# Adaptive Control > Use when you must design and simulate a model-reference adaptive controller (MRAC) for a first-order plant with an unknown plant coefficient: run the reference model from the command, form the control as the sum of a state-feedback term and a feedforward term with adaptive gains, update the gains online with the gradient (Lyapunov-motivated) adaptation law scaled by the tracking error, and assess convergence of the tracking error and of the gains toward the ideal-cancellation values. Produces the error history, the gain histories and the convergence verdict that gate an adaptive control assessment. Trigger: adaptive-control, mrac, model-reference-adaptive, adaptation-law, tracking-error, unknown-plant. - Skill: `ashfordeou/adaptive-control` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ashfordeou/adaptive-control` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ashfordeou/adaptive-control/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - License: Apache-2.0 - Author: ashfordeOU (https://skillmd.com/u/ashfordeou) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ashfordeou/adaptive-control --- # Model-Reference Adaptive Control (gnc-autonomy/control/adaptive-control) Use when the task is designing and simulating a model-reference adaptive controller (MRAC) for a first-order plant whose coefficient a_p is unknown to the designer: the plant is commanded to track the state of a stable reference model, the control is the sum of a state-feedback term theta_x * x and a feedforward term theta_r * r with gains that adapt online, and the adaptation is the gradient (Lyapunov-motivated) law driven by the tracking error e = x - xm. This leaf implements the closed loop in pure Python, stdlib only, deterministic, discrete-time Euler integration, and reports the error history, the gain histories, and the convergence verdict. It pairs with gnc-autonomy/control/control-allocation for distributing the scalar adaptive command across redundant effectors, and with gnc-autonomy/control/state-space-analysis for the known-parameter fixed-gain analysis; the fixed-gain design leaves of the control pack cover the case where a_p is known and no online adaptation is needed. Scope: single input, no noise, no disturbance, sign of the control effectiveness known positive, a_p unknown. ## Domain quick reference - Reference model: xm_dot = a_m * xm + b_m * r with a_m < 0 (stable, the model settles at b_m * r / (-a_m)). Discrete Euler step: xm_next = xm + dt * (a_m * xm + b_m * r). - Plant (unknown a_p, known b_p with sign positive): x_dot = a_p * x + b_p * u. Discrete Euler step: x_next = x + dt * (a_p * x + b_p * u). - Control law: u = theta_x * x + theta_r * r. The state-feedback term cancels and reshapes the plant pole, the feedforward term sets the DC gain. - Tracking error: e = x - xm, the plant state minus the reference model state. - Ideal cancellation gains: theta_x_star = (a_m - a_p) / b_p and theta_r_star = b_m / b_p. At these gains the closed loop reads x_dot = a_m * x + b_m * r, identical to the reference model. - Adaptation law (discrete gradient rule, error = x - xm): theta_x_new = theta_x - gamma_x * e * x * dt and theta_r_new = theta_r - gamma_r * e * r * dt. Lyapunov motivated: with the sign of b_p known positive the update drives the quadratic tracking Lyapunov function down, e goes to zero, and the gains settle at the ideal-cancellation values. - Convergence verdict (simulate): converged is True when the max abs tracking error over the last 200 steps is below 1e-4 and both final gains sit within 0.05 of their ideal values. - Simulation convention: plant and reference model both start at x0 with zero initial gains; each step applies the control from the current gains, advances both states by dt, then samples the error and state after the advance and updates the gains (documented Euler ordering that drives the gains to the ideal values). - Reference-model identity for a zero initial state: xm_k = (b_m / (-a_m)) * r * (1 - (1 + a_m * dt)^k), the closed form that the Euler march reproduces to float precision. - ARP4754A frames the development assurance context for the airborne function that hosts the adaptive loop; the relations above are standard adaptive control methodology, summary-only. ## Workflow 1. Fix the loop data: reference model a_m (negative), b_m; plant bounds a_p (unknown) and b_p (nonzero, sign positive); dt; adaptation rates gamma_x and gamma_r; command r; initial state x0; step count. 2. Compute the ideal cancellation gains with ideal_gains(a_p, b_p, a_m, b_m); they are the assessment target the adaptive gains should reach, not an input to the controller. 3. Sanity-check one step of each piece with reference_step, plant_step, and control_output before the full run. 4. Run the closed loop with simulate(plant_a, plant_b, model_a, model_b, dt, gamma_x, gamma_r, command, x0, steps): read the six histories, error_final, max_abs_error, and the converged verdict. 5. Quantify the tail with gain_convergence_report: final gains, signed deviations from ideal, and the tracking RMSE over the last 500 steps. 