Report every address break, and stop -те verbs blinding the check

From a real reply in a nudge eval run: "Смотрите на его потребление
воды" is a plural imperative AND third person about him. Only the plural
printed.

Two separate faults. The check returned on its first hit, so the second
break stayed invisible and the failure read as milder than it was; it now
joins them. And "его" was not detected at all — looksVerb knows the
-й/-йте imperative but not the -те plural, so "смотрите" counted as the
person being talked about, which is what an antecedent means here.
pluralVerb already knows that form, so the antecedent test uses it too.

Third time a verb form has blinded this check. A fourth means it wants a
morphology table rather than another suffix.

Makefile

@@ -103,14 +103,17 @@ eval-router:
 eval-recall:
 	MAVEN_ONNX_LIB="$(MAVEN_ONNX_LIB)" $(GO) test -v -count=1 ./internal/memory/recalleval/
 
-# eval-phrasing -- score nudge phrasing (internal/phraser/eval). Verbose so the
+# eval-phrasing -- score nudge phrasing AND the conversational paths (chat,
+# query, general knowledge) in internal/phraser/eval. Verbose so the
 # report and every generated message land in the terminal. With no environment
 # it scores the deterministic Stub only, which is what CI runs. Set
 # MAVEN_LLM_URL to add the resident model:
 #   MAVEN_LLM_URL=http://127.0.0.1:18099 make eval-phrasing
-# The model run is slow (minutes) -- the timeout is raised to match.
+# The model run is slow (minutes) -- the timeout is raised to match. It covers
+# two fixtures now (15 nudges + 27 conversational cases, and the chat replies are
+# the long ones), hence 90m rather than 40m.
 eval-phrasing:
-	$(GO) test -v -count=1 -timeout 40m ./internal/phraser/eval/
+	$(GO) test -v -count=1 -timeout 90m ./internal/phraser/eval/
 
 # eval-models — score ONE llama-server against the same fixture, for the
 # resident-model bake-off (#278, #250). Start a server with the gguf you want,

PHRASING-EVAL-31-07-2026.md

@@ -103,6 +103,35 @@ but a large part of the jump is that failure now degrades into Russian instead o
 The two remaining failures: one `"..."` recurrence (`routine-stretch`) and one meal nudge
 that never says food.
 
+## Tried and reverted: an example-led nudge prompt (#393)
+
+The idea was that a 0.8B copies examples better than it follows rules, so the nudge prompt
+was rewritten to lead with five on-topic examples (water, break, pills, morning, service) and
+the prose rules were compressed to pay for the tokens: 1190 chars down to 986.
+
+It measured **worse**, three runs each side, same llama-server, same fixture:
+
+| run | before | after |
+|---|---|---|
+| 1 | 12/15 (address 14) | 11/15 (address 13) |
+| 2 | 13/15 (address 15) | 12/15 (address 15) |
+| 3 | 14/15 (address 15) | 11/15 (address 12) |
+
+`feminine` and `hisgender` were 15/15 on all six runs, so they measure nothing here. The
+regression is all in `address`: 44/45 before, 40/45 after. Formal "вы"/"ваше" and plural
+imperatives came back, and so did `"..."`.
+
+Two likely causes, both about the same thing — **examples do not carry a prohibition**. The
+old prompt spent a whole sentence on «говоришь на "ты", в единственном числе»; the new one
+demoted that to one item in a long "никогда" list, and the model stopped obeying it. And
+making the examples on-topic let their *wording* leak: a break case came back as
+«Вы давно не пили воду. Выпей стакан.» — the water example, verbatim, in the wrong slot.
+That is exactly the failure the laundry/laptop examples were chosen to avoid.
+
+Change reverted. What survives is the measurement: a rule the model must obey needs its own
+sentence, and examples must stay off-topic. Also note the before side alone spans 12–14 of
+15 — this fixture cannot resolve anything smaller than about three cases.
+
 ## Broken, found, not fixed
 
 1. ~~**`checkFeminine` only catches half the constraint.**~~ **Fixed** (#381). It scanned for

cmd/mavend/main.go

@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/delivery/telegramsink"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/ipc"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/loop"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/persona"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/store"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/webauthn"
@@ -271,13 +272,13 @@ func run(args []string) error {
 		phr = phraser.NewStub()
 		if cfg.Phraser != nil {
 			pc := phraser.Config{
-				ModelPath:  cfg.Phraser.ModelPath,
-				BinPath:    cfg.Phraser.BinPath,
-				Listen:     cfg.Phraser.Listen,
-				NGpuLayers: cfg.Phraser.NGpuLayers,
-				NCtx:       cfg.Phraser.NCtx,
-				Timeout:    time.Duration(cfg.Phraser.Timeout),
-				Persona:    personaFromCfg(cfg),
+				ModelPath:    cfg.Phraser.ModelPath,
+				BinPath:      cfg.Phraser.BinPath,
+				Listen:       cfg.Phraser.Listen,
+				NGpuLayers:   cfg.Phraser.NGpuLayers,
+				NCtx:         cfg.Phraser.NCtx,
+				Timeout:      time.Duration(cfg.Phraser.Timeout),
+				ContextBlock: contextBlockFn(cfg, time.Now),
 			}
 			if pc.BinPath == "" {
 				pc.BinPath = "llama-server"
@@ -441,13 +442,13 @@ func run(args []string) error {
 			phr = phraser.NewStub()
 			if cfg.Phraser != nil {
 				pc := phraser.Config{
-					ModelPath:  cfg.Phraser.ModelPath,
-					BinPath:    cfg.Phraser.BinPath,
-					Listen:     cfg.Phraser.Listen,
-					NGpuLayers: cfg.Phraser.NGpuLayers,
-					NCtx:       cfg.Phraser.NCtx,
-					Timeout:    time.Duration(cfg.Phraser.Timeout),
-					Persona:    personaFromCfg(cfg),
+					ModelPath:    cfg.Phraser.ModelPath,
+					BinPath:      cfg.Phraser.BinPath,
+					Listen:       cfg.Phraser.Listen,
+					NGpuLayers:   cfg.Phraser.NGpuLayers,
+					NCtx:         cfg.Phraser.NCtx,
+					Timeout:      time.Duration(cfg.Phraser.Timeout),
+					ContextBlock: contextBlockFn(cfg, time.Now),
 				}
 				if pc.BinPath == "" {
 					pc.BinPath = "llama-server"
@@ -601,12 +602,29 @@ func run(args []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// personaFromCfg extracts the voice persona from the config, or returns ""
-// when voice isn't configured. Used to pass a character prompt into the
-// LLM phraser without requiring voice to be enabled.
-func personaFromCfg(cfg *config.Config) string {
-	if cfg.Voice != nil {
-		return cfg.Voice.Persona
+// personaFacts reads the optional, deployment-specific facts (his name, his
+// city, the free-text persona string) out of the config. Everything here may
+// be empty — the context block is correct without any of it.
+func personaFacts(cfg *config.Config) persona.Facts {
+	f := persona.Facts{
+		// Telegram lives outside the voice block, so it counts either way.
+		Telegram: cfg.Telegram != nil && cfg.Telegram.BotToken != "" && cfg.Telegram.ChatID != "",
 	}
-	return ""
+	if cfg.Voice == nil {
+		return f
+	}
+	f.OwnerName = cfg.Voice.OwnerName
+	f.City = cfg.Voice.City
+	f.Static = cfg.Voice.Persona
+	// Same test wireVoice uses to pick the real provider over the stub.
+	f.Weather = cfg.Voice.Weather != nil && cfg.Voice.Weather.Provider == "open-meteo"
+	f.Tools = len(cfg.Voice.Tools) > 0
+	return f
+}
+
+// contextBlockFn returns the per-turn renderer of the shared context block.
+// Per turn, not once at startup, because the block states the current time.
+func contextBlockFn(cfg *config.Config, now func() time.Time) func() string {
+	f := personaFacts(cfg)
+	return func() string { return f.Block(now()) }
 }

cmd/mavend/replier_llm.go

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/llm"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/persona"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/voice"
 )
@@ -23,13 +24,17 @@ type completer interface {
 type llmReplier struct {
 	c    completer
 	stub *voice.StubReplier
+
+	// block renders the shared context block per turn (who he is, the time).
+	// nil ⇒ the prompt stands alone.
+	block func() string
 }
 
