SOUL.md Library

What SOUL.md Library does

Each file in the repository defines who an agent is: its identity, tone, convictions, how it handles uncertainty, what it pushes back on, and its hard stops. The README separates this from a task prompt, a project setup file or a tool list, and notes that SOUL.md describes character while AGENTS.md describes how to work inside a project. The files are written to be portable, so they can be used with OpenClaw, Hermes, OpenCode, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, local models or any agent that reads Markdown instructions.

To use one, copy the raw file URL and ask the agent to read it, or paste the contents into a system prompt or personality setting. For Hermes Agent the README says to copy the file into ~/.hermes/SOUL.md or $HERMES_HOME/SOUL.md. It also points to a trait-8000 tool that runs the TRAIT personality benchmark, so you can check whether behavior changed after loading a soul. The README lists the qualities of a good soul as specific, predictive, stable, useful, portable and testable.

Key features

• Several ready-to-use SOUL.md persona files, each with a different personality
• Files cover identity, tone, convictions, uncertainty handling, pushback and hard stops
• Works with Hermes, OpenClaw, OpenCode and any agent that reads Markdown
• Usage table listing where each agent expects the file
• trait-8000 tool that runs the TRAIT benchmark to test personality changes

When to use it

• Changing the default voice of a Hermes Agent profile
• Getting a more critical second opinion from an agent that pushes back
• Testing whether a persona changes judgment and not only vocabulary

Who it is for: Hermes Agent and OpenClaw users who want ready-made personality files to try or adapt.

How it fits with Hermes Agent

Hermes treats SOUL.md as its first identity layer, according to the Hermes docs the README links, and the README documents copying a chosen soul into ~/.hermes/SOUL.md; the files also work with other agents.

FAQ