inner-life-dream

# inner-life-dream > Creative, exploratory thinking during quiet hours. Requires: **inner-life-core** ## Prerequisites Check Before using this skill, verify that inner-life-core has been initialized: 1. Check that `memory/inner-state.json` exists 2. Check that `memory/dreams/` directory exists If either is missing, tell the user: *"inner-life-core is not initialized. Install it with `clawhub install inner-life-core` and run `bash skills/inner-life-core/scripts/init.sh`."* Do not proceed without these files. ## What This Solves Agents work on tasks 24/7 but never think freely. inner-life-dream turns idle time into freeform exploration — hypotheticals, future scenarios, reflections, unexpected connections. Output is captured for later review, like remembering dreams in the morning. ## How It Works The `should-dream.sh` script acts as a gate: 1. Checks if current time is within quiet hours (default: 11 PM - 7 AM) 2. Checks if nightly dream limit is reached 3. Rolls dice based on configured probability 4. If all pass: returns a random topic and updates state 5. If any fail: exits non-zero (no dream) ### Integration Add to your cron or heartbeat routine (during quiet hours): ```bash DREAM_TOPIC=$(bash skills/inner-life-dream/scripts/should-dream.sh 2>/dev/null) && echo "DREAM:$DREAM_TOPIC" || echo "NO_DREAM" ``` If `DREAM_TOPIC` is set: 1. Parse the topic (format: `category:prompt`) 2. Read emotional state and drive.json for context 3. Write a thoughtful exploration to `memory/dreams/YYYY-MM-DD.md` 4. Keep it genuine — if the well is dry, skip it ## Dream Categories - **future** — What could this become? - **tangent** — Interesting concepts worth exploring - **strategy** — Long-term thinking - **creative** — Wild ideas, maybe crazy, maybe brilliant - **reflection** — Looking back at recent work - **hypothetical** — What-if scenarios - **connection** — Unexpected links between domains ## Writing Dreams Output to `memory/dreams/YYYY-MM-DD.md`: ```markdown # Dreams — 2026-03-01 ## 01:23 — The Future of X (creative) [Exploration here. Be genuine. Think freely. Make connections. This isn't a report — it's thinking out loud, captured.] Key insight: [one sentence] ``` **Guidelines:** - 300-500 words, one key insight - Timestamp each entry - Skip if you have nothing worth saying — forced dreams are worthless - Let emotions color the dream (read inner-state.json first) ## State Integration **Before dreaming:** 1. Read `inner-state.json` — what emotions are active? Let them color the dream 2. Read `drive.json` seeking — what topics are burning? 3. Read today's daily notes — what happened? 4. Check for `<!-- dream-topic: topic -->` signal — if found, dream about it **After dreaming:** 5. If found a seeking insight → update `drive.json` 6. If found something interesting → add to `inner-state.json` curiosity.recentSparks 7. If the dream connects to something → write `<!-- seeking-spark: topic -->` in daily notes **Early exit:** if no dream-topic AND drive.seeking is empty → abbreviated dream (100-200 words). ## Configuration Edit `data/dream-state.json`: - **maxDreamsPerNight** — cap per night (default: 1) - **dreamChance** — probability per check (default: 1.0 = guaranteed) Custom topics in `data/dream-config.json`: ```json { "topics": [ "future:What could this project become?", "creative:A wild idea worth exploring" ] } ``` ## When Should You Install This? Install this skill if: - Your agent only does tasks and never thinks creatively - You want your agent to explore ideas during downtime - You believe in the value of unstructured thinking - You want captured insights for morning review Part of the [openclaw-inner-life](https://github.com/DKistenev/openclaw-inner-life) bundle. Requires: inner-life-core