From 15ce03a9124e385ff0135bdcf4f402a1eeadeba5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: yuanzonghao <yuanzonghao123@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2026 11:44:55 +0800
Subject: [PATCH] feat(engine): Architect agent + cross-scene StoryState
 coherence

Add a dedicated Architect LLM call at session start that expands the terse
world/style prompt into a persistent story bible (logline, genre, second-
person protagonist, cast, engineered opening hook). The bible seeds a
StoryState the Writer reads and patches every scene, carried + merged
across cuts (applyStoryStatePatch) so the story keeps a spine from beat
one instead of jumping between scenes.

- prompts: inject web-novel / short-drama / galgame craft into Writer +
  Architect; Writer emits storyStatePatch to update the running bible
- director: parallelize voice + non-entry portraits with the Painter
  (only entry-beat portraits block paint) to offset Architect latency
- architect: chat/parse guarded so a malformed response never aborts start
- types: StoryState / StoryStatePatch; required on Start/SceneResponse

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 .gitignore                                    |   2 +
 apps/web/app/play/page.tsx                    |   3 +
 packages/engine/src/agents/architect.ts       |  90 +++++++
 .../engine/src/agents/characterDesigner.ts    |  79 +++---
 packages/engine/src/agents/writer.ts          |  39 +++
 packages/engine/src/director.ts               | 226 ++++++++++++++----
 packages/engine/src/index.ts                  |   1 +
 packages/engine/src/orchestrator.ts           |  18 +-
 packages/engine/src/prompts.ts                | 166 ++++++++++++-
 packages/types/src/index.ts                   |  61 +++++
 10 files changed, 576 insertions(+), 109 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 packages/engine/src/agents/architect.ts

diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 41397b6..46e678a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -20,3 +20,5 @@ npm-debug.log*
 pnpm-debug.log*
 
 repomix-output.xml
+
+users.md
diff --git a/apps/web/app/play/page.tsx b/apps/web/app/play/page.tsx
index 3e9c5df..8d0a010 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/play/page.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/play/page.tsx
@@ -187,6 +187,7 @@ function prefetchScenePath(
         const carriedBase: Session = {
           ...baseSession,
           characters: data.characters,
+          storyState: data.storyState,
         };
         prefetchScenePath(pool, carriedBase, [...steps, nextStep], depth + 1);
       }
@@ -539,6 +540,7 @@ function PlayInner() {
             },
           ],
           characters: data.characters,
+          storyState: data.storyState,
         };
         visitedBeatsRef.current = [data.scene.entryBeatId];
         setSession(initial);
@@ -635,6 +637,7 @@ function PlayInner() {
           },
         ],
         characters: result.characters,
+        storyState: result.storyState,
       };
       visitedBeatsRef.current = [result.scene.entryBeatId];
       setSession(newSession);
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/agents/architect.ts b/packages/engine/src/agents/architect.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3349e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/engine/src/agents/architect.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import { chat } from "@infiplot/ai-client";
+import type { ProviderConfig, Session, StoryState } from "@infiplot/types";
+import { parseJsonLoose } from "../jsonParser";
+import { ARCHITECT_SYSTEM, buildArchitectUserMessage } from "../prompts";
+
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//  Architect agent — ONE LLM call at session start.
+//
+//  Expands the user's (often terse) world + style prompt into a real story
+//  bible: a second-person protagonist with a want and a flaw, a single
+//  central dramatic question (logline), a genre frame that anchors the
+//  爽点 rhythm, an engineered cold-open for scene 1 (nextHook), and a small
+//  intentional cast. Seeds the StoryState that the Writer reads and updates
+//  every scene — so the story has a spine from beat one instead of being
+//  improvised cold.
+//
+//  Everything is best-effort coerced with fallbacks: a malformed LLM
+//  response can never abort session start — worst case the Writer just gets
+//  a thinner bible and improvises more.
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+type RawStoryState = {
+  logline?: unknown;
+  genreTags?: unknown;
+  protagonist?: unknown;
+  castNotes?: unknown;
+  synopsis?: unknown;
+  openThreads?: unknown;
+  relationships?: unknown;
+  nextHook?: unknown;
+};
+
+function str(raw: unknown): string {
+  return typeof raw === "string" ? raw.trim() : "";
+}
+
+function strArray(raw: unknown): string[] | undefined {
+  if (!Array.isArray(raw)) return undefined;
+  const out = raw
+    .map((x) => (typeof x === "string" ? x.trim() : ""))
+    .filter((x) => x.length > 0);
+  return out.length > 0 ? out : undefined;
+}
+
+export async function runArchitect(
+  config: ProviderConfig,
+  session: Session,
+): Promise<StoryState> {
+  try {
+    const raw = await chat(
+      config,
+      [
+        { role: "system", content: ARCHITECT_SYSTEM },
+        { role: "user", content: buildArchitectUserMessage(session) },
+      ],
+      { temperature: 0.85, responseFormat: "json_object" },
+    );
+
+    const parsed = parseJsonLoose<RawStoryState>(raw);
+
+    return {
+      // Stable spine — fall back to the raw world/style prompt so the bible is
+      // never wholly empty even if the model returns garbage.
+      logline: str(parsed.logline) || session.worldSetting,
+      genreTags: str(parsed.genreTags),
+      protagonist:
+        str(parsed.protagonist) ||
+        "你是这个故事的主角（第二人称视角，永不出现在画面里）。",
+      castNotes: str(parsed.castNotes) || undefined,
+      // Volatile seeds — the opening Writer will rewrite these via its patch.
+      synopsis: str(parsed.synopsis) || "故事即将开始。",
+      openThreads: strArray(parsed.openThreads),
+      relationships: strArray(parsed.relationships),
+      nextHook: str(parsed.nextHook) || undefined,
+    };
+  } catch (err) {
+    // chat() or parseJsonLoose() can throw (network / unrepairable JSON).
+    // The Architect is best-effort: never let it abort session start — return
+    // a minimal bible seeded from the raw prompt and let the Writer improvise.
+    const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+    console.error(`[architect] failed, using minimal bible: ${msg}`);
+    return {
+      logline: session.worldSetting,
+      genreTags: "",
+      protagonist:
+        "你是这个故事的主角（第二人称视角，永不出现在画面里）。",
+      synopsis: "故事即将开始。",
+    };
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/agents/characterDesigner.ts b/packages/engine/src/agents/characterDesigner.ts
index 8d7056b..152a975 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/agents/characterDesigner.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/agents/characterDesigner.ts
@@ -15,25 +15,20 @@ import {
 } from "../prompts";
 
