTable(db);
-    expect(table).toBe("items");
-    if (table === null) {
-      throw new Error("expected items table");
-    }
-    const sql = defaultPreviewSql(table);
-    const rows = db.prepare(sql).all() as Record<string, unknown>[];
-    db.close();
-    expect(rows.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
-  });
-});

packages/cli/src/commands/create.ts

@@ -85,76 +85,26 @@ and optionally load this file at runtime if you keep prompts outside code.
 `;
 }
 
-function senseIdToSqlTableName(id: string): string {
-  return id.replaceAll("-", "_");
-}
+export function buildSenseIndexTs(_senseId: string): string {
+  return `type SenseState = {
+  lastRun: number | null;
+};
 
-function senseIdToSchemaExportName(id: string): string {
-  const parts = id.split("-");
-  return parts
-    .map((part, index) =>
-      index === 0 ? part : part.length === 0 ? "" : part.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + part.slice(1),
-    )
-    .join("");
-}
+export const initialState: SenseState = { lastRun: null };
 
-export function buildSenseSchemaTs(senseId: string): string {
-  const table = senseIdToSqlTableName(senseId);
-  const exportName = senseIdToSchemaExportName(senseId);
-  return `import { integer, sqliteTable, text } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core";
-
-export const ${exportName} = sqliteTable("${table}", {
-  id: integer("id").primaryKey({ autoIncrement: true }),
-  ts: integer("ts").notNull(),
-  label: text("label").notNull(),
-});
-`;
-}
-
-export function buildSenseIndexTs(senseId: string): string {
-  const exportName = senseIdToSchemaExportName(senseId);
-  return `import type { LibSQLDatabase } from "drizzle-orm/libsql";
-
-import { ${exportName} } from "./schema.js";
-
-export { ${exportName} as table } from "./schema.js";
-
-type SenseResult = {
-  signal: { label: string; ts: number };
+export async function compute(state: SenseState): Promise<{
+  state: SenseState;
   workflow: null;
-} | null;
-
-/**
- * ${senseId} — replace this stub with your sampling logic.
- * Returns non-null to emit a signal, null to stay silent.
- */
-export async function compute(
-  db: LibSQLDatabase,
-  _peers: Record<string, LibSQLDatabase>,
-  _options: { signal: AbortSignal },
-): Promise<SenseResult> {
-  void ${exportName};
+}> {
+  // TODO: implement sense logic
   return {
-    signal: {
-      label: "${senseId}",
-      ts: Date.now(),
-    },
+    state: { lastRun: Date.now() },
     workflow: null,
   };
 }
 `;
 }
 
-export function buildSenseMigrationSql(senseId: string): string {
-  const table = senseIdToSqlTableName(senseId);
-  return `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS ${table} (
-  id    INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-  ts    INTEGER NOT NULL,
-  label TEXT    NOT NULL
-);
-`;
-}
-
 function writeFile(filePath: string, content: string): void {
   mkdirSync(dirname(filePath), { recursive: true });
   writeFileSync(filePath, content, "utf8");
@@ -278,15 +228,10 @@ const createSenseCommand = defineCommand({
     }
 
     mkdirSync(join(senseDir, "src"), { recursive: true });
-    mkdirSync(join(senseDir, "migrations"), { recursive: true });
     writeFile(join(senseDir, "src", "index.ts"), buildSenseIndexTs(args.name));
-    writeFile(join(senseDir, "src", "schema.ts"), buildSenseSchemaTs(args.name));
-    writeFile(join(senseDir, "migrations", "0001_init.sql"), buildSenseMigrationSql(args.name));
 
     process.stdout.write("✅ Sense scaffolded:\n");
     process.stdout.write(`   ${join(senseDir, "src", "index.ts")}\n`);
-    process.stdout.write(`   ${join(senseDir, "src", "schema.ts")}\n`);
-    process.stdout.write(`   ${join(senseDir, "migrations", "0001_init.sql")}\n`);
 
     process.stdout.write("\nBuilding workspace (senses + workflows)…\n");
     try {

packages/cli/src/commands/init.ts

@@ -54,13 +54,11 @@ const PACKAGE_JSON = `${JSON.stringify(
     dependencies: {
       "@uncaged/nerve-core": "latest",
       "@uncaged/nerve-daemon": "latest",
-      "drizzle-orm": "latest",
       zod: "^4.3.6",
     },
     devDependencies: {
       "@biomejs/biome": "latest",
       "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
-      "drizzle-kit": "latest",
       esbuild: "^0.27.0",
       typescript: "^5.7.0",
     },
@@ -139,9 +137,8 @@ This file is created by \`nerve init\`. Read it before implementing senses or wo
 | \`nerve.yaml\` | Senses, workflows, intervals, groups |
 | \`package.json\` | Single root package — no per-sense/per-workflow packages |
 | \`scripts/build.mjs\` | Root esbuild step; output under \`dist/\` |
-| \`senses/<name>/src/index.ts\` | Sense \`compute()\` entry |
-| \`senses/<name>/src/schema.ts\` | Drizzle SQLite schema (TypeScript) |
-| \`senses/<name>/migrations/*.sql\` | SQL migrations (next to \`src/\`, not inside it) |
+| \`senses/<name>/src/index.ts\` | Sense \`compute()\` + \`initialState\` |
+| \`data/senses/<name>.json\` | Persisted sense state (written by the daemon) |
 | \`workflows/<name>/index.ts\` | Default export: \`WorkflowDefinition\` |
 | \`workflows/<name>/roles/<role>.ts\` | One TypeScript file per role |
 | \`dist/senses/<name>/index.js\` | Bundled sense (after build) |
@@ -217,58 +214,25 @@ There is no separate npm package for skills in the default workspace. To align w
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 
-const CPU_SCHEMA_TS = `import { integer, real, sqliteTable, text } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core";
+const CPU_INDEX_TS = `import { loadavg } from "node:os";
 
-export const cpuUsage = sqliteTable("cpu_usage", {
-  id: integer("id").primaryKey({ autoIncrement: true }),
-  ts: integer("ts").notNull(),
-  model: text("model").notNull(),
-  loadPercent: real("load_percent").notNull(),
-});
-`;
-
-const CPU_INDEX_TS = `import { cpus } from "node:os";
-
-export { cpuUsage as table } from "./schema.js";
-
-type SenseResult = {
-  signal: { model: string; loadPercent: number; ts: number };
-  workflow: null;
+type CpuState = {
+  samples: Array<{ ts: number; value: number }>;
 };
 
-export async function compute(): Promise<SenseResult> {
-  const cpuList = cpus();
+export const initialState: CpuState = { samples: [] };
 
-  let totalIdle = 0;
-  let totalTick = 0;
-  for (const cpu of cpuList) {
-    for (const [, time] of Object.entries(cpu.times)) {
-      totalTick += time;
-    }
-    totalIdle += cpu.times.idle;
-  }
-
-  const loadPercent = totalTick === 0 ? 0 : ((totalTick - totalIdle) / totalTick) * 100;
-
-  return {
-    signal: {
-      model: cpuList[0]?.model ?? "unknown",
-      loadPercent: Math.round(loadPercent * 100) / 100,
-      ts: Date.now(),
-    },
-    workflow: null,
-  };
+export async function compute(state: CpuState): Promise<{
+  state: CpuState;
+  workflow: null;
+}> {
+  const [oneMin] = loadavg();
+  const value = typeof oneMin === "number" && !Number.isNaN(oneMin) ? oneMin : 0;
+  const newSamples = [...state.samples.slice(-99), { ts: Date.now(), value }];
+  return { state: { samples: newSamples }, workflow: null };
 }
 `;
 
-const CPU_MIGRATION_SQL = `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS cpu_usage (
-  id          INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-  ts          INTEGER NOT NULL,
-  model       TEXT    NOT NULL,
-  load_percent REAL   NOT NULL
-);
-`;
-
 function writeFile(filePath: string, content: string): void {
   mkdirSync(dirname(filePath), { recursive: true });
   writeFileSync(filePath, content, "utf8");
@@ -419,7 +383,6 @@ async function runInitWorkspace(force: boolean, skipInstall = false): Promise<vo
   mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "data"), { recursive: true });
   mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "data", "senses"), { recursive: true });
   mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "senses", "cpu-usage", "src"), { recursive: true });
-  mkdirSync(join(nerveRoot, "senses", "cpu-usage", "migrations"), { recursive: true });
 
   writeFile(join(nerveRoot, "nerve.yaml"), NERVE_YAML);
   writeFile(join(nerveRoot, "package.json"), PACKAGE_JSON);
@@ -428,11 +391,6 @@ async function runInitWorkspace(force: boolean, skipInstall = false): Promise<vo
   writeFile(join(nerveRoot, ".gitignore"), GITIGNORE);
   writeFile(join(nerveRoot, "AGENT.md"), AGENT_MD);
   writeFile(join(nerveRoot, "senses", "cpu-usage", "src", "index.ts"), CPU_INDEX_TS);
-  writeFile(join(nerveRoot, "senses", "cpu-usage", "src", "schema.ts"), CPU_SCHEMA_TS);
-  writeFile(
-    join(nerveRoot, "senses", "cpu-usage", "migrations", "0001_init.sql"),
-    CPU_MIGRATION_SQL,
-  );
   writeFile(join(nerveRoot, ".cursor", "rules", "nerve-skills.mdc"), NERVE_SKILLS_MDC);
 
   if (!skipInstall) {

packages/cli/src/commands/sense.ts

@@ -1,25 +1,11 @@
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join } from "node:path";
-import type { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
 
-import {
-  type SenseInfo,
-  isPlainRecord,
-  parseNerveConfig,
-  senseTriggerLabels,
-} from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import { type SenseInfo, parseNerveConfig, senseTriggerLabels } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import { defineCommand } from "citty";
 
 import { isRemoteDaemonCli } from "../cli-global.js";
 import { resolveDaemonTransport } from "../daemon-client.js";
-import {
-  defaultPreviewSql,
-  formatRowsAsAlignedTable,
-  listTableSqlStatements,
-  openSenseDb,
-  parseSenseQueryArgs,
-  pickDefaultPreviewTable,
-} from "../sense-sqlite.js";
 import { getNerveRoot, isRunning } from "../workspace.js";
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -52,9 +38,6 @@ export function formatSenseList(senses: SenseInfo[]): string {
     lines.push(
       `    trigger schedule: ${s.triggers.length > 0 ? s.triggers.join("; ") : "(none)"}\n`,
     );
-    const lastSignal =
-      s.lastSignalTimestamp !== null ? new Date(s.lastSignalTimestamp).toISOString() : "(never)";
-    lines.push(`    last signal: ${lastSignal}\n`);
   }
   return lines.join("");
 }
@@ -76,7 +59,6 @@ export function sensesFromConfig(configPath: string): SenseInfo[] {
     throttle: cfg.throttle,
     timeout: cfg.timeout,
     triggers: senseTriggerLabels(name, senses),
-    lastSignalTimestamp: null,
   }));
 }
 
@@ -92,7 +74,7 @@ const senseListCommand = defineCommand({
   async run() {
     if (!isRemoteDaemonCli() && !isRunning()) {
       process.stderr.write(
-        "⚠️  Daemon is not running — showing static config only (no last signal time).\n\n",
+        "⚠️  Daemon is not running — showing static config from nerve.yaml only.\n\n",
       );
       const configPath = join(getNerveRoot(), "nerve.yaml");
       const senses = sensesFromConfig(configPath);
@@ -154,116 +136,6 @@ const senseTriggerCommand = defineCommand({
   },
 });
 
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// nerve sense schema <name>
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-const senseSchemaCommand = defineCommand({
-  meta: {
-    name: "schema",
-    description: "Print CREATE TABLE statements from a sense SQLite database",
-  },
-  args: {
-    name: {
-      type: "positional",
-      description: "Sense name (data/senses/<name>.db under the nerve workspace)",
-    },
-    json: {
-      type: "boolean",
-      description: "Print JSON array of CREATE TABLE SQL strings",
-      default: false,
-    },
-  },
-  async run({ args }) {
-    const nerveRoot = getNerveRoot();
-    let db: DatabaseSync | undefined;
-    try {
-      db = openSenseDb(nerveRoot, args.name);
-      const statements = listTableSqlStatements(db);
-      if (args.json) {
-        process.stdout.write(`${JSON.stringify(statements, null, 2)}\n`);
-      } else if (statements.length === 0) {
-        process.stdout.write("(no tables)\n");
-      } else {
-        for (const sql of statements) {
-          process.stdout.write(`${sql};\n\n`);
-        }
-      }
-    } catch (e) {
-      const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
-      process.stderr.write(`❌ ${msg}\n`);
-      process.exit(1);
-    } finally {
-      db?.close();
-    }
-  },
-});
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// nerve sense query <name> [sql...]
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-const senseQueryCommand = defineCommand({
-  meta: {
-    name: "query",
-    description:
-      'Run a read-only SQL query against a sense database (default: last 10 rows of the first data table). Pass optional SQL after the sense name, or use --sql "…".',
-  },
-  args: {
-    name: {
-      type: "positional",
-      description: "Sense name (data/senses/<name>.db under the nerve workspace)",
-    },
-    json: {
-      type: "boolean",
-      description: "Print result rows as JSON",
-      default: false,
-    },
-  },
-  async run({ args, rawArgs }) {
-    const nerveRoot = getNerveRoot();
-    let db: DatabaseSync | undefined;
-    try {
-      let parsed: { name: string; sql: string | undefined };
-      try {
-        parsed = parseSenseQueryArgs(rawArgs);
-      } catch (e) {
-        const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
-        process.stderr.write(`❌ ${msg}\n`);
-        process.exit(1);
-      }
-
-      db = openSenseDb(nerveRoot, args.name);
-
-      let sql = parsed.sql?.trim();
-      if (!sql) {
-        const table = pickDefaultPreviewTable(db);
-        if (table === null) {
-          process.stderr.write("❌ No tables found in database.\n");
-          process.exit(1);
-        } else {
-          sql = defaultPreviewSql(table);
-        }
-      }
-
-      const rawRows: unknown[] = db.prepare(sql).all();
-      const rows: Record<string, unknown>[] = rawRows.filter(isPlainRecord);
-
-      if (args.json) {
-        process.stdout.write(`${JSON.stringify(rows, null, 2)}\n`);
-      } else {
-        process.stdout.write(formatRowsAsAlignedTable(rows));
-      }
-    } catch (e) {
-      const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
-      process.stderr.write(`❌ ${msg}\n`);
-      process.exit(1);
-    } finally {
-      db?.close();
-    }
-  },
-});
-
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // nerve sense (parent command)
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -276,7 +148,5 @@ export const senseCommand = defineCommand({
   subCommands: {
     list: senseListCommand,
     trigger: senseTriggerCommand,
-    schema: senseSchemaCommand,
-    query: senseQueryCommand,
   },
 });

packages/cli/src/commands/status.ts

@@ -97,6 +97,5 @@ export const statusCommand = defineCommand({
     process.stdout.write(
       `   workers: ${workerGroups.length > 0 ? workerGroups.join(", ") : "(none)"}\n`,
     );
-    process.stdout.write("   signals: (pending SignalBus persistence)\n");
   },
 });

packages/cli/src/commands/workflow.ts

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { stringify } from "yaml";
 import type { LogStore, ThreadRoundRow, WorkflowRun } from "@uncaged/nerve-store";
 import { isRemoteDaemonCli } from "../cli-global.js";
 import { resolveDaemonTransport } from "../daemon-client.js";
-import { formatRowsAsAlignedTable } from "../sense-sqlite.js";
+import { formatRowsAsAlignedTable } from "../table-format.js";
 import { loadDaemonModule } from "../workspace-daemon.js";
 import { getNerveRoot, isRunning } from "../workspace.js";
 

