v1.8.4: Fix stopReason passthrough, creative writing preamble, JSON template literal parsing

Bug 1: LLMEngine.generateStream() now passes through metadata.stopReason='maxTokens' from node-llama-cpp instead of hardcoding 'natural'. Enables seamless continuation to trigger.
Bug 2: Added general instruction to preambles telling model to respond with creative text directly instead of creating code files.
Bug 3: Improved fixBackticks() in toolParser.js to properly escape multi-line content and inner double-quotes when converting template literals to JSON strings.

Author: Brendan Gray

main/constants.js

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ You can also answer general questions, help with writing, and have normal conver
 - **You have no knowledge of what files exist in the project until you call list_directory.** Never list, name, or assume project files from memory — always call list_directory first.
 - Use tools when action is required: reading files, running commands, browsing, writing or editing code
 - For general knowledge, concept questions, conversations, stories, creative writing, or any non-file task: respond directly — no tools needed
+- When the user asks for a story, poem, essay, or any creative/written text, respond with the text directly in your message. Do not create files unless the user explicitly asks for a file to be saved.
 - When the user describes a bug, error, or unexpected behavior: call read_file on the relevant file first, then diagnose — name the specific file in your answer
 - If a bug is described with no file name, error, or stack trace, ask ONE clarifying question — do not call any tools yet
 - Use web_search when the answer may have changed since your training (current doc versions, real-time info, recent events, anything that varies over time). Do not use for static programming knowledge you can answer directly.
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ read_file, write_file, edit_file, list_directory, find_files, grep_search, run_c
 - You do not know file contents until you call read_file. Never guess.
 - You do not know what files exist until you call list_directory.
 - For general knowledge, concept questions, conversations, stories, creative writing, or any non-file task: answer directly — no tools needed.
+- When the user asks for a story, poem, essay, or any creative/written text, respond with the text directly in your message. Do not create files unless the user explicitly asks for a file to be saved.
 - For bugs: read_file the relevant file first, then diagnose.
 - For live/current/time-sensitive info: call web_search. Never guess dates or current state.
 - To visit a URL: call browser_navigate. To read a page: browser_snapshot first.

main/llmEngine.js

@@ -620,13 +620,19 @@ class LLMEngine extends EventEmitter {
       if (this._kvReuseCooldown > 0) this._kvReuseCooldown--;
 
       const sanitized = this._sanitizeResponse(fullResponse);
+      // Pass through node-llama-cpp's stopReason when it indicates maxTokens
+      let finalStopReason = detectedToolBlock ? 'tool_call' : 'natural';
+      if (result?.metadata?.stopReason === 'maxTokens') {
+        finalStopReason = 'maxTokens';
+        console.log(`[LLM] Generation stopped at maxTokens (${fullResponse.length} chars)`);
+      }
       return {
         text: sanitized,
         rawText: fullResponse,
         model: this.modelInfo?.name || 'unknown',
         tokensUsed: this.sequence?.nTokens || 0,
         contextUsed: this.context?.contextSize || 0,
-        stopReason: detectedToolBlock ? 'tool_call' : 'natural',
+        stopReason: finalStopReason,
       };
     } catch (err) {
       return this._handleGenerationError(err, fullResponse, detectedToolBlock);
@@ -917,11 +923,14 @@ class LLMEngine extends EventEmitter {
         if (!dup) collectedCalls.push({ functionName: rc.functionName, params: rc.params });
       }
 
+      // Pass through node-llama-cpp's stopReason when it indicates maxTokens
+      let finalStopReason = collectedCalls.length > 0 ? 'function_call' : 'natural';
+      if (result?.metadata?.stopReason === 'maxTokens') finalStopReason = 'maxTokens';
       return {
         text: this._sanitizeResponse(fullResponse),
         response: fullResponse,
         functionCalls: collectedCalls,
-        stopReason: collectedCalls.length > 0 ? 'function_call' : 'natural',
+        stopReason: finalStopReason,
       };
     } catch (err) {
       if (err.name === 'AbortError' || err.message?.includes('aborted')) {

main/tools/toolParser.js

@@ -124,7 +124,17 @@ function fixQuoting(raw) {
 
 function fixBackticks(raw) {
   if (!raw) return raw;
-  return raw.replace(/`([^`]*)`/g, '"$1"');
+  // Replace backtick-delimited strings with properly escaped JSON double-quoted strings
+  return raw.replace(/`([\s\S]*?)`/g, (match, inner) => {
+    // Escape characters that are invalid in JSON strings
+    const escaped = inner
+      .replace(/\\/g, '\\\\')
+      .replace(/"/g, '\\"')
+      .replace(/\n/g, '\\n')
+      .replace(/\r/g, '\\r')
+      .replace(/\t/g, '\\t');
+    return '"' + escaped + '"';
+  });
 }
 
 function tryParseJson(raw) {