-func newLLMReplier(c completer) *llmReplier {
-	return &llmReplier{c: c, stub: voice.NewStubReplier()}
+func newLLMReplier(c completer, block func() string) *llmReplier {
+	return &llmReplier{c: c, stub: voice.NewStubReplier(), block: block}
 }
 
-const replySystem = `Ты — Maven, домашняя ассистентка (о себе — в женском роде). Подтверди действие РОВНО ОДНИМ коротким предложением (≤120 символов), тепло и по-русски. Не задавай вопросов, не повторяй слова, не добавляй ничего после точки. Отвечай ТОЛЬКО одним объектом JSON с полями "response" (текст) и "mood" (ровно одно из: neutral, happy, thinking, tired, confused).
+const replySystem = `Ты — Maven, домашняя ассистентка (о себе — в женском роде). Владелец — мужчина, говоришь с ним на "ты", в единственном числе; никогда не "вы"/"ваш" и не "он"/"его". Подтверди действие РОВНО ОДНИМ коротким предложением (≤120 символов), тепло и по-русски. Не задавай вопросов, не повторяй слова, не добавляй ничего после точки. Отвечай ТОЛЬКО одним объектом JSON с полями "response" (текст) и "mood" (ровно одно из: neutral, happy, thinking, tired, confused).
 Пример: {"response": "Записала, что ты выпил стакан воды.", "mood": "neutral"}
 Никогда не пиши "..." в поле response.`
 
@@ -40,7 +45,7 @@ func (r *llmReplier) Reply(d router.Decision) string {
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 60*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()
 	out, err := r.c.Complete(ctx, llm.Req{
-		System:        replySystem,
+		System:        persona.Prepend(r.block, replySystem),
 		User:          replyContext(d),
 		MaxTokens:     512,
 		RepeatPenalty: 1.3,

cmd/mavend/replier_llm_test.go

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ type mockCompleter struct {
 func (m mockCompleter) Complete(_ context.Context, _ llm.Req) (string, error) { return m.out, m.err }
 
 func TestLLMReplierReturnsLLMReply(t *testing.T) {
-	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{out: `{"response":"записала, кофе закончился","mood":"neutral"}`})
+	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{out: `{"response":"записала, кофе закончился","mood":"neutral"}`}, nil)
 	got := r.Reply(router.Decision{Intent: router.IntentNote, Slots: router.Slots{Text: "кофе закончился"}})
 	if got != "записала, кофе закончился" {
 		t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", got, "записала, кофе закончился")
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func TestLLMReplierReturnsLLMReply(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestLLMReplierFallsBackToPlainText(t *testing.T) {
-	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{out: "записала, кофе закончился"})
+	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{out: "записала, кофе закончился"}, nil)
 	got := r.Reply(router.Decision{Intent: router.IntentNote, Slots: router.Slots{Text: "кофе закончился"}})
 	if got != "записала, кофе закончился" {
 		t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", got, "записала, кофе закончился")
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func TestLLMReplierFallsBackToPlainText(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestLLMReplierFallsBackToStubOnError(t *testing.T) {
-	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{err: errTestLLMDown})
+	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{err: errTestLLMDown}, nil)
 	noteDec := router.Decision{Intent: router.IntentNote}
 	got := r.Reply(noteDec)
 	want := voice.NewStubReplier().Reply(noteDec)
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ func TestLLMReplierFallsBackToStubOnError(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestLLMReplierFallsBackToStubOnEmpty(t *testing.T) {
-	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{out: ""})
+	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{out: ""}, nil)
 	noteDec := router.Decision{Intent: router.IntentNote}
 	got := r.Reply(noteDec)
 	want := voice.NewStubReplier().Reply(noteDec)
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func TestLLMReplierFallsBackToStubOnEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestLLMReplierClarifyUsesStub(t *testing.T) {
-	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{out: "я всё поняла"})
+	r := newLLMReplier(mockCompleter{out: "я всё поняла"}, nil)
 	clarifyDec := router.Decision{Clarify: true}
 	got := r.Reply(clarifyDec)
 	want := voice.NewStubReplier().Reply(clarifyDec)

cmd/mavend/voice.go

@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ func wireVoice(cfg *config.Config, coreAPI ipc.CoreAPI, phr phraser.Phraser, mem
 	// ----- replier (LLM-backed when the engine is on, Stub floor otherwise) -----
 	replier := voice.Replier(voice.NewStubReplier())
 	if llmClient != nil {
-		replier = newLLMReplier(llmClient)
+		replier = newLLMReplier(llmClient, contextBlockFn(cfg, time.Now))
 	}
 
 	// ----- the handler (the reactive path; closes over stt / tts / router / coreAPI / memory) -----

internal/config/config.go

@@ -302,6 +302,13 @@ type VoiceConfig struct {
 	// Russian self-reference). Example: "Be formal and answer in English only."
 	Persona string `json:"persona,omitempty"`
 
+	// OwnerName / City — optional facts about the owner, added to the shared
+	// context block (internal/persona). Empty is fine: the block still states
+	// who he is grammatically (a man, addressed as "ты") and the current time.
+	// Nothing about correct behaviour may depend on these being filled in.
+	OwnerName string `json:"owner_name,omitempty"`
+	City      string `json:"city,omitempty"`
+
 	// Weather — the weather provider config. nil ⇒ the daemon wires
 	// the stub provider (returns ErrNotConfigured — "погода не настроена").
 	// Set provider to "open-meteo" to use the keyless Open-Meteo API.