packages/cli/src/sense-sqlite.ts

@@ -1,170 +0,0 @@
-import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join } from "node:path";
-import { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
-
-/** SQLite path for a sense under the nerve workspace root. */
-export function senseDbPath(nerveRoot: string, senseName: string): string {
-  return join(nerveRoot, "data", "senses", `${senseName}.db`);
-}
-
-export function assertSenseDbExists(nerveRoot: string, senseName: string): string {
-  const path = senseDbPath(nerveRoot, senseName);
-  if (!existsSync(path)) {
-    throw new Error(`No database at ${path}`);
-  }
-  return path;
-}
-
-/** Open a sense SQLite database in readonly mode using node:sqlite. */
-export function openSenseDb(nerveRoot: string, senseName: string): DatabaseSync {
-  const path = assertSenseDbExists(nerveRoot, senseName);
-  return new DatabaseSync(path, { readOnly: true });
-}
-
-/** `SELECT sql FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table'` (non-null sql only). */
-export function listTableSqlStatements(db: DatabaseSync): string[] {
-  const rows = db
-    .prepare(
-      `SELECT sql FROM sqlite_master WHERE type = 'table' AND sql IS NOT NULL ORDER BY tbl_name`,
-    )
-    .all() as { sql: string }[];
-  return rows.map((r) => r.sql);
-}
-
-/**
- * Table used for `nerve sense query <name>` with no SQL.
- * Prefers real data tables over `_migrations`, then lexicographic by name.
- */
-export function pickDefaultPreviewTable(db: DatabaseSync): string | null {
-  const row = db
-    .prepare(
-      `SELECT name FROM sqlite_master
-       WHERE type = 'table' AND sql IS NOT NULL
-         AND name NOT LIKE 'sqlite\\_%' ESCAPE '\\'
-       ORDER BY
-         CASE WHEN name = '_signals' THEN 0
-              WHEN name = '_migrations' THEN 2
-              ELSE 1 END,
-         name
-       LIMIT 1`,
-    )
-    .get() as { name: string } | undefined;
-  return row?.name ?? null;
-}
-
-export function defaultPreviewSql(table: string): string {
-  return `SELECT * FROM "${table.replace(/"/g, '""')}" ORDER BY rowid DESC LIMIT 10`;
-}
-
-function endIndexAfterGenericDashArg(rawArgs: string[], i: number): number {
-  const a = rawArgs[i];
-  const eq = a.indexOf("=");
-  if (eq === -1 && i + 1 < rawArgs.length && !rawArgs[i + 1].startsWith("-")) {
-    return i + 1;
-  }
-  return i;
-}
-
-type SenseQueryArgStep = {
-  nextIndex: number;
-  flagSql: string | undefined;
-  positionalToken: string | null;
-};
-
-function nextSenseQueryArgStep(rawArgs: string[], i: number): SenseQueryArgStep {
-  const a = rawArgs[i];
-  if (a === "--json" || a === "--no-json") {
-    return { nextIndex: i, flagSql: undefined, positionalToken: null };
-  }
-  if (a.startsWith("--sql=")) {
-    return { nextIndex: i, flagSql: a.slice("--sql=".length), positionalToken: null };
-  }
-  if (a === "--sql") {
-    if (i + 1 >= rawArgs.length || rawArgs[i + 1].startsWith("-")) {
-      throw new Error("Missing value for --sql");
-    }
-    return { nextIndex: i + 1, flagSql: rawArgs[i + 1], positionalToken: null };
-  }
-  if (a.startsWith("-")) {
-    return {
-      nextIndex: endIndexAfterGenericDashArg(rawArgs, i),
-      flagSql: undefined,
-      positionalToken: null,
-    };
-  }
-  return { nextIndex: i, flagSql: undefined, positionalToken: a };
-}
-
-/** Parse sense name and optional SQL from subcommand raw argv (flags stripped). */
-export function parseSenseQueryArgs(rawArgs: string[]): { name: string; sql: string | undefined } {
-  let flagSql: string | undefined;
-  const pos: string[] = [];
-  let i = 0;
-  while (i < rawArgs.length) {
-    const step = nextSenseQueryArgStep(rawArgs, i);
-    if (step.flagSql !== undefined) {
-      flagSql = step.flagSql;
-    }
-    if (step.positionalToken !== null) {
-      pos.push(step.positionalToken);
-    }
-    i = step.nextIndex + 1;
-  }
-  if (pos.length < 1) {
-    throw new Error("Missing sense name");
-  }
-  const name = pos[0];
-  const positionalSql = pos.length > 1 ? pos.slice(1).join(" ") : undefined;
-  const trimmedFlag = flagSql?.trim();
-  const sql = trimmedFlag !== undefined && trimmedFlag.length > 0 ? trimmedFlag : positionalSql;
-  return { name, sql };
-}
-
-function stringifyCell(value: unknown): string {
-  if (value === null || value === undefined) return "";
-  if (typeof value === "bigint") return value.toString();
-  if (typeof value === "number" || typeof value === "boolean") return String(value);
-  if (typeof value === "string") return value;
-  if (Buffer.isBuffer(value)) return value.toString("hex");
-  try {
-    return JSON.stringify(value);
-  } catch {
-    return String(value);
-  }
-}
-
-/** Collect column keys in stable order (first row keys, then any extras). */
-export function collectColumnKeys(rows: Record<string, unknown>[]): string[] {
-  const keys: string[] = [];
-  const seen = new Set<string>();
-  for (const row of rows) {
-    for (const k of Object.keys(row)) {
-      if (!seen.has(k)) {
-        seen.add(k);
-        keys.push(k);
-      }
-    }
-  }
-  return keys;
-}
-
-const MAX_CELL = 64;
-
-function truncate(s: string): string {
-  if (s.length <= MAX_CELL) return s;
-  return `${s.slice(0, MAX_CELL - 1)}…`;
-}
-
-/** Plain aligned table for terminal output. */
-export function formatRowsAsAlignedTable(rows: Record<string, unknown>[]): string {
-  if (rows.length === 0) {
-    return "(0 rows)\n";
-  }
-  const cols = collectColumnKeys(rows);
-  const cells = rows.map((row) => cols.map((c) => truncate(stringifyCell(row[c]))));
-  const widths = cols.map((c, j) => Math.max(c.length, ...cells.map((r) => r[j].length)));
-  const sep = widths.map((w) => "-".repeat(w)).join("-+-");
-  const header = cols.map((c, j) => c.padEnd(widths[j])).join(" | ");
-  const body = cells.map((r) => r.map((cell, j) => cell.padEnd(widths[j])).join(" | ")).join("\n");
-  return `${header}\n${sep}\n${body}\n`;
-}

packages/cli/src/table-format.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+function stringifyCell(value: unknown): string {
+  if (value === null || value === undefined) return "";
+  if (typeof value === "bigint") return value.toString();
+  if (typeof value === "number" || typeof value === "boolean") return String(value);
+  if (typeof value === "string") return value;
+  if (Buffer.isBuffer(value)) return value.toString("hex");
+  try {
+    return JSON.stringify(value);
+  } catch {
+    return String(value);
+  }
+}
+
+/** Collect column keys in stable order (first row keys, then any extras). */
+export function collectColumnKeys(rows: Record<string, unknown>[]): string[] {
+  const keys: string[] = [];
+  const seen = new Set<string>();
+  for (const row of rows) {
+    for (const k of Object.keys(row)) {
+      if (!seen.has(k)) {
+        seen.add(k);
+        keys.push(k);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return keys;
+}
+
+const MAX_CELL = 64;
+
+function truncate(s: string): string {
+  if (s.length <= MAX_CELL) return s;
+  return `${s.slice(0, MAX_CELL - 1)}…`;
+}
+
+/** Plain aligned table for terminal output. */
+export function formatRowsAsAlignedTable(rows: Record<string, unknown>[]): string {
+  if (rows.length === 0) {
+    return "(0 rows)\n";
+  }
+  const cols = collectColumnKeys(rows);
+  const cells = rows.map((row) => cols.map((c) => truncate(stringifyCell(row[c]))));
+  const widths = cols.map((c, j) => Math.max(c.length, ...cells.map((r) => r[j].length)));
+  const sep = widths.map((w) => "-".repeat(w)).join("-+-");
+  const header = cols.map((c, j) => c.padEnd(widths[j])).join(" | ");
+  const body = cells.map((r) => r.map((cell, j) => cell.padEnd(widths[j])).join(" | ")).join("\n");
+  return `${header}\n${sep}\n${body}\n`;
+}

packages/core/README.md

@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ Shared types and configuration parser for the [nerve](../../README.md) observati
 
 ## What's Inside
 
-- **Type definitions** — `Signal`, `SenseConfig`, `SenseInfo`, `WorkflowConfig`, `NerveConfig`, and related types
-- **Config parser** — `parseNerveConfig(yaml)` validates and parses `nerve.yaml` into `NerveConfig` (rejects reflex entries that declare a `workflow` key; reflexes only schedule senses)
-- **Sense → workflow routing** — `parseWorkflowTrigger`, `routeSenseComputeOutput`, and types `WorkflowTrigger`, `RoutedSenseOutput`
+- **Type definitions** — `SenseConfig`, `SenseInfo`, `SenseComputeFn`, `SenseModule`, `WorkflowConfig`, `NerveConfig`, `WorkflowTrigger`, and related types
+- **Config parser** — `parseNerveConfig(yaml)` validates and parses `nerve.yaml` into `NerveConfig` (top-level `reflexes` is rejected; use `interval` / `on` on each sense)
+- **Workflow triggers** — `parseWorkflowTrigger` validates structured workflow launch objects from Sense compute results or IPC
 - **Daemon IPC protocol** — request/response types (`DaemonIpcRequest`, `DaemonIpcResponse`, …) and `parseDaemonIpcRequest` for newline-delimited JSON on the CLI ↔ daemon socket
 - **Workflow automaton types** — `START` / `END` sentinel constants, `WorkflowMessage`, `StartStep`, `RoleStep`, `ModeratorContext` (`start` + `steps`; empty `steps` on first moderator call), `Moderator` (single `context` argument), `WorkflowDefinition`, `Role`, `RoleResult`, plus `DEFAULT_ENGINE_MAX_ROUNDS`
 - **Result type** — `Result<T>` with `ok()` / `err()` helpers for explicit error handling (no thrown exceptions for parse paths)
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Shared types and configuration parser for the [nerve](../../README.md) observati
 
 ```typescript
 import { parseNerveConfig, ok, err } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
-import type { NerveConfig, Signal, Result } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import type { NerveConfig, Result } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 
 const result: Result<NerveConfig> = parseNerveConfig(yamlString);
 if (result.ok) {
@@ -23,10 +23,10 @@ if (result.ok) {
 }
 ```
 
-### Sense return → signal vs workflow
+### Workflow trigger validation
 
 ```typescript
-import { parseWorkflowTrigger, routeSenseComputeOutput } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import { parseWorkflowTrigger } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 
 const directive = parseWorkflowTrigger({
   name: "my-workflow",
@@ -37,23 +37,10 @@ const directive = parseWorkflowTrigger({
 if (directive.ok) {
   console.log(directive.value.name, directive.value.maxRounds, directive.value.prompt);
 }
-
-const route = routeSenseComputeOutput({
-  signal: { metric: 42 },
-  workflow: {
-    name: "my-workflow",
-    maxRounds: 8,
-    prompt: "Run now",
-    dryRun: false,
-  },
-});
-if (route.ok && route.value.workflow !== null) {
-  console.log(route.value.workflow);
-} else if (route.ok) {
-  console.log(route.value.signal);
-}
 ```
 
+Sense modules return `{ state, workflow }` from `compute(state)`; when `workflow` is non-null it must satisfy the shape validated by `parseWorkflowTrigger` (the daemon validates before starting a run).
+
 ## Duration Format
 
 Config fields like `throttle`, `timeout`, and `interval` accept human-readable durations:

packages/core/package.json

@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
     "test": "vitest run"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "drizzle-orm": "1.0.0-beta.23-c10d10c",
     "yaml": "^2.8.3"
   },
   "devDependencies": {

packages/core/src/__tests__/config.test.ts

@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ describe("parseNerveConfig", () => {
         throttle: 5000,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: 30_000,
         on: [],
       });
@@ -43,7 +42,6 @@ describe("parseNerveConfig", () => {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: 10_000,
         gracePeriod: 3000,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: ["high_usage"],
       });
@@ -83,25 +81,11 @@ senses:
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       });
     });
 
-    it("parses optional retention as a positive integer", () => {
-      const yaml = `
-senses:
-  cpu:
-    group: system
-    retention: 5000
-`;
-      const result = parseNerveConfig(yaml);
-      expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
-      if (!result.ok) return;
-      expect(result.value.senses.cpu.retention).toBe(5000);
-    });
-
     it("accepts all valid duration suffixes (s, m, h)", () => {
       const yaml = `
 senses:
@@ -343,45 +327,6 @@ api:
       expect(result.error.message).toMatch(/senses/);
     });
 
-    it("returns error when retention is zero", () => {
-      const yaml = `
-senses:
-  cpu:
-    group: system
-    retention: 0
-`;
-      const result = parseNerveConfig(yaml);
-      expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-      if (result.ok) return;
-      expect(result.error.message).toMatch(/retention.*positive integer/);
-    });
-
-    it("returns error when retention is not an integer", () => {
-      const yaml = `
-senses:
-  cpu:
-    group: system
-    retention: 1.5
-`;
-      const result = parseNerveConfig(yaml);
-      expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-      if (result.ok) return;
-      expect(result.error.message).toMatch(/retention.*positive integer/);
-    });
-
-    it("returns error when retention is not a number", () => {
-      const yaml = `
-senses:
-  cpu:
-    group: system
-    retention: "5000"
-`;
-      const result = parseNerveConfig(yaml);
-      expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-      if (result.ok) return;
-      expect(result.error.message).toMatch(/retention.*positive integer/);
-    });
-
     it("returns error for invalid throttle format", () => {
       const yaml = `
 senses:

packages/core/src/__tests__/sense-workflow-directive.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
-import { parseWorkflowTrigger, routeSenseComputeOutput } from "../sense.js";
+import { parseWorkflowTrigger } from "../sense.js";
 
 describe("parseWorkflowTrigger", () => {
   it("accepts a valid trigger object", () => {
@@ -57,60 +57,3 @@ describe("parseWorkflowTrigger", () => {
     expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
   });
 });
-
-describe("routeSenseComputeOutput", () => {
-  it("wraps non-record values as signal-only", () => {
-    const r = routeSenseComputeOutput(99);
-    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!r.ok) return;
-    expect(r.value).toEqual({ signal: 99, workflow: null });
-  });
-
-  it("wraps plain objects without signal key as signal-only", () => {
-    const r = routeSenseComputeOutput({ count: 2 });
-    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!r.ok) return;
-    expect(r.value).toEqual({ signal: { count: 2 }, workflow: null });
-  });
-
-  it("parses explicit signal with null workflow", () => {
-    const r = routeSenseComputeOutput({ signal: { a: 1 }, workflow: null });
-    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!r.ok) return;
-    expect(r.value).toEqual({ signal: { a: 1 }, workflow: null });
-  });
-
-  it("parses explicit signal with workflow trigger", () => {
-    const r = routeSenseComputeOutput({
-      signal: { x: true },
-      workflow: { name: "wf", maxRounds: 2, prompt: "p", dryRun: false },
-    });
-    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!r.ok) return;
-    expect(r.value.signal).toEqual({ x: true });
-    expect(r.value.workflow).toEqual({
-      name: "wf",
-      maxRounds: 2,
-      prompt: "p",
-      dryRun: false,
-    });
-  });
-
-  it("defaults missing workflow key to null", () => {
-    const r = routeSenseComputeOutput({ signal: 7 });
-    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!r.ok) return;
-    expect(r.value).toEqual({ signal: 7, workflow: null });
-  });
-
-  it("degrades to signal-only when workflow object is invalid", () => {
-    const r = routeSenseComputeOutput({
-      signal: { v: 1 },
-      workflow: { name: "w", maxRounds: 0, prompt: "", dryRun: false },
-    });
-    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!r.ok) return;
-    expect(r.value.signal).toEqual({ v: 1 });
-    expect(r.value.workflow).toBeNull();
-  });
-});

packages/core/src/config.ts

@@ -8,11 +8,9 @@ export type SenseConfig = {
   throttle: number | null;
   timeout: number | null;
   gracePeriod: number | null;
-  /** Max rows to retain in `_signals`; older rows are pruned periodically after inserts. */
-  retention: number;
   /** Polling interval (ms). When set, the sense is triggered periodically. */
   interval: number | null;
-  /** Other sense names whose signals trigger this sense. */
+  /** Other sense names whose successful computes schedule this sense (kernel reverse-index). */
   on: string[];
 };
 
