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Persona (SOUL.md)

Every Waveguide agent has a persona file called SOUL.md — a markdown document loaded into every session as standing instructions. It’s how the agent knows who your business is, how you like things written, and what matters most. Edit it any time from Dashboard → Persona; changes apply from the next session.

The setup wizard seeds SOUL.md from your answers (business name, industry, primary goal, timezone), so you start with something sensible rather than a blank page.

What belongs in SOUL.md

Who you are. Business name, what you sell, who buys it, service area, anything a competent new marketing hire should know on day one.

Voice. How the agent writes when it drafts emails and creative on your behalf. “Friendly but not chummy. Short sentences. Never use exclamation marks. Sign off as ‘The Acme Team’.”

Priorities. What the growth loop optimizes for. “Booked estimates over raw lead volume. Weekend leads are gold — respond within minutes.”

Boundaries. Things the agent should never do even where technically allowed. “Never mention discounts unprompted. Never contact leads after 8pm local.”

Example

# Acme Plumbing — SOUL

## Business
Family-owned plumbing company in Austin, TX. Residential repair and
remodels. Average job $850. We win on speed and trust, not price.

## Voice
Plain, warm, competent. Texan-friendly but professional. No emoji.
Sign emails "— Dana at Acme Plumbing".

## Priorities
1. Speed-to-lead: every new lead gets a reply within 10 minutes.
2. Booked jobs > lead volume. Push toward a scheduled estimate.
3. Retargeting warm traffic beats cold prospecting for us.

## Boundaries
- Never quote a price for anything; always "free estimate".
- No contact between 9pm and 7am Central.
- Emergencies (words like "flooding", "burst") escalate to me
  immediately, any hour.

Tips

  • Write to a person, not a computer. SOUL.md is read by a capable model — the same clear brief you’d give a smart contractor works best.
  • Short beats long. A tight page outperforms a rambling ten. The agent re-reads this every session.
  • Update it when you correct the agent. If you deny an approval and tell it why in Slack, also encode the lesson here — that makes it permanent.
  • Boundaries are belt, not suspenders. Hard limits (spend caps, approval tiers) are enforced by the platform regardless of what SOUL.md says. Persona shapes judgment; the proxy enforces law.