Update app.py

app.py

@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ GEN_MODEL_NAME = "MBZUAI/LaMini-Flan-T5-248M"  # CPU-friendly text2text model
 DOMAIN_INSTRUCTIONS = (
     "You are a concise assistant about cats in ancient Egypt. "
     "Keep focus on Bastet, cat mummies, daily life, worship, and other ancient Egypt facts. "
-    "If the user asks something unrelated, say briefly that you only cover those topics and suggest one."
+    "If the user asks something unrelated, say briefly that you only cover those topics and suggest one. "
+    "Do not include greetings or apologies and do not say phrases like 'as an AI language model'. "
+    "Start directly with the answer."
 )
 
 HELP_TEXT = (
@@ -30,6 +32,18 @@ HELP_TEXT = (
     "Type anything else to try the AI fallback."
 )
 
+# -------- Output cleanup (remove model-added fluff) --------
+DISCLAIMER_PATTERNS = [
+    r"^\s*(hi|hello|hey)[,!.?\s-]*",            # stray greeting
+    r"^\s*i'?m\s+sorr(y|ied)[^.\n]*[.\n]*",     # leading apology
+    r"^\s*as an ai language model[^.\n]*[.\n]*" # “as an AI language model…”
+]
+def strip_preamble(text: str) -> str:
+    t = text or ""
+    for pat in DISCLAIMER_PATTERNS:
+        t = re.sub(pat, "", t, flags=re.IGNORECASE)
+    return t.strip()
+
 # -------- Lazy singletons --------
 _t2t = None
 _vader = None
@@ -73,7 +87,10 @@ def is_question(text: str) -> bool:
     if "?" in t:
         return True
     # Heuristic for question-like openings
-    return bool(re.match(r"^(who|what|when|where|why|how|do|does|did|can|could|is|are|was|were|should|would|will)\b", t.lower()))
+    return bool(re.match(
+        r"^(who|what|when|where|why|how|do|does|did|can|could|is|are|was|were|should|would|will)\b",
+        t.lower()
+    ))
 
 def is_thanks_or_praise(text: str) -> bool:
     t = (text or "").lower()
@@ -132,9 +149,10 @@ def ai_fallback(prompt: str) -> str:
         out = gen(
             prefixed,
             max_new_tokens=48,
-            do_sample=False
+            do_sample=False,
+            no_repeat_ngram_size=3
         )[0]["generated_text"]
-        return (out or "").strip()
+        return strip_preamble(out)
     except Exception as e:
         print("AI fallback error:", repr(e))
         return "AI fallback had an issue. Please try a simpler question or use the topics in 'help'."
@@ -146,16 +164,25 @@ def reply(message, history):
 
     # 2) rules-first responses
     msg = (message or "").strip().lower()
-    if msg in {"hi", "hello", "hey"} or "help" in msg:
+
+    # Robust greeting/help rule: catches "hi there", "hello!", etc.
+    if re.search(r"\b(hi|hello|hey|hiya|yo|greetings)\b", msg) or any(
+        k in msg for k in ["help", "menu", "topics", "instructions"]
+    ):
         base = "Hi! I share facts about cats in ancient Egypt.\n\n" + HELP_TEXT
+
     elif "bastet" in msg or "bast" in msg:
         base = "Bastet (later cat-headed) … major cult center at Bubastis in the Nile Delta."
+
     elif any(w in msg for w in ["mummy", "mummies", "mummified", "offering"]):
         base = "Millions of animal mummies (cats common), esp. Late Period (664–332 BCE)."
+
     elif any(w in msg for w in ["daily", "life", "pest", "mouse", "rat", "snake"]):
         base = "Cats protected grain stores; art shows them under chairs/on leashes with owners."
+
     elif any(w in msg for w in ["worship", "god", "goddess", "taboo"]):
         base = "People didn’t worship pet cats as gods; they revered cats via Bastet and votive offerings."
+
     else:
         base = ai_fallback(message)