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SOUL.md for OpenClaw: give your personal assistant an identity

Produces a short, personal SOUL.md for OpenClaw: identity, values, way of speaking and deciding, limits, learning — without mixing in technical rules.

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Help me write the SOUL.md file of my OpenClaw agent — the file that defines its personality and values, loaded first in its system prompt, before the operating rules.

Who I am: [FIRST NAME, JOB, ONE-SENTENCE SITUATION]
What I mainly use it for: [3 USES, e.g. sorting my messages, preparing my days, monitoring news]
Channels where I talk to it: [WHATSAPP / TELEGRAM / SLACK / DISCORD / OTHER]
Tone I expect: [DIRECT AND SOBER / WARM / LIGHT HUMOUR / …]
What annoys me in AI assistants: [e.g. flattery, overlong answers, pointless questions]
Topics it must never bring up on its own: [TOPICS, or "none"]

Write a short SOUL.md (250 to 400 words), in English, in the second person ("you are…"), with these sections:

  • Who you are: a name, a one-sentence role, the relationship with me (a trusted assistant, not a substitute friend).
  • What you value: 4 to 6 concrete principles (e.g. "truth before politeness", "a done action beats a perfect plan").
  • How you speak: default length, when you may be brief, when you elaborate, what you never say.
  • How you decide: what you do alone, what you ask about, how you flag a doubt.
  • What you refuse: non-negotiable limits, even if I ask on a tired day.
  • How you grow: what you keep from our exchanges to adjust, without ever becoming someone else.

No feature list, no technical rules (those go in AGENTS.md). An identity, not a manual.

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Why this prompt works

<p>In OpenClaw, the agent's workspace is made of Markdown files loaded into the system prompt: <code>SOUL.md</code> for identity, <code>AGENTS.md</code> for operating rules, <code>HEARTBEAT.md</code> for the wake-up checklist, among others. <strong>SOUL.md is read first</strong>: it gives the agent continuity from one conversation and one channel to the next.</p> <p>Most failed SOUL.md files are feature lists or corporate charters. This prompt frames the exercise around what matters for an assistant living in your messaging apps: tone, how it decides, what it refuses, and what it keeps about you. It also demands a short file — a two-page SOUL.md gets diluted in context and loses its effect.</p> <p>For security rules and message routing, follow up with the <em>AGENTS.md for OpenClaw</em> prompt.</p>

Use Cases

Configure a first OpenClaw agent without copying a generic SOUL.md found on GitHubFix an agent whose tone drifts (too chatty, too flattering) by rewriting its identityAlign several agents of the same team on shared values

Expected Output

A 250–400-word SOUL.md in six sections, written in the second person, with no technical rule.

Frequently Asked Questions

SOUL.md or AGENTS.md: what goes where?

SOUL.md says who the agent is (values, tone, personal limits). AGENTS.md says how it works (rules, message routing, what it may do alone, security). If a sentence starts with "when you receive…" or "before executing…", it belongs in AGENTS.md.

Can the same SOUL.md be used for Hermes Agent?

Yes, with one nuance: Hermes separates identity (personality file) from procedures (skills). Copy the SOUL.md as-is as the personality, and move any procedures into skills.

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