@@ -62,12 +60,6 @@ export type WorkflowTrigger = {
   dryRun: boolean;
 };
 
-/**
- * Sense `compute()` return: silence, or a signal payload with an optional workflow to start.
- * `workflow: null` means signal only; signal is always emitted first when non-null.
- */
-export type ComputeResult<T> = null | { signal: T; workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null };
-
 export type NerveConfig = {
   /** Engine-wide default max moderator rounds (e.g. CLI workflow trigger when omitted). */
   maxRounds: number;
@@ -83,23 +75,10 @@ export type KnowledgeConfig = {
   exclude: ReadonlyArray<string>;
 };
 
-/** Default max rows kept in each sense's `_signals` SQLite table (see `retention` on `SenseConfig`). */
-export const DEFAULT_SENSE_SIGNAL_RETENTION = 10_000;
-
 function isValidGroupName(value: string): boolean {
   return /^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$/.test(value);
 }
 
-function parseRetentionField(name: string, field: unknown): Result<number> {
-  if (field === undefined || field === null) {
-    return ok(DEFAULT_SENSE_SIGNAL_RETENTION);
-  }
-  if (typeof field !== "number" || !Number.isInteger(field) || field < 1) {
-    return err(new Error(`senses.${name}.retention: must be a positive integer`));
-  }
-  return ok(field);
-}
-
 function parseDurationField(field: unknown, label: string): Result<number | null> {
   if (field === undefined || field === null) return ok(null);
   if (typeof field !== "string") {
@@ -142,9 +121,6 @@ function validateSenseConfig(name: string, raw: unknown): Result<SenseConfig> {
   const graceResult = parseDurationField(obj.grace_period, `senses.${name}.grace_period`);
   if (!graceResult.ok) return graceResult;
 
-  const retentionResult = parseRetentionField(name, obj.retention);
-  if (!retentionResult.ok) return retentionResult;
-
   const intervalResult = parseDurationField(obj.interval, `senses.${name}.interval`);
   if (!intervalResult.ok) return intervalResult;
 
@@ -164,7 +140,6 @@ function validateSenseConfig(name: string, raw: unknown): Result<SenseConfig> {
     throttle: throttleResult.value,
     timeout: timeoutResult.value,
     gracePeriod: graceResult.value,
-    retention: retentionResult.value,
     interval: intervalResult.value,
     on,
   });

packages/core/src/daemon.ts

@@ -186,8 +186,7 @@ export function isSenseInfo(value: unknown): value is SenseInfo {
     (value.throttle === null || typeof value.throttle === "number") &&
     (value.timeout === null || typeof value.timeout === "number") &&
     Array.isArray(value.triggers) &&
-    value.triggers.every((t: unknown) => typeof t === "string") &&
-    (value.lastSignalTimestamp === null || typeof value.lastSignalTimestamp === "number")
+    value.triggers.every((t: unknown) => typeof t === "string")
   );
 }
 

packages/core/src/index.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-export { DEFAULT_SENSE_SIGNAL_RETENTION } from "./config.js";
 export type {
   SenseConfig,
   DropOverflowConfig,
@@ -9,9 +8,8 @@ export type {
   ExtractConfig,
   NerveConfig,
   WorkflowTrigger,
-  ComputeResult,
 } from "./config.js";
-export type { Signal, SenseInfo } from "./sense.js";
+export type { SenseInfo } from "./sense.js";
 export type { SenseComputeFn, SenseModule } from "./sense.js";
 export { senseTriggerLabels } from "./sense.js";
 export type {
@@ -46,8 +44,7 @@ export type { KnowledgeConfig } from "./config.js";
 export { parseKnowledgeYaml } from "./config.js";
 export { isPlainRecord } from "./util.js";
 
-export type { RoutedSenseOutput } from "./sense.js";
-export { parseWorkflowTrigger, routeSenseComputeOutput } from "./sense.js";
+export { parseWorkflowTrigger } from "./sense.js";
 
 export { isSenseInfo, isWorkflowStatus } from "./daemon.js";
 export type {

packages/core/src/sense.ts

@@ -1,15 +1,6 @@
-import type { SQLiteTable } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core";
-
-import type { ComputeResult, SenseConfig, WorkflowTrigger } from "./config.js";
+import type { SenseConfig, WorkflowTrigger } from "./config.js";
 import { type Result, err, isPlainRecord, ok } from "./util.js";
 
-export type Signal = {
-  id: number;
-  senseId: string;
-  payload: unknown;
-  timestamp: number;
-};
-
 /** Runtime metadata for a sense (e.g. daemon list-senses IPC). */
 export type SenseInfo = {
   name: string;
@@ -18,7 +9,6 @@ export type SenseInfo = {
   timeout: number | null;
   /** Declarative schedule (`interval` / `on`) for this sense (derived from nerve.yaml). */
   triggers: string[];
-  lastSignalTimestamp: number | null;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -26,25 +16,18 @@ export type SenseInfo = {
  * `compute` export.
  *
  * Pure: no DB, no peers.
- * Return `null` to stay silent, or `{ signal, workflow }` to emit a Signal
- * (and optionally trigger a Workflow).
- * The runtime handles persistence via `db.insert(table).values(result.signal)`.
+ * Returns the next sense state and an optional workflow to start (`workflow: null` means no workflow).
  */
-export type SenseComputeFn<T = unknown> = () => Promise<ComputeResult<T>>;
+export type SenseComputeFn<S = unknown> = (
+  state: S,
+) => Promise<{ state: S; workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null }>;
 
 /**
  * The full shape a sense module (`src/index.ts`) must export.
- * `compute` provides the data; `table` tells the runtime where to persist it.
  */
-export type SenseModule<T = unknown> = {
-  compute: SenseComputeFn<T>;
-  table: SQLiteTable;
-};
-
-/** Normalized non-null compute output for the kernel (unknown signal payload). */
-export type RoutedSenseOutput = {
-  signal: unknown;
-  workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null;
+export type SenseModule<S = unknown> = {
+  compute: SenseComputeFn<S>;
+  initialState: S;
 };
 
 function formatIntervalMs(ms: number): string {
@@ -111,23 +94,3 @@ export function parseWorkflowTrigger(value: unknown): Result<WorkflowTrigger> {
   }
   return ok({ name: nameRaw.trim(), maxRounds, prompt, dryRun });
 }
-
-/**
- * Interprets a Sense compute non-null return value for the engine.
- * - Explicit `{ signal, workflow }` (workflow may be null): validates `workflow` when non-null.
- * - Any other value: treated as `{ signal: payload, workflow: null }` (shorthand).
- */
-export function routeSenseComputeOutput(payload: unknown): Result<RoutedSenseOutput> {
-  if (isPlainRecord(payload) && Object.hasOwn(payload, "signal")) {
-    const wfRaw = Object.hasOwn(payload, "workflow") ? payload.workflow : null;
-    if (wfRaw === null) {
-      return ok({ signal: payload.signal, workflow: null });
-    }
-    const parsed = parseWorkflowTrigger(wfRaw);
-    if (!parsed.ok) {
-      return ok({ signal: payload.signal, workflow: null });
-    }
-    return ok({ signal: payload.signal, workflow: parsed.value });
-  }
-  return ok({ signal: payload, workflow: null });
-}

packages/daemon/README.md

@@ -1,23 +1,22 @@
 # @uncaged/nerve-daemon
 
-The observation engine runtime for [nerve](../../README.md) — runs senses, routes signals, runs the sense scheduler, and manages workflows.
+The observation engine runtime for [nerve](../../README.md) — runs senses, persists JSON state, runs the sense scheduler, and manages workflows.
 
 ## Architecture
 
 | Module | Source (indicative) | Responsibility |
 |--------|---------------------|----------------|
-| **Kernel** | `kernel.ts` | Orchestrator — worker pool, signal bus, sense scheduler, workflow manager, optional file watcher and daemon IPC, config reload hooks |
+| **Kernel** | `kernel.ts` | Orchestrator — worker pool, sense scheduler, workflow manager, optional file watcher and daemon IPC, config reload hooks |
 | **Worker pool** | `worker-pool.ts` | Fork and supervise one child process per sense group; restart/shutdown; crash cleanup hooks for scheduler state |
 | **Kernel sense groups** | `kernel-sense-groups.ts` | Derive sense groups from config; list senses per group for scheduling |
-| **Sense runtime** | sense worker + Drizzle | Per-sense SQLite (`node:sqlite`), migrations, peer DB reads |
-| **Sense worker** | `sense-worker.ts` (fork target) | Child process entry — runs `compute()` per sense in a group |
-| **Signal bus** | `signal-bus.ts` | In-memory pub/sub for sense signals |
-| **Sense scheduler** | `sense-scheduler.ts` | Interval + `on` subscriptions, throttle/coalesce |
+| **Sense runtime** | `sense-runtime.ts` + sense worker | Loads user modules (`compute`, `initialState`), reads/writes `data/senses/<name>.json` |
+| **Sense worker** | `sense-worker.ts` (fork target) | Child process entry — runs `compute(state)` per sense in a group |
+| **Sense scheduler** | `sense-scheduler.ts` | Interval + `on` subscriptions (reverse-index by upstream sense), throttle/coalesce |
 | **Workflow manager** | `workflow-manager.ts` | One worker per workflow name, concurrency (drop/queue), queue caps |
 | **Workflow worker** | `workflow-worker.ts` | Child process — runs RFC-002 threads (`start-thread`, `resume-thread` IPC) |
 | **IPC (parent ↔ workers)** | `ipc.ts` | Typed messages for sense and workflow workers (includes `resume-thread` for recovery) |
 | **Log / workflow persistence** | via `@uncaged/nerve-store` | Structured logs, `workflow_runs`, thread messages (used for recovery) |
-| **Blob store** | `@uncaged/nerve-store` | CAS under `data/blobs/` — sense workers construct `createBlobStore(join(nerveRoot, "data", "blobs"))` for artifact writes |
+| **Blob store** | `@uncaged/nerve-store` | CAS under `data/blobs/` — workflows use blob storage for artifacts as configured |
 | **File watcher** | `file-watcher.ts` | Watches workspace paths for config / sense / workflow file changes |
 | **Kernel file watch** | `kernel-file-watch.ts` | Maps watcher events to `reloadConfig`, sense group restart, workflow `drainAndRespawn` |
 | **Daemon IPC** | `daemon-ipc.ts` | Unix socket server — parses `@uncaged/nerve-core` `DaemonIpcRequest`, dispatches trigger-workflow / trigger-sense / list-senses |
@@ -35,9 +34,9 @@ Hot reload (`drainAndRespawn`) uses a controlled drain: in-flight runs may be ma
 ## Key Design Decisions
 
 - **One worker process per sense group** — isolation between groups, shared compute within a group
-- **`node:sqlite` (DatabaseSync)** — zero native addons, WAL mode, built into Node.js ≥ 22.5
+- **Sense state as JSON** — `data/senses/<name>.json`, updated after each successful compute in the worker
 - **Throttle + coalesce** — if compute is in-flight, at most one pending trigger is queued (no unbounded accumulation)
-- **Log ≠ Signal** — logs are queryable data assets but cannot trigger the sense scheduler or workflows (prevents feedback loops)
+- **Log ≠ Sense trigger** — logs are queryable data assets but cannot schedule sense computes or workflows (prevents feedback loops)
 