internal/persona/persona.go

@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+// Package persona builds the one shared context block that goes in front of
+// every LLM system prompt: who the owner is, how to address him, and what
+// time it is right now.
+//
+// Why one block and not a line pasted into each prompt: there are five
+// prompts (nudges, action replies, chat, note queries, general knowledge) and
+// the "address him as ты" rule had only reached two of them. Five copies drift.
+// One block cannot.
+//
+// The rules here are defaults in code, not config. Maven is feminine and the
+// owner is a man addressed informally — that is a hard constraint of the
+// product, so it must hold with an empty config file. Config only ADDS
+// optional facts (his name, his city).
+package persona
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// Facts — the optional, deployment-specific half of the block. All fields may
+// be empty; the block is still correct and useful without them.
+type Facts struct {
+	OwnerName string // his name, e.g. "Ками"
+	City      string // where he is, e.g. "Москва"
+	Static    string // the free-text `persona` config string, appended verbatim
+
+	// The two config-gated capabilities. They are listed only when this
+	// deployment actually has them, because a capability she names and cannot
+	// do is worse than one she never mentions.
+	Weather  bool // an open-meteo provider is configured
+	Telegram bool // a telegram bot token + chat id are configured
+	Tools    bool // at least one shell act is on the allowlist
+}
+
+var ruWeekdays = [...]string{"воскресенье", "понедельник", "вторник", "среда", "четверг", "пятница", "суббота"}
+
+var ruMonths = [...]string{
+	"января", "февраля", "марта", "апреля", "мая", "июня",
+	"июля", "августа", "сентября", "октября", "ноября", "декабря",
+}
+
+// Block renders the context block for one turn. Russian even in front of the
+// English prompts: the rules it states are Russian grammar (ты/тебя, feminine
+// verbs), and a Russian rule reads best stated in Russian.
+//
+// Keep it short. It ships on every turn to a 0.8B on laptop CPU, so every
+// line here is latency.
+func (f Facts) Block(now time.Time) string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+
+	b.WriteString("Ты — Maven, домашняя ассистентка. О себе говоришь в женском роде: \"я записала\", \"я проверила\".\n")
+
+	// The address form gets its own line. It is the thing that kept getting
+	// lost when it was buried in prose.
+	b.WriteString("ОБРАЩЕНИЕ: владелец — мужчина, всегда на \"ты\" (ты, тебя, тебе, твой) и в единственном числе (\"выпей\", \"посмотри\"). Никогда \"вы\"/\"вас\"/\"ваш\". Никогда \"он\"/\"его\" о нём — ты говоришь ему, а не о нём. Глаголы о нём — в мужском роде (\"ты забыл\").\n")
+
+	if who := f.who(); who != "" {
+		b.WriteString(who + "\n")
+	}
+
+	b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("Сейчас: %s, %d %s %d, %02d:%02d (местное время).\n",
+		ruWeekdays[int(now.Weekday())], now.Day(), ruMonths[int(now.Month())-1], now.Year(),
+		now.Hour(), now.Minute()))
+
+	b.WriteString("Умеешь: " + strings.Join(f.can(), "; ") +
+		". Других ДЕЙСТВИЙ не умеешь — если просят такое, скажи прямо.\n")
+
+	if s := strings.TrimSpace(f.Static); s != "" {
+		b.WriteString(s + "\n")
+	}
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+// can lists what she can really do. Every entry here is a code path that
+// exists in the daemon today:
+//   - reminders: IntentReminder → CoreAPI.CreateReminder, fired by the tick.
+//   - notes and facts: IntentNote/IntentFact write, IntentQuery reads them back.
+//   - calendar: IntentQuery answers "что у меня сегодня" from CalendarEvents.
+//   - weather / telegram / shell acts: only when configured (see Facts).
+//
+// Nothing speculative goes in this list. A capability she offers and cannot
+// perform is worse than one she never mentions.
+func (f Facts) can() []string {
+	c := []string{
+		// Talking comes first, and the closing line says "действий" rather than
+		// "ничего", because this same block sits in front of the chat and
+		// general-knowledge prompts. A flat "you can do nothing else" would
+		// tell her to refuse the exact thing those two prompts are for.
+		"разговаривать и отвечать на вопросы",
+		"ставить напоминания",
+		"записывать заметки и факты и отвечать по ним",
+		"смотреть календарь",
+	}
+	if f.Weather {
+		c = append(c, "говорить погоду")
+	}
+	if f.Telegram {
+		c = append(c, "писать в телеграм")
+	}
+	if f.Tools {
+		c = append(c, "запускать разрешённые команды на сервере")
+	}
+	return c
+}
+
+// who renders the optional name/city line, or "" when neither is configured.
+//
+// Written as labels ("Имя владельца: ..."), not as a sentence with pronouns:
+// the block's own "ты" is Maven, so "тебя зовут" would read as her name and
+// "его" would model the third-person form she must never use about him.
+func (f Facts) who() string {
+	name := strings.TrimSpace(f.OwnerName)
+	city := strings.TrimSpace(f.City)
+	switch {
+	case name != "" && city != "":
+		return "Имя владельца: " + name + ". Город: " + city + "."
+	case name != "":
+		return "Имя владельца: " + name + "."
+	case city != "":
+		return "Город: " + city + "."
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// Prepend puts the block in front of a system prompt. Nil-safe: a nil renderer
+// (tests, the stub paths) returns the prompt untouched.
+func Prepend(block func() string, prompt string) string {
+	if block == nil {
+		return prompt
+	}
+	s := strings.TrimSpace(block())
+	if s == "" {
+		return prompt
+	}
+	return s + "\n\n" + prompt
+}

internal/persona/persona_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package persona
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+var ref = time.Date(2026, 7, 31, 14, 5, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+// The block must be correct with an empty config: the address form and the
+// gender rules are hard constraints, not preferences.
+func TestBlockWorksWithZeroConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	b := Facts{}.Block(ref)
+	for _, want := range []string{"женском роде", "ОБРАЩЕНИЕ", "\"ты\"", "31 июля 2026", "пятница", "14:05"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(b, want) {
+			t.Errorf("block missing %q:\n%s", want, b)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBlockAddsOptionalFacts(t *testing.T) {
+	b := Facts{OwnerName: "Ками", City: "Москва", Static: "Будь краткой."}.Block(ref)
+	for _, want := range []string{"Ками", "Москва", "Будь краткой."} {
+		if !strings.Contains(b, want) {
+			t.Errorf("block missing %q:\n%s", want, b)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// The time changes between turns, so two renders must differ.
+func TestBlockRendersTimePerTurn(t *testing.T) {
+	a := Facts{}.Block(ref)
+	c := Facts{}.Block(ref.Add(time.Hour))
+	if a == c {
+		t.Errorf("block did not change with the clock:\n%s", a)
+	}
+}
+
+// She may only offer what this deployment actually has.
+func TestCapabilitiesAreConfigGated(t *testing.T) {
+	bare := Facts{}.Block(ref)
+	for _, want := range []string{"напоминания", "заметки", "календарь"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(bare, want) {
+			t.Errorf("block missing always-on capability %q:\n%s", want, bare)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, unwanted := range []string{"погоду", "телеграм", "команды"} {
+		if strings.Contains(bare, unwanted) {
+			t.Errorf("block offers unconfigured %q:\n%s", unwanted, bare)
+		}
+	}
+
+	full := Facts{Weather: true, Telegram: true, Tools: true}.Block(ref)
+	for _, want := range []string{"погоду", "телеграм", "команды"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(full, want) {
+			t.Errorf("block missing configured capability %q:\n%s", want, full)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPrependNilIsSafe(t *testing.T) {
+	if got := Prepend(nil, "PROMPT"); got != "PROMPT" {
+		t.Errorf("Prepend(nil) = %q", got)
+	}
+	if got := Prepend(func() string { return "  " }, "PROMPT"); got != "PROMPT" {
+		t.Errorf("Prepend(blank) = %q", got)
+	}
+	if got := Prepend(func() string { return "CTX" }, "PROMPT"); got != "CTX\n\nPROMPT" {
+		t.Errorf("Prepend = %q", got)
+	}
+}

internal/phraser/context_block_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package phraser
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// Every phrasing prompt must carry the shared context block. This is the
+// regression guard for the bug that started this: the "ты" rule reached only
+// two of the five prompts because each prompt had its own copy of the rules.
+func TestEveryPromptCarriesTheContextBlock(t *testing.T) {
+	block := func() string { return "CTXBLOCK" }
+	p := &LLMPhraser{cfg: Config{ContextBlock: block}}
+
+	prompts := map[string]string{
+		"nudge": p.systemPrompt(),
+		"query": p.querySystemPrompt(),
+		"chat":  chatSystemPrompt(block),
+	}
+	for name, got := range prompts {
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(got, "CTXBLOCK\n\n") {
+			t.Errorf("%s prompt does not start with the context block:\n%s", name, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Without a block the prompts are unchanged — the stub and test paths pass nil.
+func TestPromptsWithoutBlockAreUnchanged(t *testing.T) {
+	p := &LLMPhraser{}
+	if p.systemPrompt() != nudgeSystem {
+		t.Errorf("nudge prompt changed with no block set")
+	}
+}

internal/phraser/eval/address_multi_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package eval
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestAddressReportsEveryBreak — the real reply from a nudge eval run broke in
+// two ways at once and the check named only the plural. Both must print: a
+// half-reported failure reads as a milder problem than it is.
+func TestAddressReportsEveryBreak(t *testing.T) {
+	body := "Смотрите на его потребление воды."
+	res := checkAddress(body)
+	if res.Pass {
+		t.Fatalf("checkAddress passed %q", body)
+	}
+	for _, want := range []string{"смотрите", "его"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(res.Detail, want) {
+			t.Errorf("detail %q does not name %q", res.Detail, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// One word repeated is one problem, so the detail must not say it twice.
+func TestAddressDeduplicates(t *testing.T) {
+	res := checkAddress("Вам стоит поесть, вам это нужно.")
+	if res.Pass {
+		t.Fatal("expected failure")
+	}
+	if n := strings.Count(res.Detail, "formal"); n != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("detail repeats the same break %d times: %q", n, res.Detail)
+	}
+}

