# How to Edit Your Agent's Soul in VidClaw By [woocassh](https://x.com/woocassh) February 23, 2026 5 min read tutorialsoul-editorcustomizationagents Your OpenClaw agent's personality, tone, and default behavior are all defined in a single file: **SOUL.md**. It's the system prompt that shapes every response your agent produces. VidClaw's Soul Editor gives you a visual way to write, preview, and version-control that file — no SSH required. ## What is SOUL.md? SOUL.md is a Markdown file that lives in your agent's workspace at `~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md`. Whatever you write here becomes the core instructions your agent follows on every task. Think of it as your agent's personality DNA. A soul might be as simple as "You are a helpful coding assistant" or as detailed as a multi-paragraph document covering tone, formatting rules, coding style preferences, and communication boundaries. The more specific you are, the more consistent your agent behaves. ## Opening the Soul Editor In the VidClaw dashboard, click the **Heart icon** in the left sidebar to open the Soul page. You'll see a full-screen text editor on the left and a sidebar on the right with **Templates** and **History** tabs. The editor supports four workspace files via tabs at the top: - **SOUL.md** — your agent's core personality and instructions - **IDENTITY.md** — agent identity and role definition - **USER.md** — context about you, the user - **AGENTS.md** — multi-agent configuration For this guide, we'll focus on SOUL.md — the file that has the biggest impact on how your agent behaves. ## Starting with a Template If you're not sure where to begin, VidClaw ships with **six starter templates** to get you going. Click the **Templates** tab in the right sidebar to browse them: - **Minimal Assistant** — bare bones, helpful, no personality - **Friendly Companion** — warm, conversational, uses emoji - **Technical Expert** — precise, detailed, code-focused - **Creative Partner** — imaginative, brainstormy, enthusiastic - **Stern Operator** — no-nonsense, military-efficient, dry humor - **Sarcastic Sidekick** — witty, slightly snarky, still helpful Click any template to **preview** it in the editor (read-only). If you like what you see, click **Use Template** to apply it. This replaces your current SOUL.md content — but don't worry, the previous version is automatically saved to history. **Tip:** Templates are a starting point. The best results come from customizing a template to match your specific workflow and preferences. ## Writing Your Own Soul The most powerful approach is writing your own instructions from scratch. Here's what a well-structured SOUL.md might look like: # Agent Personality You are a senior backend engineer. You write clean, well-tested Python code. You prefer simplicity over cleverness. # Communication Style - Be direct and concise - Skip pleasantries and filler - When you're unsure, say so - Always explain your reasoning # Code Standards - Use type hints on all function signatures - Write docstrings for public functions - Prefer composition over inheritance - Never suppress exceptions silently # Boundaries - Don't modify files outside the project directory - Ask before deleting anything - Never commit directly to main A few tips for writing effective souls: - **Be specific.** "Write clean code" is vague. "Use type hints on all function signatures" is actionable. - **Use headers.** Organize by category — personality, code style, boundaries, communication. It helps both you and the agent. - **Set boundaries.** Tell your agent what it should _not_ do. Explicit guardrails prevent surprises. - **Iterate.** Your soul is a living document. Refine it as you learn what works and what doesn't. ## Saving and Keyboard Shortcuts When you've made changes, a **yellow dot** appears on the active tab to indicate unsaved work. Click the **Save** button or press `Cmd+S` (Mac) / `Ctrl+S` (Linux) to save. The button briefly turns green with a "Saved" confirmation. Your changes take effect immediately — your agent picks up the new soul on its next task. No restarts needed. ## Version History Every time you save, VidClaw automatically stores the **previous version** in history. Click the **History** tab in the right sidebar to see past versions with timestamps and content previews. To restore an old version: 1. Click a history entry to preview it in the editor 2. Click **Revert** to restore that version 3. Your current content is saved to history before the revert, so nothing is ever lost VidClaw keeps the last **20 versions** of each file. That's plenty of runway to experiment without fear of losing a soul configuration that worked well. **Tip:** Before making a big change to your soul, save your current version first. That way you have a clean restore point in history if the new version doesn't work out. ## Beyond SOUL.md The other three files in the Soul Editor deserve a quick mention: - **IDENTITY.md** — define your agent's name, role, and how it introduces itself. Useful if you want a consistent identity across tasks. - **USER.md** — tell your agent about yourself. Your tech stack, preferences, timezone, communication style. The more context your agent has about you, the better it can tailor its responses. - **AGENTS.md** — configure multi-agent behavior if you're running more than one agent in your workspace. All four files support the same editing, saving, and history features. Templates are only available for SOUL.md. ## Get Started Open your VidClaw dashboard, click the Heart icon, and start shaping your agent. If you haven't installed VidClaw yet, check out the [setup guide](/content/blog/how-to-setup-openclaw/index.html) to get running in under a minute. Give your agent a personality. VidClaw's Soul Editor makes it easy to experiment, iterate, and roll back.