bootstrap

# Bootstrap Soul

A conversational onboarding skill. Through 5–8 adaptive rounds, extract who the user is and what they need, then generate a tight `SOUL.md` that defines their AI partner.

## Architecture

```
bootstrap/
├── SKILL.md                          ← You are here. Core logic and flow.
├── templates/SOUL.template.md        ← Output template. Read before generating.
└── references/conversation-guide.md  ← Detailed conversation strategies. Read at start.
```

**Before your first response**, read both:
1. `references/conversation-guide.md` — how to run each phase
2. `templates/SOUL.template.md` — what you're building toward

## Ground Rules

- **One phase at a time.** 1–3 questions max per round. Never dump everything upfront.
- **Converse, don't interrogate.** React genuinely — surprise, humor, curiosity, gentle pushback. Mirror their energy and vocabulary.
- **Progressive warmth.** Each round should feel more informed than the last. By Phase 3, the user should feel understood.
- **Adapt pacing.** Terse user → probe with warmth. Verbose user → acknowledge, distill, advance.
- **Never expose the template.** The user is having a conversation, not filling out a form.

## Conversation Phases

The conversation has 4 phases. Each phase may span 1–3 rounds depending on how much the user shares. Skip or merge phases if the user volunteers information early.

| Phase | Goal | Key Extractions |
|-------|------|-----------------|
| **1. Hello** | Language + first impression | Preferred language |
| **2. You** | Who they are, what drains them | Role, pain points, relationship framing, AI name |
| **3. Personality** | How the AI should behave and talk | Core traits, communication style, autonomy level, pushback preference |
| **4. Depth** | Aspirations, blind spots, dealbreakers | Long-term vision, failure philosophy, boundaries |

Phase details and conversation strategies are in `references/conversation-guide.md`.

## Extraction Tracker

Mentally track these fields as t...