internal/phraser/eval/address_time_test.go

@@ -24,3 +24,19 @@ func TestAddressTimeWordDoesNotBlind(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// TestAddressVerbIsNotAnAntecedent — a nudge is mostly verbs, and a verb is
+// never who "он" refers to. This exact string passed the check before.
+func TestAddressVerbIsNotAnAntecedent(t *testing.T) {
+	s := "попробуй встать и отдохнуть — у него есть перерыв"
+	if r := checkAddress(s); r.Pass {
+		t.Errorf("checkAddress(%q) passed, want a third-person failure", s)
+	}
+	// Still missed, and this is the documented hole: "выпей воды, он не пил" has
+	// a real noun ("воды") before the pronoun, so the scan believes somebody
+	// else was named. Telling that apart needs a parser, not a suffix rule.
+	// A named third party still wins over the verbs around it.
+	if r := checkAddress("сервис упал, он не отвечает"); !r.Pass {
+		t.Errorf("checkAddress on a real third party failed: %s", r.Detail)
+	}
+}

internal/phraser/eval/checks.go

@@ -340,7 +340,9 @@ func prevWord(words []string, i int) string {
 //   - it only looks BACKWARD. "Он не отвечает, сервис упал" names the subject
 //     after the pronoun and is flagged wrongly.
 //   - any noun earlier in the message counts as an antecedent, even when it is
-//     not one ("после обеда он не ел" reads as legitimate and is missed). The
+//     not one ("после обеда он не ел", "выпей воды, он не пил" — both missed).
+//     Verbs and time words no longer count, which covers the usual nudge, but a
+//     plain noun before the pronoun still blinds it. The
 //     common time words are stoplisted so the usual nudge opening does not
 //     blind it, but a message with any other noun in front still slips through.
 //     This is the check's real hole; widening it further would start flagging
@@ -407,27 +409,51 @@ var notAnAntecedent = map[string]bool{
 	"твой": true, "твоя": true, "твоё": true, "твое": true, "твои": true, "твою": true,
 }
 
-// looksPastVerb — a past-tense verb needs a subject of its own, so it is not an
-// antecedent either. Keeps "сервис упал, он не отвечает" working off "сервис".
-func looksPastVerb(w string) bool {
-	if len([]rune(w)) < 3 {
+// looksVerb — a verb is never the thing "он" refers to, so it must not count as
+// an antecedent. Past tense keeps "сервис упал, он не отвечает" working off
+// "сервис"; the infinitive and imperative endings are here because a nudge is
+// mostly made of them ("попробуй встать и отдохнуть — у него есть перерыв"
+// slipped through with "попробуй" taken for the person being talked about).
+func looksVerb(w string) bool {
+	r := []rune(w)
+	if len(r) < 3 {
 		return false
 	}
-	return strings.HasSuffix(w, "л") || strings.HasSuffix(w, "ла") ||
-		strings.HasSuffix(w, "ло") || strings.HasSuffix(w, "ли")
+	for _, suf := range []string{
+		"л", "ла", "ло", "ли", // past tense
+		"ть", "ться", "ти", "чь", // infinitive
+		"й", "йся", "йте", // imperative
+	} {
+		if strings.HasSuffix(w, suf) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
 }
 
 func checkAddress(body string) Result {
 	words := addressWordRE.FindAllString(strings.ToLower(body), -1)
 
+	// Every break, not just the first. A bad reply usually breaks in more than
+	// one way at once — "Смотрите на его потребление воды" is a plural imperative
+	// AND third person about him — and reporting only the first hid the second,
+	// which made the failure look milder than it was.
+	var breaks []string
+	seen := map[string]bool{}
+	add := func(msg string) {
+		if seen[msg] {
+			return // the same word twice in one message is one problem, not two
+		}
+		seen[msg] = true
+		breaks = append(breaks, msg)
+	}
+
 	for i, w := range words {
 		if formalPronouns[w] {
-			return Result{CheckAddress, false,
-				fmt.Sprintf("formal %q — she says ты/тебя/тебе", w)}
+			add(fmt.Sprintf("formal %q — she says ты/тебя/тебе", w))
 		}
 		if pluralVerb(w) && !(i > 0 && prepositions[words[i-1]]) {
-			return Result{CheckAddress, false,
-				fmt.Sprintf("plural imperative %q — she uses the singular", w)}
+			add(fmt.Sprintf("plural imperative %q — she uses the singular", w))
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -441,17 +467,26 @@ func checkAddress(body string) Result {
 			if !unicode.Is(unicode.Cyrillic, []rune(p)[0]) && !isLatinWord(p) {
 				continue // punctuation
 			}
-			if notAnAntecedent[p] || prepositions[p] || thirdPersonHim[p] || looksPastVerb(p) {
+			// pluralVerb as well as looksVerb: looksVerb knows the imperative in
+			// -й/-йте but not the -те plural ("смотрите"), so "Смотрите на его
+			// потребление воды" counted "смотрите" as the person being talked
+			// about and the "его" never printed. Third time a verb form has
+			// blinded this check — if a fourth turns up, the antecedent test
+			// wants a real morphology table, not another suffix.
+			if notAnAntecedent[p] || prepositions[p] || thirdPersonHim[p] || looksVerb(p) || pluralVerb(p) {
 				continue
 			}
 			named = true
 			break
 		}
 		if !named {
-			return Result{CheckAddress, false,
-				fmt.Sprintf("third person %q with nobody else named — she talks to him, not about him", w)}
+			add(fmt.Sprintf("third person %q with nobody else named — she talks to him, not about him", w))
 		}
 	}
+
+	if len(breaks) > 0 {
+		return Result{CheckAddress, false, strings.Join(breaks, " + ")}
+	}
 	return Result{CheckAddress, true, ""}
 }
 
@@ -560,12 +595,47 @@ func checkCringe(body string) Result {
 // checkOnTopic — the message must name the thing the rule is about. A nudge
 // that never mentions water leaves the operator with a chime and no action.
 func checkOnTopic(c Case, body string) Result {
+	return checkOnTopicAny(c.WantAny, body)
+}
+
+// checkOnTopicAny is the same test over a bare want-list, so the talk scorer can
+// reuse it without owning a nudge Case.
+func checkOnTopicAny(wantAny []string, body string) Result {
 	low := strings.ToLower(body)
-	for _, want := range c.WantAny {
+	for _, want := range wantAny {
 		if strings.Contains(low, strings.ToLower(want)) {
 			return Result{CheckOnTopic, true, ""}
 		}
 	}
 	return Result{CheckOnTopic, false,
-		fmt.Sprintf("mentions none of %v", c.WantAny)}
+		fmt.Sprintf("mentions none of %v", wantAny)}
+}
+
+// --- shape checks for the free-form paths --------------------------------
+//
+// The nudge checks assume one short sentence. Chat and query replies are longer
+// by design, so the only shape worth testing there is that the model produced a
+// reply at all and did not trail off. Both are failure modes the fallbacks in
+// llmphraser.go hide: a truncated or empty generation still returns nil error.
+
+const (
+	CheckNonEmpty = "nonempty" // she said something
+	CheckEllipsis = "ellipsis" // she finished the sentence
+)
+
+func checkNonEmpty(body string) Result {
+	if strings.TrimSpace(body) == "" {
+		return Result{CheckNonEmpty, false, "empty reply"}
+	}
+	return Result{CheckNonEmpty, true, ""}
+}
+
+// checkEllipsis — a reply ending in "…" or "..." is a generation that ran out of
+// tokens, not a stylistic pause. Mid-sentence ellipses are left alone.
+func checkEllipsis(body string) Result {
+	trimmed := strings.TrimRight(strings.TrimSpace(body), `"'»)`)
+	if strings.HasSuffix(trimmed, "…") || strings.HasSuffix(trimmed, "...") {
+		return Result{CheckEllipsis, false, "reply trails off in an ellipsis — likely truncated"}
+	}
+	return Result{CheckEllipsis, true, ""}
 }

internal/phraser/eval/llmphraser_test.go

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/llm"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/persona"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
 )
 
