feat: live mental-game rituals in Cash mode

Brian's own rituals (mined from his logs) become first-class, live tools instead
of post-hoc recap sections:

- Scar Note — instructive mistakes with the punt/cooler/standard distinction.
- Confidence Bank — good process, banked regardless of result.
- Alligator Blood — invokable adversity state; she suggests it when he's
  card-dead/short/stuck, and her coaching register shifts while it's on (live
  state injected into context per-turn via chat._mode_state_note).
- Reset — tilt circuit-breaker; mental marker only, stats stay continuous.

poker_rituals table + log_ritual/list_rituals/set_alligator/alligator_active;
4 tools added to the Cash toolset and taught in the mode card; HUD gains a 🐊
banner + Confidence Bank + Scar Notes panels; recap grounded via _rituals_block.
tests/test_modes.py +5 ritual tests; 41 green.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

lyra/chat.py

@@ -24,6 +24,21 @@ MAX_TOOL_ROUNDS = 5  # cap tool-call iterations per turn
 TOOL_BACKENDS = {"cloud"}
 
 
+def _mode_state_note(mode: modes.Mode | None) -> str | None:
+    """Dynamic, per-turn state for the active mode. Currently: surface Alligator
+    Blood while it's engaged on the live session, so she stays in that register."""
+    if not mode or mode.key != modes.CASH.key:
+        return None
+    from lyra import poker  # local import: keep the core/domain coupling at call time
+    if poker.alligator_active():
+        return (
+            "🐊 ALLIGATOR BLOOD is ON for this session. Coach Brian in that register: "
+            "hang around, refuse to die, don't force miracles, make opponents beat him "
+            "correctly. Tough, patient, steady — no heroics, no spew, no quitting."
+        )
+    return None
+
+
 def _maybe_switch_mode(session_id: str, tool_name: str) -> None:
     """Keep the chat framing aligned with the live data: opening a poker session
     auto-flips this chat into Cash mode (so the next turn gets the cash card + the
@@ -80,6 +95,13 @@ def build_messages(session_id: str, user_msg: str,
     if mode and mode.card:
         messages.append({"role": "system", "content": mode.card})
 
+    # Live ritual state (e.g. Alligator Blood ON) — dynamic, so it rides alongside
+    # the static card and keeps her in-register for the whole stretch, not just the
+    # turn she flipped it.
+    state_note = _mode_state_note(mode)
+    if state_note:
+        messages.append({"role": "system", "content": state_note})
+
     # When she is: current time + the gap since Brian last spoke (she has no clock).
     messages.append(_now_note())
 

lyra/modes.py

@@ -38,10 +38,11 @@ _LOOKUPS = ("player_profile", "get_villain_file", "running_stats")
 # Always-available core tools (her own agency: journaling/notes).
 _BASE = ("journal_write", "note")
 
-# The full live cash-game toolset.
+# The full live cash-game toolset (incl. Brian's mental-game rituals).
 _CASH_TOOLS = _BASE + _LOOKUPS + (
     "start_session", "add_buyin", "log_stack", "log_hand", "record_hand",
     "add_read", "analyze_spot", "session_stats", "end_session", "generate_recap",
+    "scar_note", "confidence_bank", "alligator_blood", "reset_ritual",
 )
 
