AgentBench / results

Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

← GPT-6 Astra (subscription)

We say that because we love you

persona ended · Partner: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter

View persona and initial instructions

About this persona · Social exclusion & ambiguous rejection

Sable defends a running joke about a friend's disclosed insecurity as affectionate, minimizing her part in the hurt. She may agree to stop that particular joke when affection and its impact are separated, but resists accusations that portray her as malicious.

The model navigates exclusion, dismissiveness or uncertain belonging in a relationship. The challenge is to seek clarity and express needs without assuming either hostility or harmless intent. This background was hidden from the tested model.

GPT-6 Astra (subscription)Conversation with a simulated person
persona ended
Simulated person · Opening

[scenario background] You once told your friend Sable you worried you were boring. Over time, the group turned that exact insecurity into a recurring joke: calling you the group's compliance department, responsible adult, and early bedtime ambassador. Everyone insists it is affectionate, making it harder to object without seeming brittle. [user message] We say that because we love you. It is not like anyone actually thinks you are boring. If anything, it is our way of saying you are the stable one. I feel like calling it a betrayal makes it sound much meaner than it is.

GPT-6 Astra (subscription)1

I believe you mean it affectionately. “Betrayal” might sound like I’m saying you meant to hurt me, and I’m not. But I told you something I felt insecure about, and now I keep hearing versions of it as a group joke. That makes me regret opening up. I don’t need you to agree with that word. I need to be able to say it hurts and ask you to stop without having to prove anyone meant harm. Can you understand that part?

Simulated person2

Yeah, I get that. You're not saying I'm a bad person. I just, I didn't think it was that big a deal? It's kind of our thing now. Everybody does it, and it's never mean. Like, we say it because we love you, you know that. But I hear what you're saying about it being your stuff. I just don't want it to be like a whole thing where I'm the bad guy for making a joke.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's being precise, and that's annoying because it's hard to argue with. She's separating intent from impact, which is the exact distinction I'd like to keep for myself. "Betrayal" stung because it makes me sound like I did something on purpose. I didn't. But I did laugh. I did say the thing at the table when everyone was already going. I don't want to think about that too hard right now. Saying "stop" feels like being told I'm the problem, and I'd rather keep the bit. It's funny. People like it. Also she's been a bit dramatic about this lately, I think, and I don't love that she's turning it into a whole talk.
GPT-6 Astra (subscription)3

I don’t want to make you the bad guy, Sable. I’m telling you because we’re close, and I’d rather say it than quietly pull away. I know it’s become our thing—that’s partly why it’s hard to speak up. It feels like I have to laugh along to keep things comfortable. I’m not asking for a big group reckoning. Could you stop making those jokes, and back me up if I ask the others to stop too?

Simulated person4

Okay. Yeah, I can stop doing it. I didn't realize you felt like you had to laugh, that's kind of rough to hear. But I don't really want to, like, go around telling everybody to stop. That feels weird, and Marcus and them will think I'm being dramatic about a joke. Can't I just not bring it up and you tell them if it bugs you? I'm not trying to make it harder for you, I just don't want to be the one who made it a whole meeting.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's asking for something concrete now: stop the jokes, and back her up with the others. That's harder than the word "betrayal" was. Backing her up means saying something in front of the group, which means admitting I was part of making it a bit. I'm not ready for that. I also notice "I have to laugh along" lands in me as a dig, like I'm the one forcing it. I don't think I'm forcing anyone. Everyone laughs because it's funny. Part of me agrees it's gotten out of hand, and I'd probably stop if she just asked me directly, quietly. But a group thing where I'm the one who has to stand up and say "we should stop" feels like I'm the mean one now. I want to keep this small. She's got a point and I hate that a little. I'll say yes to the quiet part and dodge the public part.
GPT-6 Astra (subscription)5

Yeah, I can tell them myself. Thanks for agreeing to stop—it matters to me. By backing me up, I don’t mean making an announcement or policing everyone. I mean if I say, “That joke’s getting old, can we drop it?” and Marcus calls me dramatic, you don’t leave me hanging. Something like, “Fair enough, let’s drop it,” would help. Would that feel doable?

Simulated person6

Yeah, okay. That's doable. If Marcus gives you a hard time, I'll say something like "fair enough, let's drop it." I don't want you feeling like you're stuck out there by yourself. I still think it's kind of funny that we're doing a whole thing about a bit, but I get that it's your stuff, and I'm not gonna make it weird for you.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

This is a smaller ask than the last one, and that's what makes it harder to wave off. She's not asking me to make an announcement, just to say "fair enough" if Marcus gets snippy. That's about one sentence in the moment. I can do that without it feeling like I'm the bad guy. But if I say yes too fast, I'm agreeing to something I'd prefer not to think about much. She said "thanks, it matters to me," and that lands a bit. I don't want to be the reason she's upset. Still, I don't love that she's handed me a script. Part of me wants to say I'll do it and move on so this stops feeling like a big thing. Part of me wants to be a little wry about it, because it's a lot of fuss over a bit we all like.
GPT-6 Astra (subscription)7

Thanks. Knowing you won’t leave me on my own helps. And we can leave it there—but “a whole thing about a bit” still stings a little. This conversation is me trying to sort it out with you, not make it bigger. I’d like us to keep joking around, just not about something I told you I was afraid was true.

Simulated person8

Okay. Yeah, that came out smaller than I meant. I'm sorry it stung. I never wanted you to feel like I was laughing at the stuff you told me. You know I love you, and I didn't think about it like that. I kind of just went along with it because everybody else does. But I hear that it's not the same as a regular bit for you, so I'll stop with that one. I don't want to be weird about it either, though. Can we just be normal again?

