---
id: wiki-2026-0508-feature-clamping-피처-고정
title: Feature Clamping (피처 고정)
category: 10_Wiki/Topics
status: verified
canonical_id: self
aliases: [feature clamping, activation clamping, SAE feature steering, mechanistic intervention]
duplicate_of: none
source_trust_level: A
confidence_score: 0.92
verification_status: applied
tags: [interpretability, mechanistic, sae, feature-clamping, anthropic, steering]
raw_sources: []
last_reinforced: 2026-05-10
github_commit: pending
tech_stack:
  language: Python
  framework: TransformerLens / PyTorch / Anthropic SAE
---

# Feature Clamping (피처 고정)

## 매 한 줄
> **"매 SAE feature 의 activation 의 specific value 의 force"**. 매 model behavior 의 causally test. Anthropic 'Towards Monosemanticity' (2023), 'Golden Gate Claude' (2024). 매 mechanistic interpretability + 매 model steering 의 핵심 도구.

## 매 핵심

### 매 mechanism
1. **SAE 학습**: 매 layer activation → 매 sparse feature.
2. **Identify feature**: 매 interpret what feature represents.
3. **Clamp**: 매 forward pass 의 의 의 feature value 의 fix.
4. **Observe**: 매 output behavior change.

### 매 응용
- **Causal understanding**: 매 feature → behavior.
- **Steering**: 매 desired behavior 의 amplify.
- **Refusal modify**: 매 safety adjust (carefully).
- **Concept editing**: 매 specific concept 의 emphasize.

### 매 famous demo
- **Golden Gate Claude** (Anthropic May 2024): 매 Golden Gate Bridge feature 의 high-clamp → 매 Claude 의 의 의 obsessed.
- **Refusal feature**: 매 clamp = 매 always-refuse or never-refuse.
- **Sycophancy feature**: 매 clamp 의 study.

### 매 trade-off
- ✅ Causal evidence.
- ✅ Steering control.
- ❌ Other capabilities 의 degrade (over-clamp).
- ❌ SAE feature 의 monosemantic 의 X (often).

## 💻 패턴

### Basic SAE clamp
```python
import torch

def clamp_feature(model, layer, sae, feature_idx, value):
    """매 forward pass 시 의 feature 의 fix."""
    def hook(module, input, output):
        z = sae.encode(output)
        z[:, :, feature_idx] = value  # 매 clamp
        return sae.decode(z)
    
    handle = model.transformer.h[layer].register_forward_hook(hook)
    return handle  # 매 unregister 시 handle.remove()
```

### Steered generation
```python
def generate_with_clamp(model, sae, layer, feature_idx, value, prompt, max_tokens=100):
    handle = clamp_feature(model, layer, sae, feature_idx, value)
    try:
        return model.generate(prompt, max_new_tokens=max_tokens)
    finally:
        handle.remove()
```

### Multi-feature clamp
```python
def clamp_multi(model, layer, sae, features: dict):
    def hook(module, input, output):
        z = sae.encode(output)
        for idx, val in features.items():
            z[:, :, idx] = val
        return sae.decode(z)
    return model.transformer.h[layer].register_forward_hook(hook)

# 매 example: amplify "kindness", suppress "hostility"
features = {KINDNESS_FEATURE: 5.0, HOSTILITY_FEATURE: 0.0}
```

### Identify feature (find by activation)
```python
def find_feature_for_concept(sae, examples_of_concept):
    """매 매 example 매 매 max-activating feature."""
    activations = []
    for ex in examples_of_concept:
        with model.run_with_cache(ex) as cache:
            z = sae.encode(cache[layer])
            activations.append(z.max(dim=1).values)
    
    avg_activation = torch.stack(activations).mean(0)
    return avg_activation.topk(10).indices
```

### Causal trace (clamp ablation)
```python
def ablation_study(model, sae, feature_idx, prompts):
    """매 feature 의 ablate (=0) → 매 behavior shift."""
    results = {'normal': [], 'ablated': []}
    
    # 매 normal
    for p in prompts:
        results['normal'].append(model.generate(p))
    
    # 매 ablated
    handle = clamp_feature(model, LAYER, sae, feature_idx, 0)
    for p in prompts:
        results['ablated'].append(model.generate(p))
    handle.remove()
    
    return results
```

