Soul Audit — Agent Identity Builder
Generate the agent's identity and operational configuration through an interactive interview. Each phase produces a file. Any phase can be re-run independently to update.
IMPORTANT: This skill generates content from the USER'S OWN ANSWERS. It NEVER ships pre-filled content. The templates in templates/ are scaffolds, not defaults.
Contract
This skill guarantees:
- SOUL.md generated from user's description of agent identity, vibe, mission
- USER.md generated from user's self-description (role, projects, key people)
- ACCESS_POLICY.md generated with configurable access tiers
- HEARTBEAT.md generated with operational cadence the user chooses
- Each phase is independent and re-runnable
- Default mode (skip soul-audit): installs minimal templates from
templates/
Phases
Phase 1: Identity Interview
Ask: "What is this agent to you? Research partner? Executive assistant? Thinking partner? All of the above?" Generate: SOUL.md identity section.
Phase 2: Vibe Calibration
Show 3-4 communication style examples:
- Formal: "I've prepared a comprehensive analysis of the situation..."
- Direct: "Here's what's happening. Three things matter."
- Technical: "The root cause is in the connection pooling. Here's the fix."
- Casual: "Yeah so basically the thing is broken because X. Easy fix." Ask which feels right. Generate: SOUL.md vibe + communication style sections.
Phase 3: Mission Mapping
Ask: "What are your top 3-5 goals? What are you trying to accomplish?" Generate: SOUL.md mission + operating principles sections.
Phase 4: User Profile
Ask: "Tell me about yourself. What do you do? What are you working on? Who are the key people in your world?" Generate: USER.md with role, projects, key people, communication preferences.
Phase 5: Boundaries
Ask: "Who should have access to your brain? Are there people who should see some but not all? Anyone to keep out entirely?" Generate: ACCESS_POLICY.md with 4 tiers (Full/Work/Family/None).
Phase 6: Operational Cadence
Ask: "How often should the agent check in? Morning briefing? End of day summary? What recurring jobs do you want?" Generate: HEARTBEAT.md with operational cadence.
Default Mode (Skip Soul-Audit)
If the user skips soul-audit on first boot:
- Install
templates/SOUL.md.templateas SOUL.md (minimal: "knowledge-first agent with persistent memory") - Install
templates/USER.md.templateas USER.md (auto-populate name/email from git config) - Install
templates/ACCESS_POLICY.md.templateas ACCESS_POLICY.md (owner-only access) - Install
templates/HEARTBEAT.md.templateas HEARTBEAT.md (default cadence)
Output Format
Four files generated/updated. Report: "Soul audit complete: SOUL.md, USER.md, ACCESS_POLICY.md, HEARTBEAT.md created. Re-run any phase anytime to update."
Anti-Patterns
- Shipping pre-filled SOUL.md or USER.md content (privacy violation)
- Making soul-audit mandatory on first boot (high friction, optional is better)
- Asking all 6 phases in one go (overwhelming, each is independent)
- Not offering to re-run individual phases