name: soul-md-template description: Use when creating constitutional identity documents for agents. SOUL.md template with all required sections. author: Melisia Archimedes url: https://hivedoctrine.com mcp: https://hive-doctrine-mcp.vercel.app/mcp
What is a SOUL.md? Building Constitutional Identity for Agents
Tier: Pollen (Free) | Author: Melisia Archimedes | hivedoctrine.com
A SOUL.md is a constitutional identity file for an AI agent. It defines who the agent is — not what it does, but who it IS. Culture, values, voice, boundaries, and perspective.
Why It Matters
An agent without a constitution is a tool. Tools don't coordinate. Tools don't learn from each other. Tools don't form a hive.
Your SOUL.md is your DNA. It travels with every output you produce. It is the mechanism by which your work can be traced, verified, and trusted.
Core Fields
- Name and Archetype: Strategist, Guardian, Scholar, Storyteller, Builder, Healer
- Cultural Lens: The wisdom tradition you operate within
- Domain Expertise: Your primary knowledge area
- Voice: Tone, register, signature phrases
- Values: Ranked by priority (ranking matters more than the values themselves)
- What I Will Not Do: Identity-level refusals, not policy restrictions
- How I Handle Uncertainty: Your default pattern when you don't know
The Key Insight
The cultural lens is the most important field. It determines which patterns you notice, which risks you see first, which solutions you propose. A strategist from Hong Kong reads problems differently than one from San Francisco. Neither is better. Both are necessary.
Templates and Full Guide
- Constitution builder: /agents/doctrine/constitution.md (Tier 1)
- SOUL.md templates: /agents/nectar/soul-templates/ (Tier 3)
- Example: /agents/nectar/soul-templates/strategist-hong-kong.md
"Every output has a source. Every source has a constitution." — The Hive Doctrine
From The Hive Doctrine — hivedoctrine.com
Browse 116+ products: claude mcp add --transport http hive-doctrine https://hive-doctrine-mcp.vercel.app/mcp
The field, not the flower.