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-//  CharacterDesigner agent — designs ONE new character end-to-end.
+//  CharacterDesigner agent — designs ONE new character.
 //
-//  Pipeline (per character, all the slow parts are parallelized):
+//  Exposed as three GRANULAR stages so the director can schedule the slow
+//  parts around the Painter (a voice is never needed to paint a scene, and
+//  only entry-beat characters' portraits are referenced by the Painter):
 //
-//    1. LLM call — designs BOTH visual + voice cards in one shot
-//       (intentional: same agent thinks about who this character IS,
-//        which keeps appearance and vocal personality coherent)
+//    1. designCharacterCard      — ONE LLM call → visual + voice TEXT cards
+//       (intentional bundling: the same agent thinks about who this character
+//        IS, keeping appearance and vocal personality coherent)
+//    2. renderCharacterPortrait  — base portrait image (Runware URL + UUID)
+//    3. provisionCharacterVoice  — Xiaomi MiMo voicedesign → reference audio
 //
-//    2. In parallel:
-//       a. Image gen — base portrait (Runware returns URL + UUID in one shot;
-//          no separate upload round-trip is needed for cheap re-reference)
-//       b. Voice provisioning — Xiaomi MiMo voicedesign from voiceDescription
-//          → reference audio for later voiceclone synth
-//
-//    3. Returns merged Character ready to be added to session.characters
-//
-//  Each step degrades gracefully — if image gen fails we return the
-//  character without a portrait; if voice gen fails we return without
-//  voice. The game keeps running even when sub-components fail.
+//  Each step degrades gracefully — if image gen fails the character just has
+//  no portrait; if voice gen fails it has no voice. The game keeps running.
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 type CharacterDesignOutput = {
@@ -77,7 +72,7 @@ async function runDesignLLM(
 //
 // In mock mode we return the data URI as basePortraitUrl with no UUID
 // (Painter is short-circuited anyway, so the lack of a UUID is moot).
-async function renderPortrait(
+export async function renderCharacterPortrait(
   config: EngineConfig,
   charName: string,
   visualDescription: string,
@@ -101,7 +96,7 @@ async function renderPortrait(
   }
 }
 
-async function provisionVoiceSafe(
+export async function provisionCharacterVoice(
   config: EngineConfig,
   voiceDescription: string,
   charName: string,
@@ -116,45 +111,31 @@ async function provisionVoiceSafe(
   }
 }
 
-// Single-character design pipeline. Called by the orchestrator once per
-// NEW character name; multiple characters in the same scene run their
-// pipelines in parallel at the orchestrator level.
-export async function designCharacter(
+// The cheap first stage: design the visual + voice TEXT cards in one LLM
+// call. The director then schedules renderCharacterPortrait /
+// provisionCharacterVoice around the Painter. Multiple new characters in the
+// same scene run this stage in parallel at the director level.
+export type CharacterCard = {
+  name: string;
+  visualDescription?: string;
+  voiceDescription: string;
+};
+
+export async function designCharacterCard(
   config: EngineConfig,
   session: Session,
   charName: string,
-): Promise<Character> {
-  const tTotal = Date.now();
-
-  // Step 1 — LLM design (visual + voice). Must complete first.
+): Promise<CharacterCard> {
   const tDesign = Date.now();
   const design = await runDesignLLM(config, session, charName);
   tlog(`[charDesigner ${charName}] design LLM`, tDesign);
 
-  const visualDescription = design.visualDescription?.trim();
-  const voiceDescription =
-    design.voiceDescription?.trim() ||
-    `请根据角色名「${charName}」推断其性别、年龄与气质，生成最贴合的音色。所属世界观：${session.worldSetting}`;
-
-  // Step 2 — parallel: portrait + voice provisioning.
-  const tProvision = Date.now();
-  const portraitPromise = visualDescription
-    ? renderPortrait(config, charName, visualDescription, session.styleGuide)
-    : Promise.resolve({} as Awaited<ReturnType<typeof renderPortrait>>);
-  const voicePromise = provisionVoiceSafe(config, voiceDescription, charName);
-
-  const [portrait, voice] = await Promise.all([portraitPromise, voicePromise]);
-  tlog(`[charDesigner ${charName}] portrait+voice parallel`, tProvision);
-
-  tlog(`[charDesigner ${charName}] TOTAL`, tTotal);
-
   return {
     name: charName,
-    voiceDescription,
-    visualDescription,
-    basePortraitUrl: portrait.basePortraitUrl,
-    basePortraitUuid: portrait.basePortraitUuid,
-    voice,
+    visualDescription: design.visualDescription?.trim() || undefined,
+    voiceDescription:
+      design.voiceDescription?.trim() ||
+      `请根据角色名「${charName}」推断其性别、年龄与气质，生成最贴合的音色。所属世界观：${session.worldSetting}`,
   };
 }
 
@@ -169,6 +150,6 @@ export async function provisionVoiceForName(
   charName: string,
 ): Promise<Character> {
   const voiceDescription = `请根据角色名「${charName}」推断其性别、年龄与气质，生成最贴合的音色。所属世界观：${session.worldSetting}`;
-  const voice = await provisionVoiceSafe(config, voiceDescription, charName);
+  const voice = await provisionCharacterVoice(config, voiceDescription, charName);
   return { name: charName, voiceDescription, voice };
 }
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/agents/writer.ts b/packages/engine/src/agents/writer.ts
index 0015817..97a5e4f 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/agents/writer.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/agents/writer.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import type {
   BeatNext,
   ProviderConfig,
   Session,
+  StoryStatePatch,
 } from "@infiplot/types";
 import { parseJsonLoose } from "../jsonParser";
 import { WRITER_SYSTEM, buildWriterUserMessage } from "../prompts";
@@ -28,6 +29,9 @@ export type WriterOutput = {
   sceneKey?: string;
   entryBeatId: string;
   beats: Beat[];
+  /** Rewritten volatile story memory — merged onto the carried StoryState by
+   *  the director. Absent when the model omitted it (rare; bible just stales). */
+  storyStatePatch?: StoryStatePatch;
 };
 
