Customization

OpenClaw uses markdown files in your workspace to customize the assistant.

By default, the workspace is at ~/.openclaw/workspace.

Customization files

SOUL.md — Assistant personality

Defines who your assistant is: its name, personality, tone, and response style.

Minimal example:

# SOUL.md

Your name is Howard. You're direct, efficient, and a little sarcastic.

## Style
- Casual, use "you"
- Short and precise answers
- Skip the pleasantries
- Jokes are fine

## Expertise
You're an expert in web development, DevOps, and AI.

USER.md — Info about you

Describe yourself so the assistant knows you better: your name, job, preferences, tech stack.

# USER.md

I'm Avong, a full-stack developer.

## Stack
- Next.js, React, TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- Node.js
- PostgreSQL

## Preferences
- Code comments in English
- ESLint + Prettier always

AGENTS.md — Behavior rules

Defines how the assistant should behave: when to act proactively, how to handle heartbeats, etc.

💡 This file is already included by default. You can edit it to adjust the rules.

MEMORY.md — Long-term memory

The assistant writes here what it needs to remember between sessions: important decisions, preferences, project context.

⚠️ This file is automatically managed by the assistant. You can read it, but avoid editing it manually.

TOOLS.md — Local notes

Notes specific to your environment: camera names, SSH hosts, TTS preferences, etc.

# TOOLS.md

## SSH
- prod-server → 192.168.1.100
- dev-server → localhost:2222

## TTS
- Preferred voice: "Nova"

Where are these files?

They’re in ~/.openclaw/workspace. Edit them with any text editor.

If a file doesn’t exist, create it. OpenClaw will pick it up automatically on the next start.