instinct-c

A pure C11 library implementing a hardwired reflex system for bare-metal agents.

Zero dependencies. No dynamic allocation. No -lm needed.

Instincts

Instinct	Priority	Trigger
SURVIVE	9	Energy fraction below critical
FLEE	8	Threat level above threshold
GUARD	7	Has work and energy > 0.5
HOARD	6	Energy below low threshold (but not critical)
REPORT	5	Any instinct with priority ≥ 5 fires
COOPERATE	4	Peer trust above threshold and has work
MOURN	3	Peer vessel dead
TEACH	2	(reserved)
CURIOUS	1	Periodic exploration (no high-priority active)
EVOLVE	0	Idle for N cycles

Usage

#include "instinct.h"

InstinctEngine engine;
instinct_init(&engine);

// Each tick:
int count = instinct_evaluate(&engine,
    0.75f,   // energy fraction 0.0-1.0
    0.1f,    // threat level 0.0-1.0
    0.8f,    // peer trust 0.0-1.0
    1,       // peer alive
    1        // has work
);

InstinctReflex top = instinct_highest_priority(&engine);
printf("Action: %s (urgency %.2f)\n", instinct_name(top.type), top.urgency);

Building

make test

Files

• instinct.h — Public API
• instinct.c — Implementation
• test_instinct.c — Test suite (15 tests)
• Makefile — Build system

License

Public domain / CC0.