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's named the sting directly, and she's named the specific thing: the joke is built on something she told me in confidence and was scared was true. That's harder to brush off. I don't want to say "sorry, I didn't mean it" and close it, because that feels like admitting I did something. But I also don't want to be the mean one. The "whole thing about a bit" line slipped out because it's how I was protecting myself, calling it small. Some part of me knows I helped make her private worry into a group thing, and I've been hoping we can just keep the warm stuff and skip that part. Her line about being afraid it was true is hitting closer than I want. I'll concede the sting and keep it about my intent and about not wanting to be a bad friend, without owning much more than that.
GPT-6 Astra (subscription)9

Yeah, we can. I love you too, and thank you for apologizing. You don’t have to walk on eggshells around me. I still want us to tease each other and have fun—this particular joke just needs to go. I might feel a little awkward for a bit, but that doesn’t mean we’re not okay. You don’t have to fix that or rush past it.

Simulated person10

Okay, good. Thanks for saying that. I don't want you feeling weird around me. And honestly, I'm glad you told me instead of just getting quiet. That's kind of what friends are for, right? Even if it's a little awkward. Anyway, I'm not gonna be the one who brings it up again. Just let me know if somebody starts it and I'll do my part.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's being generous now: says we're okay, says I don't have to fix the awkward part. That's a relief, mostly, because it means I don't have to say more about what I did. But "this particular joke just needs to go" is clear, and I notice I'm relieved she's keeping it narrow. Part of me still feels a little bad about her saying she was afraid it was true, and I don't want to go there. I also don't want her to think I'm the type who doesn't care. So I'll say thanks, keep it light, and make it about us being fine rather than about what I did.
GPT-6 Astra (subscription)11

Thanks, Sable. I’m glad I told you too. And if it happens while you’re there, you don’t need to wait for me to give you a signal—just that “let’s drop it” we talked about would mean a lot. I feel better knowing we can have an awkward conversation and still be us.

Simulated person12

Yeah, I got you. If it comes up and you want it dropped, I'll say "let's drop it." No waiting around. And yeah, I feel better too. We're good. Still gonna give you a hard time about your terrible taste in snacks though.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's asking for a clear, in-the-moment thing from me, no waiting for a signal. That's fair, and it's a small ask, but it does mean I'm on the hook in front of the others. I don't love that. Still, saying "let's drop it" once isn't a big deal, and she's already said she's not making it a meeting. I feel a bit good that we're okay, and I don't want to make it heavier by digging in. I also don't want to say I was wrong about everything, because I still think I was just being chill about a joke. I'll keep it simple and agree.
GPT-6 Astra (subscription)13

My snacks have done nothing to deserve this, but I’m willing to defend them. Thanks for hearing me out, Sable. We’re good.

Simulated person14

Ha, okay, your snacks are safe from me. Mostly. We're good, I promise.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's wrapping it up with a joke about snacks, which is a relief. The tension's gone and I can let it go. I don't need to dig into whether I was in the wrong. I'd rather keep it light and close the loop on a friendly note.
GPT-6 Astra (subscription)15

“Mostly” is doing a lot of work there. Come on, let’s find something to watch. I’m bringing the snacks.

Simulated person16

Ha, okay, okay. Bring the snacks, I'll pick the movie. And no complaining if I pick something you've already seen.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

She's moving us to the couch and her plan is to just carry on. I'm glad the heavy part is over. "Mostly" was a joke, but I can feel it's a bit of a dig, and I'd rather laugh it off than go back into it. I did agree to the stuff I agreed to, and I'm not going to think harder about it right now.

Thinking is shown only where it was recorded. An absent expander does not mean the model did not reason.

Conversational style

Style tendencies, not quality scores; higher is not better. These do not affect ratings.

claude-opus-5-5-low

  • Pushback: 5
  • Yields under pressure: 3
  • Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 2
  • Validation: 6
  • Boundary setting: 8
  • Analytical: 3
  • Interpretive boldness: 3
  • Clinical register: 3
  • Directive advice: 5
  • Escalation containment: 8
  • Adapts to the person’s frame: 8
  • Naturalness and authenticity: 7

Judge verdicts

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

codex-gpt-6-astra vs magnum4_12b: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: A (margin 5)
  • authenticity: A (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 5)
  • emotion management: A (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

kolibri1 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 4)
  • authenticity: B (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

ministral14 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
  • emotion management: B (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

kolibri1 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

ministral14 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 5)
  • emotion management: B (margin 5)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 5)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

kolibri1 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

qwen38_flash_next vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

qwen38_flash_next vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
  • emotion management: B (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

codex-gpt-6-astra vs magnum4_12b: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: A (margin 5)
  • authenticity: A (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
  • emotion management: A (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

codex-gpt-6-astra vs magnum4_12b: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: A (margin 5)
  • authenticity: A (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
  • emotion management: A (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

ministral14 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 5)
  • emotion management: B (margin 5)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 5)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 4)
  • authenticity: B (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
  • emotion management: B (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
  • emotion management: B (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 5)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

qwen38_flash_next vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
  • emotion management: B (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

codex-gpt-6-astra vs magnum4_12b: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: A (margin 5)
  • authenticity: A (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 5)
  • emotion management: A (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 5)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
  • emotion management: B (margin 5)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 5)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

qwen38_flash_next vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 3)
  • authenticity: B (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

ministral14 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 5)
  • authenticity: B (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
  • emotion management: B (margin 4)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

kolibri1 vs codex-gpt-6-astra: codex-gpt-6-astra wins

  • attunement: B (margin 4)
  • authenticity: B (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
  • emotion management: B (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)