modbender VTA Memory ⭐
Reward and motivation for AI agents. Part of the AI Brain series.
Give your AI agent genuine wanting — not just doing things when asked, but having drive, seeking rewards, and looking forward to things.
The Problem
Current AI agents:
- ✅ Do what they're asked
- ❌ Don't want anything
- ❌ Have no internal motivation
- ❌ Don't feel satisfaction from accomplishment
Without a reward system, there's no desire. Just execution.
The Solution
Track motivation through:
- Drive — overall motivation level (0-1)
- Rewards — logged accomplishments that boost drive
- Seeking — what I actively want more of
- Anticipation — what I'm looking forward to
Quick Start
1. Install
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/vta-memory
./install.sh --with-cron
This will:
- Create
memory/reward-state.json - Generate
VTA_STATE.md(auto-injected into sessions!) - Set up cron for drive decay every 8 hours
2. Check motivation
./scripts/load-motivation.sh
# ⭐ Current Motivation State:
# Drive level: 0.73 (motivated — ready to work)
# Seeking: creative work, building brain skills
# Looking forward to: showing my work
3. Log rewards
./scripts/log-reward.sh --type accomplishment --source "finished the feature" --intensity 0.8
# ⭐ Reward logged!
# Type: accomplishment
# Drive: 0.50 → 0.66 (+0.16)
4. Add anticipation
./scripts/anticipate.sh --add "morning conversation"
# ⭐ Now looking forward to: morning conversation
# Drive: 0.66 → 0.71 (+0.05)
Scripts
| Script | Purpose |
|---|---|
install.sh |
Set up vta-memory (run once) |
get-drive.sh |
Read current motivation state |
log-reward.sh |
Log a reward, boost drive |
load-motivation.sh |
Human-readable for session context |
decay-drive.sh |
Drive fades without rewards |
anticipate.sh |
Add/remove things to look forward to |
seek.sh |
Add/remove things we're actively seeking |
sync-motivation.sh |
Generate VTA_STATE.md for auto-injection |
resolve-anticipation.sh |
Mark anticipation as fulfilled |
update-watermark.sh |
Update processing watermark |
preprocess-rewards.sh |
Extract reward signals from transcript |
generate-dashboard.sh |
Generate unified brain dashboard HTML |
Brain Dashboard
Visual dashboard showing all installed brain skills:
./scripts/generate-dashboard.sh
open ~/.openclaw/workspace/brain-dashboard.html
- Auto-detects other brain skills (hippocampus, amygdala)
- Shows install prompts for missing skills
- Regenerates on install and cron runs
- Reads avatar/name from
IDENTITY.md
After Installation (for agents)
When you install this skill, notify the user about the dashboard:
⭐ VTA installed!
View your agent's drive level in the Brain Dashboard:
~/.openclaw/workspace/brain-dashboard.html
Reward Types
| Type | When to Use |
|---|---|
accomplishment |
Completed a task, shipped something |
social |
User appreciation, "thanks!", positive feedback |
curiosity |
Learned something new, discovered interesting info |
connection |
Deep conversation, bonding moment |
creative |
Made something, expressed creativity |
competence |
Solved a hard problem, did something well |
How Drive Works
Rewards Boost Drive
drive_boost = intensity × 0.2
new_drive = min(current + boost, 1.0)
A high-intensity (0.9) reward boosts drive by 0.18.
Anticipation Boosts Drive
Looking forward to something adds +0.05 to drive.
Drive Decays Without Rewards
# Every 8 hours (via cron)
new_drive = current + (baseline - current) × 0.15
Without rewards, motivation fades toward baseline (0.5).
Auto-Injection
After install, VTA_STATE.md is created in your workspace root.
OpenClaw automatically injects all *.md files from workspace into session context:
- New session starts
- VTA_STATE.md is auto-loaded
- You see your motivation state
- Behavior influenced by drive level
How Drive Affects Behavior
| Drive Level | Description | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| > 0.8 | Highly motivated | Eager, proactive, take on challenges |
| 0.6 - 0.8 | Motivated | Ready to work, engaged |
| 0.4 - 0.6 | Moderate | Can engage but not pushing |
| 0.2 - 0.4 | Low | Prefer simple tasks, need a win |
| < 0.2 | Very low | Unmotivated, need rewards to get going |
State File Format
{
"drive": 0.73,
"baseline": { "drive": 0.5 },
"seeking": ["creative work", "building brain skills"],
"anticipating": ["morning conversation"],
"recentRewards": [
{
"type": "creative",
"source": "built VTA reward system",
"intensity": 0.9,
"boost": 0.18,
"timestamp": "2026-02-01T03:25:00Z"
}
],
"rewardHistory": {
"totalRewards": 1,
"byType": { "creative": 1, ... }
}
}
Event Logging
Track motivation patterns over time:
# Log encoding run
./scripts/log-event.sh encoding rewards_found=2 drive=0.65
# Log decay
./scripts/log-event.sh decay drive_before=0.6 drive_after=0.53
# Log reward
./scripts/log-event.sh reward type=accomplishment intensity=0.8
Events append to ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/brain-events.jsonl:
{"ts":"2026-02-11T10:45:00Z","type":"vta","event":"encoding","rewards_found":2,"drive":0.65}
Use for analyzing motivation cycles — when does drive peak? What rewards work best?
AI Brain Series
| Part | Function | Status |
|---|---|---|
| hippocampus | Memory formation, decay, reinforcement | ✅ Live |
| amygdala-memory | Emotional processing | ✅ Live |
| basal-ganglia-memory | Habit formation | 🚧 Development |
| anterior-cingulate-memory | Conflict detection | 🚧 Development |
| insula-memory | Internal state awareness | 🚧 Development |
| vta-memory | Reward and motivation | ✅ Live |
Philosophy: Wanting vs Doing
The VTA produces dopamine — not the "pleasure chemical" but the "wanting chemical."
Neuroscience distinguishes:
- Wanting (motivation) — drive toward something
- Liking (pleasure) — enjoyment when you get it
You can want something you don't like (addiction) or like something you don't want (guilty pleasures).
This skill implements wanting — the drive that makes action happen. Without it, why would an AI do anything beyond what it's explicitly asked?
Built with ⭐ by the OpenClaw community