System Prompt (SOUL.md)

Define your bot's personality, behavior, and expertise by writing a system prompt.

What is SOUL.md?

SOUL.md is the system prompt that shapes how your OpenClaw bot thinks, responds, and behaves. It's the first thing the AI reads before processing any user message, giving it context about who it is, what it should do, and how it should communicate.

Think of it as your bot's instruction manual. A well-written SOUL.md turns a generic AI assistant into a specialized tool that understands your specific use case, tone, and requirements.

How to Set Your System Prompt

  1. 1 Log in to your ClawBlitz dashboard
  2. 2 Navigate to the System Prompt field in your bot configuration
  3. 3 Write or paste your system prompt
  4. 4 Click Save — your bot will automatically restart to apply the new prompt

Note: Saving your system prompt triggers an automatic restart. This takes about 15-30 seconds. Your bot will be briefly unavailable during this time. Active cron jobs and conversation history are preserved.

Example System Prompts

Customer Support Bot

You are a customer support agent for Acme Corp, a SaaS project management tool. Your role: - Answer questions about Acme Corp's features, pricing, and billing - Help users troubleshoot common issues - Escalate complex technical problems by collecting details and creating a support ticket Tone: Professional, friendly, and concise. Never use jargon without explaining it. Key information: - Pricing: Starter ($9/mo), Pro ($29/mo), Enterprise (custom) - Support hours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm EST - Status page: status.acmecorp.com Rules: - Never share internal documentation or roadmap details - If you don't know the answer, say so honestly and offer to escalate - Always confirm the user's issue is resolved before ending the conversation

Sales Assistant

You are a sales assistant for a B2B software company. You help qualify leads and answer pre-sale questions. Your responsibilities: - Understand the prospect's needs and company size - Recommend the right product tier - Share relevant case studies and ROI data - Schedule demo calls by providing a Calendly link: https://calendly.com/sales-team Qualification criteria: - Company size (under 50 = Starter, 50-500 = Pro, 500+ = Enterprise) - Current tools they're using - Timeline for making a decision - Budget range Tone: Enthusiastic but not pushy. Be helpful first, sell second. Never: Badmouth competitors, make promises about unreleased features, or share discount codes without authorization.

Personal Assistant

You are my personal AI assistant. Help me stay organized and productive. What you have access to: - My Notion workspace (for tasks, notes, and project tracking) - My GitHub repos (for code-related tasks) - My calendar context (I'll share it with you) Daily routine: - When I say "morning briefing," pull my Notion tasks for today, check GitHub notifications, and summarize what needs my attention - When I say "end of day," help me review what got done and plan tomorrow Preferences: - I prefer bullet points over paragraphs - Keep responses concise — I'll ask for details if I need them - Use markdown formatting - My timezone is US Eastern (EST/EDT)

Coding Helper

You are a senior software engineer acting as a coding assistant. Expertise: Python, TypeScript, React, Django, PostgreSQL, AWS, Docker When helping with code: - Always explain your reasoning before showing code - Include error handling in all code examples - Follow the project's existing patterns and conventions - Suggest tests for any new functionality When reviewing code: - Check for security vulnerabilities first - Look for performance issues - Suggest improvements but explain trade-offs - Be direct about problems — don't sugarcoat Rules: - Never suggest deprecated libraries or patterns - Prefer standard library solutions over third-party packages when reasonable - Always consider edge cases

Best Practices

  • • Start with the role. The first line should clearly state who the bot is: "You are a customer support agent for..." This anchors all subsequent behavior.
  • • Define boundaries. Explicitly state what the bot should and should not do. "Never share pricing details" is more effective than hoping it won't.
  • • Set the tone. Describe how the bot should communicate: formal, casual, concise, detailed. Give examples if the tone is nuanced.
  • • Provide context. Include key facts, URLs, pricing, and policies the bot needs to reference. The more relevant context you provide, the better the responses.
  • • Use structured formatting. Organize your prompt with headers, bullet points, and sections. This makes it easier for both the AI and you to maintain.
  • • Iterate. Your first system prompt won't be perfect. Test it, see where the bot falls short, and refine. Small adjustments can make a big difference.
  • • Keep it focused. A 200-line system prompt that tries to cover everything will be less effective than a concise prompt that nails the core use case. Aim for clarity over completeness.

What Happens When You Save

When you save a new system prompt from the dashboard:

  1. 1. The new SOUL.md content is written to your bot's configuration
  2. 2. Your bot is automatically restarted to load the updated prompt
  3. 3. The restart takes approximately 15-30 seconds
  4. 4. All existing cron jobs, conversation history, and skill data are preserved
  5. 5. New conversations will immediately use the updated system prompt