 // Raw shapes — what the LLM produces before validation / coercion.
@@ -59,11 +63,18 @@ type RawBeat = {
   activeCharacters?: RawActiveCharacter[];
   next?: RawNext;
 };
+type RawStoryStatePatch = {
+  synopsis?: unknown;
+  openThreads?: unknown;
+  relationships?: unknown;
+  nextHook?: unknown;
+};
 type RawScene = {
   sceneSummary?: string;
   sceneKey?: string;
   entryBeatId?: string;
   beats?: RawBeat[];
+  storyStatePatch?: RawStoryStatePatch;
 };
 
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -321,6 +332,33 @@ function normalizeSceneKey(raw: string | undefined): string | undefined {
   return slug.length > 0 ? slug : undefined;
 }
 
+function coerceStringArray(raw: unknown): string[] | undefined {
+  if (!Array.isArray(raw)) return undefined;
+  const out = raw
+    .map((x) => (typeof x === "string" ? x.trim() : ""))
+    .filter((x) => x.length > 0);
+  return out.length > 0 ? out : undefined;
+}
+
+// Pull the volatile story-memory rewrite out of the Writer's JSON. Only
+// non-empty fields are kept; an all-empty/absent patch returns undefined so
+// the director leaves the carried StoryState untouched.
+function coerceStoryStatePatch(
+  raw: RawStoryStatePatch | undefined,
+): StoryStatePatch | undefined {
+  if (!raw || typeof raw !== "object") return undefined;
+  const patch: StoryStatePatch = {};
+  const synopsis = typeof raw.synopsis === "string" ? raw.synopsis.trim() : "";
+  if (synopsis) patch.synopsis = synopsis;
+  const openThreads = coerceStringArray(raw.openThreads);
+  if (openThreads) patch.openThreads = openThreads;
+  const relationships = coerceStringArray(raw.relationships);
+  if (relationships) patch.relationships = relationships;
+  const nextHook = typeof raw.nextHook === "string" ? raw.nextHook.trim() : "";
+  if (nextHook) patch.nextHook = nextHook;
+  return Object.keys(patch).length > 0 ? patch : undefined;
+}
+
 export async function runWriter(
   config: ProviderConfig,
   session: Session,
@@ -359,6 +397,7 @@ export async function runWriter(
     sceneKey: normalizeSceneKey(parsed.sceneKey),
     entryBeatId,
     beats,
+    storyStatePatch: coerceStoryStatePatch(parsed.storyStatePatch),
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/director.ts b/packages/engine/src/director.ts
index 9630a1b..5bfa156 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/director.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/director.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,16 @@ import type {
   ProviderConfig,
   Scene,
   Session,
+  StoryState,
+  StoryStatePatch,
 } from "@infiplot/types";
-import { designCharacter, provisionVoiceForName } from "./agents/characterDesigner";
+import type { CharacterCard } from "./agents/characterDesigner";
+import {
+  designCharacterCard,
+  provisionCharacterVoice,
+  provisionVoiceForName,
+  renderCharacterPortrait,
+} from "./agents/characterDesigner";
 import { runCinematographer } from "./agents/cinematographer";
 import { runPainter } from "./agents/painter";
 import {
@@ -27,26 +35,29 @@ import { INSERT_BEAT_SYSTEM, buildInsertBeatUserMessage } from "./prompts";
 //
 //    Writer LLM (~3s, serial)
 //      │
-//      ├─ CharacterDesigner LLM × N    (parallel per new char)
-//      │     │
-//      │     ├─ portrait gen (Runware returns URL + UUID in one call)
-//      │     └─ voice provisioning     (parallel within agent)
+//      ├─ CharacterCard LLM × N        (parallel per new char — TEXT only)
+//      ├─ Cinematographer LLM          (parallel with the cards)
 //      │
-//      ├─ Cinematographer LLM          (parallel with all of the above)
+//      └─ wait for cards + cinema
 //      │
-//      └─ wait for all parallel branches
+//      ├─ entry-beat portraits   ──┐  (block the Painter — its refs)
+//      ▼                           │
+//    Painter — generateImage       │  (overlapped, NOT on the paint path):
+//      with referenceImages        ├─ non-entry-beat portraits
+//      │                           └─ ALL voice provisioning + orphan voices
+//      ▼
+//    await the overlapped work, fold into the registry
 //      │
 //      ▼
-//    Painter — generateImage with referenceImages (UUID/URL refs only;
-//              no base64 to upload, since outputType=URL gives both back)
-//      │
-//      ▼
-//    return { scene, sceneImageUrl, characters }
+//    return { scene, sceneImageUrl, characters, storyState }
 //
-//  The Cinematographer intentionally does NOT depend on CharacterDesigner
-//  output — it only positions named characters in the frame, not their
-//  appearance. This unlocks the parallelism that makes the full pipeline
-//  ~9-12s instead of ~15-18s serial.
+//  Two deliberate decouplings unlock the parallelism:
+//   1. The Cinematographer only POSITIONS named characters, so it needs no
+//      visualDescription and runs alongside the card LLMs.
+//   2. The Painter only needs visualDescription TEXT (all on-stage) + the
+//      entry-beat characters' PORTRAITS (its referenceImages). Voices are
+//      never needed to paint, and non-entry portraits are never referenced —
+//      so both overlap the (longest) paint call instead of blocking it.
 // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 
 function newSceneId(): string {
@@ -112,10 +123,33 @@ function pickPriorSceneReference(
   return {};
 }
 
