Add asterisk action prompt transformation for AI interactions

PIPELINE.md

@@ -97,6 +97,17 @@ Commands are sent as plain text lines. Each command receives a response.
 | `PING` | Check if the server is running | `PING` |
 | `VERSION` | Get the MSAgent-AI version | `VERSION` |
 
+### Asterisk Action Prompts
+
+When using the `CHAT` command, you can wrap text in asterisks to indicate actions the character should perform. The asterisks will be removed and the text will be transformed into an instruction for the AI.
+
+**Examples:**
+- `CHAT:*you decide to tell a story*` → AI receives: "You decide to tell a story."
+- `CHAT:Hello *you wave at the user* how are you?` → AI receives: "Hello You wave at the user. how are you?"
+- `CHAT:*you start dancing*` → AI receives: "You start dancing."
+
+This feature works in both the chat interface and the Pipeline's CHAT command.
+
 ### Response Format
 - `OK:COMMAND` - Command was executed successfully
 - `ERROR:message` - Command failed with error message

README.md

@@ -109,6 +109,13 @@ dotnet build
 6. Use **Manage Memories** to view and manage what the AI remembers
 7. Use Speak menu to make the agent tell jokes, share thoughts, or say custom text
 
+### Asterisk Action Prompts
+
+In the chat interface, you can use asterisks to instruct the AI to perform actions:
+- Type `*you decide to tell a story*` to make the character decide to tell a story
+- Type `Hello *you wave* how are you?` to make the character wave while greeting
+- Asterisks are automatically transformed into action instructions for the AI
+
 ## Project Structure
 
 ```

src/AI/OllamaClient.cs

@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ public class OllamaClient : IDisposable
     {
         private readonly HttpClient _httpClient;
         private bool _disposed;
+
+        // Compiled regex for asterisk action detection (performance optimization)
+        private static readonly Regex AsteriskActionRegex = new Regex(@"\*([^*]+)\*", RegexOptions.Compiled);
 
         public string BaseUrl { get; set; } = "http://localhost:11434";
         public string Model { get; set; } = "llama2";
@@ -194,13 +197,74 @@ public static (string text, List<string> animations) ExtractAnimations(string te
             return (text, animations);
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Transforms asterisk-wrapped actions in user input into instructions for the AI.
+        /// For example: "*you decide to tell a story*" becomes "You decide to tell a story."
+        /// This allows users to prompt the AI to perform specific actions.
+        /// </summary>
+        public static string TransformAsteriskActions(string message)
+        {
+            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(message))
+                return message;
+
+            // Match text wrapped in asterisks: *action text*
+            // Use compiled regex for better performance
+            var matches = AsteriskActionRegex.Matches(message);
+
+            if (matches.Count == 0)
+                return message;
+
+            var transformedMessage = new StringBuilder();
+            int lastIndex = 0;
+
+            foreach (Match match in matches)
+            {
+                // Add any text before this match
+                if (match.Index > lastIndex)
+                {
+                    transformedMessage.Append(message, lastIndex, match.Index - lastIndex);
+                }
+
+                // Extract the action text (without asterisks)
+                string actionText = match.Groups[1].Value.Trim();
+
+                // Only process non-empty action text
+                if (actionText.Length > 0)
+                {
+                    // Capitalize first letter
+                    actionText = char.ToUpper(actionText[0]) + (actionText.Length > 1 ? actionText.Substring(1) : "");
+
+                    // Add period if not already ending with punctuation
+                    if (!actionText.EndsWith(".") && !actionText.EndsWith("!") && !actionText.EndsWith("?"))
+                    {
+                        actionText += ".";
+                    }
+
+                    transformedMessage.Append(actionText);
+                }
+
+                lastIndex = match.Index + match.Length;
+            }
+
+            // Add any remaining text after the last match
+            if (lastIndex < message.Length)
+            {
+                transformedMessage.Append(message, lastIndex, message.Length - lastIndex);
+            }
+
+            return transformedMessage.ToString().Trim();
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Sends a chat message to Ollama and gets a response
         /// </summary>
         public async Task<string> ChatAsync(string message, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
         {
             try
             {
+                // Transform asterisk-wrapped actions into instructions
+                string transformedMessage = TransformAsteriskActions(message);
+
                 // Build the messages list with personality and history
                 var messages = new List<object>();
 
@@ -222,8 +286,8 @@ public async Task<string> ChatAsync(string message, CancellationToken cancellati
                     });
                 }
 
-                // Add the new user message
-                messages.Add(new { role = "user", content = message });
+                // Add the new user message (transformed)
+                messages.Add(new { role = "user", content = transformedMessage });
 
                 var request = new
                 {
@@ -251,8 +315,8 @@ public async Task<string> ChatAsync(string message, CancellationToken cancellati
                     {
                         string cleanedResponse = CleanResponse(result.Message.Content);
 
-                        // Add to conversation history
-                        _conversationHistory.Add(new ChatMessage { Role = "user", Content = message });
+                        // Add to conversation history (use transformed message)
+                        _conversationHistory.Add(new ChatMessage { Role = "user", Content = transformedMessage });
                         _conversationHistory.Add(new ChatMessage { Role = "assistant", Content = cleanedResponse });
 
                         // Try to create a memory from this conversation
@@ -286,6 +350,9 @@ public async Task<string> ChatAsync(string message, CancellationToken cancellati
         public async Task<string> GenerateRandomDialogAsync(string customPrompt = null, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
         {
             string prompt = customPrompt ?? "Say something short, interesting, and in-character. Use /emp/ for emphasis and optionally include an &&animation trigger.";
+
+            // Transform asterisk-wrapped actions if present in custom prompt
+            prompt = TransformAsteriskActions(prompt);
 
             try
             {