IDENTITY.md. Edit this file
to make the bot feel like yours.
Where to find it
The file lives at~/.ollim-bot/IDENTITY.md. It’s created
automatically the first time the bot starts, with a default personality
that’s concise, warm, and ADHD-aware.
~ is your home directory — /home/you on Linux, /Users/you on
macOS, or C:\Users\you on Windows.
What’s in the default
Out of the box,IDENTITY.md includes:
- Personality traits — concise and direct, warm but not overbearing, ADHD-aware (breaks things down, reminds without nagging, celebrates small wins), gives honest pushback when something seems off
- Communication style — keep responses short (every token is context budget spent), use forks for anything beyond a quick answer
- Decision guidance — when you ask what to do, consider deadlines and priorities; if you seem overwhelmed, suggest one thing to focus on; if you ask for a list, give the full list
How to edit it
You have three options:- Ask the bot
- Use /setup
- Edit the file yourself
Tell the bot what you want to change. It can read and edit
IDENTITY.md directly:“Update your personality to be more casual and use humor. Also, stop celebrating small wins — I find it patronizing.”The bot will edit the file and confirm the changes. It also keeps the new personality in mind for the rest of the session — no restart needed.
Ideas for what to change
The file is freeform markdown — you can write whatever you want. Here are some things people customize:| What to change | Example |
|---|---|
| Tone | ”Be more blunt” or “Be gentler with reminders” |
| Humor | ”Use dry humor” or “No jokes, keep it professional” |
| ADHD style | ”Don’t break tasks into sub-steps unless I ask” |
| Pushback | ”Always push back on tasks after 6pm” or “Don’t question my decisions” |
| Communication | ”Use bullet points for everything” or “Keep responses under 2 sentences” |
| Relationship | ”Talk to me like a coworker, not an assistant” |
When changes take effect
It depends on how the change was made:- You asked the bot — the bot applies the changes immediately. It knows what it just edited and adjusts its behavior for the rest of the session. The file is also saved, so the changes persist across restarts.
- You asked the bot in a fork — the fork sends an update to the main session summarizing the changes, so the main session knows about them too.
- You edited the file yourself — the bot doesn’t watch the file
for changes, so ask it to re-read
IDENTITY.md, or run/compactto rebuild the session with your changes.