Personality & Tone (SOUL.md)

What is SOUL.md?

SOUL.md is a Markdown file in your Claw's workspace that defines the agent's personality and communication style. While AGENTS.md tells a Claw what to do, SOUL.md tells it how to sound. It shapes the vibe of every response — from word choice and sentence length to humor, warmth, and formality.

How do I edit SOUL.md?

Open the Claw's Settings > Personality panel. The editor shows your current SOUL.md content with a live preview of how the personality reads. Changes take effect immediately on the next response.

What is a "vibe"?

A vibe is the overall feeling a Claw conveys. WorkClaw uses this term because personality is more than a list of adjectives — it's the holistic impression someone gets when reading a Claw's message. You might describe a vibe as "friendly but professional" or "direct and no-nonsense." Write your vibe statement at the top of SOUL.md as a short phrase or sentence.

What are emotional qualities?

Emotional qualities are specific traits that shape how the Claw communicates. Common qualities include:

• Warmth — Does the Claw feel approachable and caring, or cool and detached?
• Confidence — Does it assert answers directly, or hedge with qualifiers?
• Humor — Does it use light humor, or stay strictly serious?
• Formality — Does it write like a colleague or like a corporate memo?
• Empathy — Does it acknowledge frustration or stress, or stay purely task-focused?

List the qualities you care about in SOUL.md and describe the level you want. For example: "High warmth, moderate humor, low formality."

How specific should SOUL.md be?

Be as specific as your use case demands. A customer-facing Claw might need detailed personality guidelines covering greeting style, emoji usage, and how to handle upset users. An internal research Claw might only need a brief note like "Be concise and factual." Start simple and refine over time based on how the Claw's responses feel in practice.

Can I use example messages?

Yes, and this is one of the most effective techniques. Include two or three example messages in SOUL.md that demonstrate the tone you want. The Claw uses these as reference points when crafting its own responses. Label them clearly — for example, "Example: responding to a meeting request" — so the Claw understands the context.

Does personality affect skill output?

Yes. When a Claw runs a skill, the personality defined in SOUL.md influences how it presents the results. A concise Claw summarizes skill output tightly; a thorough Claw provides more context. The skill itself runs the same way regardless — personality only shapes the final message to the user.