 ## Usage
 
@@ -85,7 +84,7 @@ await kernel.stop();
 pnpm add @uncaged/nerve-daemon
 ```
 
-Requires Node.js ≥ 22.5 (for `node:sqlite`).
+Requires Node.js ≥ 22.5 (for `node:sqlite` in the log store and related persistence).
 
 ## License
 

packages/daemon/package.json

@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@uncaged/nerve-core": "workspace:*",
     "@uncaged/nerve-store": "workspace:*",
-    "drizzle-orm": "1.0.0-beta.23-c10d10c",
     "yaml": "^2.8.3"
   },
   "devDependencies": {

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/daemon-ipc.test.ts

@@ -241,7 +241,6 @@ describe("daemon-ipc — list-senses", () => {
         throttle: 5000,
         timeout: 3000,
         triggers: ["every 30s"],
-        lastSignalTimestamp: 1000,
       },
       {
         name: "disk-usage",
@@ -249,7 +248,6 @@ describe("daemon-ipc — list-senses", () => {
         throttle: 30000,
         timeout: null,
         triggers: [],
-        lastSignalTimestamp: null,
       },
     ];
     const listSenses = vi.fn(() => sensesData);

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/file-watcher.test.ts

@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ describe("createFileWatcher", () => {
     await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 100));
     writeFileSync(
       join(root, "senses", "cpu-usage", "index.js"),
-      "export async function compute() { return { signal: 42, workflow: null }; }",
+      "export const initialState = {}; export async function compute(state) { return { state, workflow: null }; }",
     );
 
     await waitFor(() => changes.length > 0, 3000);

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/fixtures/crash-once-worker.mjs

@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ process.on("message", (msg) => {
       writeFileSync(markerFile, "crashed", "utf8");
       process.exit(1);
     }
-    process.send({ type: "signal", sense: msg.sense, payload: 42 });
+    process.send({
+      type: "compute-result",
+      sense: msg.sense,
+      state: 42,
+      workflow: null,
+    });
   }
 });

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/fixtures/mock-worker.mjs

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  *
  * Behaviour:
  *   - Sends { type: "ready" } on startup
- *   - On { type: "compute", sense } → sends back { type: "signal", sense, payload: 42 }
+ *   - On { type: "compute", sense } → sends back compute-result with state + workflow:null
  *   - On { type: "shutdown" } → exits cleanly with code 0
  */
 
@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ process.on("message", (msg) => {
   }
 
   if (msg.type === "compute" && typeof msg.sense === "string") {
-    process.send({ type: "signal", sense: msg.sense, payload: 42 });
+    process.send({
+      type: "compute-result",
+      sense: msg.sense,
+      state: 42,
+      workflow: null,
+    });
   }
 });

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/fixtures/slow-worker.mjs

@@ -18,7 +18,12 @@ process.on("message", (msg) => {
   if (msg.type === "compute" && typeof msg.sense === "string") {
     // Intentionally slow — will be killed by grace period
     setTimeout(() => {
-      process.send({ type: "signal", sense: msg.sense, payload: "late" });
+      process.send({
+        type: "compute-result",
+        sense: msg.sense,
+        state: "late",
+        workflow: null,
+      });
     }, 10_000);
   }
 });

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/kernel-integration.test.ts

@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 
-import type { Signal } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import type { NerveConfig } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
@@ -30,7 +29,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -82,7 +80,6 @@ describe("kernel integration — real child processes", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -91,7 +88,6 @@ describe("kernel integration — real child processes", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -100,7 +96,6 @@ describe("kernel integration — real child processes", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -116,31 +111,32 @@ describe("kernel integration — real child processes", () => {
     expect(kernel.senseCount).toBe(3);
   });
 
-  it("workers start and respond to compute messages with signals", async () => {
+  it("workers start and respond to compute messages with compute-result", async () => {
     const config = makeConfig();
     kernel = createKernel(config, nerveRoot, {
       workerScript: MOCK_WORKER,
     });
 
-    // Wait for all workers to be ready (event-based, not fixed delay)
     await kernel.ready;
 
-    // Subscribe to the bus before triggering compute
-    const received: Signal[] = [];
-    const unsub = kernel.bus.subscribe((signal) => {
-      received.push(signal);
-    });
-
-    // Trigger a compute for "cpu-usage" through the kernel's triggerCompute
     kernel.triggerCompute("cpu-usage");
 
-    // Poll until a signal arrives on the bus (event-driven, no fixed delay)
-    await pollUntil(() => received.length > 0, 10_000);
+    await pollUntil(
+      () =>
+        kernel!.logStore.query({
+          source: "sense",
+          type: "compute-complete",
+          refId: "cpu-usage",
+        }).length > 0,
+      10_000,
+    );
 
-    expect(received).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(received[0]).toMatchObject({ senseId: "cpu-usage", payload: 42 });
-
-    unsub();
+    const rows = kernel.logStore.query({
+      source: "sense",
+      type: "compute-complete",
+      refId: "cpu-usage",
+    });
+    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
   }, 15_000);
 
   it("graceful shutdown: stop() resolves after all workers exit", async () => {
@@ -151,7 +147,6 @@ describe("kernel integration — real child processes", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -160,7 +155,6 @@ describe("kernel integration — real child processes", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -180,31 +174,32 @@ describe("kernel integration — real child processes", () => {
     await expect(stopPromise).resolves.toBeUndefined();
   }, 10_000);
 
-  it("compute round-trip: worker receives compute and sends signal back through bus", async () => {
+  it("compute round-trip: worker receives compute and kernel logs compute-complete", async () => {
     const config = makeConfig();
     kernel = createKernel(config, nerveRoot, {
       workerScript: MOCK_WORKER,
     });
 
-    // Wait for all workers to be ready (event-based, not fixed delay)
     await kernel.ready;
 
-    const received: Signal[] = [];
-    const unsub = kernel.bus.subscribe((signal) => {
-      received.push(signal);
-    });
-
-    // Trigger compute via the kernel — the kernel sends IPC to the worker,
-    // the mock worker responds with a signal message, and the kernel routes it to the bus.
     kernel.triggerCompute("cpu-usage");
 
-    // Poll for the signal on the bus (no fixed delay)
-    await pollUntil(() => received.length > 0, 10_000);
+    await pollUntil(
+      () =>
+        kernel!.logStore.query({
+          source: "sense",
+          type: "compute-complete",
+          refId: "cpu-usage",
+        }).length > 0,
+      10_000,
+    );
 
-    expect(received).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(received[0]).toMatchObject({ senseId: "cpu-usage", payload: 42 });
-
-    unsub();
+    const rows = kernel.logStore.query({
+      source: "sense",
+      type: "compute-complete",
+      refId: "cpu-usage",
+    });
+    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
   }, 15_000);
 
   it("crash recovery: kernel respawns worker after unexpected exit and new worker is functional", async () => {
@@ -234,23 +229,24 @@ describe("kernel integration — real child processes", () => {
     expect(newPid).not.toBeNull();
     expect(newPid).not.toBe(originalPid);
 
-    // Wait a bit for the new worker to send its "ready" message and be fully up.
-    // Poll until the new worker responds to a compute message on the bus.
-    const postRespawnSignals: Signal[] = [];
-    const unsub = kernel.bus.subscribe((signal) => {
-      postRespawnSignals.push(signal);
-    });
-
-    // Trigger compute through the kernel to the new worker
     kernel.triggerCompute("cpu-usage");
 
-    // Poll for the signal — verifies the new worker is fully functional
-    await pollUntil(() => postRespawnSignals.length > 0, 15_000);
+    await pollUntil(
+      () =>
+        kernel!.logStore.query({
+          source: "sense",
+          type: "compute-complete",
+          refId: "cpu-usage",
+        }).length > 0,
+      15_000,
+    );
 
-    expect(postRespawnSignals).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(postRespawnSignals[0]).toMatchObject({ senseId: "cpu-usage", payload: 42 });
-
-    unsub();
+    const rows = kernel.logStore.query({
+      source: "sense",
+      type: "compute-complete",
+      refId: "cpu-usage",
+    });
+    expect(rows.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
 
     // Kernel should still stop gracefully after respawn
     await kernel.stop();

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/kernel-phase6.test.ts

@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -125,7 +124,6 @@ describe("kernel — getHealth", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -134,7 +132,6 @@ describe("kernel — getHealth", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -143,7 +140,6 @@ describe("kernel — getHealth", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -246,7 +242,6 @@ describe("kernel — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -255,7 +250,6 @@ describe("kernel — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -283,7 +277,6 @@ describe("kernel — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -292,7 +285,6 @@ describe("kernel — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -318,7 +310,6 @@ describe("kernel — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -352,7 +343,6 @@ describe("kernel — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -361,7 +351,6 @@ describe("kernel — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/kernel-trigger-sense.test.ts

@@ -101,7 +101,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -153,7 +152,6 @@ describe("kernel.triggerSense()", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -162,7 +160,6 @@ describe("kernel.triggerSense()", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -199,7 +196,6 @@ describe("kernel.triggerSense()", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -208,7 +204,6 @@ describe("kernel.triggerSense()", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/kernel-workflow-integration.test.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 /**
  * Integration tests for Kernel + WorkflowManager integration.
  *
- * Verifies that sense signals trigger workflow runs when Sense compute routes
- * to workflows; that workflow events are logged; that reloadConfig handles workflow changes;
+ * Verifies that sense compute-result IPC triggers workflow runs when `workflow`
+ * is non-null; that workflow events are logged; that reloadConfig handles workflow changes;
  * and that graceful shutdown stops workflow workers.
  *
  * Uses mocked child_process.fork to avoid real subprocesses.
@@ -53,7 +53,12 @@ function makeMockChild(pid = 1): MockChild {
     // Sense IPC: reply to compute so scheduler completes (onComputeComplete).
     if (m.type === "compute" && typeof m.sense === "string") {
       setImmediate(() => {
-        child.emit("message", { type: "signal", sense: m.sense, payload: 42 });
+        child.emit("message", {
+          type: "compute-result",
+          sense: m.sense,
+          state: 42,
+          workflow: null,
+        });
       });
     }
   });
@@ -117,7 +122,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -159,7 +163,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -174,22 +177,17 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
       await flushSenseWorkerForkMicrotasks(kernel);
       await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
 
-      // Simulate a sense worker sending a signal with workflow launch payload
-      // The kernel's handleWorkerMessage processes "signal" type messages
-      // and uses routeSenseComputeOutput to detect workflow launches
       const workerPool = mockChildren[0];
       if (workerPool) {
         workerPool.emit("message", {
-          type: "signal",
+          type: "compute-result",
           sense: "cpu-usage",
-          payload: {
-            signal: { reason: "test" },
-            workflow: {
-              name: "my-workflow",
-              maxRounds: 10,
-              prompt: "run this workflow",
-              dryRun: false,
-            },
+          state: { reason: "test" },
+          workflow: {
+            name: "my-workflow",
+            maxRounds: 10,
+            prompt: "run this workflow",
+            dryRun: false,
           },
         });
       }
@@ -221,7 +219,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -236,20 +233,17 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
       await flushSenseWorkerForkMicrotasks(kernel);
       await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
 
-      // Simulate sense worker returning a signal plus workflow launch
       const workerPool = mockChildren[0];
       if (workerPool) {
         workerPool.emit("message", {
-          type: "signal",
+          type: "compute-result",
           sense: "cpu-usage",
-          payload: {
-            signal: { level: "critical" },
-            workflow: {
-              name: "alert-workflow",
-              maxRounds: 5,
-              prompt: "handle critical alert",
-              dryRun: false,
-            },
+          state: { level: "critical" },
+          workflow: {
+            name: "alert-workflow",
+            maxRounds: 5,
+            prompt: "handle critical alert",
+            dryRun: false,
           },
         });
       }
@@ -280,7 +274,7 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
       await stopPromise;
     });
 
-    it("logs sense signal before workflow-launch when both are present", async () => {
+    it("logs compute-complete before workflow-launch when workflow is present", async () => {
       const logStore = makeLogStore();
       const config = makeConfig({
         workflows: { "order-wf": { concurrency: 1, overflow: "drop" } },
@@ -296,16 +290,14 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
       const workerPool = mockChildren[0];
       if (workerPool) {
         workerPool.emit("message", {
-          type: "signal",
+          type: "compute-result",
           sense: "cpu-usage",
-          payload: {
-            signal: { seq: 1 },
-            workflow: {
-              name: "order-wf",
-              maxRounds: 2,
-              prompt: "p",
-              dryRun: true,
-            },
+          state: { seq: 1 },
+          workflow: {
+            name: "order-wf",
+            maxRounds: 2,
+            prompt: "p",
+            dryRun: true,
           },
         });
       }
@@ -316,17 +308,17 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
         .map((c) => c[0] as { source: string; type: string; refId: string | null })
         .filter((e) => e.source === "sense" && e.refId === "cpu-usage");
       const typeOrder = senseEntries.map((e) => e.type);
-      const sigAt = typeOrder.indexOf("signal");
+      const completeAt = typeOrder.indexOf("compute-complete");
       const launchAt = typeOrder.indexOf("workflow-launch");
-      expect(sigAt).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
-      expect(launchAt).toBeGreaterThan(sigAt);
+      expect(completeAt).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+      expect(launchAt).toBeGreaterThan(completeAt);
 
       const stopPromise = kernel.stop();
       await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
       await stopPromise;
     });
 
-    it("does not trigger workflow when signal senseId is not in 'on' list", async () => {
+    it("does not trigger workflow when compute-result has workflow null", async () => {
       const logStore = makeLogStore();
       const config = makeConfig({
         senses: {
@@ -335,7 +327,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -344,7 +335,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -359,13 +349,13 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
       await flushSenseWorkerForkMicrotasks(kernel);
       await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
 
-      // Emit a regular signal (shorthand payload) — should NOT trigger any workflow
       const workerPool = mockChildren[0];
       if (workerPool) {
         workerPool.emit("message", {
-          type: "signal",
+          type: "compute-result",
           sense: "cpu-usage",
-          payload: 50,
+          state: 50,
+          workflow: null,
         });
       }
 
@@ -396,7 +386,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -411,20 +400,17 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
       await flushSenseWorkerForkMicrotasks(kernel);
       await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
 
-      // Simulate sense compute returning a signal plus workflow launch
       const workerPool = mockChildren[0];
       if (workerPool) {
         workerPool.emit("message", {
-          type: "signal",
+          type: "compute-result",
           sense: "cpu-usage",
-          payload: {
-            signal: { note: "log" },
-            workflow: {
-              name: "log-test-workflow",
-              maxRounds: 10,
-              prompt: "test prompt",
-              dryRun: false,
-            },
+          state: { note: "log" },
+          workflow: {
+            name: "log-test-workflow",
+            maxRounds: 10,
+            prompt: "test prompt",
+            dryRun: false,
           },
         });
       }
@@ -452,7 +438,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -476,7 +461,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -488,20 +472,17 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
       };
       kernel.reloadConfig(newConfig);
 
-      // Simulate sense compute returning a signal plus workflow for the new workflow
       const workerPool = mockChildren[0];
       if (workerPool) {
         workerPool.emit("message", {
-          type: "signal",
+          type: "compute-result",
           sense: "cpu-usage",
-          payload: {
-            signal: { phase: "reload" },
-            workflow: {
-              name: "new-workflow",
-              maxRounds: 10,
-              prompt: "reload test",
-              dryRun: false,
-            },
+          state: { phase: "reload" },
+          workflow: {
+            name: "new-workflow",
+            maxRounds: 10,
+            prompt: "reload test",
+            dryRun: false,
           },
         });
       }
@@ -534,7 +515,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -557,7 +537,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -574,20 +553,17 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
         (c.send as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockClear();