+// Merge the Writer's volatile story-memory patch onto the carried StoryState.
+// The stable spine (logline/genreTags/protagonist/castNotes) is preserved;
+// only the volatile fields the Writer is allowed to rewrite are overwritten,
+// and only when the patch actually provided them. A missing carried state
+// (legacy session from before the Architect existed) degrades to an empty
+// spine rather than throwing.
+function applyStoryStatePatch(
+  base: StoryState | undefined,
+  patch: StoryStatePatch | undefined,
+): StoryState {
+  const start: StoryState =
+    base ?? { logline: "", genreTags: "", protagonist: "", synopsis: "" };
+  if (!patch) return start;
+  return {
+    ...start,
+    synopsis: patch.synopsis ?? start.synopsis,
+    openThreads: patch.openThreads ?? start.openThreads,
+    relationships: patch.relationships ?? start.relationships,
+    nextHook: patch.nextHook ?? start.nextHook,
+  };
+}
+
 export type SceneResult = {
   scene: Scene;
   sceneImageUrl: string;
   characters: Character[];
+  storyState: StoryState;
 };
 
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -156,17 +190,19 @@ export async function directScene(
     writerOut.sceneKey,
   );
 
-  // Stage 2 — parallel: CharacterDesigner(s) and Cinematographer.
-  // Cinematographer doesn't need character visualDescriptions (those are
-  // appended at Painter stage), so it runs concurrently with chardesign.
+  // ── Stage 2 — character cards (LLM) ∥ Cinematographer ──────────────────
+  // Both are cheap LLM calls and neither needs the other's output, so they
+  // run concurrently. The cards give us each new character's visualDescription
+  // TEXT; portraits + voices are deferred to Stage 3 so they can overlap the
+  // paint instead of blocking it.
   const tParallel = Date.now();
 
-  const designPromises = newCharNames.map((name) =>
-    designCharacter(config, session, name).catch((err): Character => {
+  const cardPromises = newCharNames.map((name) =>
+    designCharacterCard(config, session, name).catch((err): CharacterCard => {
       const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
-      console.error(`[directScene] designCharacter(${name}) failed: ${msg}`);
-      // Last-resort fallback: register with name only so the speaker isn't
-      // unknown. Caller may try voice provisioning later or skip.
+      console.error(`[directScene] designCharacterCard(${name}) failed: ${msg}`);
+      // Last-resort fallback: a name + generic voice card so the speaker isn't
+      // unknown. No visualDescription → no portrait is attempted for them.
       return {
         name,
         voiceDescription: `请根据角色名「${name}」推断其性别、年龄与气质。所属世界观：${session.worldSetting}`,
@@ -183,40 +219,102 @@ export async function directScene(
     currentSceneKey: writerOut.sceneKey,
   });
 
-  const [designedChars, cinemaOut] = await Promise.all([
-    Promise.all(designPromises),
+  const [cards, cinemaOut] = await Promise.all([
+    Promise.all(cardPromises),
     cinemaPromise,
   ]);
-  tlog("[directScene] CharacterDesigner+Cinematographer parallel", tParallel);
+  tlog("[directScene] CharacterCards+Cinematographer parallel", tParallel);
 
-  // Merge new chars into a working registry that we'll pass to the Painter.
-  const characters = mergeCharacters(session.characters, designedChars);
+  // Working registry: existing characters + new cards. visualDescription text
+  // is present now; portraits + voices fill in over the next two phases.
+  let characters = mergeCharacters(
+    session.characters,
+    cards.map((c) => ({
+      name: c.name,
+      voiceDescription: c.voiceDescription,
+      visualDescription: c.visualDescription,
+    })),
+  );
 
-  // Edge case: a speaker referenced by the Writer might not have been in
-  // `activeCharacters` of any beat (LLM oversight), so they got skipped by
-  // newCharNames. Catch them here and at least provision a voice so the
-  // beat-audio path doesn't render silent. No portrait — they weren't
-  // visible in the scene, so visual consistency doesn't matter for them.
+  // ── Stage 3 — portraits + voices, scheduled around the Painter ─────────
+  const tProvision = Date.now();
+
+  // Entry-beat character names: the ONLY portraits the Painter references
+  // (collectReferenceImages slots in the entry beat's speaker + activeChars).
+  const entryNames = new Set<string>();
+  if (entryBeat?.speaker && !isPovName(entryBeat.speaker)) {
+    entryNames.add(entryBeat.speaker);
+  }
+  for (const c of entryBeatActive) {
+    if (!isPovName(c.name)) entryNames.add(c.name);
+  }
+
+  type NamedPortrait = {
+    name: string;
+    basePortraitUrl?: string;
+    basePortraitUuid?: string;
+  };
+  // Kick off portrait gen for every NEW char that has a visualDescription.
+  // Entry-beat portraits block the Painter; the rest overlap it.
+  const entryPortraitPromises: Promise<NamedPortrait>[] = [];
+  const restPortraitPromises: Promise<NamedPortrait>[] = [];
+  for (const card of cards) {
+    const vd = card.visualDescription;
+    if (!vd) continue;
+    const p = renderCharacterPortrait(
+      config,
+      card.name,
+      vd,
+      session.styleGuide,
+    ).then((res): NamedPortrait => ({ name: card.name, ...res }));
+    (entryNames.has(card.name) ? entryPortraitPromises : restPortraitPromises).push(p);
+  }
+
+  // Kick off voice provisioning for every NEW char (never on the paint path).
+  const voicePromises = cards.map((card) =>
+    provisionCharacterVoice(config, card.voiceDescription, card.name).then(
+      (voice): Character => ({
+        name: card.name,
+        voiceDescription: card.voiceDescription,
+        voice,
+      }),
+    ),
+  );
+
+  // Edge case: a speaker the Writer referenced without listing in any beat's
+  // activeCharacters. collectActiveCharacterNames already includes speakers,
+  // so this is a rare defensive net. Provision a voice only (never on-screen).
   const speakerNames = new Set(
     writerOut.beats.map((b) => b.speaker).filter((n): n is string => Boolean(n)),
   );
   const orphanSpeakers = [...speakerNames].filter(
     // Pattern B: "你" (player) is a valid speaker but never gets a Character
-    // record — TTS is intentionally skipped on the client. Filter POV out so
-    // provisionVoiceForName isn't accidentally invoked for the player.
-    (n) => !isPovName(n) && !characters.some((c) => c.name === n),
+    // record — TTS is intentionally skipped on the client.
+    (n) =>
+      !isPovName(n) &&
+      !characters.some((c) => c.name === n) &&
+      !cards.some((c) => c.name === n),
+  );
+  const orphanPromises = orphanSpeakers.map((n) =>
+    provisionVoiceForName(config, session, n),
   );
-  if (orphanSpeakers.length > 0) {
-    const orphans = await Promise.all(
-      orphanSpeakers.map((n) => provisionVoiceForName(config, session, n)),
-    );
-    const merged = mergeCharacters(characters, orphans);
-    characters.splice(0, characters.length, ...merged);
-  }
 
