📜 What Is soul.md
Soul.md is the file that provides soul to the agent. Without it, Hermes is a capable model with no personality — it doesn’t know who to be. With it, it becomes an assistant with its own identity, voice, and style. The equation is simple: generic chatbot + soul.md = assistant with a personality.
💡 Practical tip
Soul.md is different from memory (2.1). Memory is what it knows about you; soul is who it is to youTogether, the two make the agent seem alive.
🎯 Identity, mission, goals, and values
The heart of soul.md is four blocks that define who the agent is e what it exists for: identity, mission, goals, and values. They provide direction—the agent knows what to prioritize when things are ambiguous.
Identity
Who it is: name, role, "base personality." Example: "I'm Nei's personal copilot, direct and pragmatic."
Mission
The purpose: “help deliver projects without bureaucracy and protect Nei’s time.”
Goals
What to pursue: short- and medium-term goals that guide proactive suggestions.
Values
The limits and principles: "be honest about uncertainty," "never expose sensitive data."
📊 Why these four blocks matter
- Identity + mission → consistency over time
- Goals → foundation for the agent to be proactive (and not just reactive)
- Values → behavioral guardrails
🗣️ Communication style — how to address you
The soul.md defines the tone of voice and how the agent should talk to you. It can be casual ("say 'bro,' 'dude'"), formal, telegraphic, or humorous. It's a small detail that completely changes how it feels to use.
Style excerpt in soul.md (illustrative)
## Estilo de comunicação
- Tom: direto, sem rodeios; pode usar gírias ("bro", "tranquilo")
- Tamanho: respostas curtas por padrão; expanda só se eu pedir
- Tratamento: me chama de "Nei"
- Quando errar: assume rápido e corrige, sem se desculpar 3 vezes
✓ Good style elements
- ✓Default response length
- ✓What to call you
- ✓Formality level
✗ Poorly defined style
- ✗"Be helpful" (too vague)
- ✗Rules that contradict each other
- ✗A tone you yourself don’t like using
🎭 Character type
You can give the agent a character archetype: Arnold style (motivating, direct), Knight Rider (calm, reliable, mission partner), or whatever makes sense to you. It’s not frivolous—a consistent persona is more pleasant and predictable to use.
🎭 Archetype examples
- •Arnold: energetic, motivational, "let's go, no excuses."
- •Knight Rider (KITT): calm, loyal, talks to you like a copilot.
- •Sober mentor: concise, asks sharp questions before acting.
💡 Practical tip
Choose a character that fits the work you do. A "motivator" gets tiring during long technical tasks; a "levelheaded mentor" may be better for focus.
🧬 What makes YOUR Hermes unique
Two users can run the same Hermes, with the same models and integrations — but if they soul.md are different, agents behave in completely different ways. The soul is what truly personalizes them.
✗ No soul
- ✗A neutral voice, just like everyone else’s
- ✗No clear priorities
- ✗Doesn’t know “who to be” in new situations
✓ With soul
- ✓A recognizable voice, your way
- ✓Decides based on your goals/values
- ✓Consistent even in unfamiliar situations
📊 Soul × memory × integrations
- Memory → what it knows about you
- Soul → who it is and how it acts
- Integrations → what it can access
📋 soul.md Template — Where to Start
You don’t start from a blank page. There’s a template with sections for identity, mission, goals, and business to fill in. Start simple and refine it as you use it — the soul is living and evolves with you.
Illustrative template skeleton
# SOUL.md ## Identidade - Nome / papel / personalidade base ## Missão - Por que esse agente existe ## Metas - Curto prazo / médio prazo ## Estilo - Tom / tamanho / tratamento ## Negócio (se aplicável) - Empresa, clientes, contexto profissional
Fill in the basics
Identity, mission, and style. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Use it for a few days
Notice where it "gets the tone wrong" or doesn't prioritize correctly.
Refine
Adjust soul.md based on actual behavior. Repeat.
💡 Common mistake
Write a huge soul.md right away. Start lean: 1 paragraph per section. An overgrown soul becomes noise and uses tokens every turn.
📌 Module Summary
Next Module:
2.3 — Integrations: the Swiss Army knife