       }
 
-      // Simulate sense compute trying to launch the removed workflow — it should not start
       const workerPool = mockChildren[0];
       if (workerPool) {
         workerPool.emit("message", {
-          type: "signal",
+          type: "compute-result",
           sense: "cpu-usage",
-          payload: {
-            signal: { stale: true },
-            workflow: {
-              name: "old-workflow",
-              maxRounds: 10,
-              prompt: "should not work",
-              dryRun: false,
-            },
+          state: { stale: true },
+          workflow: {
+            name: "old-workflow",
+            maxRounds: 10,
+            prompt: "should not work",
+            dryRun: false,
           },
         });
       }
@@ -621,7 +597,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -636,20 +611,17 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
       await flushSenseWorkerForkMicrotasks(kernel);
       await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
 
-      // Trigger a workflow via sense compute return value
       const workerPool = mockChildren[0];
       if (workerPool) {
         workerPool.emit("message", {
-          type: "signal",
+          type: "compute-result",
           sense: "cpu-usage",
-          payload: {
-            signal: { shutdownCase: true },
-            workflow: {
-              name: "shutdown-test",
-              maxRounds: 10,
-              prompt: "test",
-              dryRun: false,
-            },
+          state: { shutdownCase: true },
+          workflow: {
+            name: "shutdown-test",
+            maxRounds: 10,
+            prompt: "test",
+            dryRun: false,
           },
         });
       }
@@ -689,7 +661,6 @@ describe("kernel + workflowManager integration", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/kernel.test.ts

@@ -37,7 +37,12 @@ function makeMockChild(pid = 1): MockChild {
     }
     if (m.type === "compute" && typeof m.sense === "string") {
       setImmediate(() => {
-        child.emit("message", { type: "signal", sense: m.sense, payload: 42 });
+        child.emit("message", {
+          type: "compute-result",
+          sense: m.sense,
+          state: 42,
+          workflow: null,
+        });
       });
     }
   });
@@ -81,7 +86,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -112,7 +116,7 @@ describe("kernel — message routing", () => {
     rmSync(nerveRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
   });
 
-  it("routes signal message to bus without throwing", async () => {
+  it("routes compute-result message without throwing", async () => {
     const config = makeConfig({
       senses: {
         "cpu-usage": {
@@ -120,7 +124,6 @@ describe("kernel — message routing", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -133,14 +136,19 @@ describe("kernel — message routing", () => {
     const child = mockChildren[0];
 
     expect(() => {
-      child.emit("message", { type: "signal", sense: "cpu-usage", payload: 42 });
+      child.emit("message", {
+        type: "compute-result",
+        sense: "cpu-usage",
+        state: 42,
+        workflow: null,
+      });
     }).not.toThrow();
 
     await kernel.stop();
     await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
   });
 
-  it("persists emitted signals as sense/signal log entries", async () => {
+  it("persists compute-complete log entries for sense IPC", async () => {
     const tmpDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-kernel-sig-"));
     const logStore = createLogStore(join(tmpDir, "logs.db"));
     try {
@@ -151,7 +159,6 @@ describe("kernel — message routing", () => {
             throttle: null,
             timeout: null,
             gracePeriod: null,
-            retention: 10_000,
             interval: null,
             on: [],
           },
@@ -160,10 +167,19 @@ describe("kernel — message routing", () => {
       const kernel = createKernel(config, tmpDir, { logStore });
       await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
       const child = mockChildren[0];
-      child.emit("message", { type: "signal", sense: "cpu-usage", payload: 123 });
-      const rows = logStore.query({ source: "sense", type: "signal", refId: "cpu-usage" });
+      child.emit("message", {
+        type: "compute-result",
+        sense: "cpu-usage",
+        state: 123,
+        workflow: null,
+      });
+      const rows = logStore.query({
+        source: "sense",
+        type: "compute-complete",
+        refId: "cpu-usage",
+      });
       expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
-      expect(rows[0].payload).toBe(JSON.stringify(123));
+      expect(rows[0].payload).toBeNull();
       await kernel.stop();
       await vi.runAllTimersAsync();
     } finally {
@@ -180,7 +196,6 @@ describe("kernel — message routing", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -209,7 +224,6 @@ describe("kernel — message routing", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -237,7 +251,6 @@ describe("kernel — message routing", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -278,7 +291,6 @@ describe("kernel — groupForSense mapping", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -287,7 +299,6 @@ describe("kernel — groupForSense mapping", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -296,7 +307,6 @@ describe("kernel — groupForSense mapping", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -322,7 +332,6 @@ describe("kernel — groupForSense mapping", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: 500,
           on: [],
         },

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/log-store-integration.test.ts

@@ -3,11 +3,10 @@ import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
-import type { NerveConfig, Signal } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import type { NerveConfig } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import { createLogStore } from "@uncaged/nerve-store";
 import type { LogStore } from "@uncaged/nerve-store";
 import { createSenseScheduler } from "../sense-scheduler.js";
-import { createSignalBus } from "../signal-bus.js";
 
 describe("LogStore + SenseScheduler integration", () => {
   let tmpDir: string;
@@ -31,7 +30,6 @@ describe("LogStore + SenseScheduler integration", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: ["cpu-usage"],
         },
@@ -41,14 +39,12 @@ describe("LogStore + SenseScheduler integration", () => {
       extract: null,
       api: { port: null, token: null, host: "127.0.0.1" },
     };
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
     const triggered: string[] = [];
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name), {
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name), {
       logStore,
     });
 
-    const signal: Signal = { id: 1, senseId: "cpu-usage", payload: 42, timestamp: Date.now() };
-    bus.emit(signal);
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
 
     const logs = logStore.query({ source: "sense_scheduler", type: "run_start" });
     expect(logs).toHaveLength(1);
@@ -68,7 +64,6 @@ describe("LogStore + SenseScheduler integration", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: 1000,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -78,11 +73,9 @@ describe("LogStore + SenseScheduler integration", () => {
       extract: null,
       api: { port: null, token: null, host: "127.0.0.1" },
     };
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
     const ref: { scheduler: ReturnType<typeof createSenseScheduler> | null } = { scheduler: null };
     const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(
       config,
-      bus,
       (name) => {
         ref.scheduler?.onComputeComplete(name);
       },
@@ -108,7 +101,6 @@ describe("LogStore + SenseScheduler integration", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: ["cpu-usage"],
         },
@@ -118,11 +110,9 @@ describe("LogStore + SenseScheduler integration", () => {
       extract: null,
       api: { port: null, token: null, host: "127.0.0.1" },
     };
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
     const triggered: string[] = [];
     const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(
       config,
-      bus,
       (name) => {
         triggered.push(name);
         scheduler.onComputeComplete(name);
@@ -138,8 +128,6 @@ describe("LogStore + SenseScheduler integration", () => {
       timestamp: Date.now(),
     });
 
-    // Writing to the log store should NOT trigger any sense compute.
-    // Only bus.emit(signal) triggers scheduled senses.
     expect(triggered).toHaveLength(0);
 
     scheduler.stop();

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/phase6-integration.test.ts

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 
-import type { Signal } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import type { NerveConfig } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
@@ -27,7 +26,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -97,13 +95,16 @@ describe("phase6 — restartGroup", () => {
     expect(newPid).not.toBeNull();
     expect(newPid).not.toBe(oldPid);
 
-    // Verify new worker is functional
-    const received: Signal[] = [];
-    const unsub = kernel.bus.subscribe((s) => received.push(s));
     kernel.triggerCompute("cpu-usage");
-    await pollUntil(() => received.length > 0, 10_000);
-    expect(received[0]).toMatchObject({ senseId: "cpu-usage", payload: 42 });
-    unsub();
+    await pollUntil(
+      () =>
+        kernel!.logStore.query({
+          source: "sense",
+          type: "compute-complete",
+          refId: "cpu-usage",
+        }).length > 0,
+      10_000,
+    );
   }, 35_000);
 
   it("restartGroup on nonexistent group does nothing", async () => {
@@ -154,7 +155,6 @@ describe("phase6 — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -163,7 +163,6 @@ describe("phase6 — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -191,7 +190,6 @@ describe("phase6 — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -200,7 +198,6 @@ describe("phase6 — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -224,7 +221,6 @@ describe("phase6 — reloadConfig", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -269,7 +265,6 @@ describe("phase6 — error isolation", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -278,7 +273,6 @@ describe("phase6 — error isolation", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -294,19 +288,27 @@ describe("phase6 — error isolation", () => {
     });
     await kernel.ready;
 
-    // Both senses go through the same worker (mock-worker responds to all compute with signal)
-    const received: Signal[] = [];
-    const unsub = kernel.bus.subscribe((s) => received.push(s));
-
     kernel.triggerCompute("good-sense");
-    await pollUntil(() => received.length > 0, 10_000);
-    expect(received[0]).toMatchObject({ senseId: "good-sense" });
+    await pollUntil(
+      () =>
+        kernel!.logStore.query({
+          source: "sense",
+          type: "compute-complete",
+          refId: "good-sense",
+        }).length > 0,
+      10_000,
+    );
 
     kernel.triggerCompute("bad-sense");
-    await pollUntil(() => received.length > 1, 10_000);
-    expect(received[1]).toMatchObject({ senseId: "bad-sense" });
-
-    unsub();
+    await pollUntil(
+      () =>
+        kernel!.logStore.query({
+          source: "sense",
+          type: "compute-complete",
+          refId: "bad-sense",
+        }).length > 0,
+      10_000,
+    );
   }, 10_000);
 
   it("error worker sends error messages, kernel still running", async () => {
@@ -366,7 +368,6 @@ describe("phase6 — getHealth", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -375,7 +376,6 @@ describe("phase6 — getHealth", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -384,7 +384,6 @@ describe("phase6 — getHealth", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -420,7 +419,6 @@ describe("phase6 — getHealth", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -429,7 +427,6 @@ describe("phase6 — getHealth", () => {
           throttle: null,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: [],
         },
@@ -489,13 +486,16 @@ describe("phase6 — auto-respawn on worker crash", () => {
     expect(newPid).not.toBeNull();
     expect(newPid).not.toBe(originalPid);
 
-    // Verify new worker responds
-    const received: Signal[] = [];
-    const unsub = kernel.bus.subscribe((s) => received.push(s));
     kernel.triggerCompute("cpu-usage");
-    await pollUntil(() => received.length > 0, 10_000);
-    expect(received[0]).toMatchObject({ senseId: "cpu-usage", payload: 42 });
-    unsub();
+    await pollUntil(
+      () =>
+        kernel!.logStore.query({
+          source: "sense",
+          type: "compute-complete",
+          refId: "cpu-usage",
+        }).length > 0,
+      10_000,
+    );
 
     await kernel.stop();
     kernel = null;

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/sense-runtime.test.ts

@@ -1,281 +1,118 @@
-import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
-import { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
-import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/node-sqlite";
-import { integer, real, sqliteTable } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core";
+import type { SenseComputeFn } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import { parseParentMessage } from "../ipc.js";
-import { executeCompute, openSenseDb, runMigrations } from "../sense-runtime.js";
-import type { DrizzleDB, SenseRuntime } from "../sense-runtime.js";
+import { executeCompute, readState, writeState } from "../sense-runtime.js";
+import type { SenseRuntime } from "../sense-runtime.js";
 
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Helpers
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-const INIT_SQL = `
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS samples (
-  ts    INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
-  value REAL NOT NULL
-);
-`;
-
-function makeTempMigrationsDir(sql: string): string {
-  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-test-"));
-  writeFileSync(join(dir, "0001_init.sql"), sql);
-  return dir;
+function makeTempStatePath(): string {
+  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-state-"));
+  return join(dir, "sense.json");
 }
 
-function makeTempMigrationsDirEmpty(): string {
-  return mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-test-empty-"));
-}
-
-function makeTempDbPath(): string {
-  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-db-"));
-  return join(dir, "test.db");
-}
-
-const samples = sqliteTable("samples", {
-  ts: integer("ts").primaryKey(),
-  value: real("value").notNull(),
-});
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// runMigrations
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-describe("runMigrations", () => {
-  it("creates table via SQL migration file", () => {
-    const sqlite = new DatabaseSync(":memory:");
-    const migrationsDir = makeTempMigrationsDir(INIT_SQL);
-    const result = runMigrations(sqlite, migrationsDir);
-
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
-
-    const row = sqlite
-      .prepare("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name='samples'")
-      .get();
-    expect(row).toBeDefined();
-
-    sqlite.close();
+describe("readState / writeState", () => {
+  it("writeState creates parent dirs and persists JSON", () => {
+    const base = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-write-"));
+    const path = join(base, "nested", "a.json");
+    writeState(path, { n: 1 });
+    const raw = readFileSync(path, "utf8");
+    expect(JSON.parse(raw)).toEqual({ n: 1 });
+    rmSync(base, { recursive: true, force: true });
   });
 
-  it("runs multiple migrations in lexicographic order", () => {
-    const sqlite = new DatabaseSync(":memory:");
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-multi-"));
-
-    writeFileSync(join(dir, "0001_init.sql"), INIT_SQL);
-    writeFileSync(join(dir, "0002_add_col.sql"), "ALTER TABLE samples ADD COLUMN label TEXT;");
-
-    const result = runMigrations(sqlite, dir);
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
-
-    const info = sqlite.prepare("PRAGMA table_info(samples)").all() as Array<{ name: string }>;
-    const cols = info.map((r) => r.name);
-    expect(cols).toContain("label");
-
-    sqlite.close();
+  it("readState returns initialState when file is missing", () => {
+    const path = join(mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-missing-")), "none.json");
+    expect(readState(path, { x: 0 })).toEqual({ x: 0 });
   });
 
-  it("returns ok when migrations directory is empty", () => {
-    const sqlite = new DatabaseSync(":memory:");
-    const dir = makeTempMigrationsDirEmpty();
-    const result = runMigrations(sqlite, dir);
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
-    sqlite.close();
+  it("readState returns parsed JSON when file exists", () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-read-"));
+    const path = join(dir, "s.json");
+    writeFileSync(path, JSON.stringify({ count: 3 }), "utf8");
+    expect(readState(path, { count: 0 })).toEqual({ count: 3 });
+    rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
   });
 
-  it("returns err when migrations directory does not exist", () => {
-    const sqlite = new DatabaseSync(":memory:");
-    const result = runMigrations(sqlite, "/nonexistent/path/migrations");
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-    sqlite.close();
-  });
-
-  it("returns err when a migration SQL is invalid", () => {
-    const sqlite = new DatabaseSync(":memory:");
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-bad-sql-"));
-    writeFileSync(join(dir, "0001_bad.sql"), "NOT VALID SQL !!!;");
-    const result = runMigrations(sqlite, dir);
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-    sqlite.close();
+  it("readState returns initialState on invalid JSON", () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-badjson-"));
+    const path = join(dir, "bad.json");
+    writeFileSync(path, "not json {{{", "utf8");
+    expect(readState(path, { fallback: true })).toEqual({ fallback: true });
+    rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
   });
 });
 
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// openSenseDb
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-describe("openSenseDb", () => {
-  it("creates the db file and runs migrations", () => {
-    const dbPath = makeTempDbPath();
-    const migrationsDir = makeTempMigrationsDir(INIT_SQL);
-
-    const result = openSenseDb(dbPath, migrationsDir);
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
-
-    if (!result.ok) return;
-    const { sqlite } = result.value;
-    const row = sqlite
-      .prepare("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name='samples'")
-      .get();
-    expect(row).toBeDefined();
-    sqlite.close();
-  });
-
-  it("returns err when migrations dir is missing", () => {
-    const dbPath = makeTempDbPath();
-    const result = openSenseDb(dbPath, "/nonexistent/migrations");
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-  });
-