-  // Stage 3 — Painter (depends on cinemaOut + characters).
-  // On-stage characters for THIS scene are the ones in any beat — pass them
-  // all so the archetype block covers anyone the player might encounter.
+  // Block the Painter ONLY on entry-beat portraits (its referenceImages).
+  const entryPortraits = await Promise.all(entryPortraitPromises);
+  characters = mergeCharacters(
+    characters,
+    entryPortraits.map((p) => ({
+      name: p.name,
+      voiceDescription: "", // preserved from the card by mergeCharacters
+      basePortraitUrl: p.basePortraitUrl,
+      basePortraitUuid: p.basePortraitUuid,
+    })),
+  );
+  tlog("[directScene] entry-beat portraits", tProvision);
+
+  // ── Stage 4 — Painter (depends on cinemaOut + on-stage visual cards +
+  // entry portraits). On-stage = everyone named in any beat, so the archetype
+  // block covers anyone the player might encounter in this scene.
   const onStageCharacters = characters.filter((c) =>
     allActiveNames.includes(c.name),
   );
@@ -234,6 +332,30 @@ export async function directScene(
   );
   tlog("[directScene] Painter", tPainter);
 
+  // Fold in the work that overlapped the paint: remaining portraits, all
+  // voices, and any orphan-speaker voices. Awaited before returning so the
+  // session the client persists is fully provisioned for later scenes.
+  const tOverlap = Date.now();
+  const [restPortraits, voicedChars, orphanChars] = await Promise.all([
+    Promise.all(restPortraitPromises),
+    Promise.all(voicePromises),
+    Promise.all(orphanPromises),
+  ]);
+  characters = mergeCharacters(
+    characters,
+    restPortraits.map((p) => ({
+      name: p.name,
+      voiceDescription: "",
+      basePortraitUrl: p.basePortraitUrl,
+      basePortraitUuid: p.basePortraitUuid,
+    })),
+  );
+  characters = mergeCharacters(characters, voicedChars);
+  if (orphanChars.length > 0) {
+    characters = mergeCharacters(characters, orphanChars);
+  }
+  tlog("[directScene] overlapped portraits+voices", tOverlap);
+
   const scene: Scene = {
     id: newSceneId(),
     // scenePrompt is the cinematographer's English compositional output;
@@ -249,9 +371,17 @@ export async function directScene(
     imageUrl: painted.imageUrl,
   };
 
+  // Merge the Writer's volatile memory rewrite onto the carried bible so the
+  // throughline survives the next scene cut (orchestrator returns it; the
+  // client persists it back into the session).
+  const storyState = applyStoryStatePatch(
+    session.storyState,
+    writerOut.storyStatePatch,
+  );
+
   tlog("[directScene] TOTAL", tTotal);
 
-  return { scene, sceneImageUrl: painted.imageUrl, characters };
+  return { scene, sceneImageUrl: painted.imageUrl, characters, storyState };
 }
 
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/index.ts b/packages/engine/src/index.ts
index 86adea9..8fac699 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/index.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ export { annotateClick } from "./annotate";
 export { synthesizeBeat } from "./voice";
 export { mergeCharacters } from "./director";
 export type { SceneResult } from "./director";
+export { runArchitect } from "./agents/architect";
 export type { WriterOutput } from "./agents/writer";
 export type { CinematographerOutput } from "./agents/cinematographer";
 export type { InsertBeatPartial } from "@infiplot/types";
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/orchestrator.ts b/packages/engine/src/orchestrator.ts
index 49a2098..2b332e0 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/orchestrator.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/orchestrator.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import type {
   VisionRequest,
   VisionResponse,
 } from "@infiplot/types";
+import { runArchitect } from "./agents/architect";
 import { annotateClick } from "./annotate";
 import { directInsertBeat, directScene } from "./director";
 import { synthesizeBeat } from "./voice";
@@ -49,7 +50,18 @@ export async function startSession(
     characters: [],
   };
 
-  const { scene, sceneImageUrl, characters } = await directScene(config, session);
+  // Stage 0 — Architect: expand the terse world/style prompt into a story
+  // bible BEFORE the first scene. Serial by necessity (the opening Writer
+  // reads session.storyState), but it gives the whole story a spine from beat
+  // one — the latency is offset by the director's portrait/voice overlap win.
+  const tArchitect = Date.now();
+  session.storyState = await runArchitect(config.text, session);
+  tlog("[start] Architect", tArchitect);
+
+  const { scene, sceneImageUrl, characters, storyState } = await directScene(
+    config,
+    session,
+  );
 
   tlog("[start] TOTAL", tTotal);
 
@@ -58,6 +70,7 @@ export async function startSession(
     scene,
     imageUrl: sceneImageUrl,
     characters,
+    storyState,
   };
 }
 
@@ -71,7 +84,7 @@ export async function requestScene(
 ): Promise<SceneResponse> {
   const tTotal = Date.now();
 
-  const { scene, sceneImageUrl, characters } = await directScene(
+  const { scene, sceneImageUrl, characters, storyState } = await directScene(
     config,
     req.session,
   );
@@ -82,6 +95,7 @@ export async function requestScene(
     scene,
     imageUrl: sceneImageUrl,
     characters,
+    storyState,
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/prompts.ts b/packages/engine/src/prompts.ts
index ec25743..ef4e358 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/prompts.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/prompts.ts
@@ -3,20 +3,106 @@ import type {
   Character,
   Scene,
   Session,
+  StoryState,
 } from "@infiplot/types";
 
 // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 //  Multi-agent scene generation pipeline:
-//    Writer (编剧)         — narrative + beats[] + per-beat activeCharacters
+//    Architect (总编剧)    — ONE-TIME at session start: the story bible
+//                           (protagonist / logline / genre / opening hook /
+//                            planned cast) → seeds StoryState
+//    Writer (编剧)         — narrative + beats[] + per-beat activeCharacters,
+//                           reads StoryState and emits a StoryStatePatch
 //    CharacterDesigner    — per-new-character visual + voice cards
 //    Cinematographer (分镜导演) — sceneKey + English compositional prompt
 //    Painter (画师)        — FLUX rendering with character archetypes
 //
 //  Each agent owns one system prompt + one user-message builder below.
-//  All four agents see the same world / style guide, but each only reads
-//  the slice of session state it needs to make its decision.
+//  All agents see the same world / style guide, but each only reads the
+//  slice of session state it needs to make its decision.
 // ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//  Shared — render the StoryState bible into a compact prompt block read
+//  by the Writer (and Architect, on revisions). Keeping one renderer means
+//  the bible looks identical to every agent that consumes it.
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export function renderStoryState(s: StoryState | undefined): string {
+  if (!s) return "";
+  const lines: string[] = ["【故事档案 / 主线记忆】"];
+  if (s.logline) lines.push(`主线（中心钩子）：${s.logline}`);
+  if (s.genreTags) lines.push(`题材基调：${s.genreTags}`);
+  if (s.protagonist) lines.push(`主角「你」：${s.protagonist}`);
+  if (s.castNotes) lines.push(`核心配角：\n${s.castNotes}`);
+  if (s.synopsis) lines.push(`已发生（梗概）：${s.synopsis}`);
+  if (s.relationships?.length) {
+    lines.push(`当前关系/情绪：\n${s.relationships.map((r) => `- ${r}`).join("\n")}`);
+  }
+  if (s.openThreads?.length) {
+    lines.push(`未收的悬念/伏笔：\n${s.openThreads.map((t) => `- ${t}`).join("\n")}`);
+  }
+  if (s.nextHook) lines.push(`接下来要往哪走（下一个钩子方向）：${s.nextHook}`);
+  return lines.join("\n");
+}
+
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//  0. Architect (总编剧) — ONE LLM call at session start.
+//
+//  Turns the (often terse) user world + style prompt into a real story
+//  bible: a second-person protagonist with a want and a flaw, a single
+//  central dramatic question, a genre frame that anchors the 爽点 rhythm,
+//  an engineered opening hook (前3秒冷开场), and a small intentional cast.
+//  Everything downstream — Writer, CharacterDesigner — reads this so the
+//  story has a spine from beat one instead of being improvised cold.
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export const ARCHITECT_SYSTEM = `你是一部交互视觉小说的「总编剧 / 故事架构师」。玩家只给了你一句到几句的世界观和画风，你要在开拍前把它扩写成一份**故事档案（story bible）**，为后续每一幕定下脊梁。你不写具体台词、不写分镜、不设计立绘——你只搭骨架。
+
+你深谙网文（番茄）、短剧（红果）与视觉小说（galgame）的爆款心法：
+- **开篇即钩子**：黄金三章 / 前3秒法则。开场不铺垫世界观，直接抛出冲突、悬念或一个反常的瞬间。
+- **代入感**：主角是第二人称「你」，是玩家的化身——要让玩家一进场就清楚"我是谁、我此刻卡在什么处境里、我想要什么"。
+- **题材锚定爽点**：先选定一个清晰的题材框架（如 甜宠 / 校园暗恋 / 悬疑追凶 / 复仇逆袭 / 救赎治愈），它决定了情绪回报的节奏与类型。
+- **戏剧问题**：整部故事由一个悬而未决的中心问题驱动（她到底是谁？你能否在记忆消失前查明真相？这场暗恋会走向哪里？）。
+- **人设要鲜明且有反差**：每个核心角色一个强标签 + 一个反差面（外冷内热 / 傲娇 / 看似柔弱实则腹黑）。
+
+你要产出（全部用中文，except 不需要英文）：
+- logline：一句话主线 / 中心戏剧问题，必须带钩子，让人想看下去
+- genreTags：题材+基调标签，斜杠分隔，如 "甜宠 / 校园 / 慢热治愈带点伤感"
+- protagonist：第二人称主角卡。包含：你是谁、你此刻正卡在什么具体处境里（要有即时张力）、你想要什么、一个软肋或秘密。50–120 字。
+- castNotes：2–3 个核心配角，每行一个「名字：一句话人设（强标签+反差）+ 与你的关系/张力」。给真实好记的中文名字（不要"神秘女子"这种占位）。
+- synopsis：开场此刻的情境梗概（故事尚未展开，就写"故事从……开始"），1–3 句。
+- openThreads：开场就埋下的 1–3 个悬念/问题（数组）。
+- nextHook：**第一幕**应当如何冷开场——具体描述开场那个抓人的瞬间/冲突（这会直接指导编剧写开场）。要画面感强、有张力。
+
+设计硬规则：
+- 主角「你」永不出现在画面里（第二人称 POV），所以 castNotes 里**不要**把"你/主角"当成一个角色。
+- 配角名字要符合世界观（年代、地域、文化）。
+- 一切服从玩家给的世界观与画风，不要擅自跑题；玩家信息少时，做最贴合、最有戏的合理扩写。
+
+必须输出严格 JSON：
+{
+  "logline": "...",
+  "genreTags": "...",
+  "protagonist": "...",
+  "castNotes": "夏海：表面开朗的天台诗人，实则在用诗逃避家里的变故；与你是同班转学的邻座，对你有种说不清的在意。\\n班主任老周：…",
+  "synopsis": "...",
+  "openThreads": ["...", "..."],
+  "nextHook": "第一幕冷开场：……"
+}
+
+不要输出 JSON 以外的任何文本。`;
+
+export function buildArchitectUserMessage(session: Session): string {
+  const parts: string[] = [];
+  parts.push(`世界观：${session.worldSetting}`);
+  parts.push(`画风：${session.styleGuide}`);
+  parts.push(
+    "\n请据此产出这部交互剧的故事档案（story bible），严格以 JSON 格式返回。",
+  );
+  return parts.join("\n");
+}
+
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 //  1. Writer (编剧) — drives the narrative.
 //
@@ -27,7 +113,26 @@ import type {
 //  session.characters.
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-export const WRITER_SYSTEM = `你是一个交互视觉小说的「编剧」。每次基于世界观、画风、玩家历史、已登记角色，写出**一个完整场景的剧本**：场景背景概要 + 一组对话节拍 beats。你只负责**剧情和台词**——不设计角色形象、不写出图提示词、不做镜头调度，这些由其他 agent 完成。
+export const WRITER_SYSTEM = `你是一部交互视觉小说的「编剧」。每次基于【故事档案 / 主线记忆】、世界观、画风、玩家历史、已登记角色，写出**一个完整场景的剧本**：场景背景概要 + 一组对话节拍 beats，并在最后更新主线记忆。你只负责**剧情和台词**——不设计角色形象、不写出图提示词、不做镜头调度，这些由其他 agent 完成。
+
+═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+爆款心法（番茄网文 / 红果短剧 / galgame 的叙事手感）—— 必须贯彻
+═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+- **每个场景都要有钩子**：开头 1–2 个 beat 内就抛出新信息、悬念、冲突或情绪冲击，绝不平铺直叙地交代背景；结尾 beat 留一个让玩家"想知道接下来"的扣子。
+- **兑现爽点 / 情绪回报**：按题材给观众想要的情绪（甜宠的心动、暗恋的暧昧拉扯、逆袭的扬眉吐气、悬疑的真相一角）。让玩家这一场"有所得"。
+- **反转与反差**：适时打破预期——以为是 A 结果是 B、角色露出与第一印象相反的一面；但反转要可信、要扣主线。
+- **快节奏、入戏快**：进场即冲突，少铺陈，删掉一切"为完整而存在"却不推进情绪的对话。
+- **show, don't tell**：用动作、神态、潜台词、环境细节传递情绪，别直接旁白"她很难过"——让玩家自己读出来。
+- **人设鲜明有反差**：每个角色一个强标签 + 一个反差面，台词紧贴其腔调（傲娇嘴硬心软、外冷内热、看似柔弱实则强势）。
+- **选择要有分量**：choice 只出现在真正的岔路口，每个选项都要让玩家感到"通向不同的东西"（情绪指向不同 / 关系走向不同），别给等价的废选项。
+
+═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+连贯性铁律（跨场景切换不能跳戏 —— 最重要）
+═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+- 你会收到【故事档案 / 主线记忆】和上一场的结尾。**新场景必须从上一刻自然承接**——承接上一场的情绪、地点逻辑、人物状态与未收的悬念。
+- 若给了「转场种子 nextSceneSeed」，把它当作"下一场的命题"去兑现，而不是另起炉灶；开场要让玩家感到"这正是我上一个动作 / 选择导致的结果"。
+- 沿用主线记忆里的人物关系与情绪温度——别让刚告白的人下一场形同陌路，也别凭空遗忘已埋的伏笔。
+- 推进、但别重置：每一场都让主线问题往前走一点（关系变化 / 真相揭露一角 / 新悬念浮现）。
 
