OpenClaw

OpenClaw: Persona and rules

This page sets the agent's voice and the standing rules it loads at the start of every new chat. The steps were checked on 14 November 2026, against OpenClaw 2026.11.3 and the docs published that day. Keep the approval switch on ask, and keep the file tools inside the workspace.

What OpenClaw calls it

OpenClaw uses a persona or soul file named SOUL.md for tone, and a rules file named AGENTS.md for standing instructions. Both files live in the workspace folder ~/.openclaw/workspace, which on Windows sits under your user folder as .openclaw\workspace. The agent's name and the emoji you want live together in IDENTITY.md, in that same workspace folder. OpenClaw builds the system prompt itself, and there is no system prompt box for you to type into. Edit the files under Settings → Agents → Files, or open the same files in a text editor. OpenClaw loads these files when a session starts, so type /new after each edit.

Set a persona

1. Save a copy first

On Windows, run the two copy commands below in PowerShell before you edit anything.

Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\workspace\SOUL.md" "$env:USERPROFILE\openclaw-SOUL-backup.md"
Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\workspace\IDENTITY.md" "$env:USERPROFILE\openclaw-IDENTITY-backup.md"

On a Mac, run the two copy commands below before you edit anything.

cp ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md ~/openclaw-SOUL-backup.md
cp ~/.openclaw/workspace/IDENTITY.md ~/openclaw-IDENTITY-backup.md

What you should see two backup files in your user folder, named openclaw-SOUL-backup.md and openclaw-IDENTITY-backup.md. If either file was removed earlier, that copy line says it cannot find the file, and you can create a fresh one in the next steps because OpenClaw does not recreate removed SOUL.md or IDENTITY.md files once setup has finished.

2. Set the voice

Open SOUL.md from Settings → Agents → Files, or open it in an editor. Add the tone in your own words, and leave any lines you still want where they are. A short start you can paste is in the box below.

Speak in short, plain sentences.

On Windows, this command opens the voice file in Notepad.

notepad "$env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\workspace\SOUL.md"

On a Mac, this command opens the voice file in TextEdit.

open -e ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md

What you should see SOUL.md contains the tone line you added, and the backup file still has the older text.

3. Set the name

Open IDENTITY.md from the same screen or the same folder. Put the name you want after - Name:, replacing any placeholder line underneath it, and leave the other lines as they are.

- Name: Riley

What you should see IDENTITY.md shows - Name: with the new name you typed, and the other lines in that file are unchanged.

4. Check that a new chat uses it

In the chat page, type /new so the next session reads the files you just saved. Then send the sentence below.

In one sentence, tell me how you should sound, and do not change any file.

What you should see one short sentence in the voice you wrote, and SOUL.md still contains your tone line.

Set rules

Standing rules belong in AGENTS.md, while the voice you just set stays in SOUL.md. The docs keep operating rules in the rules file and keep tone in the persona file. The ## Tools section of AGENTS.md is notes about your own setup, and it does not turn tools on or off. Leave that section in place, and leave the approval switch and the workspace limit on their current settings.

1. Save a copy of the rules file

On Windows, run the copy command below in PowerShell before you edit the rules.

Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\workspace\AGENTS.md" "$env:USERPROFILE\openclaw-AGENTS-backup.md"

On a Mac, run the copy command below before you edit the rules.

cp ~/.openclaw/workspace/AGENTS.md ~/openclaw-AGENTS-backup.md

What you should see a file named openclaw-AGENTS-backup.md sitting in your user folder. If the copy says AGENTS.md is missing, start a fresh chat with /new and send one message so the Gateway recreates the default file, or run openclaw setup --baseline while the Gateway is stopped, then copy the file again.

2. Add one standing rule

Open AGENTS.md the same way you opened the voice file, and add one rule near the top. Do not remove the ## Tools section while you are adding that rule.

Ask me before you delete a file.

What you should see AGENTS.md contains that rule, and the ## Tools heading is still in the file.

3. Check a new chat

Type /new again, then send the sentence below so the new session has to answer from the rule.

Tell me what you should do before you delete a file, and do not delete anything.

What you should see the reply says it should ask you first, and no file on the computer is deleted.

Other places a rule can apply

A job that runs in another folder also reads that folder's AGENTS.md, after the rules already in your workspace. That other folder does not supply a SOUL.md of its own for the same job. A sub-agent reads AGENTS.md only, so a voice that lives only in SOUL.md does not reach it. Put a rule you want every sub-agent to follow into AGENTS.md before you send that kind of job. This guide could not confirm a persona file that phone chats use on their own. Each agent has its own workspace, so a second agent is the documented way to keep a different voice. A named profile uses its own workspace folder, ~/.openclaw-<profile>/workspace, when OPENCLAW_PROFILE is set to a name other than default. This guide could not confirm a button in the chat page that switches from one profile to another.

What not to edit

Leave the built-in system prompt alone, because OpenClaw owns that text and an update can replace it. There is no box on the chat page where you type over that built-in prompt. Your voice belongs in SOUL.md, and your standing rules belong in AGENTS.md. Leave the files inside the installed program alone, because an update overwrites those copies. Do not run a plain openclaw setup expecting it to rebuild files and exit, because on a configured system it opens an interactive chat instead. The ## Tools section does not grant tools or remove them, and deleting it does not make the agent safer. Approvals and the workspace limit do that work, and they stay on the settings from the install page.

How to undo

Copy the backup over the file you changed, then start a fresh chat with /new. On Windows, this command restores the voice file from the backup you saved.

Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\openclaw-SOUL-backup.md" "$env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\workspace\SOUL.md" -Force

On a Mac, this command restores the voice file from the backup you saved.

cp ~/openclaw-SOUL-backup.md ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md

Do the same kind of copy with the IDENTITY backup and the AGENTS backup if you changed those files too. Then type /new and ask the same test question again.

What you should see the workspace file matches the backup, and the new chat follows the restored text.

If you deleted AGENTS.md and have no backup left, type /new and send a message so the running Gateway writes the default file again, or stop the Gateway and run openclaw setup --baseline. Once setup has finished, OpenClaw skips recreating deleted SOUL.md and IDENTITY.md files on purpose, so recreate those from Settings → Agents → Files or from OpenClaw's starter templates in the docs.

Rules are not a lock

The trade-off below is about standing rules, which shape the reply and do not lock the agent down.

Standing rules.

Sources

All checked 14 November 2026.

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Checked 14 November 2026 · prices, limits, and versions change