6. Run the instability guard cross-check: simulate with gamma 0 and a nonzero x0 on an unstable plant; the growing state proves the adaptation is what stabilizes the converged run. 7. Confirm the deterministic checks with the contract test scripts/test_adaptive_control.py. ## Worked example Reference model a_m = -1.0, b_m = 1.0. Plant a_p = 1.0 (open-loop unstable), b_p = 2.0. dt = 0.01, gamma_x = gamma_r = 10.0, command = 1.0, x0 = 0.0, run for 3000 steps (the strict verdict tail clears at about 2070 steps, so the example uses 3000 steps; at 2000 steps the softer bounds below already hold with error 5.1e-5 and gains -0.99201 / 0.49197). - Ideal gains: theta_x_star = (-1.0 - 1.0) / 2.0 = -1.0 exactly and theta_r_star = 0.5 exactly. - Reference model settles at b_m * r / (-a_m) = 1.0: xm_final = 1.0000000000 after 3000 Euler steps (1 - 0.99^3000). - Final adaptive gains from the module: theta_x_final = -0.9919931 (deviation 0.00801 from -1.0, inside the -1.1 to -0.9 band and the 0.05 tolerance) and theta_r_final = 0.4919924 (deviation 0.00801 from 0.5, inside the 0.45 to 0.55 band). - Tracking: error_final = 2.95e-7 (below the 1e-3 bound), max abs error over the last 200 steps = 8.4e-7 (below the 1e-4 verdict tolerance); x_final = 1.0000003, inside 0.99 to 1.01. The largest error of the whole run is 0.3016 during the early transient. - Control at the equilibrium: u_final = -0.5000010, which cancels the unstable pole (a_p * x + b_p * u = 1.0 - 1.0 = 0). - Verdict: converged = True; tracking RMSE over the last 500 steps = 1.38e-6 (gain_convergence_report). - Instability guard: same plant with gamma 0 and x0 = 1.0 gives |x| = 144.8 at step 500 (the open loop grows as 1.01^k), so the adaptation is doing the stabilization in the converged run. - Determinism: identical inputs reproduce the identical histories. ## Verification - Confirm ideal_gains(1.0, 2.0, -1.0, 1.0) returns theta_x_star -1.0 and theta_r_star 0.5 exactly. - Confirm the worked example run (3000 steps) reports converged True with error_final below 1e-3, x_final in 0.99 to 1.01, theta_x_final in -1.1 to -0.9, and theta_r_final in 0.45 to 0.55. - Confirm the no-adaptation instability guard: gamma 0 with an unstable plant and x0 = 1.0 grows past |x| = 10 by step 500, and gamma 0 keeps the gains constant everywhere. - Confirm the closed-form reference identity: the xm history from a zero-state run matches (b_m / -a_m) * r * (1 - (1 + a_m * dt)^k). - Confirm every non-physical input raises ValueError: model_a >= 0, dt <= 0, steps < 2, gamma_x < 0, gamma_r < 0, plant_b == 0. - Run the contract test offline: python3 scripts/test_adaptive_control.py (33 tests, deterministic). ## Pitfalls - Running too few steps and reading the verdict: the strict convergence tail clears at about 2070 steps for the worked example (the last-200-step error and gain tolerances); at 2000 steps the softer bounds already hold, so the converged verdict is run-length dependent. - Zero adaptation on an unstable plant: with gamma = 0 the open loop grows (|x| = 144.8 at step 500 from x0 = 1.0 on the a_p = 1.0 plant), which is the intended instability guard - do not expect convergence without the adaptation law. - Flipping the sign of b_p: the Lyapunov-motivated law assumes the sign of the control effectiveness is known positive; a wrong sign assumption turns the gradient update into a destabilizing one (the leaf records sign-positive as a scope condition). - Mixing up the update ordering: each step applies the control from the current gains, advances both states by dt, then samples the error and updates the gains; this documented Euler ordering is what drives the gains to the ideal values. - Ideal gains are the target, not an input: ideal_gains(a_p, b_p, a_m, b_m) computes theta_x_star = (a_m - a_p)/b_p and theta_r_star = b_m/b_p for assessment; feeding them back into the controller defeats the adaptive purpose. - model_a >= 0, dt <= 0, steps < 2, negative gamma and plant_b == 0 raise ValueError. ## Related leaves - gnc-autonomy/control/control-allocation: distributing the scalar adaptive command across redundant effectors once the loop closes. - gnc-autonomy/control/state-space-analysis: eigenvalue and controllability analysis of plants with known parameters, the fixed-gain counterpart to online adaptation. - gnc-autonomy/control/observer-design: reconstructing unmeasured states when the adaptive loop cannot measure its state directly. - gnc-autonomy/control/python-control-design: scripted fixed-gain loop design for known plants, the alternative when no adaptation is needed. - gnc-autonomy/control/frequency-response-design: classical frequency-domain design for known plants in the same pack. ## Behavior contract (gate 3) Run the deterministic contract test (stdlib unittest, offline): python3 scripts/test_adaptive_control.py The test covers the worked example contract (ideal gains exact, converged True at 3000 steps, gain bands, tracking error bound, final state window, last-200 error window, u_final at the -0.5 equilibrium), the 2000-step soft bounds, the no-adaptation instability guard, the gamma 0 gain-constancy check, reference-model Euler values and the closed-form identity, the exact adaptation rule and its zero and negative rate cases, gain convergence report values, and ValueError rejection of a non-stable reference model, non-positive dt, too few steps, negative adaptation rates, and zero plant control effectiveness. ## Compliance - Standards referenced, not reproduced: ARP4754A frames development assurance for the aircraft functions that host adaptive loops; the MRAC equations above are standard adaptive control methodology, summary-only per standards-map.yaml, reference-only: true. - compliance: STANDARDS-REF, gated: false.