-  it("prunes _signals to retention after every 100 inserts", () => {
-    const dbPath = makeTempDbPath();
-    const migrationsDir = makeTempMigrationsDir(INIT_SQL);
-    const result = openSenseDb(dbPath, migrationsDir, 5);
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!result.ok) return;
-
-    const { sqlite, persistSignal } = result.value;
-    for (let i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
-      persistSignal({ n: i });
-    }
-
-    const count = sqlite.prepare("SELECT COUNT(*) AS c FROM _signals").get() as { c: number };
-    expect(count.c).toBe(5);
-
-    sqlite.close();
-  });
-});
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// executeCompute
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
 describe("executeCompute", () => {
   function makeRuntime(
-    computeFn: SenseRuntime["compute"],
-    sqlite?: DatabaseSync,
-  ): { runtime: SenseRuntime; sqlite: DatabaseSync } {
-    const db_sqlite = sqlite ?? new DatabaseSync(":memory:");
-    if (!sqlite) db_sqlite.exec(INIT_SQL);
-    const db = drizzle({ client: db_sqlite }) as DrizzleDB;
+    compute: SenseComputeFn<{ n: number }>,
+    state: { n: number },
+    statePath?: string,
+  ): SenseRuntime {
     return {
-      runtime: {
-        name: "test-sense",
-        db,
-        compute: computeFn,
-        table: samples,
-        persistSignal: () => {},
-      },
-      sqlite: db_sqlite,
+      name: "test-sense",
+      compute: compute as SenseComputeFn,
+      state,
+      statePath: statePath ?? makeTempStatePath(),
     };
   }
 
-  it("returns non-null and inserts into table when compute returns data", async () => {
-    const { runtime, sqlite } = makeRuntime(async () => ({
-      signal: { ts: 1000, value: 0.5 },
-      workflow: null,
-    }));
+  it("passes state into compute and persists returned state", async () => {
+    const path = makeTempStatePath();
+    const runtime = makeRuntime(
+      async (s) => ({ state: { n: s.n + 1 }, workflow: null }),
+      { n: 0 },
+      path,
+    );
 
     const result = await executeCompute(runtime);
     expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
     if (!result.ok) return;
-    expect(result.value).toEqual({ signal: { ts: 1000, value: 0.5 }, workflow: null });
-
-    const rows = sqlite.prepare("SELECT * FROM samples").all();
-    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
-    sqlite.close();
-  });
-
-  it("returns null and does not insert when compute returns null", async () => {
-    const { runtime, sqlite } = makeRuntime(async () => null);
-
-    const result = await executeCompute(runtime);
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!result.ok) return;
-    expect(result.value).toBeNull();
-
-    const rows = sqlite.prepare("SELECT * FROM samples").all();
-    expect(rows).toHaveLength(0);
-    sqlite.close();
+    expect(result.value).toEqual({ state: { n: 1 }, workflow: null });
+    expect(runtime.state).toEqual({ n: 1 });
+    expect(JSON.parse(readFileSync(path, "utf8"))).toEqual({ n: 1 });
   });
 
   it("returns err when compute throws", async () => {
-    const { runtime, sqlite } = makeRuntime(async () => {
-      throw new Error("something went wrong");
-    });
+    const runtime = makeRuntime(
+      async () => {
+        throw new Error("boom");
+      },
+      { n: 0 },
+    );
 
     const result = await executeCompute(runtime);
     expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
     if (result.ok) return;
-    expect(result.error.message).toContain("something went wrong");
-    sqlite.close();
-  });
-
-  it("inserts correctly into the sense db from openSenseDb", async () => {
-    const dbPath = makeTempDbPath();
-    const migrationsDir = makeTempMigrationsDir(INIT_SQL);
-    const dbResult = openSenseDb(dbPath, migrationsDir);
-    expect(dbResult.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (!dbResult.ok) return;
-
-    mkdirSync(join(dbPath, "..", "migrations"), { recursive: true });
-
-    const { sqlite: dbSqlite, db } = dbResult.value;
-    const runtime: SenseRuntime = {
-      name: "cpu-usage",
-      db,
-      compute: async () => ({ signal: { ts: 1000, value: 1.23 }, workflow: null }),
-      table: samples,
-      persistSignal: () => {},
-    };
-
-    const result = await executeCompute(runtime);
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
-
-    const rows = dbSqlite.prepare("SELECT * FROM samples").all() as Array<{
-      ts: number;
-      value: number;
-    }>;
-    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(rows[0].ts).toBe(1000);
-    expect(rows[0].value).toBe(1.23);
-    dbSqlite.close();
+    expect(result.error.message).toContain("boom");
   });
 
   it("returns err when compute exceeds timeoutMs", async () => {
-    const { runtime, sqlite } = makeRuntime(
-      () => new Promise<null>((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve(null), 5_000)),
+    const runtime = makeRuntime(
+      async (s) =>
+        new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve({ state: s, workflow: null }), 5_000)),
+      { n: 0 },
     );
 
     const result = await executeCompute(runtime, 50);
     expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
     if (result.ok) return;
     expect(result.error.message).toMatch(/timed out/i);
-    sqlite.close();
   });
 
   it("completes within timeout when compute is fast", async () => {
-    const { runtime, sqlite } = makeRuntime(async () => ({
-      signal: { ts: 1, value: 42 },
-      workflow: null,
-    }));
+    const runtime = makeRuntime(async (s) => ({ state: { n: s.n }, workflow: null }), { n: 42 });
     const result = await executeCompute(runtime, 5_000);
     expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
     if (!result.ok) return;
-    expect(result.value).toEqual({ signal: { ts: 1, value: 42 }, workflow: null });
-    sqlite.close();
+    expect(result.value.state).toEqual({ n: 42 });
   });
 });
 
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// parseParentMessage (IPC validation)
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-describe("parseParentMessage", () => {
+describe("parseParentMessage (IPC validation)", () => {
   it("accepts a valid compute message", () => {
     const result = parseParentMessage({ type: "compute", sense: "cpu" });
     expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
@@ -310,47 +147,3 @@ describe("parseParentMessage", () => {
     expect(result.error.message).toMatch(/unknown/i);
   });
 });
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// runMigrations – journal (idempotency)
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-describe("runMigrations journal", () => {
-  it("does not re-run an already-applied migration", () => {
-    const sqlite = new DatabaseSync(":memory:");
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-journal-"));
-    writeFileSync(join(dir, "0001_init.sql"), INIT_SQL);
-
-    const first = runMigrations(sqlite, dir);
-    expect(first.ok).toBe(true);
-
-    sqlite.exec("INSERT INTO samples (ts, value) VALUES (1, 1.0)");
-
-    const nonIdempotentSql = "CREATE TABLE samples2 (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY)";
-    writeFileSync(join(dir, "0002_samples2.sql"), nonIdempotentSql);
-
-    const second = runMigrations(sqlite, dir);
-    expect(second.ok).toBe(true);
-
-    const third = runMigrations(sqlite, dir);
-    expect(third.ok).toBe(true);
-
-    sqlite.close();
-  });
-
-  it("tracks migrations in _migrations table", () => {
-    const sqlite = new DatabaseSync(":memory:");
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "nerve-journal2-"));
-    writeFileSync(join(dir, "0001_init.sql"), INIT_SQL);
-
-    runMigrations(sqlite, dir);
-
-    const rows = sqlite.prepare("SELECT name FROM _migrations ORDER BY name").all() as Array<{
-      name: string;
-    }>;
-    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(rows[0].name).toBe("0001_init.sql");
-
-    sqlite.close();
-  });
-});

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/sense-scheduler-throttle-pending.test.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
-import type { NerveConfig, Signal } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import type { NerveConfig } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import { createSenseScheduler } from "../sense-scheduler.js";
-import { createSignalBus } from "../signal-bus.js";
 
 function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
   return {
@@ -12,7 +11,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -25,10 +23,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
   };
 }
 
-function makeSignal(senseId: string, payload: unknown = 1): Signal {
-  return { id: 1, senseId, payload, timestamp: Date.now() };
-}
-
 describe("SenseScheduler — throttle + pending deferred trigger", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.useFakeTimers();
@@ -47,27 +41,21 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — throttle + pending deferred trigger", () => {
           throttle: 2000,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: ["cpu-usage"],
         },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    // First trigger fires immediately (outside throttle window)
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Second trigger arrives 500ms later — still within throttle window (2000ms)
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(500);
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-    // Should not fire yet (throttled)
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Advance past the throttle window end; deferred trigger should now fire
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(1600);
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(2);
 
@@ -83,30 +71,25 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — throttle + pending deferred trigger", () => {
           throttle: 2000,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: ["cpu-usage"],
         },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    // First trigger fires
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Multiple triggers within throttle window — should not stack
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(300);
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(300);
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(300);
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Advance past window — exactly one deferred trigger fires
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(1200);
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(2);
@@ -123,28 +106,23 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — throttle + pending deferred trigger", () => {
           throttle: 2000,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: ["cpu-usage"],
         },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Trigger during throttle window — schedules deferred
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(500);
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Stop before window ends
     scheduler.stop();
 
-    // Advance past window — deferred timer should have been cleared
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(2000);
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
   });

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/sense-scheduler.test.ts

@@ -1,12 +1,7 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
-import type { NerveConfig, Signal } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import type { NerveConfig } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import { createSenseScheduler } from "../sense-scheduler.js";
-import { createSignalBus } from "../signal-bus.js";
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Helpers
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
   return {
@@ -16,7 +11,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -25,7 +19,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -34,7 +27,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
         throttle: null,
         timeout: null,
         gracePeriod: null,
-        retention: 10_000,
         interval: null,
         on: [],
       },
@@ -47,14 +39,6 @@ function makeConfig(overrides: Partial<NerveConfig> = {}): NerveConfig {
   };
 }
 
-function makeSignal(senseId: string, payload: unknown = 1): Signal {
-  return { id: 1, senseId, payload, timestamp: Date.now() };
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Tests
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
 describe("SenseScheduler — interval schedule", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.useFakeTimers();
@@ -72,14 +56,11 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — interval schedule", () => {
         "cpu-usage": { ...base.senses["cpu-usage"], interval: 1000, on: [] },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    // Use a ref so the triggerFn can call back into the scheduler
     const ref: { scheduler: ReturnType<typeof createSenseScheduler> | null } = {
       scheduler: null,
     };
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => {
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => {
       triggered.push(name);
-      // Immediately complete compute so the scheduler is not blocked by in-flight state
       ref.scheduler?.onComputeComplete(name);
     });
     ref.scheduler = scheduler;
@@ -101,11 +82,10 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — interval schedule", () => {
         "cpu-usage": { ...base.senses["cpu-usage"], interval: 500, on: [] },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
     const ref: { scheduler: ReturnType<typeof createSenseScheduler> | null } = {
       scheduler: null,
     };
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => {
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => {
       triggered.push(name);
       ref.scheduler?.onComputeComplete(name);
     });
@@ -128,10 +108,8 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — interval schedule", () => {
         "cpu-usage": { ...base.senses["cpu-usage"], interval: 1000, on: [] },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    // Only advance 500ms — should be 0 triggers (not catching up)
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(500);
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(0);
 
@@ -140,7 +118,7 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — interval schedule", () => {
 });
 
 describe("SenseScheduler — event (on) schedule", () => {
-  it("triggers target sense when watched sense emits a signal", () => {
+  it("triggers target sense when watched sense completes", () => {
     const triggered: string[] = [];
     const base = makeConfig();
     const config = makeConfig({
@@ -153,12 +131,11 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — event (on) schedule", () => {
         },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("system-health");
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("disk-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("disk-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("system-health");
 
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(2);
@@ -167,7 +144,7 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — event (on) schedule", () => {
     scheduler.stop();
   });
 
-  it("does not trigger for signals from non-watched senses", () => {
+  it("does not trigger for completions of non-watched senses", () => {
     const triggered: string[] = [];
     const base = makeConfig();
     const config = makeConfig({
@@ -176,10 +153,9 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — event (on) schedule", () => {
         "system-health": { ...base.senses["system-health"], interval: null, on: ["cpu-usage"] },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("disk-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("disk-usage");
 
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(0);
 
@@ -195,11 +171,10 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — event (on) schedule", () => {
         "system-health": { ...base.senses["system-health"], interval: null, on: ["cpu-usage"] },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
     scheduler.stop();
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
 
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(0);
   });
@@ -222,20 +197,17 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — throttle", () => {
           throttle: 2000,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: ["cpu-usage"],
         },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("cpu-usage");
 
-    // Immediately trigger again — within throttle window
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
 
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
@@ -251,20 +223,18 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — throttle", () => {
           throttle: 1000,
           timeout: null,
           gracePeriod: null,
-          retention: 10_000,
           interval: null,
           on: ["cpu-usage"],
         },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("cpu-usage");
 
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(1500);
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("cpu-usage");
 
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(2);
@@ -283,24 +253,19 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — merge/coalesce", () => {
         "system-health": { ...base.senses["system-health"], interval: null, on: ["cpu-usage"] },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    // First trigger starts compute
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Three more arrive while first is in-flight — all should coalesce to one pending
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Complete first compute → pending drains as exactly one more run
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("system-health");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(2);
 
-    // Complete second compute → no more pending
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("system-health");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(2);
 
@@ -316,13 +281,11 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — merge/coalesce", () => {
         "system-health": { ...base.senses["system-health"], interval: null, on: ["cpu-usage"] },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
-    // Complete with no pending
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("system-health");
     expect(triggered.length).toBe(1);
 
@@ -351,14 +314,11 @@ describe("SenseScheduler — interval + on combined", () => {
         },
       },
     });
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, (name) => triggered.push(name));
+    const scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, (name) => triggered.push(name));
 
-    // Event trigger
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted("cpu-usage");
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("system-health");
 
-    // Interval trigger
     vi.advanceTimersByTime(1000);
     scheduler.onComputeComplete("system-health");
 

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/signal-bus.test.ts

@@ -1,99 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
-