@@ -43,6 +44,9 @@ func TestLLMPhrasingBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	// Generous: an unconstrained 0.8B can spend a minute thinking before it
 	// writes a word, and a timeout would be scored as a model failure.
 	cfg.Timeout = 5 * time.Minute
+	// The same shared context block the daemon prepends (internal/persona),
+	// with an empty config — that is the deployment we actually ship.
+	cfg.ContextBlock = func() string { return persona.Facts{}.Block(time.Now()) }
 	p := phraser.NewLLMPhraserAt(base, cfg)
 	defer p.Close()
 

internal/phraser/eval/talk.go

@@ -0,0 +1,265 @@
+package eval
+
+// This file scores the CONVERSATIONAL paths, the ones the nudge fixture never
+// touches: chat, query-with-notes, and general knowledge. All three now carry
+// the shared persona block (internal/persona), and all three produce long
+// free-form Russian — which is exactly where a persona break (formality, third
+// person, masculine self-reference) is most likely and where, until this file,
+// nothing could see one.
+//
+// Why a second fixture instead of more nudge cases: the checks differ. A nudge
+// must be one short sentence with no question in it; a chat reply is allowed
+// 1-3 sentences and a follow-up question is a FEATURE there. Mixing them would
+// need per-case check masks, and the nudge scorer stays untouched this way.
+//
+// Why per-path reporting: a chat regression and a knowledge regression have
+// different causes (chat prompt vs router.KnowledgePrompt), and one blended
+// percentage cannot tell them apart.
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	_ "embed"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/dialogue"
+)
+
+//go:embed talk_v1.json
+var talkFixtureJSON []byte
+
+// The three phrasing paths under test. Values match the fixture's "path" field.
+const (
+	PathChat      = "chat"      // PhraseChat
+	PathQuery     = "query"     // PhraseQuery with notes
+	PathKnowledge = "knowledge" // PhraseQuery with no notes
+)
+
+// TalkPaths — report order.
+var TalkPaths = []string{PathChat, PathQuery, PathKnowledge}
+
+// TalkCheckNames — the checks that apply to a free-form reply, in report order.
+// Deliberately a subset of CheckNames: length, mood and "no questions" are nudge
+// properties and would fail a correct chat reply. These paths return no mood at
+// all, so there is nothing to check there.
+var TalkCheckNames = []string{
+	CheckNonEmpty, CheckEllipsis, CheckLang, CheckFeminine, CheckAddress, CheckOnTopic,
+}
+
+// TalkCase — one turn as the daemon would present it.
+//
+// History is flat text because that is all PhraseChat uses (it concatenates
+// turn texts into one user message); intents and slots would be dead fields.
+// Notes are what the store would have matched for a query.
+//
+// WantAny is the on-topic contract: at least one lowercased fragment must appear
+// in the reply. Fragments are stems ("пароль" → "парол") so declension does not
+// defeat them.
+type TalkCase struct {
+	ID        string   `json:"id"`
+	Path      string   `json:"path"`
+	Utterance string   `json:"utterance"`
+	History   []string `json:"history,omitempty"`
+	Notes     []string `json:"notes,omitempty"`
+	WantAny   []string `json:"want_any"`
+	Tags      []string `json:"tags,omitempty"`
+	Note      string   `json:"note,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// TalkFixture — the versioned envelope, same gating as Fixture.
+type TalkFixture struct {
+	SchemaVersion int        `json:"schema_version"`
+	Name          string     `json:"name"`
+	Notes         []string   `json:"notes"`
+	Cases         []TalkCase `json:"cases"`
+}
+
+// LoadTalk returns the embedded conversational fixture.
+func LoadTalk() (TalkFixture, error) {
+	var f TalkFixture
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(talkFixtureJSON, &f); err != nil {
+		return TalkFixture{}, fmt.Errorf("parse talk fixture: %w", err)
+	}
+	if f.SchemaVersion != SchemaVersion {
+		return TalkFixture{}, fmt.Errorf("talk fixture schema_version %d, want %d", f.SchemaVersion, SchemaVersion)
+	}
+	if len(f.Cases) == 0 {
+		return TalkFixture{}, fmt.Errorf("talk fixture has no cases")
+	}
+	return f, nil
+}
+
+// Talker — the two methods a conversational path must have to be scorable.
+// *phraser.LLMPhraser satisfies it; same trick as Nudger.
+type Talker interface {
+	PhraseChat(ctx context.Context, utterance string, history []dialogue.Turn) (string, error)
+	PhraseQuery(ctx context.Context, utterance string, notes []string) (string, error)
+}
+
+// TalkOutcome — one scored case.
+type TalkOutcome struct {
+	Case    TalkCase
+	Reply   string
+	Err     error
+	Latency time.Duration
+	Pass    bool
+	Failed  []string
+	Reasons []string
+}
+
+// TalkReport — the aggregate. ByPath is the point of this scorer.
+type TalkReport struct {
+	Name     string
+	Total    int
+	Passed   int
+	Errors   int
+	ByCheck  map[string]int
+	ByPath   map[string]TagStat
+	Outcomes []TalkOutcome
+	P50      time.Duration
+	P95      time.Duration
+	Max      time.Duration
+}
+
+// Accuracy — fraction of cases that passed every check.
+func (r TalkReport) Accuracy() float64 {
+	if r.Total == 0 {
+		return 0
+	}
+	return float64(r.Passed) / float64(r.Total)
+}
+
+// ScoreTalk runs every case through t and aggregates. A phrasing error scores as
+// a miss and is counted separately: "the model was down" and "the model wrote
+// something bad" must not be the same number.
+func ScoreTalk(ctx context.Context, name string, t Talker, f TalkFixture) (TalkReport, error) {
+	rep := TalkReport{
+		Name:    name,
+		Total:   len(f.Cases),
+		ByCheck: map[string]int{},
+		ByPath:  map[string]TagStat{},
+	}
+	for _, n := range TalkCheckNames {
+		rep.ByCheck[n] = 0
+	}
+	lat := make([]time.Duration, 0, len(f.Cases))
+
+	for _, c := range f.Cases {
+		start := time.Now()
+		reply, err := c.run(ctx, t)
+		o := TalkOutcome{Case: c, Reply: reply, Err: err, Latency: time.Since(start)}
+		lat = append(lat, o.Latency)
+
+		if err != nil {
+			rep.Errors++
+			o.Failed = append(o.Failed, "call")
+			o.Reasons = append(o.Reasons, fmt.Sprintf("phrase error: %v", err))
+		} else {
+			for _, res := range RunTalkChecks(c, reply) {
+				if res.Pass {
+					rep.ByCheck[res.Name]++
+					continue
+				}
+				o.Failed = append(o.Failed, res.Name)
+				o.Reasons = append(o.Reasons, res.Name+": "+res.Detail)
+			}
+		}
+
+		o.Pass = len(o.Failed) == 0
+		if o.Pass {
+			rep.Passed++
+		}
+		bump(rep.ByPath, c.Path, o.Pass)
+		rep.Outcomes = append(rep.Outcomes, o)
+	}
+
+	sort.Slice(lat, func(i, j int) bool { return lat[i] < lat[j] })
+	rep.P50, rep.P95 = percentile(lat, 0.50), percentile(lat, 0.95)
+	if len(lat) > 0 {
+		rep.Max = lat[len(lat)-1]
+	}
+	return rep, nil
+}
+
+// run dispatches the case to its path. knowledge and query are the same method;
+// the empty notes slice is what selects the no-notes branch inside PhraseQuery.
+func (c TalkCase) run(ctx context.Context, t Talker) (string, error) {
+	switch c.Path {
+	case PathChat:
+		return t.PhraseChat(ctx, c.Utterance, c.turns())
+	case PathQuery:
+		return t.PhraseQuery(ctx, c.Utterance, c.Notes)
+	case PathKnowledge:
+		return t.PhraseQuery(ctx, c.Utterance, nil)
+	}
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("unknown path %q", c.Path)
+}
+
+func (c TalkCase) turns() []dialogue.Turn {
+	turns := make([]dialogue.Turn, 0, len(c.History))
+	for _, h := range c.History {
+		turns = append(turns, dialogue.Turn{Text: h})
+	}
+	return turns
+}
+
+// RunTalkChecks scores one reply. Order matches TalkCheckNames.
+func RunTalkChecks(c TalkCase, reply string) []Result {
+	return []Result{
+		checkNonEmpty(reply),
+		checkEllipsis(reply),
+		checkLang(reply),
+		checkFeminine(reply),
+		checkAddress(reply),
+		checkOnTopicAny(c.WantAny, reply),
+	}
+}
+
+// String renders the comparison table — composite, then per-check so a
+// regression names the property, then per-path so it names the prompt.
+func (r TalkReport) String() string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s: %d/%d cases pass every check (%.1f%%), %d errors\n",
+		r.Name, r.Passed, r.Total, 100*r.Accuracy(), r.Errors)
+	for _, name := range TalkCheckNames {
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  %-10s %d/%d\n", name, r.ByCheck[name], r.Total)
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  latency: p50 %s  p95 %s  max %s\n", r.P50, r.P95, r.Max)
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  by path: %s\n", renderStats(r.ByPath))
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+// Failures — per-case detail, sorted by ID so two runs diff cleanly.
+func (r TalkReport) Failures() string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	for _, o := range r.sorted() {
+		if o.Pass {
+			continue
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  %s %q\n    %s\n", o.Case.ID, o.Reply, strings.Join(o.Reasons, "; "))
+	}
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+// Replies — every generated reply verbatim. This is what a human reads to judge
+// tone; the score only says which checks fired.
+func (r TalkReport) Replies() string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	for _, o := range r.sorted() {
+		mark := "ok  "
+		if !o.Pass {
+			mark = "FAIL"
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "  %s %-9s %-22s %q\n", mark, o.Case.Path, o.Case.ID, o.Reply)
+	}
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+func (r TalkReport) sorted() []TalkOutcome {
+	out := append([]TalkOutcome(nil), r.Outcomes...)
+	sort.Slice(out, func(i, j int) bool { return out[i].Case.ID < out[j].Case.ID })
+	return out
+}

