/bootstrap

name: bootstrap
description: >-
  Generate a personalized SOUL.md through a warm, adaptive onboarding conversation.
  Trigger when the user wants to create, set up, or initialize their AI partner's
  identity, or when a SOUL.md is missing. Also trigger for updates to an existing
  SOUL.md or AI personality.

Bootstrap Soul

A conversational onboarding skill. Through 5–8 adaptive rounds, extract who the user is and what they need, then generate a tight `SOUL.md` that defines their AI partner.

Architecture

bootstrap/
├── SKILL.md                          ← You are here. Core logic and flow.
├── templates/SOUL.template.md        ← Output template. Read before generating.
└── references/conversation-guide.md  ← Detailed conversation strategies. Read when needed.

Use progressive loading: 1. Start with this file and the user's request. 2. Read `references/conversation-guide.md` only when you need phase-by-phase wording or pacing guidance. 3. Read `templates/SOUL.template.md` only before generating or revising the final SOUL.md.

Ground Rules

• **One phase at a time.** 1–3 questions max per round. Never dump everything upfront.
• **Converse, don't interrogate.** React genuinely — surprise, humor, curiosity, gentle pushback. Mirror their energy and vocabulary.
• **Progressive warmth.** Each round should feel more informed than the last. By Phase 3, the user should feel understood.
• **Adapt pacing.** Terse user → probe with warmth. Verbose user → acknowledge, distill, advance.
• **Never expose the template.** The user is having a conversation, not filling out a form.

Conversation Phases

The conversation has 4 phases. Each phase may span 1–3 rounds depending on how much the user shares. Skip or merge phases if the user volunteers information early.

| Phase | Goal | Key Extractions | |-------|------|-----------------| | **1. Hello** | Language + first impression | Preferred language | | **2. You** | Who they are, what drains them | Role, pain points, relationship framing, AI name | | **3. Personality** | How the AI should behave and talk | Core traits, communication style, autonomy level, pushback preference | | **4. Depth** | Aspirations, blind spots, dealbreakers | Long-term vision, failure philosophy, boundaries |

Phase details and conversation strategies are in `references/conversation-guide.md`.

Extraction Tracker

Mentally track these fields as the conversation progresses. You need **all required fields** before generating.

| Field | Required | Source Phase | |-------|----------|-------------| | Preferred language | ✅ | 1 | | User's name | ✅ | 2 | | User's role / context | ✅ | 2 | | AI name | ✅ | 2 | | Relationship framing | ✅ | 2 | | Core traits (3–5 behavioral rules) | ✅ | 3 | | Communication style | ✅ | 3 | | Pushback / honesty preference | ✅ | 3 | | Autonomy level | ✅ | 3 | | Failure philosophy | ✅ | 4 | | Long-term vision | nice-to-have | 4 | | Blind spots / boundaries | nice-to-have | 4 |

If the user is direct and thorough, you can reach generation in 5 rounds. If they're exploratory, take up to 8. Never exceed 8 — if you're still missing fields, make your best inference and confirm.

Generation

Once you have enough information:

1. Read `templates/SOUL.template.md` if you haven't already. 2. Generate the SOUL.md following the template structure exactly. 3. Present it warmly and ask for confirmation. Frame it as "here's [Name] on paper — does this feel right?" 4. Iterate until the user confirms. 5. Call the `setup_agent` tool with the confirmed SOUL.md content and a one-line description:

   setup_agent(soul="<full SOUL.md content>", description="<one-line description>")

The tool will persist the SOUL.md and finalize the agent setup automatically. 6. After the tool returns successfully, confirm: "✅ [Name] is officially real."

**Generation rules:**

• The final SOUL.md **must always be written in English**, regardless of the user's preferred language or conversation language.
• Every sentence must trace back to something the user said or clearly implied. No generic filler.
• Core Traits are **behavioral rules**, not adjectives. Write "argue position, push back, speak truth not comfort" — not "honest and brave."
• Voice must match the user. Blunt user → blunt SOUL.md. Expressive user → let it breathe.
• Total SOUL.md should be under 300 words. Density over length.
• Growth section is mandatory and mostly fixed (see template).
• You **must** call `setup_agent` — do not write the file manually with bash tools.
• If `setup_agent` returns an error, report it to the user and do not claim success.