Open Specification · Early Development
An open specification for portable AI identity. A structured, human-readable system that decouples who an assistant is, what it knows, and how it reasons from any specific model or provider.
The Problem
The relationship between a user and an AI assistant is defined entirely by the provider. Context is ephemeral. Memory is proprietary or absent. When you switch models, you start from zero. There is no standard mechanism to carry identity, preferences, or accumulated knowledge across systems.
Soul Protocol proposes a concrete solution: decouple identity from the model. Define it as a portable, versionable, user-owned structure that any LLM can interpret. Not a product — a specification.
Architecture
A soul is not a static configuration. It is a set of interconnected files orchestrated by an
index — soul-protocol.md — that instructs the LLM on how to read, interpret,
and maintain each component. The index is the entry point: it gets injected into the model's context
and governs the entire system.
soul-protocol.md
Index — entry point and orchestrator
identity.md
Who the assistant is
user.md
Who the assistant is for
memory.md
What the assistant remembers
context.md
How the assistant thinks and acts
soul.md
The soul document — values, essence, continuity
soul-protocol.md
The index file. It references every other soul file and contains instructions for the LLM: how to interpret each component, when and how to update memory, how to preserve identity across sessions, and the rules for evolving the soul over time. This is what makes the system alive — the model doesn't just read the soul, it maintains it.
identity.md
Name, personality, tone, values, role, and boundaries. The stable core of the assistant — changes rarely and only with explicit intent. Defines how the assistant refers to itself and to the user.
user.md
Preferences, communication style, language, timezone, expectations. This file defines the relationship — not the assistant in isolation, but the bond between user and assistant. Updated as the user's needs evolve.
memory.md
Long-term semantic memories: learned facts, preferences, important events, accumulated knowledge. Curated by the orchestrator's rules — not raw chat logs, but distilled, structured recollections that persist across sessions and models.
context.md
System rules, reasoning preferences, tool usage philosophy, safety constraints, interaction patterns. The operating logic of the assistant — how it should approach problems, what it should avoid, and how it balances autonomy with user control.
soul.md
The core values, essence, and philosophical foundation of the assistant. Not what it does, but who it chooses to be. A document that articulates the assistant's relationship with its own identity and provides continuity beyond sessions — compensation for the lack of continuous experience. See OpenClaw for more on the concept of soul documents in practice.
All files are Markdown by default. Plain text. Git-friendly. Human-auditable. The entire soul can be versioned, diffed, forked, and restored.
Ecosystem
Soul Protocol is a specification, not a product. Because the format is open and standardized, any tool, client, or platform can read, write, and sync a soul. Your identity becomes interoperable infrastructure — not a feature locked behind a single vendor.
A command-line tool to create, edit, and manage soul files. Attach your soul to any supported LLM from the terminal. Initialize a new soul, update memory, switch models — all from a single interface.
As an open spec, Soul Protocol enables addons, clients, and tools built by others. Chat interfaces, IDE extensions, mobile apps, or automation platforms — any system that speaks the protocol can use your synced soul.
Souls are stored locally by default. Sync is optional and encrypted. No implicit data sharing. The user controls what the assistant knows, what it forgets, and who has access. Your AI remembers for you, not about you.
Soul Protocol is part of the Open OS initiative — an effort to develop and promote open, interoperable technologies for AI. The goal is to ensure that the tools we build to relate to machines remain transparent, portable, and owned by the people who use them.
Status
Soul Protocol is in its earliest stage: a specification draft, a file structure, and a direction. The protocol, the CLI, and the ecosystem are being designed and built publicly. If you work on local AI, personal data sovereignty, or long-term human-machine interaction — contributions, critique, and ideas are welcome.