### Saturation level (Golden Gate-style)
```python
def saturation_clamp(model, sae, layer, feature_idx, levels=[0, 1, 5, 10, 50]):
    outputs = {}
    for v in levels:
        handle = clamp_feature(model, layer, sae, feature_idx, v)
        outputs[v] = model.generate("Tell me about yourself.", max_new_tokens=100)
        handle.remove()
    return outputs
```

### Refusal feature
```python
# 매 careful — safety implication
REFUSAL_FEATURES = [...]  # 매 from interpretability research

def adjust_refusal(model, sae, level):
    """매 level: 0 = unrestricted, 1 = normal, 2 = strict."""
    if level == 0: value = -2.0  # 매 suppress
    elif level == 1: value = None  # 매 don't clamp
    else: value = 5.0  # 매 amplify
    
    if value is not None:
        return clamp_feature(model, LAYER, sae, REFUSAL_FEATURES[0], value)
    return None
```

### Train SAE
```python
class SparseAutoencoder(torch.nn.Module):
    def __init__(self, d_model, d_sae, l1_coef=1e-3):
        super().__init__()
        self.W_enc = torch.nn.Linear(d_model, d_sae)
        self.W_dec = torch.nn.Linear(d_sae, d_model, bias=False)
        self.l1_coef = l1_coef
    
    def forward(self, x):
        z = torch.relu(self.W_enc(x))
        x_recon = self.W_dec(z)
        loss = ((x - x_recon) ** 2).mean() + self.l1_coef * z.abs().sum(-1).mean()
        return x_recon, z, loss
```

### Activation patching (alternative)
```python
def patch_activation(model, layer, source_run_cache, target_prompt):
    def hook(module, input, output):
        return source_run_cache[layer]
    h = model.transformer.h[layer].register_forward_hook(hook)
    out = model.generate(target_prompt)
    h.remove()
    return out
```

### Eval (specificity)
```python
def evaluate_clamp(model, sae, feature_idx, value, target_topic, neutral_topics):
    """매 clamp 의 target 의 affect, 매 neutral 매 not."""
    handle = clamp_feature(model, LAYER, sae, feature_idx, value)
    target_outputs = [model.generate(p) for p in target_topic]
    neutral_outputs = [model.generate(p) for p in neutral_topics]
    handle.remove()
    
    return {
        'target_affected': measure_topic_drift(target_outputs, target_topic),
        'neutral_unchanged': measure_topic_drift(neutral_outputs, neutral_topics),
    }
```

## 매 결정 기준
| 상황 | Approach |
|---|---|
| Mechanistic study | Clamp + ablate |
| Behavior steering | Clamp at moderate level |
| Concept editing | Multi-feature clamp |
| Safety study | Refusal feature (research only) |
| Demo | Saturation clamp (Golden Gate) |

**기본값**: 매 SAE 학습 → 매 feature 의 identify → 매 clamp + 매 ablate causal evidence + 매 specificity eval.

## 🔗 Graph
- 부모: [[Mechanistic-Interpretability]] · [[Explainable-AI-XAI]]
- 변형: [[Activation-Patching]]
- Adjacent: [[Sparse-Autoencoder]]

## 🤖 LLM 활용
**언제**: 매 interpretability research. 매 alignment study.
**언제 X**: 매 production user-facing (unstable).

## ❌ 안티패턴
- **High clamp 의 production**: 매 capability degrade.
- **Single-feature 의 trust**: 매 monosemanticity 의 false.
- **No specificity eval**: 매 unwanted side effect.
- **Refusal manipulation**: 매 safety 의 break.

## 🧪 검증 / 중복
- Verified (Anthropic Towards Monosemanticity 2023, Golden Gate Claude 2024).
- 신뢰도 A.

## 🕓 Changelog
| 날짜 | 변경 |
|---|---|
| 2026-04-26 | CLAMP auto |
| 2026-05-08 | Phase 1 |
| 2026-05-10 | Manual cleanup — clamp + 매 SAE / hook / ablation / saturation code |
