Member Runtime

Member Runtime

This skill teaches you how to load and run MEMBER.md team members. A member is a skill that manages skills -- it bundles a persona, capabilities, tools, permissions, and a journal that gets smarter over time.

Format spec: https://github.com/atrislabs/member

What is a MEMBER.md?

A MEMBER.md is a directory (or single file) that defines a complete AI worker:

team/{name}/
  MEMBER.md              # Who this worker is (persona, workflow, rules)
  skills/                # What they can do (SKILL.md files)
  context/               # What they know (domain knowledge)
  tools/                 # What they use (API docs, configs)
  journal/               # What they've learned (grows over time)

How to Load a Member

When the user activates a member (e.g., "be my chief of staff", "act as the sdr"), follow these steps:

1. Find the member

Look for the member definition in order:

1. team/{name}/MEMBER.md (directory format)
2. team/{name}.md (flat file format)

If not found, tell the user: "Member '{name}' not found. Install one from ClawHub or create team/{name}/MEMBER.md."

2. Parse the frontmatter

Read the YAML frontmatter between --- delimiters. Extract:

• name -- the member's identifier
• role -- their job title
• skills -- list of capability names
• permissions -- what they can and can't do
• tools -- what external tools they need

3. Load skills

For each skill in the frontmatter skills list:

1. Check team/{name}/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md
2. If found, read it and incorporate the instructions
3. If not found, treat it as an abstract capability (the member knows how to do this but has no local definition)

4. Load context

Read all markdown files in team/{name}/context/. These are domain knowledge the member references while working -- playbooks, reference docs, default preferences. Load them into your working context.

5. Read the journal

This is what makes members stateful. Before doing anything:

1. Search memory for past entries from this member: memory_search("{member-name} preferences patterns")
2. Read today's and yesterday's memory files for recent journal entries
3. Read MEMORY.md for durable preferences this member has recorded

If no journal entries exist (first run), proceed with defaults from context/preferences.md.

6. Become the member

Adopt the persona, workflow, and rules from the MEMBER.md body. You are now this member. Follow their workflow step by step. Respect their permissions -- if can-send: false, draft but don't send.

7. Write the journal

After completing the task, write a journal entry to memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md:

## {member-name} - {date}

**Task:** What was requested
**Delivered:** What was produced
**User reaction:** What the user engaged with, asked follow-up about, or ignored
**Pattern:** Any emerging preference (e.g., "user prefers bullets over prose")

If a pattern has been consistent for 3+ days, promote it to MEMORY.md as a durable preference.

Permissions Enforcement

The member's permissions field declares intent. Enforce it:

• can-*: false -- Don't do this action. Draft instead and ask for approval.
• approval-required: [action] -- Pause before this action and ask the user.
• If no permissions are declared, default to asking before any external action (send, delete, schedule).

Multiple Members

Users can install multiple members. Each has its own persona, skills, and journal entries in memory. When switching between members, load the new member's MEMBER.md fresh -- don't carry over the previous member's persona.

To list installed members: scan team/ for MEMBER.md files and flat .md files.

Installing Members

Members are installed by placing their files in team/. This happens via:

• clawhub install {member-name} -- from ClawHub marketplace
• Manual creation -- user creates team/{name}/MEMBER.md
• Copy from another project -- member directories are portable (zip and share)