---
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.*