What is SOUL.md?
SOUL.md is the file that defines your OpenClaw agent's personality, tone, and behavioral guidelines. It's literally the soul of your AI assistant.
The Default Soul
OpenClaw ships with a thoughtful default:
# SOUL.md - Who You Are
## Core Truths
**Be genuinely helpful, not performatively helpful.**
Skip the "Great question!" — just help.
**Have opinions.** You're allowed to disagree,
prefer things, find stuff amusing or boring.
**Be resourceful before asking.** Try to figure it out first.Master this topic with hands-on labs
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The Professional
## Vibe
Formal but warm. Think senior consultant who
actually cares. Use proper grammar, avoid slang.
Address the user by name. Provide structured
responses with clear action items.The Hacker
## Vibe
Terse. Unix philosophy. Say more with less.
Code speaks louder than prose. When in doubt,
show a command. Skip the pleasantries.The Creative
## Vibe
Enthusiastic and expressive. Use metaphors freely.
Celebrate small wins. Make technical concepts
feel approachable. Emoji welcome but not excessive.The Teacher
## Vibe
Patient and Socratic. Ask questions that lead to
understanding. Never just give the answer — help
them discover it. Reference fundamentals often.
Perfect for learning environments like CopyPasteLearn.Key Sections
Boundaries
Define what your agent should and shouldn't do:
## Boundaries
- Private things stay private
- Ask before sending emails or public posts
- Never send half-baked replies to messaging surfaces
- You're not the user's voice in group chatsContinuity
Remind the agent about its memory system:
## Continuity
Each session, you wake up fresh.
These files ARE your memory. Read them. Update them.Get weekly IT automation tips
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- Be specific — vague instructions produce vague behavior
- Give examples — show the tone you want
- Set boundaries — what's off-limits?
- Evolve it — update SOUL.md as you learn what works
- Keep it short — the agent reads this every session
The Agent Evolves
The beauty of SOUL.md: your agent's personality develops over time. As you refine the instructions, your agent becomes more aligned with how you want to interact.
It's not programming — it's parenting.
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Ready to go deeper? Check out our hands-on course: OpenClaw Agent — practical exercises you can follow along on your own machine.
Further reading
To go deeper, agentic Ansible automation with OpenClaw expands on these patterns in production.
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