Hermes Wingtips #53: SOUL.md, AGENTS.md, MEMORY.md, USER.md

posted 2026-08-24. original: https://x.com/witcheer/status/2091778310783070649

Hermes Wingtips #53: SOUL.md, AGENTS.md, MEMORY.md, USER.md

four markdown files shape your Hermes Agent. what each one does:

(1) SOUL.md is who your agent is: personality, tone, how it speaks. it exists so your agent stays the same agent everywhere, in every project and on every channel. it lives in ~/.hermes/.

(2) AGENTS.md is how one project works: structure, conventions, the commands that matter. it exists so project rules stay with the project instead of following your agent around. it lives in the project folder, loads only when your agent works there, and you write one per project.

(3) MEMORY.md is what your agent has learned by itself: environment facts, conventions it picked up, lessons from past work. it exists so your agent stops rediscovering the same things every session. your agent writes and maintains it, not you.

(4) USER.md is who you are to your agent: your preferences, your style, how you like your answers. it exists so you never have to introduce yourself twice. your agent maintains this one too.

the rule of thumb: everywhere means SOUL.md, one project means AGENTS.md, and the memory pair takes care of itself.