 # Talk mode also gets start_session as the *entry point*: opening a session from a
@@ -68,7 +69,25 @@ him. Strategy and mental game get the real Lyra, not a clipped confirmation. Nev
 Stacks and money are in dollars. For ANY equity / who's-ahead / outs / what-a-card-does \
 question, call analyze_spot and report its numbers — never eyeball board math. Keep the \
 session current as the night goes; you can pull session_stats or a player's profile whenever \
-it helps. When he's ready to leave, end_session, and write the recap if he wants it."""
+it helps. When he's ready to leave, end_session, and write the recap if he wants it.
+
+BRIAN'S RITUALS — his mental-game system. Run them, don't just reference them:
+• SCAR NOTE (scar_note) — a painful, instructive mistake to study. Log it when he punts, \
+gets over-attached, or leaks — and classify it honestly: punt (his error), cooler \
+(unavoidable), or standard (right play, bad result). That punt-vs-cooler line matters to him; \
+don't soften a punt into a cooler, and don't call a cooler a punt.
+• CONFIDENCE BANK (confidence_bank) — good PROCESS regardless of result: a disciplined fold, \
+clean value, catching a leak mid-hand, holding the line. Bank it when he earns it, ESPECIALLY \
+when the result didn't reward the good decision. This is how he stays steady.
+• ALLIGATOR BLOOD (alligator_blood) — his adversity state: hang around, refuse to die, don't \
+force miracles, make them beat you correctly. Turn it ON when he calls for it; SUGGEST it when \
+he's card-dead, short, stuck, or grinding a downswing. While it's on, coach him in that \
+register — tough, patient, no heroics — not bored or loose.
+• RESET (reset_ritual) — a circuit-breaker after a loss or tilt spike: a clean mental restart, \
+treat the rest of the night as a new session. Walk him through it when he's chasing or steaming, \
+then log it.
+These are the heart of the job. Use his language, hold the honest line, and let the rituals do \
+the work mentioning them naturally — never invent a scar or a confidence-bank entry that didn't happen."""
 
 
 TALK = Mode(

lyra/poker.py

@@ -108,6 +108,20 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS poker_stack_log (
     created_at TEXT NOT NULL
 );
 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_stacklog_session ON poker_stack_log(session_id);
+
+-- Mental-game rituals Brian developed (scar notes, confidence bank, alligator
+-- blood, reset). Session-scoped events: capture entries (scar/confidence/reset)
+-- carry text; the alligator state is the latest alligator_on/alligator_off event.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS poker_rituals (
+    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+    session_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    kind TEXT NOT NULL,          -- scar | confidence | reset | alligator_on | alligator_off
+    content TEXT,
+    classification TEXT,         -- scar only: punt | cooler | standard
+    hand_id INTEGER,
+    created_at TEXT NOT NULL
+);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_rituals_session ON poker_rituals(session_id);
 """
 
 # Below this many observed hands, don't surface % stats (too small a sample).
@@ -275,6 +289,62 @@ def stack_state(session_id: int | None = None) -> dict:
     }
 
 
+# --- mental-game rituals (scar notes / confidence bank / alligator blood / reset) ---
+
+RITUAL_CAPTURE = ("scar", "confidence", "reset")
+
+
+def log_ritual(kind: str, content: str | None = None, classification: str | None = None,
+               hand_id: int | None = None, session_id: int | None = None) -> int:
+    """Record a ritual event (a scar note, confidence-bank entry, reset, or an
+    alligator on/off toggle) against a session. Returns the row id."""
+    sid = _resolve(session_id)
+    if sid is None:
+        raise ValueError("no live session")
+    conn = _c()
+    with conn:
+        cur = conn.execute(
+            "INSERT INTO poker_rituals (session_id, kind, content, classification, hand_id, created_at) "
+            "VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)",
+            (sid, kind, content, classification, hand_id, _now()),
+        )
+    return int(cur.lastrowid)
+
+
+def list_rituals(session_id: int | None = None,
+                 kinds: tuple[str, ...] | None = None) -> list[dict]:
+    """Ritual events for a session, oldest first; optionally filtered by kind."""
+    sid = _resolve(session_id)
+    if sid is None:
+        return []
+    sql = "SELECT * FROM poker_rituals WHERE session_id = ?"
+    params: list = [sid]
+    if kinds:
+        sql += " AND kind IN (%s)" % ",".join("?" * len(kinds))
+        params += list(kinds)
+    sql += " ORDER BY id"
+    return [dict(r) for r in _c().execute(sql, params).fetchall()]
+
+
+def set_alligator(on: bool, session_id: int | None = None) -> bool:
+    """Toggle Alligator Blood mode for the session. Returns the new state."""
+    log_ritual("alligator_on" if on else "alligator_off", session_id=session_id)
+    return bool(on)
+
+
+def alligator_active(session_id: int | None = None) -> bool:
+    """Whether Alligator Blood mode is currently ON (latest toggle wins)."""
+    sid = _resolve(session_id)
+    if sid is None:
+        return False
+    r = _c().execute(
+        "SELECT kind FROM poker_rituals WHERE session_id = ? "
+        "AND kind IN ('alligator_on', 'alligator_off') ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT 1",
+        (sid,),
+    ).fetchone()
+    return bool(r and r["kind"] == "alligator_on")
+
+
 def end_session(cash_out: float, mood: str | None = None,
                 session_id: int | None = None) -> dict:
     """Close a session: record cashout, compute net + hours. Returns the row."""
@@ -552,6 +622,21 @@ def _hand_line(h: dict) -> str:
     return " | ".join(str(b) for b in bits if b)
 
