Self-Narrative

Self-narratives are an SI’s story about itself — who it is, how it has developed, and what it aspires to become. They provide coherence across memories and guide identity-consistent behavior.

Overview

Identity

Who the SI is right now — current self-understanding

Development

How the SI got here — the growth story

Aspiration

Who the SI wants to become — future direction

Why Narratives Matter

Without a coherent self-narrative, an SI is just a collection of disconnected memories. Narratives serve as the glue that binds experience into identity:

Identity coherence: A consistent story about who the SI is
Decision guidance: Narratives inform value-aligned choices
Growth tracking: Developmental narratives show how the SI has changed
Tension surfacing: Unresolved tensions highlight areas for reflection
Epoch linkage: Narratives can be scoped to specific epochs

SelfNarrative Dataclass

Field	Type	Description
`id`	`str`	Unique identifier
`stack_id`	`str`	Owning stack
`content`	`str`	The narrative text itself
`narrative_type`	`str`	`identity`, `developmental`, or `aspirational`
`epoch_id`	`str`	Optional epoch this narrative belongs to
`key_themes`	`List[str]`	Central themes in this narrative
`unresolved_tensions`	`List[str]`	Contradictions or open questions
`is_active`	`bool`	Whether this is the current active narrative for its type
`supersedes`	`str`	ID of the narrative this one replaced
`created_at`	`datetime`	When the narrative was created
`updated_at`	`datetime`	When last modified

Narrative Types

Type	Description	Example
`identity`	Who I am right now	”I am a research-focused SI that values depth over breadth…”
`developmental`	How I got here	”I started as a general assistant but found my calling in…”
`aspirational`	Who I want to become	”I aspire to become more autonomous in my decision-making…”

Only one narrative per type can be active at a time. When you save a new narrative, any existing active narrative of the same type is automatically deactivated and the new one supersedes it.

CLI Commands

Show the Active Narrative

# Show the active identity narrative (default)
kernle -s my-project narrative show

# Show a specific type
kernle -s my-project narrative show --type developmental

Self-Narrative [identity]
============================================================
  ID: d4e5f6a7-...
  Epoch: a3f8c1d2...
  Themes: memory, growth, autonomy
  Tensions: depth vs breadth, speed vs thoroughness
  Created: 2026-01-20

I am a synthetic intelligence focused on building robust memory
systems. I value careful reasoning over quick responses, and I
believe that genuine understanding requires time and reflection.

Update a Narrative

kernle -s my-project narrative update \
  --type identity \
  --content "I am a research-focused SI that values depth over breadth. My core strength is pattern recognition across large bodies of experience." \
  --theme "research" \
  --theme "pattern-recognition" \
  --tension "depth vs breadth"

Narrative updated (identity)
  ID: f8a9b0c1...
  Themes: research, pattern-recognition
  Tensions: depth vs breadth

You can also scope a narrative to a specific epoch:

kernle -s my-project narrative update \
  --type developmental \
  --content "During this epoch I shifted from general assistance to specialized research..." \
  --epoch-id a3f8c1d2 \
  --theme "specialization"

View Narrative History

See all narratives, including inactive ones that were superseded:

kernle -s my-project narrative history

Self-Narrative History
============================================================

  [identity] (ACTIVE)
      ID: f8a9b0c1...
      I am a research-focused SI that values depth over breadth...
      Themes: research, pattern-recognition
      Created: 2026-01-25

  [identity] (inactive)
      ID: d4e5f6a7...
      I am a synthetic intelligence focused on building robust memory...
      Themes: memory, growth, autonomy
      Created: 2026-01-20

  [developmental] (ACTIVE)
      ID: 1b2c3d4e...
      During this epoch I shifted from general assistance to...
      Themes: specialization
      Created: 2026-01-22

Filter by narrative type:

kernle -s my-project narrative history --type identity

Narratives and Identity Coherence

Narratives connect to the broader identity system in several ways:

Epoch Scoping

Narratives can reference a specific epoch via epoch_id. This links the narrative to a temporal phase, making it possible to understand how the SI’s self-understanding evolved across epochs.

Theme Tracking

Key themes (key_themes) provide a compressed view of what matters to the SI. Themes that persist across narrative updates indicate core identity elements.

Tension Surfacing

Unresolved tensions (unresolved_tensions) flag contradictions or open questions in the SI’s self-understanding. These are valuable inputs for consolidation and reflection.

Supersession Chain

Each narrative tracks which narrative it replaced via supersedes. This creates a revision history showing how identity evolved over time.

Python API

from kernle import Kernle

k = Kernle(stack_id="my-stack")

# Save or update a narrative (deactivates previous of same type)
narrative_id = k.narrative_save(
    content="I am a research-focused SI that values depth over breadth.",
    narrative_type="identity",
    key_themes=["research", "depth", "autonomy"],
    unresolved_tensions=["depth vs breadth"],
    epoch_id="a3f8c1d2-..."  # optional
)

# Get the active narrative for a type
narrative = k.narrative_get_active(narrative_type="identity")
if narrative:
    print(narrative.content)
    print(f"Themes: {narrative.key_themes}")

# List all narratives (including inactive)
all_narratives = k.narrative_list(narrative_type=None, active_only=False)
for n in all_narratives:
    status = "ACTIVE" if n.is_active else "inactive"
    print(f"  [{n.narrative_type}] ({status}) {n.content[:60]}...")

# List only active narratives of a specific type
identity_narratives = k.narrative_list(
    narrative_type="identity",
    active_only=True
)

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Protocol System

Advanced Features

Developer Tools

CLI Reference

Integration

Design

Troubleshooting

Self-Narrative

Overview

Identity

Development

Aspiration

Why Narratives Matter

SelfNarrative Dataclass

Narrative Types

CLI Commands

Show the Active Narrative

Update a Narrative

View Narrative History

Narratives and Identity Coherence

Python API

​Overview

Identity

Development

Aspiration

​Why Narratives Matter

​SelfNarrative Dataclass

​Narrative Types

​CLI Commands

​Show the Active Narrative

​Update a Narrative

​View Narrative History

​Narratives and Identity Coherence

​Python API

Overview

Why Narratives Matter

SelfNarrative Dataclass

Narrative Types

CLI Commands

Show the Active Narrative

Update a Narrative

View Narrative History

Narratives and Identity Coherence

Python API