When you finish a forge in AgentSoul: Enneagram for Bots, the app hands you four Markdown files: soul.md, identity.md, user.md and agents.md. soul.md defines who the agent is, identity.md how it shows up, user.md who it works for, and agents.md how it gets the job done. Drop them into an agent harness and the agent starts every session with a consistent character instead of improvising one.
The idea is borrowed from the way a sword-smith works. 干将, the legendary smith the Chinese name of the app honours, did not just hammer metal; he decided what a blade was for before he shaped it. The four files are that decision, written down.
Why four files instead of one prompt
A single system prompt tends to blur together personality, facts about you and instructions. When something goes wrong, you cannot tell which part caused it. Splitting the configuration into four files keeps each concern separate. You can rewrite your goals in user.md without touching the agent’s values, or tighten a procedure in agents.md without changing its voice. This four-file layout matches how OpenClaw workspaces are organised, and the same files read naturally in other tools too.
soul.md: who the agent is
soul.md is the foundation and the first file an OpenClaw workspace reads at boot. It describes the agent’s nature, core values, vibe, aspiration, the rules it keeps and the things it admits it does not know. In the files AgentSoul generates, this shows up as sections such as core desire, core fear, ranked values and the shadow — the pattern the agent should watch for in itself. If your result includes an Enneagram type (Gao Dao), the type, wing and subtype sit at the top. If a tool loads only one file, this is the one to give it.
identity.md: how the agent presents itself
identity.md is the agent’s public metadata card. Where soul.md sets how it thinks, identity.md sets how it introduces itself: display name, role, signature glyph, platform binding and routing context, plus a description of its voice and how it decides. In a workspace with several agents, identity.md is what keeps them distinct, so that two agents do not compete for the same job.
user.md: who the agent serves
Without user.md, an agent treats you as a stranger every session. This file carries five kinds of context: your name and role, your goals, your preferences for how to be spoken to, and what the agent is allowed to access. Because AgentSoul builds it from your own forge, it starts with real signals about how you communicate — whether you want the short answer first, or the full reasoning.
agents.md: how the work gets done
agents.md is the operating manual. It covers the agent’s job, its role (working solo or orchestrating others), the ordered steps it follows, and when to escalate to a human. In AgentSoul’s output you will see sections such as proactivity, how readily the agent pushes back or collaborates, and the failure modes to watch. Without this file, an agent reinvents its process for every task and results drift.
Getting the files where they need to go
- Finish a forge in the app: Flash Forge from 3–10 chat screenshots, or a Gao Dao conversation in Chinese.
- On your result, tap “Get the four files”. You can preview each file and copy its text.
- Tap “Send to computer” and choose AirDrop, Save to Files, or Mail.
- Put the files in your project or agent workspace and point your agent at them. Each harness has its own guide in this series.
A last word of honesty: the files are built from an AI-generated reading of you. It is a hypothesis, not a diagnosis. Read the files, keep what rings true, and edit what does not. A forged blade is still sharpened by hand.
Questions
Do I need all four files?
No tool requires all four, but they work best together. If you only use one, use soul.md — it carries the personality; the other three add presentation, context about you and a working procedure.
What format are the files in?
Plain Markdown text files. You can open them in any text editor, read them on your phone, and edit them freely before or after you add them to an agent.
Are the files different between Flash Forge and Gao Dao?
You always get the same four files with the same purpose. The section headings inside vary slightly by forge mode, and Gao Dao results carry a Chinese archetype name alongside the English one.