Architecture S vs H: Hybrid Consolidation Boost — 2026-06-26

Question

Can we implement architecture H (hybrid) from the design matrix: route organ weights through the scalar digestive gate, but let TurnDigest statistics modulate consolidation strength? And does it differ from scalar stats-only (architecture S)?

Method

• Added DigestiveGateConfig.use_hybrid_consolidation (default False).
• Modified CortexAgent.metabolize() to capture the TurnDigest returned by IngestionPipeline.process().
• Modified CortexAgent.turn(): when the pipeline is active and use_hybrid_consolidation is on, scale the consolidation strength by (1.0 + digest.drift_max), capped at 10.0.
• Updated run_curriculum.py to propagate use_ingestion_pipeline, ingestion, and use_hybrid_consolidation from --config JSON into the mock/real CortexAgent.
• Added a unit test verifying that hybrid mode produces a higher consolidation strength than scalar mode.

Ran mock-driver organism curriculum stages 0-1 with:

1. Pipeline enabled, use_hybrid_consolidation=False (architecture S).
2. Pipeline enabled, use_hybrid_consolidation=True (architecture H).

Results

The results are identical because the default run_curriculum.py command has auto_consolidate=False and the curriculum episodes are single sentences, so chunking and consolidation never fire.

Interpretation

• The hybrid hook is in place and mechanically correct (unit test confirms strength is scaled).
• A meaningful S vs H comparison needs multi-chunk turns where consolidation actually runs; the current organism curriculum is too coarse-grained.
• Architecture H's value proposition appears only when long turns produce within-turn novelty that should strengthen cold persistence.

Implication for architecture

We now have all four scaffold axes (chunking, salience, embedder choice, gate routing) plus the hybrid consolidation knob. The next discriminating benchmark is a multi-fact turn stressor where two salient facts are buried in filler and the agent must retain both after a single auto-consolidation event.

Open questions

1. Does the multi-fact stressor show H > S when consolidation is forced?
2. Is drift_max the right statistic to scale, or should it be novelty_spread or a combination?
3. Should hybrid modulation also affect hippocampus write priority (e.g. persist high-drift chunks longer) in addition to consolidation strength?

Artifacts

• src/oczy/experiments/digestive_gate.py
• src/oczy/experiments/cortex_agent.py
• src/oczy/experiments/organism_curriculum/run_curriculum.py
• src/oczy/experiments/tests/test_ingestion.py
• src/oczy/experiments/logs/SUMMARY.md

Commits

• f78f43d — Add hybrid consolidation-strength modulation.
• 002c45e — Update experiments/logs/SUMMARY.md with run #84 result.