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docs(nix): clarify SOUL.md location

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helix4u 2026-04-15 20:13:51 -06:00 • committed by kshitij
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10
website/docs/getting-started/nix-setup.md
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@ -267,7 +267,6 @@ Run `nix build .#configKeys && cat result` to see every leaf config key extracte
# ── Documents ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
documents = {
"SOUL.md" = builtins.readFile /home/user/.hermes/SOUL.md;
"USER.md" = ./documents/USER.md;
};
@ -316,7 +315,7 @@ Quick reference for the most common things Nix users want to customize:
| Change the LLM model | `settings.model.default` | `"anthropic/claude-sonnet-4"` |
| Use a different provider endpoint | `settings.model.base_url` | `"https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"` |
| Add API keys | `environmentFiles` | `[ config.sops.secrets."hermes-env".path ]` |
| Give the agent a personality | `documents."SOUL.md"` | `builtins.readFile ./my-soul.md` |
| Give the agent a personality | `${services.hermes-agent.stateDir}/.hermes/SOUL.md` | manage the file directly |
| Add MCP tool servers | `mcpServers.<name>` | See [MCP Servers](#mcp-servers) |
| Mount host directories into container | `container.extraVolumes` | `[ "/data:/data:rw" ]` |
| Pass GPU access to container | `container.extraOptions` | `[ "--gpus" "all" ]` |
@ -397,17 +396,14 @@ The file is only copied if `auth.json` doesn't already exist (unless `authFileFo
The `documents` option installs files into the agent's working directory (the `workingDirectory`, which the agent reads as its workspace). Hermes looks for specific filenames by convention:
- **`SOUL.md`** — the agent's system prompt / personality. Hermes reads this on startup and uses it as persistent instructions that shape its behavior across all conversations.
- **`USER.md`** — context about the user the agent is interacting with.
- Any other files you place here are visible to the agent as workspace files.
The agent identity file is separate: Hermes loads its primary `SOUL.md` from `$HERMES_HOME/SOUL.md`, which in the NixOS module is `${services.hermes-agent.stateDir}/.hermes/SOUL.md`. Putting `SOUL.md` in `documents` only creates a workspace file and will not replace the main persona file.
```nix
{
services.hermes-agent.documents = {
"SOUL.md" = ''
You are a helpful research assistant specializing in NixOS packaging.
Always cite sources and prefer reproducible solutions.
'';
"USER.md" = ./documents/USER.md; # path reference, copied from Nix store
};
}