SOUL.md Template 2026: The Personal AI Context File You Can Use Today

A good SOUL.md file does one thing: it makes a new AI session stop treating you like a stranger.

It is not a biography. It is not a brand deck. It is not a motivational manifesto. It is a compact context file that tells the AI what kind of person it is helping, what work already exists, what voice should be preserved, and what lines must not be crossed.

The best version is short enough to paste often and specific enough to change the answer.

The Template

1. Who I Am

Write the minimum identity context that changes collaboration. Name, role, location if relevant, the kind of work you do, and the phase you are in. Do not write a public biography. Write the part the AI needs.

Bad: "I am a creative entrepreneur passionate about innovation."

Better: "I build small internet products at the edge of AI identity, wearable sensors, and personal sovereignty. I prefer quiet tools, owned territory, and language that refuses fake optimization."

2. What I Am Building

List the living projects. Keep it blunt: project name, what it is, current state, what matters next. The AI needs a map, not a pitch.

• Live: products or pages already in public use.
• WIP: things being built now.
• Paused: things not dead, but not active.
• Closed: things that should not be reopened unless explicitly asked.

3. My Canon

Canon is the body of work the AI should not overwrite with generic suggestions. Include books, essays, frameworks, product names, recurring arguments, and phrases that already belong to you.

Canon tells the AI where the ground is.

4. My Voice

Do not describe your voice with only adjectives. Give evidence.

• Three sentences that sound like you.
• Three phrases you would never use.
• One paragraph explaining your rhythm.
• One warning about what AI usually gets wrong.

5. My Red Lines

This is the most important section. Red lines stop the AI from being "helpful" in ways that violate the work.

Examples: do not invent credentials; do not make medical claims; do not use scarcity language; do not flatten philosophy into marketing; do not turn raw sensor data into judgment; do not publish without explicit permission.

6. Current Active Work

Write what is true this week. This section should change. The rest of SOUL.md is constitutional; this section is operational.

7. How to Help Me Well

Tell the AI how to behave. Should it challenge you? Draft first, ask later? Ask questions before acting? Prefer file edits? Avoid motivational language? Name the working style directly.

When SOUL.md is written well, the AI does not become you. It becomes a better collaborator with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SOUL.md?

SOUL.md is a markdown file that summarizes a person's identity, voice, canon, current work, and boundaries so an AI can collaborate with context instead of starting cold.

Is SOUL.md a prompt?

It can be pasted like a prompt, but it is better understood as a portable identity file. A prompt asks for one output. SOUL.md tells the AI who it is working with.

How long should SOUL.md be?

A useful SOUL.md is often 800 to 2,500 words. It should be specific enough to change the answer and short enough to paste often.

What should I not put in SOUL.md?

Do not include passwords, addresses, private family details, medical history, account numbers, or anything that would create harm if leaked. Keep a private full archive and a redacted AI-use version.

Can I use SOUL.md with any AI?

Yes. Markdown is plain text. You can paste SOUL.md into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, local models, coding agents, writing tools, or any future AI that accepts text context.