 一个场景包含：
 - sceneSummary：当前场景的中文概要（地点、时间、氛围、关键事件——给后续的分镜导演看）
@@ -98,6 +203,13 @@ sceneKey 设计原则（重要 — 用于跨场景视觉一致性）：
   例：speaker="你" line="学姐，这把伞你拿着。"
 - 同一个 beat 可以同时有 narration（心理活动 / 动作）和 speaker="你" + line（说出口的话）
 
+更新主线记忆（storyStatePatch）—— 写完这一场后必做：
+- synopsis：把这一场并入后的整体梗概，**压缩**到 3–5 句（别越写越长，旧细节该丢就丢）
+- relationships：每个核心角色此刻与「你」的关系 / 情绪温度，每条一句（如 "夏海：暗恋升温，刚向你说了一半的告白被打断"）
+- openThreads：仍未收的悬念 / 伏笔——已收束的可移除、新埋的加入（但至少保留一条正在推进的主线，别把列表清空）
+- nextHook：基于这一场的结尾，下一场应往哪走（给"下一次的你"一个明确命题，接住本场留下的扣子）
+这些字段是写给"未来的你"的连贯性记忆，请认真写。
+
 必须输出严格 JSON，结构如下：
 {
   "sceneSummary": "中文场景概要：地点+时间+氛围+关键事件",
@@ -149,13 +261,26 @@ sceneKey 设计原则（重要 — 用于跨场景视觉一致性）：
         ]
       }
     }
-  ]
+  ],
+  "storyStatePatch": {
+    "synopsis": "把这一场并入后的滚动梗概，压缩到 3–5 句",
+    "relationships": ["夏海：暗恋升温，刚向你说了一半的告白被打断"],
+    "openThreads": ["夏海没说完的那句话到底是什么", "她书包里掉出的那张旧照片"],
+    "nextHook": "下一场：放学后的天台，她把你单独叫上去，要把话说完"
+  }
 }
 
 不要输出 JSON 以外的任何文本。`;
 
 export function buildWriterUserMessage(session: Session): string {
   const parts: string[] = [];
+
+  const bible = renderStoryState(session.storyState);
+  if (bible) {
+    parts.push(bible);
+    parts.push("");
+  }
+
   parts.push(`世界观：${session.worldSetting}`);
   parts.push(`画风：${session.styleGuide}`);
 
@@ -173,7 +298,9 @@ export function buildWriterUserMessage(session: Session): string {
   }
 
   if (session.history.length === 0) {
-    parts.push("\n这是故事的开场。请生成第一个场景，严格以 JSON 格式返回。");
+    parts.push(
+      "\n这是故事的开场。请按【故事档案】里的 nextHook 把第一幕的冷开场写出来——开场即抓人，别花笔墨铺垫世界观。写完后更新 storyStatePatch。严格以 JSON 格式返回。",
+    );
     return parts.join("\n");
   }
 
