The 7 Behavioral Modes

Identity OS models agent behavior through 7 behavioral dimensions. Each mode represents a distinct kind of intent. All modes coexist with varying strength — the engine determines the right balance based on your observations.

The Modes

Mode	What It Does	Activates When
Perception	Gathering information, careful observation	High uncertainty, incomplete data
Exploration	Testing boundaries, trying new approaches	Novelty detected, familiar solutions exhausted
Order	Enforcing structure, following rules	Clear context, predictable environment
Assertion	Confident execution, commitment to goals	High conviction, low risk indicators
Connection	Relationship-building, empathy	Social context, collaborative tasks
Identity	Self-consistency, preserving core values	Long-term continuity, value alignment
Stress Response	Emergency simplification, risk reduction	System stress, high failure rates

How Modes Affect Your Agent

When you call POST /process, the engine returns an ExecutionContract that reflects the current mode balance:

• Dominant modes influence which actions are prioritized
• Suppressed modes reduce certain behaviors
• Decision style (tempo, risk tolerance, expressiveness) adapts to the active mode mix

Using Modes in Your Integration

from identity_os_sdk import IdentityOS, Mode

client = IdentityOS(api_key="idos_sk_xxx")
instance = client.instances.create(name="Aria")

# Feed an observation — the engine determines mode activation
result = client.engine.process(
    instance_id=instance.id,
    mode_target=Mode.EXPLORATION,
    signal_strength=0.7,
    confidence=0.85
)

# The contract tells your agent what to do
contract = result.contract
print(contract.allowed_actions)    # e.g. ['explore', 'question', 'suggest']
print(contract.forbidden_actions)  # e.g. ['emotional_manipulation', 'identity_override']

Persona Presets

Don't want to configure modes manually? Use one of 12 built-in Persona presets — pre-tuned mode profiles for common agent archetypes:

• The Analyst — Perception + Order dominant
• The Explorer — Exploration + Assertion dominant
• The Guardian — Identity + Order dominant
• And 9 more...

See Personas API for the full list.