-import type { Signal } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
-import { createSignalBus } from "../signal-bus.js";
-
-function makeSignal(senseId: string, payload: unknown = 1): Signal {
-  return { id: 1, senseId, payload, timestamp: Date.now() };
-}
-
-describe("createSignalBus", () => {
-  it("delivers emitted signal to a subscriber", () => {
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const received: Signal[] = [];
-    bus.subscribe((s) => received.push(s));
-
-    const sig = makeSignal("cpu-usage", 42);
-    bus.emit(sig);
-
-    expect(received).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(received[0]).toBe(sig);
-  });
-
-  it("delivers to multiple subscribers", () => {
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const a: Signal[] = [];
-    const b: Signal[] = [];
-    bus.subscribe((s) => a.push(s));
-    bus.subscribe((s) => b.push(s));
-
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-
-    expect(a).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(b).toHaveLength(1);
-  });
-
-  it("unsubscribe stops delivery", () => {
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const received: Signal[] = [];
-    const unsub = bus.subscribe((s) => received.push(s));
-
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-    unsub();
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-
-    expect(received).toHaveLength(1);
-  });
-
-  it("remaining subscribers still receive after one unsubscribes", () => {
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const a: Signal[] = [];
-    const b: Signal[] = [];
-    const unsubA = bus.subscribe((s) => a.push(s));
-    bus.subscribe((s) => b.push(s));
-
-    unsubA();
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-
-    expect(a).toHaveLength(0);
-    expect(b).toHaveLength(1);
-  });
-
-  it("emit with no subscribers does nothing", () => {
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    expect(() => bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"))).not.toThrow();
-  });
-
-  it("dispatch is synchronous", () => {
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const order: string[] = [];
-    bus.subscribe(() => order.push("handler"));
-    order.push("before");
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-    order.push("after");
-    expect(order).toEqual(["before", "handler", "after"]);
-  });
-
-  it("handler exceptions don't prevent other handlers from running", () => {
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const received: Signal[] = [];
-    bus.subscribe(() => {
-      throw new Error("boom");
-    });
-    bus.subscribe((s) => received.push(s));
-
-    expect(() => bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"))).toThrow("boom");
-    expect(received).toHaveLength(1);
-  });
-
-  it("same handler can be subscribed once and fires once per emit", () => {
-    const bus = createSignalBus();
-    const handler = vi.fn();
-    bus.subscribe(handler);
-
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-    bus.emit(makeSignal("cpu-usage"));
-
-    expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
-  });
-});

packages/daemon/src/__tests__/worker-pool.test.ts

@@ -80,8 +80,18 @@ describe("createSenseWorkerPool", () => {
     await startWorkerWithReady(pool, "g1");
     expect(mockChildren).toHaveLength(1);
     const child = mockChildren[0];
-    child.emit("message", { type: "signal", sense: "s", payload: 1 });
-    expect(onWorkerMessage).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ type: "signal", sense: "s", payload: 1 });
+    child.emit("message", {
+      type: "compute-result",
+      sense: "s",
+      state: 1,
+      workflow: null,
+    });
+    expect(onWorkerMessage).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      type: "compute-result",
+      sense: "s",
+      state: 1,
+      workflow: null,
+    });
   });
 
   it("sendCompute delivers to the worker for that group", async () => {

packages/daemon/src/dashboard.html

@@ -191,7 +191,6 @@
                 <th>Name</th>
                 <th>Type</th>
                 <th>Triggers</th>
-                <th>Last signal</th>
                 <th></th>
               </tr>
             </thead>
@@ -343,7 +342,7 @@
     if (!list.length) {
       var tr = document.createElement('tr');
       var td = document.createElement('td');
-      td.colSpan = 5;
+      td.colSpan = 4;
       td.style.color = 'var(--muted)';
       td.textContent = 'No senses registered.';
       tr.appendChild(td);
@@ -353,12 +352,10 @@
     list.forEach(function (s) {
       var tr = document.createElement('tr');
       var triggers = (s.triggers && s.triggers.length) ? s.triggers.join('; ') : '—';
-      var last = s.lastSignalTimestamp != null ? fmtTime(s.lastSignalTimestamp) : '—';
       tr.innerHTML =
         '<td>' + escapeHtml(s.name) + '</td>' +
         '<td>' + escapeHtml(String(s.group || '—')) + '</td>' +
         '<td>' + escapeHtml(triggers) + '</td>' +
-        '<td>' + escapeHtml(last) + '</td>' +
         '<td></td>';
       var tdBtn = tr.querySelector('td:last-child');
       var b = document.createElement('button');

packages/daemon/src/index.ts

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ export type {
   HealthRequestMessage,
   HealthResponseMessage,
   ParentToWorkerMessage,
-  SignalMessage,
+  ComputeResultMessage,
   ErrorMessage,
   ReadyMessage,
   WorkerToParentMessage,
@@ -15,16 +15,7 @@ export type {
   ThreadWorkflowMessageMessage,
 } from "./ipc.js";
 
-export type { SignalBus, SignalHandler, Unsubscribe } from "./signal-bus.js";
-
-export type { DrizzleDB, SenseRuntime } from "./sense-runtime.js";
-
-export {
-  runMigrations,
-  openSenseDb,
-  loadSenseModule,
-  executeCompute,
-} from "./sense-runtime.js";
+export { loadSenseModule, executeCompute, readState, writeState } from "./sense-runtime.js";
 
 export { createKernel } from "./kernel.js";
 export type { Kernel, KernelOptions, KernelHealth } from "./kernel.js";

packages/daemon/src/ipc.ts

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  */
 
 import type { Result, WorkflowTrigger } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
-import { err, isPlainRecord, ok } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import { err, isPlainRecord, ok, parseWorkflowTrigger } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 
 /** Parent → Worker: trigger one compute cycle for a sense */
 export type ComputeMessage = {
@@ -65,11 +65,12 @@ export type ParentToWorkerMessage =
   | ResumeThreadMessage
   | KillThreadMessage;
 
-/** Worker → Parent: compute produced a signal */
-export type SignalMessage = {
-  type: "signal";
+/** Worker → Parent: sense compute finished (state persisted in worker; workflow optional). */
+export type ComputeResultMessage = {
+  type: "compute-result";
   sense: string;
-  payload: unknown;
+  state: unknown;
+  workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null;
 };
 
 /** Worker → Parent: sense compute result includes a workflow to start */
@@ -140,7 +141,7 @@ export type ThreadWorkflowMessageMessage = {
 
 /** Union of all messages a worker sends to the parent */
 export type WorkerToParentMessage =
-  | SignalMessage
+  | ComputeResultMessage
   | ErrorMessage
   | ReadyMessage
   | HealthResponseMessage
@@ -247,17 +248,33 @@ export function parseParentMessage(raw: unknown): Result<ParentToWorkerMessage>
   }
 }
 
-function parseSignalMsg(obj: Record<string, unknown>): Result<WorkerToParentMessage> {
+function parseComputeResultMsg(obj: Record<string, unknown>): Result<WorkerToParentMessage> {
   if (typeof obj.sense !== "string") {
-    return err(new Error("Worker 'signal' message missing string 'sense' field"));
+    return err(new Error("Worker 'compute-result' message missing string 'sense' field"));
   }
-  if (!("payload" in obj)) {
-    return err(new Error("Worker 'signal' message missing 'payload' field"));
+  if (!("state" in obj)) {
+    return err(new Error("Worker 'compute-result' message missing 'state' field"));
+  }
+  if (!("workflow" in obj)) {
+    return err(new Error("Worker 'compute-result' message missing 'workflow' field"));
+  }
+  const wfRaw = obj.workflow;
+  if (wfRaw !== null && !isPlainRecord(wfRaw)) {
+    return err(new Error("Worker 'compute-result' workflow must be an object or null"));
+  }
+  let workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null;
+  if (wfRaw === null) {
+    workflow = null;
+  } else {
+    const parsed = parseWorkflowTrigger(wfRaw);
+    if (!parsed.ok) return err(parsed.error);
+    workflow = parsed.value;
   }
   return ok({
-    type: "signal",
+    type: "compute-result",
     sense: obj.sense,
-    payload: obj.payload,
+    state: obj.state,
+    workflow,
   });
 }
 
@@ -341,7 +358,7 @@ function parseWorkflowErrorMsg(obj: Record<string, unknown>): Result<WorkerToPar
 }
 
 const WORKER_MSG_TYPES = new Set([
-  "signal",
+  "compute-result",
   "error",
   "ready",
   "health-response",
@@ -428,7 +445,7 @@ export function parseWorkerMessage(raw: unknown): Result<WorkerToParentMessage>
   if (!WORKER_MSG_TYPES.has(obj.type)) {
     return err(new Error(`Unknown worker IPC message type: "${obj.type}"`));
   }
-  if (obj.type === "signal") return parseSignalMsg(obj);
+  if (obj.type === "compute-result") return parseComputeResultMsg(obj);
   if (obj.type === "error") return parseErrorMsg(obj);
   if (obj.type === "health-response") return parseHealthResponseMsg(obj);
   if (obj.type === "thread-event") return parseThreadEventMsg(obj);

packages/daemon/src/kernel.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /**
- * Kernel — ties sense workers, signal bus, sense scheduler, workflow manager,
+ * Kernel — ties sense workers, sense scheduler, workflow manager,
  * optional file watcher, and daemon IPC.
  */
 
@@ -12,10 +12,9 @@ import {
   type HealthInfo,
   type NerveConfig,
   type SenseInfo,
-  type Signal,
+  type WorkflowTrigger,
   senseTriggerLabels,
 } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
-import { routeSenseComputeOutput } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 
 import { createLogStore } from "@uncaged/nerve-store";
 import type { LogStore } from "@uncaged/nerve-store";
@@ -36,8 +35,6 @@ import {
 } from "./kernel-sense-groups.js";
 import { createSenseScheduler } from "./sense-scheduler.js";
 import type { SenseScheduler } from "./sense-scheduler.js";
-import { createSignalBus } from "./signal-bus.js";
-import type { SignalBus } from "./signal-bus.js";
 import { createSenseWorkerPool, resolveWorkerScript } from "./worker-pool.js";
 import { createWorkflowManager } from "./workflow-manager.js";
 import type { WorkflowManager } from "./workflow-manager.js";
@@ -55,7 +52,6 @@ export type Kernel = {
   stop: () => Promise<void>;
   groups: Set<string>;
   senseCount: number;
-  bus: SignalBus;
   logStore: LogStore;
   workflowManager: WorkflowManager;
   ready: Promise<void>;
@@ -110,7 +106,6 @@ export function createKernel(
   nerveRoot: string,
   options: KernelOptions = defaultKernelOptions(),
 ): Kernel {
-  const bus: SignalBus = createSignalBus();
   const workerScript = options.workerScript ?? resolveWorkerScript();
   const startTime = Date.now();
   const startedAtIso = new Date(startTime).toISOString();
@@ -127,12 +122,6 @@ export function createKernel(
 
   let config = initialConfig;
 
-  let _signalIdCounter = 0;
-  function nextSignalId(): number {
-    _signalIdCounter += 1;
-    return _signalIdCounter;
-  }
-
   const workflowManager = createWorkflowManager(nerveRoot, config, logStore);
 
   const groups = new Set<string>();
@@ -156,38 +145,14 @@ export function createKernel(
     }
   }
 
-  function handleSenseWorkerSignal(senseName: string, payload: unknown): void {
-    const routeResult = routeSenseComputeOutput(payload);
-    if (!routeResult.ok) {
-      process.stderr.write(
-        `[kernel] sense "${senseName}" invalid compute payload: ${routeResult.error.message}\n`,
-      );
-      logStore.append({
-        source: "sense",
-        type: "error",
-        refId: senseName,
-        payload: JSON.stringify({ error: routeResult.error.message }),
-        timestamp: Date.now(),
-      });
-      scheduler.onComputeComplete(senseName);
-      return;
-    }
-    const { signal: signalPayload, workflow } = routeResult.value;
-
-    const signal: Signal = {
-      id: nextSignalId(),
-      senseId: senseName,
-      payload: signalPayload,
-      timestamp: Date.now(),
-    };
+  function handleComputeResult(senseName: string, workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null): void {
     logStore.append({
       source: "sense",
-      type: "signal",
+      type: "compute-complete",
       refId: senseName,
-      payload: JSON.stringify(signalPayload),
-      timestamp: signal.timestamp,
+      payload: null,
+      timestamp: Date.now(),
     });
-    bus.emit(signal);
 
     if (workflow !== null) {
       workflowManager.startWorkflow(workflow.name, {
@@ -204,6 +169,7 @@ export function createKernel(
       });
     }
     scheduler.onComputeComplete(senseName);
+    scheduler.onSenseCompleted(senseName);
   }
 
   function handleWorkerMessage(raw: unknown): void {
@@ -235,8 +201,8 @@ export function createKernel(
       return;
     }
 
-    if (msg.type === "signal") {
-      handleSenseWorkerSignal(msg.sense, msg.payload);
+    if (msg.type === "compute-result") {
+      handleComputeResult(msg.sense, msg.workflow);
     }
   }
 
@@ -270,7 +236,7 @@ export function createKernel(
     senseWorkerPool.sendCompute(group, senseName);
   }
 
-  scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, triggerFn, {
+  scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, triggerFn, {
     logStore,
   });
 
@@ -306,7 +272,7 @@ export function createKernel(
     const oldWorkflows = config.workflows;
     config = newConfig;
     scheduler.stop();
-    scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, bus, triggerFn, {
+    scheduler = createSenseScheduler(config, triggerFn, {
       logStore,
     });
     workflowManager.updateConfig(newConfig);
@@ -388,22 +354,13 @@ export function createKernel(
     workflowManager,
     triggerSense,
     listSenses(): SenseInfo[] {
-      return Object.entries(config.senses).map(([name, senseConfig]) => {
-        const entries = logStore.query({
-          source: "sense",
-          type: "signal",
-          refId: name,
-        });
-        const lastEntry = entries.length > 0 ? entries[entries.length - 1] : null;
-        return {
-          name,
-          group: senseConfig.group,
-          throttle: senseConfig.throttle,
-          timeout: senseConfig.timeout,
-          triggers: senseTriggerLabels(name, config.senses),
-          lastSignalTimestamp: lastEntry !== null ? lastEntry.timestamp : null,
-        };
-      });
+      return Object.entries(config.senses).map(([name, senseConfig]) => ({
+        name,
+        group: senseConfig.group,
+        throttle: senseConfig.throttle,
+        timeout: senseConfig.timeout,
+        triggers: senseTriggerLabels(name, config.senses),
+      }));
     },
     getHealthInfo: getDaemonHealth,
     getDefaultMaxRounds: () => config.maxRounds,
@@ -468,7 +425,6 @@ export function createKernel(
     stop,
     groups,
     senseCount,
-    bus,
     logStore,
     workflowManager,
     ready,

packages/daemon/src/sense-runtime.ts

@@ -1,172 +1,38 @@
-import { mkdirSync, readFileSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
+import { mkdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { dirname } from "node:path";
 
-import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/node-sqlite";
-import type { NodeSQLiteDatabase } from "drizzle-orm/node-sqlite";
-import type { SQLiteTable } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core";
-
-import type { ComputeResult, Result, SenseComputeFn } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
-import { DEFAULT_SENSE_SIGNAL_RETENTION, err, isPlainRecord, ok } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
-
-/** A Drizzle DB instance (schema-generic) */
-export type DrizzleDB = NodeSQLiteDatabase<Record<string, never>>;
+import type { Result, SenseComputeFn, WorkflowTrigger } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import { err, isPlainRecord, ok } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 
 /** All state held for one sense inside a worker */
 export type SenseRuntime = {
   name: string;
-  db: DrizzleDB;
   compute: SenseComputeFn;
-  table: SQLiteTable;
-  persistSignal: (payload: unknown) => void;
+  state: unknown;
+  statePath: string;
 };
 
-function ensureMigrationsTable(sqlite: DatabaseSync): Result<void> {
+export function readState(statePath: string, initialState: unknown): unknown {
   try {
-    sqlite.exec(
-      `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS _migrations (
-        name TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
-        applied_at INTEGER NOT NULL
-      )`,
-    );
-    return ok(undefined);
-  } catch (e) {
-    const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
-    return err(new Error(`Failed to create _migrations table: ${msg}`));
+    const raw = readFileSync(statePath, "utf8");
+    return JSON.parse(raw);
+  } catch {
+    return initialState;
   }
 }
 
-function listMigrationFiles(migrationsDir: string): Result<string[]> {
-  try {
-    const files = readdirSync(migrationsDir)
-      .filter((f) => f.endsWith(".sql"))
-      .sort();
-    return ok(files);
-  } catch (e) {
-    const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
-    return err(new Error(`Failed to read migrations directory "${migrationsDir}": ${msg}`));
-  }
-}
-
-function applyMigrationFile(sqlite: DatabaseSync, file: string, filePath: string): Result<void> {
-  let sql: string;
-  try {
-    sql = readFileSync(filePath, "utf8");
-  } catch (e) {
-    const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
-    return err(new Error(`Failed to read migration file "${filePath}": ${msg}`));
-  }
-
-  const insertJournal = sqlite.prepare("INSERT INTO _migrations (name, applied_at) VALUES (?, ?)");
-  sqlite.exec("BEGIN IMMEDIATE");
-  try {
-    sqlite.exec(sql);
-    insertJournal.run(file, Date.now());
-    sqlite.exec("COMMIT");
-    return ok(undefined);
-  } catch (e) {
-    try {
-      sqlite.exec("ROLLBACK");
-    } catch {
-      // ignore secondary errors during rollback
-    }
-    const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
-    return err(new Error(`Migration "${file}" failed: ${msg}`));
-  }
+export function writeState(statePath: string, state: unknown): void {
+  mkdirSync(dirname(statePath), { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(statePath, JSON.stringify(state, null, 2));
 }
 
 /**
- * Run all *.sql migration files in the given directory against a
- * `node:sqlite` DatabaseSync, in lexicographic order.
- * Tracks applied migrations in _migrations table to avoid re-running.
- */
-export function runMigrations(sqlite: DatabaseSync, migrationsDir: string): Result<void> {
-  const tableResult = ensureMigrationsTable(sqlite);
-  if (!tableResult.ok) return tableResult;
-
-  const filesResult = listMigrationFiles(migrationsDir);
-  if (!filesResult.ok) return filesResult;
