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id: retrieval-reflex name: Retrieval Reflex version: 0.1.0 description: Teaches the host agent WHEN to look something up and WHAT to pull. Ships a policy skill (trigger + retrieval spec) into the host resolver; pairs with the deterministic pointer layer in the context engine. category: reflex install_kind: copy-into-host-repo requires: [] secrets: [] health_checks:

• type: command argv: [gbrain, doctor, --json] label: Retrieval reflex wiring (see retrieval_reflex_health) setup_time: 2 min cost_estimate: "$0 — zero-LLM deterministic layer + a prose policy skill"

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Retrieval Reflex: teach the agent when and what to retrieve

gbrain is great at storing knowledge and at injecting deterministic context every turn. It does not, by itself, teach the host agent the policy of retrieval: when to look something up and what to pull. Without it, the agent can discuss a person who has a rich brain page for several messages without ever opening it — then answer generically about facts the brain already knew.

This reflex has two halves:

1. Deterministic pointer layer (automatic, on by default). The gbrain-context engine scans each turn's user message for salient, resolvable entities and injects a compact pointer (name → slug → one-line summary) so the agent knows the page exists. Zero-LLM, fail-open. Nothing to install — it's on unless retrieval_reflex is disabled in ~/.gbrain/config.json or GBRAIN_RETRIEVAL_REFLEX=false.

2. Policy skill (this recipe installs it). A SKILL fragment in the host resolver that encodes the trigger policy and retrieval spec the agent follows when a pointer appears or an entity becomes the subject.

IMPORTANT: Instructions for the Agent

You are the installer. Run these steps on behalf of the user.

1. Confirm the deterministic layer isn't disabled: gbrain doctor --json | jq '.checks[] | select(.name=="retrieval_reflex_health")'
2. Install the policy skill into the host repo (the OpenClaw/agent repo that holds skills/RESOLVER.md or AGENTS.md): gbrain integrations install retrieval-reflex --target <host-repo>
3. Verify: re-run gbrain doctor and confirm retrieval_reflex_health is ok.

The deterministic layer needs no install. On a PGLite brain it resolves through the running gbrain serve (or a host-provided capability); if neither is available it stays disabled and this policy skill carries the behavior — the doctor check reports which.