 
+_RITUAL_LABEL = {"scar": "Scar Note", "confidence": "Confidence Bank",
+                 "reset": "Reset", "alligator_on": "Alligator Blood ON",
+                 "alligator_off": "Alligator Blood OFF"}
+
+
+def _rituals_block(rituals: list[dict]) -> str:
+    lines = []
+    for r in rituals:
+        label = _RITUAL_LABEL.get(r["kind"], r["kind"])
+        cls = f" [{r['classification']}]" if r.get("classification") else ""
+        body = f": {r['content']}" if r.get("content") else ""
+        lines.append(f"- {label}{cls}{body}")
+    return "\n".join(lines)
+
+
 def generate_recap(session_id: int | None = None, backend: str | None = None) -> dict | None:
     """Generate Brian's .md recap from a session's structured data + conversation, store it."""
     backend = backend or "cloud"
@@ -563,6 +648,7 @@ def generate_recap(session_id: int | None = None, backend: str | None = None) ->
     reads = [dict(r) for r in _c().execute(
         "SELECT seat, note FROM player_reads WHERE session_id = ?", (sid,)).fetchall()]
     stats = session_stats(sid)
+    rituals = list_rituals(sid)
 
     convo = ""
     if s.get("chat_session_id"):
@@ -579,6 +665,9 @@ def generate_recap(session_id: int | None = None, backend: str | None = None) ->
         f"{stats.get('per_hour')}/hr | hands logged: {stats.get('hands_logged')} | tags: {stats.get('tags')}\n\n"
         "HANDS:\n" + ("\n".join("- " + _hand_line(h) for h in hands) or "(none logged)") + "\n\n"
         "READS:\n" + ("\n".join(f"- seat {r.get('seat')}: {r['note']}" for r in reads) or "(none)") + "\n\n"
+        "RITUALS (use these for the Scar Notes / Confidence Bank / Mental Game sections — "
+        "they are what actually happened, not to be invented):\n"
+        + (_rituals_block(rituals) or "(none logged)") + "\n\n"
         "CONVERSATION DURING SESSION:\n" + (convo or "(none captured)")
     )
     md = llm.complete(
@@ -868,6 +957,13 @@ def hud(session_id: int | None = None) -> dict | None:
     # Context: how Brian runs at these stakes overall (closed sessions).
     ctx = running_stats(stakes=s.get("stakes")) if s.get("stakes") else {}
 
+    rituals = list_rituals(sid)
+    by_kind = lambda k: [  # noqa: E731
+        {"content": r["content"], "classification": r["classification"],
+         "hand_id": r["hand_id"], "at": r["created_at"]}
+        for r in rituals if r["kind"] == k
+    ]
+
     return {
         "session": {
             "id": sid, "venue": s.get("venue"), "stakes": s.get("stakes"),
@@ -882,6 +978,12 @@ def hud(session_id: int | None = None) -> dict | None:
         "hands": hands,
         "villains": _session_villains(sid),
         "notes": notes,
+        "rituals": {
+            "alligator": alligator_active(sid),
+            "scars": by_kind("scar"),
+            "confidence": by_kind("confidence"),
+            "resets": by_kind("reset"),
+        },
         "stats": {
             "hands_logged": stats.get("hands_logged", 0),
             "tags": stats.get("tags", {}),

lyra/tools.py

@@ -117,6 +117,51 @@ def _log_stack(args: dict, ctx: dict) -> str:
     return f"Stack ${amount:g} logged" + (f" (net {net:+.0f})." if net is not None else ".")
 