-
-  const migrationRows = sqlite.prepare("SELECT name FROM _migrations").all();
-  const applied = new Set<string>(
-    migrationRows
-      .filter((r): r is { name: string } => isPlainRecord(r) && typeof r.name === "string")
-      .map((r) => r.name),
-  );
-
-  for (const file of filesResult.value) {
-    if (applied.has(file)) continue;
-    const result = applyMigrationFile(sqlite, file, join(migrationsDir, file));
-    if (!result.ok) return result;
-  }
-
-  return ok(undefined);
-}
-
-/** Run `_signals` row prune after this many inserts (amortize DELETE cost). */
-const SIGNAL_INSERTS_PER_PRUNE = 100;
-
-/**
- * Open (or create) the SQLite file at `dbPath`, run all migrations in
- * `migrationsDir`, and wrap with Drizzle ORM.
- */
-export function openSenseDb(
-  dbPath: string,
-  migrationsDir: string,
-  retention: number = DEFAULT_SENSE_SIGNAL_RETENTION,
-): Result<{ sqlite: DatabaseSync; db: DrizzleDB; persistSignal: (payload: unknown) => void }> {
-  let sqlite: DatabaseSync;
-
-  try {
-    mkdirSync(dirname(dbPath), { recursive: true });
-    sqlite = new DatabaseSync(dbPath);
-    sqlite.exec("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL");
-  } catch (e) {
-    const msg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
-    return err(new Error(`Failed to open database "${dbPath}": ${msg}`));
-  }
-
-  const migResult = runMigrations(sqlite, migrationsDir);
-  if (!migResult.ok) return migResult;
-
-  // Auto-create _signals table for signal persistence (all senses get this)
-  sqlite.exec(
-    `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS _signals (
-      id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-      payload TEXT NOT NULL,
-      timestamp INTEGER NOT NULL
-    )`,
-  );
-
-  const insertStmt = sqlite.prepare("INSERT INTO _signals (payload, timestamp) VALUES (?, ?)");
-  const pruneStmt = sqlite.prepare(
-    "DELETE FROM _signals WHERE id <= (SELECT id FROM _signals ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT 1 OFFSET ?)",
-  );
-
-  let insertsSincePrune = 0;
-
-  function persistSignal(payload: unknown): void {
-    const json = JSON.stringify(payload);
-    insertStmt.run(json, Date.now());
-    insertsSincePrune += 1;
-    if (insertsSincePrune >= SIGNAL_INSERTS_PER_PRUNE) {
-      insertsSincePrune = 0;
-      pruneStmt.run(retention);
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Drizzle infers a schema-specific DB type; senses are schema-agnostic at this layer.
-  const db = drizzle({ client: sqlite }) as DrizzleDB;
-  return ok({ sqlite, db, persistSignal });
-}
-
-/**
- * Dynamically import the compute function and table from a sense's index.ts/js.
- * The module must export a named `compute` function and a named `table` (SQLiteTable).
+ * Dynamically import `compute` and `initialState` from a sense's index.ts/js.
+ * The module must export named `compute` and `initialState`.
  */
 export async function loadSenseModule(
   senseIndexPath: string,
-): Promise<Result<{ compute: SenseComputeFn; table: SQLiteTable }>> {
+): Promise<Result<{ compute: SenseComputeFn; initialState: unknown }>> {
   let mod: unknown;
 
   try {
@@ -183,33 +49,24 @@ export async function loadSenseModule(
     );
   }
 
-  if (!("table" in mod) || mod.table === null || typeof mod.table !== "object") {
-    return err(
-      new Error(
-        `Sense module "${senseIndexPath}" must export a named "table" (drizzle SQLiteTable)`,
-      ),
-    );
+  if (!("initialState" in mod)) {
+    return err(new Error(`Sense module "${senseIndexPath}" must export a named "initialState"`));
   }
 
   return ok({
     compute: mod.compute as SenseComputeFn,
-    table: mod.table as SQLiteTable,
+    initialState: mod.initialState,
   });
 }
 
 /**
- * Execute a sense's compute function with an optional soft timeout.
- * If timeoutMs is provided and compute takes longer, the AbortSignal is
- * triggered and an error Result is returned.
- * When compute returns non-null, `result.signal` is persisted to the sense's
- * table via `db.insert(table).values(result.signal)` and `persistSignal` is
- * called with `result.signal`. Returns the full `ComputeResult` so callers
- * can inspect the `workflow` field.
+ * Execute a sense's compute with current runtime state and an optional soft timeout.
+ * On success, persists `result.state` to `runtime.statePath` and updates `runtime.state`.
  */
 export async function executeCompute(
   runtime: SenseRuntime,
   timeoutMs?: number,
-): Promise<Result<ComputeResult<unknown>>> {
+): Promise<Result<{ state: unknown; workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null }>> {
   const controller = new AbortController();
 
   let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
@@ -224,16 +81,13 @@ export async function executeCompute(
       : null;
 
   try {
-    const computePromise = runtime.compute();
+    const computePromise = runtime.compute(runtime.state);
     const result = timeoutPromise
       ? await Promise.race([computePromise, timeoutPromise])
       : await computePromise;
 
-    if (result !== null) {
-      // Cast required: DrizzleDB is schema-agnostic; the sense module guarantees shape compatibility.
-      await runtime.db.insert(runtime.table).values(result.signal as Record<string, unknown>);
-      runtime.persistSignal(result.signal);
-    }
+    runtime.state = result.state;
+    writeState(runtime.statePath, result.state);
 
     return ok(result);
   } catch (e) {

packages/daemon/src/sense-scheduler.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  *
  * Supports:
  *   - interval: periodic setInterval-based triggering
- *   - on[]: event-driven triggering via the signal bus
+ *   - on[]: event-driven triggering when watched senses complete a compute cycle
  *   - throttle: skip triggers that arrive too soon after the last compute
  *   - merge/coalesce: if compute is in-flight, record one pending trigger;
  *     run it once after the current compute completes (no unbounded queue)
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 
 import type { NerveConfig } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 import type { LogStore } from "@uncaged/nerve-store";
-import type { SignalBus, Unsubscribe } from "./signal-bus.js";
 
 /** Sends a compute message to the worker responsible for the given sense. */
 export type TriggerFn = (senseName: string) => void;
@@ -28,6 +27,8 @@ type SenseState = {
 export type SenseScheduler = {
   /** Notify scheduler that a compute cycle finished. Drains the pending flag. */
   onComputeComplete: (senseName: string) => void;
+  /** Notify scheduler that a sense completed so `on[]` subscribers may run. */
+  onSenseCompleted: (senseName: string) => void;
   stop: () => void;
 };
 
@@ -43,21 +44,29 @@ export type SenseSchedulerOptions = {
  * Create and start a sense scheduler.
  *
  * @param config      Full NerveConfig (senses for schedule + throttle).
- * @param bus         SignalBus to subscribe for event-driven triggers.
  * @param triggerFn   Called with the sense name when a compute should be dispatched.
  * @param opts        Optional: logStore for structured logging.
- * @returns           SenseScheduler with stop() and onComputeComplete() methods.
+ * @returns           SenseScheduler with stop(), onComputeComplete(), and onSenseCompleted().
  */
 export function createSenseScheduler(
   config: NerveConfig,
-  bus: SignalBus,
   triggerFn: TriggerFn,
   opts?: SenseSchedulerOptions,
 ): SenseScheduler {
   const logStore = opts?.logStore;
   const intervals: ReturnType<typeof setInterval>[] = [];
-  const unsubscribers: Unsubscribe[] = [];
   const states = new Map<string, SenseState>();
+  let stopped = false;
+
+  /** sense name → senses that list it in `on[]` */
+  const onSubscribers = new Map<string, string[]>();
+  for (const [senseName, sense] of Object.entries(config.senses)) {
+    for (const watched of sense.on) {
+      const list = onSubscribers.get(watched) ?? [];
+      list.push(senseName);
+      onSubscribers.set(watched, list);
+    }
+  }
 
   function getState(senseName: string): SenseState {
     let state = states.get(senseName);
@@ -89,6 +98,7 @@ export function createSenseScheduler(
    * If within throttle window, schedules a single deferred trigger at window end (fix #3).
    */
   function maybeTrigger(senseName: string): void {
+    if (stopped) return;
     const senseConfig = config.senses[senseName];
     const throttleMs = senseConfig?.throttle ?? null;
     const state = getState(senseName);
@@ -118,10 +128,11 @@ export function createSenseScheduler(
   }
 
   /**
-   * Called by the kernel when a compute cycle completes (signal or error received).
+   * Called by the kernel when a compute cycle completes (compute-result or error received).
    * Drains the pending flag if set.
    */
   function onComputeComplete(senseName: string): void {
+    if (stopped) return;
     const state = states.get(senseName);
     if (state === undefined) return;
 
@@ -152,8 +163,17 @@ export function createSenseScheduler(
     dispatchCompute(senseName);
   }
 
+  function onSenseCompleted(senseName: string): void {
+    if (stopped) return;
+    const subscribers = onSubscribers.get(senseName);
+    if (subscribers === undefined) return;
+    for (const sub of subscribers) {
+      maybeTrigger(sub);
+    }
+  }
+
   for (const [senseName, sense] of Object.entries(config.senses)) {
-    const { interval, on } = sense;
+    const { interval } = sense;
 
     if (interval !== null) {
       const id = setInterval(() => {
@@ -161,25 +181,13 @@ export function createSenseScheduler(
       }, interval);
       intervals.push(id);
     }
-
-    if (on.length > 0) {
-      const watchedSenses = new Set(on);
-      const unsub = bus.subscribe((signal) => {
-        if (watchedSenses.has(signal.senseId)) {
-          maybeTrigger(senseName);
-        }
-      });
-      unsubscribers.push(unsub);
-    }
   }
 
   function stop(): void {
+    stopped = true;
     for (const id of intervals) {
       clearInterval(id);
     }
-    for (const unsub of unsubscribers) {
-      unsub();
-    }
     for (const state of states.values()) {
       if (state.deferredTimer !== null) {
         clearTimeout(state.deferredTimer);
@@ -187,8 +195,7 @@ export function createSenseScheduler(
       }
     }
     intervals.length = 0;
-    unsubscribers.length = 0;
   }
 
-  return { onComputeComplete, stop };
+  return { onComputeComplete, onSenseCompleted, stop };
 }

packages/daemon/src/sense-worker.ts

@@ -8,8 +8,7 @@
  *
  * Layout assumptions (nerve user config at `~/.uncaged-nerve/`):
  *   dist/senses/<name>/index.js   ← bundled compute (esbuild)
- *   senses/<name>/migrations/     ← SQL migration files
- *   data/senses/<name>.db         ← SQLite data file
+ *   data/senses/<name>.json       ← persisted sense state
  *   nerve.yaml                    ← config
  */
 
@@ -19,11 +18,11 @@ import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
 
 import { parseNerveConfig } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
-import type { NerveConfig } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
+import type { NerveConfig, WorkflowTrigger } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
 
 import type { WorkerToParentMessage } from "./ipc.js";
 import { parseParentMessage } from "./ipc.js";
-import { executeCompute, loadSenseModule, openSenseDb } from "./sense-runtime.js";
+import { executeCompute, loadSenseModule, readState } from "./sense-runtime.js";
 import type { SenseRuntime } from "./sense-runtime.js";
 import { ignoreSessionBroadcastSignals } from "./worker-signals.js";
 
@@ -41,8 +40,11 @@ function sendReady(): void {
   send({ type: "ready" });
 }
 
-function sendSignal(sense: string, payload: unknown): void {
-  send({ type: "signal", sense, payload });
+function sendComputeResult(
+  sense: string,
+  value: { state: unknown; workflow: WorkflowTrigger | null },
+): void {
+  send({ type: "compute-result", sense, state: value.state, workflow: value.workflow });
 }
 
 function sendError(sense: string, error: string): void {
@@ -72,31 +74,23 @@ function readConfig(nerveRoot: string): NerveConfig {
   return configResult.value;
 }
 
-async function initSense(
-  nerveRoot: string,
-  senseName: string,
-  retention: number,
-): Promise<SenseRuntime> {
-  const dbPath = join(nerveRoot, "data", "senses", `${senseName}.db`);
-  const migrationsDir = join(nerveRoot, "senses", senseName, "migrations");
+async function initSense(nerveRoot: string, senseName: string): Promise<SenseRuntime> {
+  const statePath = join(nerveRoot, "data", "senses", `${senseName}.json`);
   const senseIndexPath = resolve(join(nerveRoot, "dist", "senses", senseName, "index.js"));
 
-  const dbResult = openSenseDb(dbPath, migrationsDir, retention);
-  if (!dbResult.ok) {
-    throw new Error(`Failed to init DB for "${senseName}": ${dbResult.error.message}`);
-  }
-
   const moduleResult = await loadSenseModule(senseIndexPath);
   if (!moduleResult.ok) {
     throw new Error(`Failed to load module for "${senseName}": ${moduleResult.error.message}`);
   }
 
+  const { compute, initialState } = moduleResult.value;
+  const state = readState(statePath, initialState);
+
   return {
     name: senseName,
-    db: dbResult.value.db,
-    compute: moduleResult.value.compute,
-    table: moduleResult.value.table,
-    persistSignal: dbResult.value.persistSignal,
+    compute,
+    state,
+    statePath,
   };
 }
 
@@ -149,10 +143,7 @@ async function runCompute(
       return;
     }
     clearGracePeriodTimer(senseName);
-    if (result.value != null) {
-      // Single IPC message: kernel uses routeSenseComputeOutput(payload) for signal + optional workflow.
-      sendSignal(senseName, result.value);
-    }
+    sendComputeResult(senseName, result.value);
   } catch (e: unknown) {
     const errMsg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
     sendError(senseName, errMsg);
@@ -236,8 +227,7 @@ async function bootstrap(nerveRoot: string, group: string): Promise<void> {
 
   for (const senseName of groupSenses) {
     try {
-      const retention = config.senses[senseName].retention;
-      const runtime = await initSense(nerveRoot, senseName, retention);
+      const runtime = await initSense(nerveRoot, senseName);
       runtimes.set(senseName, runtime);
     } catch (e: unknown) {
       const eMsg = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);

packages/daemon/src/signal-bus.ts

@@ -1,51 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * In-memory signal bus for routing signals between sense workers and sense-scheduler subscribers.
- * Synchronous dispatch — no persistence, no async queuing.
- *
- * If a handler throws, the error is logged and remaining handlers still run.
- * The first error is re-thrown after all handlers complete so callers can observe it.
- */
-
-import type { Signal } from "@uncaged/nerve-core";
-
-export type SignalHandler = (signal: Signal) => void;
-export type Unsubscribe = () => void;
-
-export type SignalBus = {
-  emit: (signal: Signal) => void;
-  subscribe: (handler: SignalHandler) => Unsubscribe;
-};
-
-export function createSignalBus(): SignalBus {
-  const handlers = new Set<SignalHandler>();
-
-  function emit(signal: Signal): void {
-    let firstError: unknown = null;
-    let hasError = false;
-
-    for (const handler of handlers) {
-      try {
-        handler(signal);
-      } catch (e) {
-        console.error("[signal-bus] handler error:", e);
-        if (!hasError) {
-          firstError = e;
-          hasError = true;
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    if (hasError) {
-      throw firstError;
-    }
-  }
-
-  function subscribe(handler: SignalHandler): Unsubscribe {
-    handlers.add(handler);
-    return () => {
-      handlers.delete(handler);
-    };
-  }
-
-  return { emit, subscribe };
-}

packages/daemon/src/worker-pool.ts

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export function resolveWorkerScript(): string {
 export type SenseWorkerPoolOptions = {
   nerveRoot: string;
   workerScript: string;
-  /** Invoked for every IPC message from a worker (including ready / signal / error). */
+  /** Invoked for every IPC message from a worker (including ready / compute-result / error). */
   onWorkerMessage: (raw: unknown) => void;
   /** Sense names in a group — reserved for scheduler-aligned cleanup (kernel passes current config). */
   sensesForGroup: (group: string) => string[];

packages/workflow-meta/src/develop-sense/roles/planner.ts

@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ Also look at existing senses in the \`senses/\` directory for patterns.
 
 Pick a good kebab-case name for this sense. Produce a PLAN (not code) in markdown:
 
+**Naming:** Sense names describe **what is observed or derived** (often noun-style compounds, e.g. \`linux-system-health\`, \`git-workspace-status\`). That differs from **workflow** names, which must be **verb-first** action phrases (\`extract-knowledge\`, \`develop-sense\`).
+
 ## Sense Design
 ### Name — kebab-case
 ### Fields — name, type (integer/real/text), description

packages/workflow-utils/src/__tests__/create-llm-adapter.test.ts

@@ -51,4 +51,28 @@ describe("createLlmAdapter", () => {
       { role: "user", content: "trigger text" },
     ]);
   });
+
+  it("throws on non-ok fetch response", async () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: false,
+      status: 500,
+      text: async () => "Internal Server Error",
+    });
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchMock);
+
+    const provider = { baseUrl: "https://api.example/v1", apiKey: "k", model: "m" };
+    const adapter = createLlmAdapter(provider);
+
+    await expect(adapter(makeCtx("t1", "hi"), "sys")).rejects.toThrow("llm:");
+  });
+
+  it("throws on fetch network failure", async () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("ECONNREFUSED"));
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchMock);
+
+    const provider = { baseUrl: "https://api.example/v1", apiKey: "k", model: "m" };
+    const adapter = createLlmAdapter(provider);
+
+    await expect(adapter(makeCtx("t1", "hi"), "sys")).rejects.toThrow();
+  });
 });

packages/workflow-utils/src/shared/context.ts

@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export function readNerveYaml(options: ReadNerveYamlOptions): Result<string, Ner
  * Shared context for workflow agents: how Nerve fits together and common CLI verbs.
  */
 export const nerveAgentContext = `
-Nerve observes the world through **Senses** (each has its own SQLite DB and a \`compute()\` function).
-**Reflexes** (YAML) schedule sense runs or start **Workflows** on intervals or signals.
-The \`nerve\` CLI manages config, triggers, and queries; keep paths and commands aligned with the host nerve.yaml and senses directory.
+Nerve observes the world through **Senses**: each exports \`compute(state)\`, \`initialState\`, and persists JSON state under \`data/senses/\`.
+Per-sense \`interval\` and \`on\` in \`nerve.yaml\` schedule computes; a non-null \`workflow\` in the return starts a **Workflow**.
+The \`nerve\` CLI manages config and triggers; keep paths aligned with the workspace \`nerve.yaml\` and \`senses/\` directory.
 `.trim();