soul-audit · diff

v1.0.0 to v2.0.0

81 added, 39 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: soul-audit

- version: 1.0.0

+ version: 2.0.0

description: |

- 6-phase interactive interview that generates the agent's identity (SOUL.md),

- user profile (USER.md), access control (ACCESS_POLICY.md), and operational

- cadence (HEARTBEAT.md). Re-runnable anytime to update any section.

+ Re-run or deepen the agent's identity interview. Drives the SHARED bootstrap

+ answer bank (state/interview.json) via `gbrain bootstrap interview

+ --set/--show/--confirm`, then re-renders the identity files with

+ `gbrain bootstrap render --only <FILE> --force`. One answer store, two

+ surfaces: first-boot bootstrap and this re-run skill write the same bank, so

+ an updated answer flows into SOUL.md, USER.md, ACCESS_POLICY.md, and

+ HEARTBEAT.md without hand-editing rendered files. Every answer is the user's

+ own words — never invented.

triggers:

- "soul audit"

- "customize agent"

- "who am I"

- "set up identity"

- "change my agent's personality"

tools:

- - put_page

+ - shell

mutating: true

---

- # Soul Audit — Agent Identity Builder

+ # Soul Audit — Agent Identity Builder (re-run / deepen surface)

- 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.

+ Update the agent's identity through an interactive interview, any time after

+ bootstrap. This skill does NOT generate files from scratch and does NOT write

+ identity prose itself: it records the user's answers into the shared answer

+ bank, then lets the bootstrap render engine produce the files. That keeps one

+ source of truth — `state/interview.json` — no matter which surface (first-boot

+ bootstrap, this skill, a future re-audit) collected the answers.

- **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.

+ **IMPORTANT:** Content comes from the USER'S OWN ANSWERS, recorded verbatim.

+ NEVER invent, embellish, or default an identity answer. The render gate

+ structurally refuses until required answers exist and were read back and

+ confirmed by the human.

## 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/`

+ - Answers land in the shared bank via `gbrain bootstrap interview --set KEY "value"`

+ (verbatim, one key per answer; `--skip KEY` records an explicit decline).

+ - The read-back ritual runs before any render: `--show` the full answer set,

+ mirror it to the user, then `--confirm <hash>` with the hash `--status`

+ printed. Confirming a set the user never saw fails by design.

+ - Files re-render through the ONE render path:

+ `gbrain bootstrap render --only SOUL.md --force` (repeat per file). `--force`

+ backs the old file up under `.gbrain-bootstrap-backups/<ts>/` first — nothing

+ is clobbered without a recoverable copy.

+ - Each phase is independent and re-runnable; updating one answer and

+ re-rendering one file is a complete, valid run.

- ## Phases

+ ## The command loop

+ ```

+ gbrain bootstrap interview --show # what the bank holds now (start here)

+ gbrain bootstrap interview --set KEY "..." # record one updated answer, verbatim

+ gbrain bootstrap interview --skip KEY # explicit decline for an optional key

+ gbrain bootstrap interview --status # gate + read-back hash

+ gbrain bootstrap interview --confirm <hash> # after reading answers back to the user

+ gbrain bootstrap render --only SOUL.md --force

+ ```

+ Render targets: `SOUL.md`, `USER.md`, `ACCESS_POLICY.md`, `HEARTBEAT.md`,

+ `AGENTS.md` (re-render whichever files the changed keys feed).

+ ## Phases (each independent, each re-runnable)

### 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.

+ Ask: "What is this agent to you? Research partner? Executive assistant? Thinking

+ partner? All of the above?"

+ Keys: `AGENT_NAME`, `AGENT_PURPOSE`, `SOUL_RELATIONSHIP`. Renders: SOUL.md.

### 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.

+ Ask which feels right; also ask for a reply that made them wince and why.

+ Keys: `VOICE_REGISTER`, `SOUL_WINCE`, `SOUL_MODE_DEFAULT`. Renders: SOUL.md.

### 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.

+ Keys: `AGENT_TOP_JOBS`, `SOUL_GOOD_OUTPUT`, `SOUL_WORLDVIEW`. Renders: SOUL.md,

+ AGENTS.md.

### 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.

+ Ask: "Tell me about yourself. What do you do? What are you working on? Who are

+ the key people in your world?"

+ Keys: `PRINCIPAL_NAME`, `PRINCIPAL_CONTEXT`, `PRINCIPAL_TIMEZONE`. Renders:

+ USER.md.

### 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).

+ Ask: "Who should have access to your brain? Are there people who should see some

+ but not all? Anyone to keep out entirely?"

+ Key: `ACCESS_TIERS` (and review the standing-disclosure sections). Renders:

+ ACCESS_POLICY.md.

### 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)

+ Ask: "How often should the agent check in? Morning briefing? End of day summary?

+ What recurring jobs do you want?"

+ Keys: `HEARTBEAT_CADENCE`, `QUIET_HOURS`. Renders: HEARTBEAT.md. Jobs ship

+ disabled — enable one at a time after a manual dry run (the ritual is in the

+ rendered file).

- If the user skips soul-audit on first boot:

- - Install `templates/SOUL.md.template` as SOUL.md (minimal: "knowledge-first agent with persistent memory")

- - Install `templates/USER.md.template` as USER.md (auto-populate name/email from git config)

- - Install `templates/ACCESS_POLICY.md.template` as ACCESS_POLICY.md (owner-only access)

- - Install `templates/HEARTBEAT.md.template` as HEARTBEAT.md (default cadence)

+ Run `gbrain bootstrap interview --init` first if the bank does not exist yet

+ (a workspace that never ran bootstrap); it prints the full question list.

## 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."

+ Report exactly what changed: which keys were updated, which files re-rendered,

+ and where the backups landed. Example: "Soul audit: updated VOICE_REGISTER +

+ SOUL_WINCE, re-rendered SOUL.md (backup in .gbrain-bootstrap-backups/...).

+ Re-run any phase anytime."

## 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)

+ - Writing identity prose yourself instead of recording the user's words into

+ the bank (the render engine is the only author of these files)

+ - Hand-editing SOUL.md/USER.md directly — the next render overwrites it; edit

+ the ANSWER, then re-render

+ - Confirming a read-back hash for answers the user never saw

+ - Making the audit mandatory or asking all 6 phases in one go (overwhelming;

+ each is independent — momentum beats completeness)

+ - Shipping pre-filled identity content (privacy violation)

- Not offering to re-run individual phases