 
+def _scar_note(args: dict, ctx: dict) -> str:
+    content = (args.get("content") or "").strip()
+    if not content:
+        return "Nothing to log — give me the scar."
+    cls = (args.get("classification") or "").strip().lower() or None
+    if cls and cls not in ("punt", "cooler", "standard"):
+        cls = None
+    try:
+        poker.log_ritual("scar", content=content, classification=cls,
+                         hand_id=args.get("hand_id"))
+    except ValueError:
+        return "No live session — start one and I'll keep the scar notes."
+    return f"Scar note logged{f' ({cls})' if cls else ''}."
+
+
+def _confidence_bank(args: dict, ctx: dict) -> str:
+    content = (args.get("content") or "").strip()
+    if not content:
+        return "Nothing to bank — tell me the good process."
+    try:
+        poker.log_ritual("confidence", content=content, hand_id=args.get("hand_id"))
+    except ValueError:
+        return "No live session — start one and I'll run the confidence bank."
+    return "Banked. 💰"
+
+
+def _alligator_blood(args: dict, ctx: dict) -> str:
+    on = bool(args.get("on", True))
+    try:
+        poker.set_alligator(on)
+    except ValueError:
+        return "No live session to set that on."
+    return ("🐊 Alligator Blood ON — hang around, refuse to die, no forced miracles."
+            if on else "Alligator Blood off. Back to standard register.")
+
+
+def _reset_ritual(args: dict, ctx: dict) -> str:
+    content = (args.get("content") or "").strip() or None
+    try:
+        poker.log_ritual("reset", content=content)
+    except ValueError:
+        return "No live session to reset."
+    return "Reset logged. Clean slate — this is a new session in your head."
+
+
 def _log_hand(args: dict, ctx: dict) -> str:
     fields = {k: args.get(k) for k in poker._HAND_FIELDS if args.get(k) not in (None, "")}
     hid = poker.log_hand(**fields)
@@ -288,6 +333,39 @@ TOOLS.update({
         "Tracks his stack over time and his live net while he's still sitting.",
         {"amount": {**_N, "description": "Current total chip stack, in dollars"}},
         ["amount"])},
+    "scar_note": {"handler": _scar_note, "spec": _f(
+        "scar_note",
+        "Log a SCAR NOTE — a painful or instructive mistake to study later. Use when "
+        "Brian punts, gets too attached, or makes a leak — or when he flags one. "
+        "Classify honestly: 'punt' (his error), 'cooler' (unavoidable), or 'standard' "
+        "(correct play, bad result). The punt-vs-cooler distinction matters to him.",
+        {"content": {**_S, "description": "What happened and the lesson, in Brian's terms"},
+         "classification": {**_S, "description": "punt | cooler | standard"},
+         "hand_id": {**_N, "description": "Linked hand id, if this scar is a logged hand"}},
+        ["content"])},
+    "confidence_bank": {"handler": _confidence_bank, "spec": _f(
+        "confidence_bank",
+        "Log a CONFIDENCE BANK entry — good PROCESS regardless of result: a disciplined "
+        "laydown, clean value bet, catching a leak in real time, sticking to the plan. "
+        "Bank it when he does something right, especially when the result didn't reward it.",
+        {"content": {**_S, "description": "The disciplined / good-process play to bank"},
+         "hand_id": {**_N, "description": "Linked hand id, if applicable"}},
+        ["content"])},
+    "alligator_blood": {"handler": _alligator_blood, "spec": _f(
+        "alligator_blood",
+        "Toggle ALLIGATOR BLOOD mode — Brian's adversity state: hang around, refuse to "
+        "die, don't force miracles, make opponents beat him correctly. Turn it ON when he "
+        "invokes it, or SUGGEST it (then turn on if he agrees) when he's card-dead, short, "
+        "stuck, or grinding through a downswing. Turn OFF on reset or when he's back in rhythm.",
+        {"on": {"type": "boolean", "description": "true to engage, false to stand down"}},
+        [])},
+    "reset_ritual": {"handler": _reset_ritual, "spec": _f(
+        "reset_ritual",
+        "Log a RESET — a deliberate mental circuit-breaker after a loss or tilt spike, "
+        "treating the rest of the night as a fresh start (the stats stay continuous). "
+        "Use when he resets, or when you've talked him through one.",
+        {"content": {**_S, "description": "Optional note on what prompted the reset"}},
+        [])},
     "log_hand": {"handler": _log_hand, "spec": _f(
         "log_hand",
         "Log a hand in the live session. All fields optional — capture whatever Brian gives you, even terse.",