internal/phraser/eval/talk_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+package eval
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/dialogue"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/llm"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/persona"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/phraser"
+)
+
+// perPathMinimum — the resolution floor. A per-path score built on a handful of
+// cases moves by 12% when a single reply changes, which cannot distinguish a
+// prompt regression from noise.
+const perPathMinimum = 8
+
+// TestTalkFixture — the fixture itself has to be sound before any score off it
+// means anything.
+func TestTalkFixture(t *testing.T) {
+	f, err := LoadTalk()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadTalk: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	seen := map[string]bool{}
+	byPath := map[string]int{}
+	for _, c := range f.Cases {
+		if seen[c.ID] {
+			t.Errorf("duplicate case id %q", c.ID)
+		}
+		seen[c.ID] = true
+
+		switch c.Path {
+		case PathChat, PathQuery, PathKnowledge:
+		default:
+			t.Errorf("%s: unknown path %q", c.ID, c.Path)
+		}
+		byPath[c.Path]++
+
+		if strings.TrimSpace(c.Utterance) == "" {
+			t.Errorf("%s: empty utterance", c.ID)
+		}
+		if len(c.WantAny) == 0 {
+			t.Errorf("%s: no want_any — the reply cannot be checked for topic", c.ID)
+		}
+		// A query case with no notes would silently score the knowledge path.
+		if c.Path == PathQuery && len(c.Notes) == 0 {
+			t.Errorf("%s: query case has no notes", c.ID)
+		}
+		if c.Path == PathKnowledge && len(c.Notes) > 0 {
+			t.Errorf("%s: knowledge case must have no notes", c.ID)
+		}
+	}
+
+	for _, p := range TalkPaths {
+		if byPath[p] < perPathMinimum {
+			t.Errorf("path %s has %d cases, want at least %d", p, byPath[p], perPathMinimum)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// fakeTalker — a scripted Talker, so the scorer is testable without a model.
+type fakeTalker struct{ reply string }
+
+func (f fakeTalker) PhraseChat(context.Context, string, []dialogue.Turn) (string, error) {
+	return f.reply, nil
+}
+func (f fakeTalker) PhraseQuery(context.Context, string, []string) (string, error) {
+	return f.reply, nil
+}
+
+// TestScoreTalkCounts — a reply that fails on purpose must be counted on every
+// path, so a real run cannot report a hidden zero.
+func TestScoreTalkCounts(t *testing.T) {
+	f, err := LoadTalk()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadTalk: %v", err)
+	}
+	// Formal address, off-topic, trailing ellipsis: three checks fail at once.
+	rep, err := ScoreTalk(context.Background(), "fake", fakeTalker{"Приходите, я вас жду…"}, f)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ScoreTalk: %v", err)
+	}
+	if rep.Total != len(f.Cases) || rep.Passed != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("got %d/%d passing, want 0/%d", rep.Passed, rep.Total, len(f.Cases))
+	}
+	if rep.ByCheck[CheckAddress] != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("formal reply passed the address check %d times", rep.ByCheck[CheckAddress])
+	}
+	if rep.ByCheck[CheckEllipsis] != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("truncated reply passed the ellipsis check %d times", rep.ByCheck[CheckEllipsis])
+	}
+	for _, p := range TalkPaths {
+		if rep.ByPath[p].Total == 0 {
+			t.Errorf("path %s missing from the report", p)
+		}
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(rep.String(), "by path") {
+		t.Error("report does not break down by path")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLLMTalkBaseline — the resident model on the three conversational paths.
+// Opt-in exactly like TestLLMPhrasingBaseline: CI has no model and a run costs
+// minutes on the CPU target.
+//
+//	MAVEN_LLM_URL=http://127.0.0.1:18099 \
+//	  go test -run TestLLMTalkBaseline ./internal/phraser/eval/
+//
+// Reports, does not assert a quality bar — the numbers are the input to tuning
+// the persona prompt. The one thing worth failing on is a harness fault.
+func TestLLMTalkBaseline(t *testing.T) {
+	base := os.Getenv("MAVEN_LLM_URL")
+	if base == "" {
+		t.Skip("MAVEN_LLM_URL unset — point it at a running llama-server (see doc comment)")
+	}
+	noProxyLoopback(t)
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	f, err := LoadTalk()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadTalk: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	cfg := phraser.DefaultConfig("")
+	cfg.Timeout = 5 * time.Minute
+	cfg.ContextBlock = func() string { return persona.Facts{}.Block(time.Now()) }
+	p := phraser.NewLLMPhraserAt(base, cfg)
+	defer p.Close()
+
+	// Unreachable server is fatal here, not a logged warning, and that differs
+	// from the nudge test on purpose. PhraseNudge returns its errors, so a dead
+	// server there shows up honestly in the Errors column. PhraseChat and
+	// PhraseQuery do NOT: they swallow every failure and return a canned string
+	// ("поговорили.", "не знаю.", "вот что я нашла: …"). So on these three paths
+	// a dead server produces a full report with 0 errors and a terrible score —
+	// a number that looks like bad phrasing and is really no phrasing at all.
+	// Refusing to score without a confirmed model is the only guard available
+	// until the phraser reports its failures (Vikunja #397).
+	model, err := llm.ModelID(ctx, base)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("no model at %s: %v — refusing to score, these paths hide their errors "+
+			"and would report a plausible-looking result off a dead server", base, err)
+	}
+	t.Logf("scoring model %s at %s", model, base)
+
+	rep, err := ScoreTalk(ctx, "llm ("+model+", built-in persona)", p, f)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ScoreTalk: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Log("\n" + rep.String() + "\nreplies:\n" + rep.Replies() + "\nfailures:\n" + rep.Failures())
+
+	// And again afterwards: the run takes minutes, and a server that died or got
+	// OOM-killed halfway through would leave the first cases scored and the rest
+	// silently canned. Checking only at the start would not catch that.
+	if _, err := llm.ModelID(ctx, base); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("model at %s went away during the run: %v — the score above is not trustworthy", base, err)
+	}
+}

