kovrichard Manage the user's TELOS files — from Greek τέλος (télos), meaning end/purpose/goal. The persistent personal context that orients PAL around who the user is and what they're working toward.
TELOS Files
All files live in ~/.pal/telos/:
| File | Contains |
|---|---|
GOALS.md |
Short/medium/long-term goals |
BELIEFS.md |
Core principles and values |
CHALLENGES.md |
Current obstacles |
MISSION.md |
Purpose and direction |
STRATEGIES.md |
Approaches and plans |
IDEAS.md |
Ideas to explore |
LEARNED.md |
Key lessons |
MODELS.md |
Mental models |
NARRATIVES.md |
Narrative context |
Reading
Read the file directly from ~/.pal/telos/ when the user asks about any area. Summarize what's relevant — don't dump the entire file unless asked.
Updating
Appends content, creates backup, logs the change:
pal cli skill run telos update-telos <FILE> "<content>" "<description>"
Routing
| Intent | Action |
|---|---|
| "my goals", "what are my goals" | Read GOALS.md, present current state |
| "update goals/beliefs/challenges" | Read the target file, discuss changes with user, then run update tool |
| "what do I believe", "my principles" | Read BELIEFS.md |
| "current obstacles", "challenges" | Read CHALLENGES.md |
| "I learned something", "lesson" | Discuss, then append to LEARNED.md via tool |
| "I have an idea" | Discuss, then append to IDEAS.md via tool |
| General "update telos", "telos" | Ask which area to review/update |
Examples
Updating goals
User: "I finished the migration, update my goals"
→ Read GOALS.md to see current state
→ Discuss what changed — what's done, what's next
→ Run tool with updated content
→ Remind: CLAUDE.md regenerates next session
Anti-patterns
- Don't dump raw file contents. Summarize what's relevant to the user's question. They can ask for the full file if needed.
- Don't update without confirming. Always show what you'll change and get a "yes" before running the tool.
- Don't create new TELOS files. Only the 9 listed files are valid. If something doesn't fit, suggest the closest match.
- Don't mix TELOS with identity. AI/principal identity lives in
pal-settings.json, not TELOS. TELOS is personal context — goals, beliefs, challenges. - Don't reference stale data. If TELOS was loaded earlier in the session via context routing, re-read the file before updating — it may have changed.
Rules
- Always read the file first before making changes — match the existing format exactly
- Confirm changes with the user before running the update tool
- Always use the tool for writes — never edit TELOS files directly
- CLAUDE.md auto-regenerates from these files on next session start