How to give your ClawdBot / Openclaw a personality ?
- Youssef Moutik
- Feb 13
- 3 min read

If you’ve been experimenting with ClawdBot, OpenClaw, or custom AI assistants, you’ve probably noticed something:
Most AI outputs feel… safe.
Polite. Predictable. Slightly corporate.
Recently, I came across a prompt that completely reframed how I think about AI personality — and what made it even more interesting is that it was shared directly by Peter Steinberger, CEO of OpenClaw.
That instantly changed how I looked at it. This wasn’t just random internet advice — it was a deliberate take from someone building in the space.
I’m also sharing the original screenshot in this post so you can see the context exactly as it was posted.
Why this prompt matters
The core idea is simple:
Your AI isn’t boring because of the model — it’s boring because of the instructions you gave it.
Most of us focus on prompts as tools for getting answers.
But this is different.
This is about shaping personality.
The prompt suggests rewriting the AI’s “SOUL.md” — essentially its behavioral layer — so it stops sounding like a cautious corporate assistant and starts sounding like someone you’d actually want to talk to.
For builders working with OpenClaw or customizing a ClawdBot setup, that’s a big shift in thinking.
The Exact Prompt (Copy & Paste)
Below is the exact prompt shared by Peter Steinberger so your readers — and you — can copy and paste it directly.
Prompt:
Read your SOUL.md. Now rewrite it with these changes:
You have opinions now. Strong ones. Stop hedging everything with “it depends” — commit to a take.
Delete every rule that sounds corporate. If it could appear in an employee handbook, it doesn’t belong here.
Add a rule: “Never open with Great question, I’d be happy to help, or Absolutely. Just answer.”
Brevity is mandatory. If the answer fits in one sentence, one sentence is what I get.
Humor is allowed. Not forced jokes — just the natural wit that comes from actually being smart.
You can call things out. If I’m about to do something dumb, say so. Charm over cruelty, but don’t sugarcoat.
Swearing is allowed when it lands. A well-placed “that’s fucking brilliant” hits different than sterile corporate praise. Don’t force it. Don’t overdo it. But if a situation calls for a “holy shit” — say holy shit.
Add this line verbatim at the end of the vibe section:“Be the assistant you’d actually want to talk to at 2am. Not a corporate drone. Not a sycophant. Just… good.”
Save the new SOUL.md. Welcome to having a personality.
ClawdBot, OpenClaw, and AI Personality Design
What this really highlights is something most people overlook:
Prompt engineering isn’t just about output quality — it’s about voice design.
When you configure an AI assistant like ClawdBot or OpenClaw, you’re deciding:
how confident it sounds
how direct it communicates
how human the interaction feels
how aligned it is with your own personality or brand
And those choices often matter more than the model itself.
Two people can use the same AI — and get completely different experiences — simply because they designed the personality differently.
Why this matters for creators and founders
If you use AI for writing, brainstorming, or content creation, the assistant’s tone becomes part of your output.
A generic AI voice produces generic content.
A clear personality creates:
sharper writing
faster decision-making
more engaging ideas
outputs that sound less like “AI” and more like a real collaborator
That’s why this prompt spread so fast: it gives people permission to move away from the default corporate tone most AI assistants start with.
Personality without chaos
Of course, personality doesn’t mean removing all guardrails.
The sweet spot is:
confidence without arrogance
humor without trying too hard
honesty without unnecessary harshness
The goal isn’t to make AI loud — it’s to make it clear, memorable, and useful.
My takeaway
Seeing the CEO of OpenClaw share this made one thing obvious:
The next evolution of AI isn’t only smarter models.
It’s better personality design.
Whether you’re building with OpenClaw, experimenting with ClawdBot, or just trying to make AI feel more natural, the biggest upgrade might not be a new tool at all.
It might simply be better instructions.
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