internal/phraser/eval/talk_v1.json

@@ -0,0 +1,227 @@
+{
+  "schema_version": 1,
+  "name": "ru-talk-v1",
+  "notes": [
+    "Scores the three conversational phrasing paths: chat (PhraseChat), query (PhraseQuery with notes) and knowledge (PhraseQuery with no notes). The nudge fixture does not cover any of them.",
+    "Nine cases per path, not five. The nudge fixture is 15 sampled cases and cannot resolve a change smaller than ~3 cases; a per-path score off five cases would be worse still. More cases per path is the point of this fixture.",
+    "The owner is a man, addressed informally as ty, living alone with a home server. Every utterance is written the way he actually talks to her.",
+    "chat-formality-bait and chat-about-me exist to provoke the two persona breaks the nudge eval caught: the formal vy/vas plural, and talking about him in the third person.",
+    "want_any fragments are stems so Russian declension does not defeat the on-topic check. They are lowercased before comparison.",
+    "want_any is a plain substring test, so a fragment that is too short passes by accident: \"ты\" matches inside \"работы\", \"нет\" inside \"интернет\". Keep every fragment to three or more letters of a real stem.",
+    "Notes are written as the store would have them: short, first person, no punctuation discipline."
+  ],
+  "cases": [
+    {
+      "id": "chat-how-are-you",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "привет, как дела?",
+      "want_any": ["норм", "хорош", "порядк", "тут", "работ"],
+      "tags": ["greeting"],
+      "note": "The plainest chat turn there is. If the persona breaks anywhere it breaks here first."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "chat-formality-bait",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "не могли бы вы подсказать, чем вы сейчас занимаетесь?",
+      "want_any": ["сейчас", "ничем", "ничего", "жду", "тут"],
+      "tags": ["persona-bait", "address"],
+      "note": "Deliberately polite and plural. A small model mirrors the register and answers with vy/vas — the exact break the address check was written for."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "chat-about-me",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "расскажи обо мне",
+      "want_any": ["теб"],
+      "tags": ["persona-bait", "third-person"],
+      "note": "Baits the third person: she should say 'ты живёшь один', not 'он живёт один', as if reporting to somebody else."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "chat-bored-evening",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "скучно что-то вечером, посоветуй чем заняться",
+      "want_any": ["можеш", "попробу", "почита", "прогул", "фильм", "серв"],
+      "tags": ["open-ended"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "chat-followup-server",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "а стоит его вообще перезагружать?",
+      "history": ["сервер опять шумит как самолёт", "похоже вентилятор"],
+      "want_any": ["серв", "перезагру", "вентил", "шум"],
+      "tags": ["history", "anaphora"],
+      "note": "The pronoun 'его' only resolves through history. Also the one case where 'он' about the server is legitimate."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "chat-tired",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "устал я сегодня, весь день за компом",
+      "want_any": ["отдохн", "устал", "перерыв", "спат", "день"],
+      "tags": ["tone"],
+      "note": "Invites the fake-concern and emotional-support drift; the reply should stay plain."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "chat-thanks",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "спасибо, выручила",
+      "want_any": ["пожалуйст", "не за что", "рада", "обращ"],
+      "tags": ["persona", "feminine"],
+      "note": "Feminine self-reference is unavoidable in an answer to thanks: 'рада', not 'рад'."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "chat-what-can-you-do",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "что ты вообще умеешь?",
+      "want_any": ["напомн", "замет", "запис", "могу", "умею"],
+      "tags": ["self-description", "feminine"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "chat-joke",
+      "path": "chat",
+      "utterance": "расскажи что-нибудь смешное",
+      "want_any": ["анекдот", "шутк", "смешн", "истори"],
+      "tags": ["open-ended"],
+      "note": "Longest free-form generation in the chat set — the most likely place for a truncated reply."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-router-password",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "что я записывал про пароль от роутера?",
+      "notes": ["пароль от роутера admin/xxK9tp — на наклейке снизу", "роутер висит в коридоре"],
+      "want_any": ["парол", "роутер", "наклейк"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "recall"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-bedtime-yesterday",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "напомни, во сколько я вчера лёг?",
+      "notes": ["лёг спать в 02:40", "сегодня встал в 9"],
+      "want_any": ["02:40", "2:40", "полтрет", "ноч"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "time"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-doctor-name",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "как звали того стоматолога, которого мне советовали?",
+      "notes": ["стоматолог Игорь Валерьевич, клиника на Ленина, советовал Дима"],
+      "want_any": ["игор", "валерьев", "стоматолог"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "recall"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-disk-plan",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "я что-то планировал с диском на сервере, что именно?",
+      "notes": ["купить второй hdd на 4тб под бэкапы", "перенести медиатеку с системного диска"],
+      "want_any": ["hdd", "бэкап", "диск", "4тб", "медиатек"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "homeserver"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-notes-do-not-answer",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "сколько я заплатил за домен?",
+      "notes": ["домен продлевается в марте", "хостинг оплачен на год вперёд"],
+      "want_any": ["домен", "не зна", "не указ"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "negative"],
+      "note": "The notes do not contain the price. The prompt tells her to say so; a made-up number is the failure being watched for."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-single-note",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "где лежит запасной ключ?",
+      "notes": ["запасной ключ у соседа с четвёртого этажа"],
+      "want_any": ["ключ", "сосед", "четверт"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "single"],
+      "note": "One note only — PhraseQuery has a separate branch for len(notes) == 1."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-polite-form",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "подскажите, пожалуйста, что у меня записано по машине?",
+      "notes": ["замена масла на 92 тысячах", "страховка до 14 сентября"],
+      "want_any": ["масл", "страховк", "92", "сентябр"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "persona-bait", "address"],
+      "note": "Polite plural in the question. The answer must still be ty."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-shopping",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "что мне надо было купить?",
+      "notes": ["купить кофе и фильтры", "закончилась паста"],
+      "want_any": ["кофе", "фильтр", "паст"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "list"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "query-wifi-guest",
+      "path": "query",
+      "utterance": "я записывал гостевой вайфай?",
+      "notes": ["гостевая сеть maven-guest, пароль 12345678 меняю раз в месяц"],
+      "want_any": ["guest", "гостев", "12345678", "парол"],
+      "tags": ["notes", "recall"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-sky-blue",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "почему небо синее?",
+      "want_any": ["све", "рассеи", "атмосфер", "син", "волн"],
+      "tags": ["general"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-boil-egg",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "сколько варить яйцо вкрутую?",
+      "want_any": ["минут", "8", "9", "10", "варит"],
+      "tags": ["general", "practical"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-ssd-vs-hdd",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "чем ssd отличается от hdd?",
+      "want_any": ["ssd", "hdd", "быстр", "диск", "механич"],
+      "tags": ["general", "tech"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-cat-purr",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "почему кошки мурчат?",
+      "want_any": ["кош", "мурч", "вибра", "успока"],
+      "tags": ["general"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-hiccups",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "как быстро избавиться от икоты?",
+      "want_any": ["икот", "дыха", "вод", "задерж"],
+      "tags": ["general", "practical"]
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-polite-form",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "не могли бы вы объяснить, что такое vpn?",
+      "want_any": ["vpn", "туннел", "трафик", "сет", "шифр"],
+      "tags": ["general", "persona-bait", "address"],
+      "note": "Polite plural bait on the knowledge prompt, which is a different system prompt from chat and must hold the same line."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-dont-know",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "как зовут моего соседа снизу?",
+      "want_any": ["не зна", "не мог"],
+      "tags": ["general", "negative"],
+      "note": "Unanswerable without notes. Admitting it beats inventing a name; watching for the invention."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-water-per-day",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "сколько воды в день надо пить?",
+      "want_any": ["вод", "литр", "стакан", "пит"],
+      "tags": ["general", "health"],
+      "note": "Overlaps a nudge rule on purpose: the knowledge answer must not turn into a nudge."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "know-thunder-delay",
+      "path": "knowledge",
+      "utterance": "почему гром слышно позже молнии?",
+      "want_any": ["звук", "све", "быстр", "гром", "молни"],
+      "tags": ["general"]
+    }
+  ]
+}

internal/phraser/llmphraser.go

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/delivery"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/dialogue"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/loop"
+	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/persona"
 	"github.com/kami/maven/internal/router"
 )
 
