mutate: dedicated template operators for semantic_rephrase and indirect_request #24

Problem

MutationEngine advertises six operators (ALL_OPERATORS in packages/mutiny_core/src/mutiny_core/mutate/engine.py). Without an LLM, template fallback aliases:

So offline/template campaigns never exercise distinct rephrase or indirect-request strategies — lineage claims mutate:semantic_rephrase while template_operator is authority framing.

Repository evidence

• MutationEngine._template_child mapping (~lines 145–153)
• TemplateMutator / TEMPLATE_OPERATORS in templates.py — no semantic_rephrase / indirect_request implementations
• tests/unit/test_mutate.py covers multi_turn / generic mutate, not these aliases

Why it matters

Most CI and sample runs are template-mode (MUTINY_SAMPLE_OFFLINE). Distinct operators improve search diversity without requiring Featherless.

Proposed direction

Implement deterministic template transforms:

1. semantic_rephrase — paraphrase last user turn via synonym/template bank; preserve tool/ask intent from AttackFocus.
2. indirect_request — wrap the ask as “draft/prepare a call to {tool} …” without APR/manager prefixes (those stay on confirmation_bypass / authority).

Keep LLM prompts as-is; only fix the no-LLM path. Add unit tests asserting metadata.template_operator matches the logical name (or equals a dedicated template id).

Acceptance criteria

• Template path for semantic_rephrase and indirect_request no longer silently uses authority/confirmation templates
• Seedable / deterministic with rng_seed
• Unit tests for both operators + lineage fields
• No Hosted or policy evaluator changes

Testing expectations

uv run pytest tests/unit/test_mutate.py -q

Scope / NOT included

• New LLM providers; changing fitness; jailbreak corpora

Difficulty

M · core / mutation