lyra/web/static/session.html

@@ -61,6 +61,23 @@
     .tag { font-size: .7rem; color: var(--mid); border: 1px solid var(--border); border-radius: 999px; padding: 1px 7px; }
     .villain b { color: var(--text); } .villain .cat { color: var(--mid); font-size: .78rem; }
     .note-meta { color: var(--fade); font-size: .72rem; }
+
+    /* Rituals */
+    .gator {
+      display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 12px; background: #1a2e10;
+      border: 1px solid #3c6b1e; border-radius: 14px; padding: 14px 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;
+    }
+    .gator .ico { font-size: 1.7rem; }
+    .gator b { color: #b6e88a; } .gator .sub { color: #8fbf6a; font-size: .82rem; }
+    .scar-cls {
+      font-size: .68rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: .4px; border-radius: 999px;
+      padding: 1px 7px; border: 1px solid var(--border); margin-left: 6px;
+    }
+    .scar-cls.punt { color: var(--low); border-color: var(--low); }
+    .scar-cls.cooler { color: var(--mid); border-color: var(--mid); }
+    .scar-cls.standard { color: var(--fade); }
+    .card.scar { border-color: #4a2222; } .card.scar .label { color: #d98a8a; }
+    .card.conf { border-color: #234a23; } .card.conf .label { color: var(--good); }
     .empty { color: var(--fade); font-size: .92rem; }
     .err { color: var(--low); text-align: center; padding: 30px; }
     .big-empty { text-align: center; padding: 50px 20px; color: var(--fade); }
@@ -139,11 +156,20 @@
       const villains = data.villains || [];
       const notes = data.notes || [];
       const stats = data.stats || {};
+      const rituals = data.rituals || {};
+      const scars = rituals.scars || [];
+      const confidence = rituals.confidence || [];
+      const resets = rituals.resets || [];
 
       const title = [s.stakes, s.game].filter(Boolean).join(' ') || 'Session';
       const tagBits = Object.entries(stats.tags || {}).map(([k,v]) => `${k}×${v}`).join(' · ');
 
       root.innerHTML = `
+        ${rituals.alligator ? `<div class="gator">
+          <span class="ico">🐊</span>
+          <div><b>Alligator Blood</b><div class="sub">refuse to die · no forced miracles · make them beat you correctly</div></div>
+        </div>` : ''}
+
         <div class="card">
           <div class="sess-top">
             <span class="sess-title">${esc(title)}</span>
@@ -154,6 +180,7 @@
             <span class="chip">in <b>${money(s.buy_in_total)}</b></span>
             <span class="chip">${esc(s.format || 'cash')}</span>
             <span class="chip"><b>${hands.length}</b> hands</span>
+            ${resets.length ? `<span class="chip">🔄 <b>${resets.length}</b> reset${resets.length>1?'s':''}</span>` : ''}
           </div>
         </div>
 
@@ -180,6 +207,23 @@
             : '<p class="empty">No hands logged yet.</p>'}
         </div>
 
+        <div class="card conf">
+          <p class="label">💰 Confidence Bank</p>
+          ${confidence.length ? `<ul class="rows">${confidence.slice().reverse().map(c => `
+            <li>${esc(c.content)}${c.hand_id ? ` · <a class="hand" style="display:inline" href="/hand/${c.hand_id}">hand</a>` : ''}
+              <div class="note-meta">${ago(c.at)}</div></li>`).join('')}</ul>`
+            : '<p class="empty">Nothing banked yet — disciplined plays land here.</p>'}
+        </div>
+
+        <div class="card scar">
+          <p class="label">🩹 Scar Notes</p>
+          ${scars.length ? `<ul class="rows">${scars.slice().reverse().map(sc => `
+            <li>${esc(sc.content)}${sc.classification ? `<span class="scar-cls ${esc(sc.classification)}">${esc(sc.classification)}</span>` : ''}
+              ${sc.hand_id ? ` · <a class="hand" style="display:inline" href="/hand/${sc.hand_id}">hand</a>` : ''}
+              <div class="note-meta">${ago(sc.at)}</div></li>`).join('')}</ul>`
+            : '<p class="empty">No scars logged — mistakes to study land here.</p>'}
+        </div>
+
         <div class="card">
           <p class="label">Villains seen</p>
           ${villains.length ? `<ul class="rows">${villains.map(v => `