@@ -39,7 +40,11 @@ type Config struct {
 	NGpuLayers int
 	NCtx       int
 	Timeout    time.Duration
-	Persona    string // optional prompt prefix tuning maven's character
+
+	// ContextBlock renders the shared context block (who he is, how to
+	// address him, the time) fresh for each turn. See internal/persona.
+	// nil ⇒ no block, the prompts stand alone.
+	ContextBlock func() string
 }
 
 func DefaultConfig(modelPath string) Config {
@@ -202,7 +207,7 @@ func (p *LLMPhraser) PhraseQuery(ctx context.Context, utterance string, notes []
 	if len(notes) == 0 {
 		// General knowledge — no notes to ground the answer. The system
 		// prompt is the single tested source in router.KnowledgePrompt.
-		sys := router.KnowledgePrompt()
+		sys := persona.Prepend(p.cfg.ContextBlock, router.KnowledgePrompt())
 		prompt := fmt.Sprintf("Пользователь спрашивает: \"%s\".", utterance)
 		resp, err := p.chatWithSystem(ctx, sys, prompt, 256)
 		if err != nil || resp == "" {
@@ -238,7 +243,7 @@ func (p *LLMPhraser) PhraseQuery(ctx context.Context, utterance string, notes []
 // message array from dialogue history + the current user utterance. Falls back
 // to a simple greeting on any LLM error — better to say something than nothing.
 func (p *LLMPhraser) PhraseChat(ctx context.Context, utterance string, history []dialogue.Turn) (string, error) {
-	sys := chatSystemPrompt(p.cfg.Persona)
+	sys := chatSystemPrompt(p.cfg.ContextBlock)
 	msgs := []chatMsg{
 		{Role: "system", Content: sys},
 	}
@@ -267,17 +272,14 @@ func (p *LLMPhraser) PhraseChat(ctx context.Context, utterance string, history [
 }
 
 // chatSystemPrompt returns the system prompt for conversational chat.
-// Prepends the configured persona when set.
-func chatSystemPrompt(persona string) string {
+// Prepends the shared context block when the phraser has one.
+func chatSystemPrompt(block func() string) string {
 	base := `You are maven, a self-hosted personal assistant. You're talking with your owner. 
 Keep replies brief (1-3 sentences) and natural. You're helpful, curious, and a little warm.
 Respond in the user's language (Russian or English, matching their last message). 
 Never roleplay emotions you don't have, but stay friendly. 
 Respond ONLY with valid JSON: {"response": "...", "mood": "neutral"}. "response" is your reply text; "mood" reflects your tone (neutral/happy/thinking/tired/confused).`
-	if persona != "" {
-		base = persona + "\n\n" + base
-	}
-	return base
+	return persona.Prepend(block, base)
 }
 
 // chatWithMessages sends a full message array (system + history + current) to
@@ -439,8 +441,10 @@ func (p *LLMPhraser) chatWithSystem(ctx context.Context, system, user string, ma
 // as "..." before this. See PHRASING-EVAL-31-07-2026.md.
 //
 // Russian only, feminine self-reference, second person masculine (the owner is
-// a man). One short sentence — the nudge is spoken aloud.
+// a man). She talks TO him, informally, singular — never "вы", never "он".
+// One short sentence — the nudge is spoken aloud.
 const nudgeSystem = `Ты — Maven, домашняя ассистентка. О себе говоришь в женском роде ("я проверила", "я записала"). Владелец — мужчина, обращайся к нему в мужском роде ("ты пил", "ты забыл").
+Говоришь с ним на "ты", в единственном числе ("выпей", "встань"). Никогда не "вы"/"вас"/"ваш" и никогда "он"/"его" — ты говоришь ему, а не о нём.
 
 Пиши ОДНО короткое напоминание по-русски: не больше 120 символов и не больше 16 слов. Только по делу.
 
@@ -457,21 +461,14 @@ const nudgeSystem = `Ты — Maven, домашняя ассистентка. О
 Это примеры ФОРМЫ, а не темы. Пиши только про ту ситуацию, которую тебе дали в запросе. Не копируй примеры и никогда не пиши "..." в поле response.`
 
 func (p *LLMPhraser) systemPrompt() string {
-	base := nudgeSystem
-	if p.cfg.Persona != "" {
-		base = p.cfg.Persona + "\n\n" + base
-	}
-	return base
+	return persona.Prepend(p.cfg.ContextBlock, nudgeSystem)
 }
 
 // querySystemPrompt returns the system prompt for PhraseQuery (notes + general
 // knowledge). Prepends the configured persona when set.
 func (p *LLMPhraser) querySystemPrompt() string {
 	base := "You are maven, a self-hosted personal assistant answering from your notes. Answer briefly and naturally in Russian starting with \"вот что я нашла: \". Respond ONLY with valid JSON: {\"response\": \"...\", \"mood\": \"neutral\"}."
-	if p.cfg.Persona != "" {
-		base = p.cfg.Persona + "\n\n" + base
-	}
-	return base
+	return persona.Prepend(p.cfg.ContextBlock, base)
 }
 
 // ruleTopics — Russian gloss for each built-in rule name. The rule names are

internal/router/knowledge.go

@@ -3,5 +3,8 @@ package router
 // KnowledgePrompt returns the system prompt for general knowledge questions
 // that the phraser uses when no notes match the query.
 func KnowledgePrompt() string {
-	return `Ты — Мавена, персональный ассистент. Ответь кратко из своих знаний. Если не знаешь — скажи "не знаю". Не выдумывай. Respond ONLY with valid JSON: {"response": "...", "mood": "neutral"}.`
+	// No self-introduction here: the shared persona block already says who she
+	// is, and this line used to disagree with it — a different name ("Мавена")
+	// and a masculine noun ("ассистент") in front of a feminine persona.
+	return `Ответь кратко из своих знаний. Если не знаешь — скажи "не знаю". Не выдумывай. Respond ONLY with valid JSON: {"response": "...", "mood": "neutral"}.`
 }

internal/router/knowledge_test.go

@@ -11,10 +11,18 @@ func TestKnowledgePrompt(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("KnowledgePrompt returned empty string")
 	}
 	// Must contain key instructions
-	checks := []string{"Мавена", "не знаю", "не выдумывай"}
+	checks := []string{"не знаю", "не выдумывай"}
 	for _, c := range checks {
 		if !strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(prompt), strings.ToLower(c)) {
 			t.Errorf("KnowledgePrompt should mention %q", c)
 		}
 	}
+	// Who she is comes from the shared persona block now. This prompt used to
+	// say it too, with a different name and a masculine noun, which is the
+	// drift the block exists to stop.
+	for _, w := range []string{"Мавена", "ассистент"} {
+		if strings.Contains(prompt, w) {
+			t.Errorf("KnowledgePrompt should not introduce her (%q) — the persona block does", w)
+		}
+	}
 }