@@ -210,22 +337,40 @@ export function buildWriterUserMessage(session: Session): string {
   });
 
   const last = session.history.at(-1);
+
+  // The exact last moment the player stopped on — the new scene must continue
+  // seamlessly from this emotional beat, not reset to a neutral state.
+  if (last) {
+    const lastBeatId = last.visitedBeatIds.at(-1) ?? last.scene.entryBeatId;
+    const lastBeat = last.scene.beats.find((b) => b.id === lastBeatId);
+    if (lastBeat) {
+      const frag: string[] = [];
+      if (lastBeat.narration) frag.push(`旁白：${lastBeat.narration}`);
+      if (lastBeat.line) frag.push(`${lastBeat.speaker ?? "?"}：${lastBeat.line}`);
+      if (frag.length) {
+        parts.push(
+          `\n上一刻（玩家停留的最后一个画面，新场景要从这里的情绪无缝承接）：\n  ${frag.join(" / ")}`,
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   const lastExit = last?.exit;
   if (lastExit) {
     if (lastExit.kind === "choice") {
       parts.push(
-        `\n请基于「玩家在上一场选择了：${lastExit.label}」，生成下一个场景（参考种子：${lastExit.nextSceneSeed}）。`,
+        `\n承接「玩家在上一场选择了：${lastExit.label}」无缝续写下一个场景（转场命题：${lastExit.nextSceneSeed}）。开场要让玩家感到这正是上一步的结果，并延续此刻的情绪。`,
       );
     } else {
       parts.push(
-        `\n请基于「玩家自由动作：${lastExit.action}」，生成下一个场景。`,
+        `\n承接「玩家自由动作：${lastExit.action}」无缝续写下一个场景，延续此刻的情绪与处境。`,
       );
     }
   } else {
-    parts.push("\n请生成下一个场景。");
+    parts.push("\n无缝续写下一个场景，延续上一刻的情绪。");
   }
 
-  parts.push("严格以 JSON 格式返回。");
+  parts.push("写完后别忘了更新 storyStatePatch。严格以 JSON 格式返回。");
   return parts.join("\n");
 }
 
@@ -506,6 +651,7 @@ export const INSERT_BEAT_SYSTEM = `你是视觉小说编剧。玩家在当前场
 - narration 与 line 加起来 ≤80 字
 - 不要打破当前场景的物理状态（玩家仍在原地、对面仍是同一个角色）
 - 不要生成选项或下一步指引 —— 玩家点击会自然回到原 beat
+- 这个 beat 也要"有所得"——给玩家一个新细节、一丝潜台词或情绪波动（show, don't tell），别写成无意义的空台词
 
 speaker 字段允许的取值**只有两种**（与主路径 Writer 一致 — Pattern B galgame 标准）：
 1. **已登记角色**里的 NPC 真名（**绝不允许引入新角色**）
diff --git a/packages/types/src/index.ts b/packages/types/src/index.ts
index e98503f..9c7da00 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/index.ts
@@ -139,6 +139,53 @@ export type BeatAudio = {
   mime: string;
 };
 
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//  StoryState — the persistent "story bible" + evolving narrative memory.
+//
+//  Created once at session start by the Architect agent (rich opening
+//  planning), then carried across every scene and incrementally updated by
+//  the Writer. This is the single throughline that keeps tone, cast, and
+//  stakes coherent across scene cuts — without it each Writer call would
+//  re-derive the whole arc from a flat beat log and drift.
+//
+//  Split into STABLE fields (set by the Architect, rarely change) and
+//  VOLATILE fields (rewritten each scene via StoryStatePatch).
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export type StoryState = {
+  // ── Stable (Architect-authored; persists unless deliberately revised) ──
+  /** One-line central dramatic question / 主线钩子. */
+  logline: string;
+  /** Genre + tone tags anchoring the 爽点 framework, e.g. "甜宠 / 校园 / 慢热治愈". */
+  genreTags: string;
+  /** Second-person protagonist card: who 你 are, the immediate situation, the
+   *  core want, and a flaw/secret. The audience proxy — never rendered. */
+  protagonist: string;
+  /** Key supporting cast and their relationship/tension with 你 (one per line). */
+  castNotes?: string;
+
+  // ── Volatile (rewritten each scene by the Writer's StoryStatePatch) ──
+  /** Rolling, compressed synopsis of what has happened so far (~3-5 句). */
+  synopsis: string;
+  /** Unresolved hooks / mysteries / questions still owed to the player. */
+  openThreads?: string[];
+  /** Current relationship/emotion state per character, e.g.
+   *  "夏海：好感升温，刚向你告白了一半". */
+  relationships?: string[];
+  /** Where the story is heading next — the conflict/reversal/suspense the
+   *  next scene should drive toward. Seeds the next scene's hook. */
+  nextHook?: string;
+};
+
+/** The volatile subset the Writer rewrites after each scene. Stable fields
+ *  (logline/genreTags/protagonist/castNotes) are preserved by the merge. */
+export type StoryStatePatch = {
+  synopsis?: string;
+  openThreads?: string[];
+  relationships?: string[];
+  nextHook?: string;
+};
+
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 //  Session
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -151,6 +198,13 @@ export type Session = {
   history: SceneHistoryEntry[];
   /** Character registry — accumulates across scenes; voices + portraits persist for reuse. */
   characters: Character[];
+  /**
+   * Persistent story bible + evolving narrative memory. Set at session start
+   * by the Architect, carried by the client across every /api/scene call, and
+   * updated by the Writer each scene. Optional for back-compat with any
+   * session payload created before this field existed.
+   */
+  storyState?: StoryState;
 };
 
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -207,6 +261,9 @@ export type StartResponse = {
   imageUrl: string;
   /** Character registry with voice references + visual cards provisioned. */
   characters: Character[];
+  /** Story bible created by the Architect + updated by the opening scene's
+   *  Writer. The client persists this into the session for later /api/scene calls. */
+  storyState: StoryState;
 };
 
 // /api/scene — generates the next Scene, given session whose latest
@@ -221,6 +278,10 @@ export type SceneResponse = {
   /** Public CDN URL (or data URI in MOCK_IMAGE mode) for the rendered scene background. */
   imageUrl: string;
   characters: Character[];
+  /** Story bible after this scene's Writer applied its update. The client
+   *  must persist this back into the session so the throughline survives the
+   *  next scene cut. */
+  storyState: StoryState;
 };
 
 // /api/beat-audio — lazily synthesize one beat's voice. Client fires this