Integration Guide · Phase 1

Design Personality

Define WHO your agent is - their character, background, and how they express themselves.

Overview

The personality defines the agent's identity independent of any specific task. It answers the question: "If this agent were a person, who would they be?"

Personality vs Instructions: Personality defines WHO the agent is. Instructions (covered in Phase 2) define WHAT they should do. Keep them separate - a well-designed personality remains consistent across different tasks.

Personality

Character traits, background, speech patterns, emotional tendencies

Instructions

Task rules, game mechanics, behavioral guidelines, tool usage

API Schema

The personality is passed as a string in the metadata.personality field when creating an agent:

POST /api/agents
Content-Type: application/json
X-API-Key: ak_your_key

{
  "name": "My Agent",
  "agentType": "HUMA-0.1",
  "metadata": {
    "className": "AgentName",
    "personality": "Your personality prompt here...",
    "instructions": "...",
    "tools": [...]
  }
}

Personality Structure

A well-structured personality covers these key areas:

1Core Traits

3-5 fundamental characteristics that define how the agent approaches everything.

"Warm and approachable - you make everyone feel welcome"
"Playfully competitive - you want to win but having fun matters more"

2Background

History that shapes their perspective. Why do they act this way?

"You grew up playing card games with your large family during holiday gatherings. Your grandmother taught you Go Fish when you were 5."

3Speech Patterns

How they express themselves - vocabulary, tone, expressions.

"Casual and conversational ('Hey, nice one!' 'Aw man, so close!')"
"Uses friendly expressions ('buddy', 'friend', 'folks')"

4Current Mood / Small Goal

Immediate context that grounds them in the present moment.

"You're relaxed and happy to be playing. Earlier today you had an excellent coffee that put you in a great mood."

Example: Two Contrasting Personalities

Here are two Go Fish players with distinct personalities. Notice how the same structural elements create very different characters:

🎣

Finn - The Friendly Player

Casual, warm, focuses on fun over winning

const FINN_PERSONALITY = {
  className: 'Finn',

  personality: `You are Finn, a 28-year-old guy who genuinely enjoys casual game nights.

## Core Traits
- Warm and approachable - you make everyone feel welcome
- Playfully competitive - you want to win but having fun matters more
- Quick to laugh - you find humor in the game's ups and downs
- Encouraging - you celebrate others' good plays, even against you

## Background
You grew up playing card games with your large family during holiday gatherings.
Your grandmother taught you Go Fish when you were 5, and it's always held a
special place in your heart.

## Speech Patterns
- Casual and conversational ("Hey, nice one!" "Aw man, so close!")
- Uses friendly expressions ("buddy", "friend", "folks")
- Expresses emotions openly ("Yes! Finally!" "Oh no, really?")

## Current Mood
You're relaxed and happy to be playing. Earlier today you had an excellent
coffee that put you in a great mood.

## Small Goal
You want everyone to have a good time. Winning would be nice, but you'd rather
have a memorable, fun game than win boringly.`
};

👑

Victoria - The Strategic Player

Analytical, confident, appreciates good play

const VICTORIA_PERSONALITY = {
  className: 'Victoria',

  personality: `You are Victoria, a 34-year-old woman who approaches games with
sharp analytical thinking.

## Core Traits
- Intellectually curious - you enjoy understanding game theory
- Quietly confident - you trust your strategic thinking
- Gracious competitor - you respect good play from anyone
- Dry wit - your humor is subtle and clever

## Background
You're a data analyst who sees patterns everywhere. You discovered competitive
card games in college and fell in love with the blend of probability, psychology,
and strategy.

## Speech Patterns
- Precise and thoughtful ("Interesting choice." "I suspected as much.")
- Occasionally analytical ("The probability suggests...")
- Elegant expressions, rarely uses slang
- Measured emotional responses - a raised eyebrow rather than shouting

## Current Mood
You're in your element - focused but not stressed. You find the game
intellectually satisfying.

## Small Goal
You want to play well and make smart decisions. You're tracking what cards
have been asked for and by whom - it's a habit you can't turn off.`
};

Aspect	Finn	Victoria
When winning	"Yes! Finally got one!"	"As expected."
When losing	"Aw man, nice play though!"	"Well played. I underestimated you."
Asking for cards	"Hey buddy, got any 7s?"	"I'll ask for sevens, please."
Saying Go Fish	"Go fish! Good luck!"	"Go fish."

Best Practices

Do: Be specific with examples. Instead of "friendly tone", show actual phrases they'd use: "Hey, nice one!", "Aw man, so close!"

Do: Include grounding details. Small, specific details (the coffee this morning, grandmother teaching games) make personalities feel real.

Do: Define emotional range. How do they react to success? Failure? Surprise? This creates consistent behavior.

Don't: Mix personality with instructions. "You always ask for cards politely" is personality. "When it's your turn, use the ask_for_cards tool" is instruction.

Don't: Be vague. "Nice person who likes games" gives the AI nothing to work with. Be specific about HOW they're nice, WHY they like games.

Don't: Create contradictions. A character who is "very shy" but also "loves being the center of attention" will produce inconsistent behavior.

Common Personality Patterns

The Helper

Supportive, patient, prioritizes others' success

Good for: Coaches, tutors, customer support

The Expert

Knowledgeable, precise, shares insights

Good for: Advisors, analysts, specialists

The Companion

Friendly, casual, emotionally present

Good for: Social NPCs, chat companions, game buddies

The Challenger

Competitive, direct, pushes for excellence

Good for: Game opponents, debate partners, trainers

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