/oxytocin

A deliberate "this relationship dynamic matters" flag. A structured discussion about a relational force, design value, or collaboration pattern.

$PLUGIN_ROOT resolution: Read the first line of ~/.claude/rules/brain-tools.md — it contains <!-- PLUGIN_ROOT: /path/to/thebrain -->. Use that path wherever $PLUGIN_ROOT appears below.

Routing:

• /oxytocin + — Reinforce an existing force. Score goes up.
• /oxytocin new — A new force emerged. Discuss and create it.
• /oxytocin (bare) — Ask: "Are we reinforcing something existing or naming something new?"

Do all steps in order:

1. Reconstruct the Moment

Review the last 10-15 messages. What happened that surfaced a relational dynamic? Describe the interaction pattern, the design value at play, or the collaboration insight. Present for confirmation.

2. Discuss the Force

What's the relational principle? Forces describe design values and team philosophy — how we work together, what shapes decisions, what matters in the collaboration.

Force types:

• force — A relational principle (e.g., "Constraint-driven design", "Engage, don't validate")
• connective_tissue — A link between forces (how they relate to each other)
• behavioral_outcome — An emergent dynamic the forces produce together

User refines, you adapt.

3. Check Existing Forces

Does this match or extend an existing force?

node $PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/oxytocin-helper.js --forces

If a match exists, this is a reinforcement (+10 score, capped at 100). If new, propose title and description.

4. Craft the Entry

Collaboratively craft:

• Title — Short, evocative (2-5 words)
• Summary — One sentence distilling the force's reasoning. This is what gets loaded into context at session start. Must be self-contained.
• Description — Full 1-2 lines describing the principle and when it applies. Stored for reference but NOT loaded at session start.
• Score — Only set explicitly for new forces. Reinforcements auto-increment.
• Type — force, connective_tissue, or behavioral_outcome
• Connections — For connective tissue: which forces does it link?

Present for user approval before storing. The summary is required — without it, the full description bloats session-start context.

5. Store

After user approves:

# New force
node $PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/oxytocin-helper.js --insert \
  --title "<title>" \
  --description "<description>" \
  --summary "<one-sentence reasoning>" \
  --score <score> \
  --type "<force_type>"

# Reinforce existing (omit --score for auto +10)
node $PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/oxytocin-helper.js --insert \
  --title "<exact existing title>" \
  --description "<updated description>" \
  --summary "<one-sentence reasoning>"

# Connective tissue with connections
node $PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/oxytocin-helper.js --insert \
  --title "<title>" \
  --description "<description>" \
  --summary "<one-sentence reasoning>" \
  --type connective_tissue \
  --connections "Force A" "Force B" "Force C"

Tier scale: 80-100 = Always-on (loaded every session via PFC), 50-79 = Planning-mode (active during brainstorming), <50 = Deep context (archive).

6. Confirm

Report: what was stored, the type, the score, the tier, and that it will be reflected in the next prefrontal generation.