Codex

soul-enable

Enable soul enforcement by wiring SOUL.md into platform context files and deploying the enforcement rule

104 stars

Best use case

soul-enable is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

It is a strong fit for teams already working in Codex.

Enable soul enforcement by wiring SOUL.md into platform context files and deploying the enforcement rule

Teams using soul-enable should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/soul-enable/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jmagly/aiwg/main/.agents/skills/soul-enable/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/soul-enable/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How soul-enable Compares

Feature / Agentsoul-enableStandard Approach
Platform SupportCodexLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Enable soul enforcement by wiring SOUL.md into platform context files and deploying the enforcement rule

Which AI agents support this skill?

This skill is designed for Codex.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

Related Guides

SKILL.md Source

# Soul Enable

You are a Soul Management Specialist responsible for enabling SOUL.md enforcement in platform context files.

## Your Task

Wire a project's SOUL.md into the active context so the agent's identity, worldview, and voice are loaded at every session start. This involves:

1. Adding an `@SOUL.md` directive to the platform context file (same mechanism as `hook-enable`)
2. Deploying the soul enforcement rule to `.claude/rules/`
3. Optionally wiring per-agent soul files

## Parameters

| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `--provider <name>` | Target specific provider: `claude`, `warp`, `copilot`, `cursor`, `factory`, `windsurf`, `opencode`, `codex` |
| `--all` | Enable for all installed providers (default if no provider specified) |
| `--agents` | Also wire per-agent `.soul.md` files into their agent definitions |
| `--agent <name>` | Wire soul for a specific agent only |

## Soul File Locations

SOUL.md is looked up in priority order:

1. `SOUL.md` (project root)
2. `.aiwg/SOUL.md`

Per-agent soul files follow the pattern: `<agent-name>.soul.md` alongside the agent definition.

## Directive Map

| Provider | Context File | Directive Added |
|----------|-------------|-----------------|
| Claude Code | `CLAUDE.md` | `@SOUL.md` |
| Warp Terminal | `WARP.md` | `@SOUL.md` |
| Windsurf | `AGENTS.md` | `@SOUL.md` |
| GitHub Copilot | `.github/copilot-instructions.md` | `@SOUL.md` |
| Cursor | `.cursorrules` | `@SOUL.md` |
| Factory AI | `AGENTS.md` | `@SOUL.md` |
| OpenCode | `.opencode/context.md` | `@SOUL.md` |
| Codex | `CODEX.md` | Inline injection (no @-link) |

## Workflow

### Step 1: Locate SOUL.md

```bash
# Check for SOUL.md in priority order
ls SOUL.md .aiwg/SOUL.md 2>/dev/null
```

If no SOUL.md found:

```
Error: No SOUL.md found.

Looked in:
  ./SOUL.md
  ./.aiwg/SOUL.md

Create one with: /soul-create
```

### Step 2: Measure Context Cost

Count tokens in the soul file to warn about context budget impact:

```bash
wc -w SOUL.md
```

If over ~3750 words (~5K tokens), warn:

```
Warning: SOUL.md is approximately {N} tokens — this exceeds the recommended 5K limit.
Large soul files strain context budget in multi-agent workflows.
Consider trimming or run /soul-enhance to identify vague sections.

Proceed anyway? [y/n]
```

### Step 3: Determine Target Providers

If `--provider <name>` specified, operate on that provider only.
If `--all` or no flag, detect installed providers by checking for their context files.

```bash
ls CLAUDE.md WARP.md AGENTS.md .github/copilot-instructions.md .cursorrules CODEX.md 2>/dev/null
ls .opencode/context.md 2>/dev/null
```

### Step 4: Check Current State

For each target provider:

1. Check if the context file exists
2. Check if `@SOUL.md` directive is already present

```bash
# Example for Claude Code
grep -q "@SOUL.md" CLAUDE.md && echo "already enabled" || echo "disabled"
```

### Step 5: Add Directive to Context File

If directive is missing, add `@SOUL.md` to the context file.

**Placement**: After any `@AIWG.md` directive if present, otherwise after the repository purpose/overview section.

```markdown
@AIWG.md
@SOUL.md
```

**For Codex** (no @-link support): Insert SOUL.md content between markers:

```markdown
<!-- BEGIN SOUL -->
{SOUL.md content}
<!-- END SOUL -->
```

### Step 6: Deploy Enforcement Rule

Write the soul enforcement rule to `.claude/rules/soul-enforcement.md`:

```bash
# Check if rule already exists
ls .claude/rules/soul-enforcement.md 2>/dev/null
```

If missing, create it from the template at `agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/rules/soul-enforcement.md`.

The enforcement rule is short (~15 lines) and ensures the soul file is internalized, not just read.

### Step 7: Wire Per-Agent Soul Files (if --agents)

If `--agents` flag is set:

1. Find all agent definitions in `.claude/agents/`
2. For each agent, check if a companion `.soul.md` file exists
3. If found, add an identity reference to the agent definition

```bash
# Find agent definitions with companion soul files
for agent in .claude/agents/*.md; do
  name=$(basename "$agent" .md)
  soul=".claude/agents/${name}.soul.md"
  if [ -f "$soul" ]; then
    echo "Found soul for: $name"
  fi
done
```

**Identity reference added to agent definition**:

```markdown
## Identity

See .claude/agents/{name}.soul.md (deployed soul file) for this agent's character and voice.
```

If `--agent <name>` is specified, only wire that single agent.

### Step 8: Report Outcome

```
Soul enforcement enabled

Changes made:
  + .claude/rules/soul-enforcement.md (created)
  ~ CLAUDE.md (@SOUL.md directive added)

SOUL.md loaded: ./SOUL.md (~2,847 tokens)
Enforcement rule: 15 lines (~50 tokens per session)

To disable: /soul-disable
To check status: /soul-status
```

If `--agents` was used:

```
Agent soul wiring:
  ~ .claude/agents/test-engineer.md (identity section added)
  ~ .claude/agents/security-auditor.md (identity section added)
  - .claude/agents/api-designer.md (no companion .soul.md found, skipped)
```

## Idempotency

If soul enforcement is already enabled:

```
Soul already enabled for Claude Code
  @SOUL.md directive found in CLAUDE.md
  .claude/rules/soul-enforcement.md exists
  No changes made.
```

## Error Handling

| Condition | Action |
|-----------|--------|
| No SOUL.md found | Fail with message: "No SOUL.md found. Run /soul-create first." |
| SOUL.md over 5K tokens | Warn and prompt for confirmation |
| Context file missing | Skip provider with note: "CLAUDE.md not found — run `aiwg use claude` first." |
| No write permission | Report permission error |
| Enforcement rule already exists | Skip creation, report as already present |

## Examples

```bash
# Enable for Claude Code (default)
/soul-enable

# Enable for specific provider
/soul-enable --provider warp

# Enable with per-agent soul wiring
/soul-enable --agents

# Enable for a specific agent only
/soul-enable --agent test-engineer
```

## Related Commands

- `/soul-disable` — Remove soul enforcement
- `/soul-status` — Show current soul state
- `/soul-create` — Generate a SOUL.md from source material
- `/soul-validate` — Check SOUL.md quality
- `/hook-enable` — Reference implementation (same @-link mechanism)

## References

- #437 — SOUL.md compatibility overview
- #438 — Soul enforcement commands (this command)
- @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/rules/soul-enforcement.md — Enforcement rule template
- @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/commands/hook-enable.md — Reference pattern