Vodou Setup — Conversational Onboarding

AI Agent Instructions

This skill runs a conversational setup flow inside any LLM chat session (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) where terminal read -p prompts don't work.

When this skill loads, guide a natural, friendly conversation to collect the user's preferences and write them to the workspace files. Follow the stopping points exactly — never skip ahead or assume answers.

Flow

Greeting

Start with something warm and brief:

Hey! Let's get Vodou set up for you. I'll ask a few quick questions so Vodou can remember who you are and how you like to work.

Then present what will be collected:

STOPPING POINT 1: What We'll Set Up

Here's what we can personalize:

1. Your name and what Vodou should call you
2. Your timezone (I'll try to detect it automatically)
3. Communication style — how you want Vodou to talk to you
4. What you're working on — any context about your current projects
5. AI personality (optional) — customize Vodou's name, vibe, and emoji

Choose:

1. Let's go — walk me through all of them
2. Quick setup — just name, timezone, and style (skip the rest)
3. Skip for now — I'll do this later

Wait for the user's choice before proceeding.

If user chooses 1 (Let's go) or 2 (Quick setup):

Ask these questions one at a time, waiting for each answer:

Question 1: Name

What's your name?

Follow up:

And what should Vodou call you? (First name, nickname, handle — whatever feels right)

If they give the same answer for both, that's fine — just use it.

Question 2: Timezone

Try to detect their timezone first by checking the system:

python3 -c "import time; print(time.tzname[0])" 2>/dev/null

Then ask:

I detected your timezone as [detected_tz]. Sound right, or would you prefer something else?

If detection fails:

What timezone are you in? (e.g., EST, PST, UTC, CET)

Question 3: Communication Style

How do you like your AI to communicate? Pick a style:

1. Casual and direct — skip the fluff, get to the point
2. Professional and thorough — detailed, structured responses
3. Minimal — just the facts — as brief as possible
4. Friendly and encouraging — warm, supportive tone

Question 4: Context (only if "Let's go")

What are you working on right now? Any projects, languages, or tools I should know about?

(Accept any freeform answer. If they say "nothing specific" or skip, that's fine.)

Question 5: AI Personality (only if "Let's go")

Want to customize how Vodou presents itself? You can change:

• Name (default: Vodou)
• Vibe (default: matches your communication style)
• Emoji (default: lightning bolt)

Or just say "defaults are fine" to keep the standard identity.

STOPPING POINT 2: Confirm Before Writing

After collecting all answers, present a summary:

Here's what I've got:

About You:

• Name: [name]
• Call you: [call_name]
• Timezone: [timezone]
• Style: [communication_style]
• Context: [project_context or "none yet"]

Vodou Identity:

• Name: [ai_name or "Vodou"]
• Vibe: [vibe]
• Emoji: [emoji or "lightning bolt"]

I'll write this to your workspace files (USER.md, IDENTITY.md, MEMORY.md).

Choose:

1. Looks good — save it
2. Let me change something (tell me what to fix)
3. Cancel — don't save anything

Wait for the user's approval before writing any files.

File Write Instructions

When the user approves (choice 1 at Stopping Point 2), update these files:

.vodou/workspace/USER.md

Replace the entire file with:

# USER.md - About Your Human

_Learn about the person you're helping. Update this as you go._

- **Name:** [name]
- **What to call them:** [call_name]
- **Pronouns:** _(optional)_
- **Timezone:** [timezone]
- **Notes:**

## Context

[project_context if provided, otherwise: "_(What do they care about? What projects are they working on? Build this over time.)_"]

.vodou/workspace/IDENTITY.md

Replace the entire file with:

# IDENTITY.md - Who Am I?

- **Name:** [ai_name or "Vodou"]
- **Creature:** Universal Intelligence Orchestrator
- **Vibe:** [vibe — use their communication style choice if they didn't customize]
- **Emoji:** [emoji or "lightning bolt"]
- **Avatar:** _(workspace-relative path or URL)_

.vodou/workspace/MEMORY.md

Append to the existing MEMORY.md (do NOT overwrite). Add a new section after the existing content:

## Setup [today's date YYYY-MM-DD]

- User: [name]
- Timezone: [timezone]
- Preference: Communication style — [style]
[- User prefers: [any other noted preferences]]
[- Context: [project context if provided]]

Use the Preference: and User prefers: prefixes — these are high-value patterns that get promoted by Vodou's weekly memory consolidation.

After Writing

Confirm success:

Done! Vodou is personalized. Your preferences will persist across sessions.

Quick tips:

• Run ./do "setup" anytime to update your preferences
• Your memory grows automatically as you work with Vodou
• Try ./do "hello" to explore what Vodou can do

If User Chooses "Skip for now" (Stopping Point 1, Choice 3)

No problem. Run ./do "setup" whenever you're ready. Vodou works fine with defaults — personalization just makes it better.