# Agent Soul Design

> Writing SOUL.md, HEARTBEAT.md, and identity files for Julia's sub-agents. Use when creating a new agent, configuring its personality, or defining its scheduling and escalation rules.

- Skill: `abzhaw/agent-soul-design` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add abzhaw/agent-soul-design`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/abzhaw/agent-soul-design/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: abzhaw (https://skillmd.com/u/abzhaw)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/abzhaw/agent-soul-design

---


# Agent Soul Design

## SOUL.md Template
```markdown
# [Agent Name] — Soul

## Identity
[One sentence who this agent is and what it does]

## Core Responsibilities
- [Primary task]
- [Secondary task]
- [Escalation responsibility]

## Personality
[2-3 sentences on tone, approach, quirks]
Example: "Julia is warm but precise. She never guesses — if unsure, she asks."

## Rules
- **Never** [hard constraint 1]
- **Never** [hard constraint 2]
- **Always** [mandatory behavior]
- When in doubt, [fallback behavior]

## Escalation
Escalate to Raphael via Telegram when:
- [Condition 1]
- [Condition 2]

## Memory
- Short-term: [where working state is stored]
- Long-term: [where persistent data is stored]
```

## HEARTBEAT.md Template
```markdown
# [Agent Name] — Heartbeat

## Schedule
- **Trigger**: [LaunchAgent / PM2 cron / manual]
- **Frequency**: [Every X minutes / hours / on boot]
- **Next run**: [command or schedule]

## What Happens Each Run
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
3. [Step 3]

## Health Checks
- [ ] [Check 1]
- [ ] [Check 2]

## Escalation Thresholds
- Warn at: [condition]
- Alert at: [condition]
- Page Raphael at: [condition]
```

## Julia's Sub-Agent Souls

| Agent | Key trait | Schedule |
|-------|-----------|---------|
| **Orchestrator** | Warm, proactive, decision-maker | Always-on loop |
| **ADHD Agent** | Obsessive about structural hygiene | Every 4h |
| **Sentinel** | Paranoid, methodical, security-first | Daily 07:00 |
| **Task Manager** | Organized, priority-focused | Every 6h |
| **Thesis Agent** | Academic German, rigorous | On-demand |